SOMETHING ROAMS THE NIGHT...

NINE

I knew something was amiss the moment I rounded the corner of the street where my house was. The only light came from the flickering lamp post. All of a sudden I felt like I was in some sort of horror movie.

I stepped slowly towards my house. Something was wrong, I could sense it.

And as I made my way closer, I caught sight of the front door. It was ajar.

My parents always closed the door. I mean, who would even leave the front door open, especially at night? In this town?

Was anyone home? Did something happen? Or was I just overreacting?

I pushed the door open, and was greeted by an ungodly sight.

The house was a mess. It was as if someone had whisked everything from the shelves and tossed them to the ground. Plates and bowls were shattered to smithereens, including the flower vases.

Everything was just...everywhere.

The dim bulb above the dining table illuminated the only light.

Had a tornado whipped up in here?

"Mum? Dad? Andy?" I shouted. There was a sinking feeling in my gut that something had happened to them. Something bad.

I trodded over paper that seemed to have been shredded into pieces. What the hell happened here?

"Mum! Dad! Andy!" I called again, louder. My voice reverberated thoughout the house. There was no reply-definitely not a good sign.

Please, no. Why were bad things happening to me? What did I do wrong?

I began looking in the bedrooms and the study room, but there was no one in sight. I started for the storage room, and as I began to reach for the doorknob, I heard a squelch, like I had stepped into a puddle of water.

I looked down, and a scream immediately exploded from the depth of my lungs. I felt faint.

I was stepping in a puddle, all right.

Only that it wasn't water.

It was a puddle of blood.