Prologue
2016
The rain tapped constantly against the window, and the sudden noise of what turned to hail, echoed throughout the bedroom. She heard the wind attacking the trees in the garden, and the sound of roaring that made her feel as if she were in danger. It was nights like these that she found it hard to sleep. A double flash lit up her room, and she squeezed her eyes shut. The crashing outside her window made her feel as if she were in danger. Her blanket was warm, yet she still shivered. The lamplight started flickering until she couldn’t stand it, so she switched it off. Luckily, the dimly lit fish tank was enough to ward off her fear of the dark.
Fifteen-year-old, Anna Willis, turned in her bed away from the window, she let out a sigh and rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. She knew the storm would soon drive her brother into the comfort of her room. She started counting in her head, counting the seconds until he would pop his head through the door. She watched her fish dart back and forth in the tank. They were restless, too.
There was a soft knock on her door, slowly opening. A small figure appeared with his Teddy in his hand, quivering. Anna sat up in her bed as she watched her four-year-old brother, Jake, shuffled towards her.
“Anna, can I get into your bed please?” His soft little voice squeaked.
“Of course,” Anna smiled, trying to reassure her little brother. She moved the duvet over to one side, enough for him to slide in next to her.
The small boy slid close beside his older sister, surrounding him with the duvet tightly. She felt his body relax in the warmth of her bed. He lay facing Anna as they both listened to the storm. A flash lit up the whole room, only for a second. After a few moments of silence, there was a crash of thunder, and that was when Anna realised the hail had stopped. It was now quiet. Anna felt him trembling beside her from the thunder; she started stroking his hair, telling him everything would be fine.
“Jake, it will be all over soon,” Anna whispered into his ear. He closed his eyes to the sound of her soothing voice, trying to drown out the noise from outside. He held his Teddy tight as Anna carried on stroking the top of his hair and humming a soft tune. It wasn’t long until he was sleeping peacefully.
Anna’s eyes began feeling heavy, so she closed them. It was hard for her to hold them open any longer. The last thing she saw was her fish, swimming around in the tank and the dim light that started to fade slowly.
Another crash of thunder woke Anna. She glanced to her bedside clock and rolled her eyes when she noticed it was only ten minutes ago since Jake joined her in her bed. She sat up in her bed, looked around her room, expecting to see something she didn’t want to see. But there was nothing out of the ordinary. She heard a high pitch screech coming from the kitchen. At first, she thought it was her mother but when she heard it again, this time it was louder. She moved the duvet slowly, taking a step out of her bed. She didn’t want to wake her baby brother, so she tiptoed out of her bedroom, closing the door carefully behind her.
Anna made her way down the hallway as she slowly approached the staircase, she noticed her mother’s bedroom door was open. Another flash of lightning lit the bedroom, and Anna saw it was empty. Her mother always went to bed early, so Anna wondered why she wasn’t there. Another crash of thunder made Anna jump, even though she was expecting it. She waited for a moment to see if Jake had woken up from the thunder, but he didn’t.
She took a step on the first stair, and it made a creaking noise as she slowly went down, one by one. She covered her ears from the loud screeching noise that came from the kitchen again. Anna’s heartbeat started quickening at the thought of an intruder in the house, it was playing on her mind. She started to come closer to the kitchen and noticed there was a light on. Anna crept to the kitchen door, which was slightly open, and her bare feet felt cold against the wooden flooring.
She peeked through the gap but couldn’t see anything. Having a good look around the kitchen, she noticed the knife block. It was missing a knife; her Mum always organised the kitchen before going to bed. She suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and everything had to be perfect. Anna’s heart started to thump in her chest, she knew someone was there and it wasn’t her mother. Pushing the door open further and having a closer look, she saw her. Her mother was lying on top of the kitchen counter.
Anna’s hands covered her mouth before she could make a noise, she wanted to run over to her, but she didn’t know who else was there. She shook uncontrollably and tried to remain silent while tears ran down her face.
She kept as still as possible, beside the door, building up the courage to go back upstairs without making any more noise. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she couldn’t control them from shaking. She took a small step backward, without taking her eyes off her mother, followed by another step. Suddenly, Anna knocked on the cabinet with the back of her foot. She made a hiccup noise and ran as fast as she could up the stairs. Running down the hallway and back into her bedroom, she closed the door behind her. Anna rushed over to wake up her brother.
“Jake, Jake. Wake up,” she shook him awake.
He opened his eyes glimpsing up at his sister, noticing the tears in her eyes. He sat up in a panic; she had one hand on his arm, holding onto him tightly.
“What’s going on?” Jake asked. Fear started to overcome him.
“Someone’s in the house,” Anna whispered. The pair both fell silent over the sound of footsteps near the bedroom door. Jake gripped a hold of Anna’s hand tightly, as she dragged him towards her wardrobe, closing the door silently behind them.
Then they waited.
Anna held Jake tightly against her. The bedroom door squeaked open slowly and they listened to the footsteps that entered the bedroom. Anna moved forward, taking a small peek through the wardrobe door. A flash of lightning lit the bedroom, and then she saw the intruder who was standing by the window.
Now moving towards the wardrobe, Anna shifted back, holding her brother tightly in her arms. She swallowed hard, waiting for the wardrobe doors to swing open. She moved her hands up to her brother’s eyes, covering them. He didn’t make any noises or movements. He was frightened; Anna felt his body stiffen.
The moment came, and the doors opened, revealing a figure towering over the children in the wardrobe. Anna’s screams echoed through the room and slowly throughout the house.
