An Unfamiliar Darkness

A Screaming Mask

"What the fuck was that!" Kim gasped. She was hiding behind a door far, far away from the room. From that creature. With deep breaths she thought it through again. She did not dare close her eyes and think, in fear of seeing that thing again.

Huh windows, Kim thought looking down the corridor minutes later. Doors lined the left side and on the right, windows. The windows creaked while ice formed on them. They lined the right wall, glass and metal. One window, all the way down, was broken. Cold air poured in the freezing room.

Grabbing her shaking arms, Kim once again wished she would have stopped wearing so many tank tops. It was summer where she had been, a warm night before it all hit. The trees had happily shook their leaves in the cooling breeze.

Toby pulled her along a path well known to both of them. The path back to his house. It almost seemed like she lived there.They were forever taking long walks down this path that led to many others ways and places.

His mother had left Toby and his father long ago, and his dad worked so much that it was a rare sight to see him. They were running home for he had just called and Kim and Toby were both excited to see him.

"Dad said he had some guest over so we'll have to wait to talk to him, one on one."

You could see his house from a distance. It was white with dark blue shutters and trimming. Kim had always liked the way it looked.

Running into the clearing behind the house both Kim and Toby could see his dads car and quite a few others. Laughing they ran up to the back porch.

"T-Toby, come in here please. Leave Kim outside for a moment," his dad called from within an open window. They would have heard the fear in his voice if they had not been so excited.

"Sure thing!" Toby called back.

Smiling, Kim held his hands as he kissed her on her forehead.

"Don't be too long," she joked.

With a grin and the turn of the door knob, he went inside.

Not even a minute later she heard inside the house a crashing noise and Toby yell

"what the hell are you-"

Kim turned to run inside and defend Toby when a cloth covered her mouth and a voice behind her whispered

"sweet dreams, Kimberly"

and everything had gone black.

---

Slowly Kim approached the first door besides the one she had come in from. She took hold of the handle shyly. Opening it to where she could shut it quickly she peered in carefully.

Nothing seemed too out of place or weird so Kim creeped in noiselessly. Things were littered across the ground and the desk was flipped.

Checking its drawers she found nothing note worthy and moved on. The next two rooms were the same.

The 3rd room almost seemed the same besides the fact that the desk was up right as Kim traveled to it.

As she turned the corner to check it a scream was let loose from a skull hiding under it. Kim, clearly startled, turned tail and ran.

"Wait! Wait!"

The little girl wearing it cried as Kim slammed the door shut behind her.

Holding the door shut Kim took deep breaths. The little girl from within banged on the door and started to cry.

What had startled Kim was not only the scream but also that the little girl was wearing the skull of someone. Her face was too small for it but it some how worked.