PROLOGUE

Hello, I am Fear. But I’m quite sure that we’ve met before. When you scream because of that spider, I’m creeping up behind you, watching your every move. When you watch a scary movie, I’m causing that horrified feeling. And my favorite kind, when you’re alone and I just make you feel like you’re being watched, because you are. I’m always watching. For this story you might want to lock your doors, although that won’t stop me, because I’m coming. Ready or not, here I come. So if you really don’t like reading terrifying books, then put this down and I’ll get you some other time. But I’m behind you, and believe me; you don’t keep the devil of fear waiting. This story isn’t about me, but I will be telling it here to enjoy the fear caused by it. So good luck, my friend.


Tessa was scared, plain and simple. And not just a small fear, a gigantic, hide under your bed terrified fear, which would explain why I was there. For you to totally get the huge fright of this situation, I have to start from the beginning. It was a normal day where Tessa was in a good mood, so I had my eye on her to make sure her good mood didn’t last too long. So our dear too happy Tess was walking home from the school with her friend who was scared of the dark, Serena I believe. They were chatting in a loud confident way that I hate, unaware that they were in for the worst fear of their lives. They were planning to get together and have a marathon of a show that causes not even a shiver of fear, so I didn’t care about it at the time. They went home to Tessa’s house and flicked on the TV. The weather was on, and it briefly said that there was going to be a storm soon, but Serena quickly changed to another channel. The perfect newscaster said,

“There have been three murders this past week in Glenn: 17 year old Susan Parks, 20 year old Gwen Miller, and 14 year old-”
News was deemed boring as well.

That was too bad for them, because if they had just listened to the newscaster, then they wouldn’t have been into this terrifying tale.
Soon they turned on the show and sat down to watch it. Serena got permission to stay the night, yet another mistake they made. By the time the clock chimed eleven, they were both asleep. Suddenly, there was a tapping at the door. It grew louder, and louder, and woke Serena up. I assume she didn’t feel comfortable answering the door in someone else’s home, so she didn’t.
Finally, she does something smart for once.
By now Serena was starting to get more frightened as the knocking drowned out the TV. So of course I was present. She shook her friend. Shay didn’t wake up. She pulled her hair, Shay didn’t wake up. She poured water on her, Shay didn’t wake up. She checked her pulse, Shay was dead.
(Did you know that Xanthophobia is the fear of the color yellow, and Alliumphobia is a fear of garlic? Just some fun facts.)
Anyway, Serena let out a terrified blood curdling scream that was music to my ears.

Serena could see nothing wrong with Shay, other than that she wasn’t breathing. (Not breathing seems like something incredibly wrong to me though.) Do you want to know why she died? Of fear. I came, and I came strong.

Now, then Serena picked up the phone and dialed 911, but the lines were dead because of the storm she had earlier forgotten. So she went to the door and tried to open it. It didn’t open. Then I was confused, for I had not remembered to lock the doors, to make her totally frightened. That was the first sign that something evil, other than me, was in the house that night. In a wild fit of panic she banged on the door and screamed. Then she tried all of the windows and the back door. All locked and/or jammed. Next she heard a whisper that again I didn’t create.

“I’m coming for you Serena. I want your blood on my hands.”
The voice seemed to be coming from out of nowhere, and from everywhere all at once. She fell to her knees in anguish.
(Did I mention that she doesn’t deal with fear well? My favorite kind of person. Also most adults have ephebiphobia, the fear of teenagers.)
Then the lights went out, leaving her in pitch black, alone with her fears.
In horror movies, the characters always do what you don't want them to. Don’t open the door, don’t open the door! They open the door. Don’t be alone, don’t be alone! They’re always alone. But in this story the wrong choice wasn’t obvious.
She stumbled over a coffee table, and when she hit the ground she didn’t get up. She didn’t see a black hooded figure coming up behind her. She didn’t see it pull out a knife, and it was pure chance when she felt like someone was watching her, spun around, and saw the slight form of a figure with a knife in the dark. Serena did what anyone would do, she screamed and ran. Footsteps thundered behind her. Finally she fell onto the couch. And a cold, hard, hand grabbed her ankle. Shay’s. Serena was now screaming bloody murder and trying to pull her ankle free from the pale death grip. Now the cloaked figure advanced. Shay suddenly awoke and let go, dazed and confused.
Yes I took pity. I know, I know. But I figured with the cloaked figure about to kill them both anyway, what’s the harm in having both of them alive, which would bring double the fear? Since I have met Death, and he owes me a favor he brought back Shay for me. Oh joy.
Now they were clutching each other, banging on the windows, and yelling as the figure came closer. Eventually when the pounding on windows showed of no help, Serena grabbed her friend’s arm and they sprinted past the figure which now seemed to have blood dripping from its mouth, but it was hard to tell in the near total darkness. Whatever the thing was, although deadly, it was slow. So they were able to run to a closet slowly shut the door, lock it, jam some heavy books in front of it, and wait, hidden by coats. They heard the thumping footsteps come closer. And they heard the most rasping, terrible voice that they had ever heard.

“This is simply a game of hide and seek for me. Winner lives! Ready or not. Here.” He flung open the pantry and found it empty. “I.” The bathroom showed no one as well. “Come!” And he rattled the doorknob of the coat closet that they were in. Shay heard the distinct rattling of a key in a lock, and Serena listened to a soft chuckle at victory. With almost no effort at all he pushed the door open and the books went flying out of the way. With one small shove, the rack of coats they were hiding behind flew to the other end of the closet.

“You’re not very good at games, are you.” And those where the last words that either of them ever heard, because he produced the knife once again.
THE END









Just kidding! Did you really think that I’d kill off both the main characters? Maybe I would…maybe I wouldn’t. I suppose if you don’t know that just might increase the fear! Don’t look behind you! Because I’m coming.