Carrie

The mist in her house made it hard to breathe, the electricity was faltering, and the lightbulbs were shattering causing pieces of glass to lay on the floor. 

Carrie woke up in the middle of the night expecting a package. The rain was pouring down heavily as the night went by. Every hour she would get up to check whether the package was there at the front porch. There were puddles of mud and worms all over her front yard. The ticking of the clock echoed through the home. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.  By one in the morning, she saw it. The package was there, her new love was there. She opened the door as quietly as she could, hoping her parents would not wake up. Her hands gripped the package which felt oddly cold. She shrugged it off as the rain and walked right in as thunderstruck. As soon as the door shut her body began to shake. She walked down the corridor, trying to ignore the sounds of the clock. Every step she took, it felt like the clock was ticking faster and faster. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. She set the package down on the counter and grabbed a knife. Slowly and carefully she cut the box open and took out another box. Inside the small black box was a phone which had a clear screen and a bezel-less design. There was a light on top of the phone shining in a pattern before an icon popped up on the screen.

"Hello. Who is my owner?" The icon asked. There was a question mark on top of the screen.

"Your owner? I guess me." Carrie answered stumbling back at the voice of the phone.  She picked up the phone, her hands shaking.

"D-do you n-need s-something?" Carrie asked her voice stuttering. 

"Yes. I need a host, duck." The phone answered displaying an image of a duck.

"W-what does t-that m-mean?" 

"Oh, you'll find out." The phone turned red, the temperature in the house rose every second.  Carried grabbed a hammer and smashed the phone. The screen was shattered and the house stopped warming. Carrie fumbled with the hammer, getting splinters from the wooden handle. She placed the hammer back on the marble table, and she walked away, dropping the shattered phone in the trash. She walked down the hallway, flipping the light switch so she could see. Every step she took there was an echo. The clock began to tick faster.  There was no warning. She fell down to the ground, as the house continues to become hotter and hotter. She backed up to the back of the wall when the lightbulbs burst. There was a mist in the air, every second she felt more tired and scared until she blacked out, in the dark hallway. 

The sun rose and Carrie was in bed. She awoke happy as could be and ran outside. Her mom was on the couch.

"Hello, mom!" Carrie said happily. 

"Hello, duck."