Haunted in the Night

Even though it had been many years since she had lived here she still remembered the way, the town had mostly stayed the same, the only difference really was the buildings were aging and greying.

However, even with the familiar surroundings Claire still felt nervous as she walked down the quiet, empty streets, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she started to fiddle with her fingers, her nervous tick and she began to walk faster.

She knew she was being irrational, that the likelihood that someone was watching her was slim but being back in this town sent her nervous system to the max.

It was only after she got to another street that she managed to stop and catch her breath which had quickened from her speed walking, it was the main street so it was bustling with people, kids heading back to school from their lunch break, parents doing shopping, so the fact that she was in a crowded street gave her comfort, but not much, for everyone was noticing her, and they all knew who she was.

She didn’t stick around, she couldn’t stand the pitiful looks and she scurried off towards her desired destination, to the place where it had begun for her.

Her old family home loomed over her, as did the memories of what had followed that dreadful night, she had refused to go back inside, Helena had to go in for her and pack Claire’s things that she was taking with her to her grandparents house.

It was a country house, just on the outskirts of town, the forest was right in the backyard, and just as she had aged so had it.

Helena had done very well in taking care of it for all these years, however the white paint was chipping off, the wooden posts of the patio were cracking and creaked in the wind, and if she hadn’t known for a fact that Helena had been taking care of it she would have thought it was abandoned.

It gave off that sensation, that creepy, abandoned, something bad happened here vibe, and something bad had truly happened, something evil had walked the very halls of the one place that Claire had once, many years ago, felt the safest.

It was one step at a time, slow, calm breathing as she made her way up the stairs one by one to the front door, her shoulders tense, the hairs on her arms sticking straight up as she slowly pulled the key out of her handbag, it was her father’s old master key, it opened every door in the house, Helena had given it to her in case she ever decided to come back, Helena just had a spare key.

Carefully she put the key inside the lock and begun to turn it, turning it to unlock the door had almost seemed like an eternity, all the emotions that swarmed her, fear, adrenaline, panic, anxiety, terror but yet at the same time it was all over too fast, a split second and as soon as she heard it click unlocked she gulped.

This was it.

Claire’s sense's were on high alert as she firmly gripped the door handle, she was super sensitive to everything around her, the cool wind that brushed against her, the warm sun that bared down on her back, the sound of the leaves rustling but yet everything else was silent, she could hear no traffic, no people talking or walking by, she was all alone.

Slowly she turned the door handle, painstakingly slow, and she took a deep breath before she pushed it open.

She stood there, the door wide open, her feet planted at the entrance, looking in at what had once been a happy and inviting home to her.

It was dark, it was empty and she felt a gust of cool air breeze out beside her, all signs of it being void of life and she gulped once more before taking a slow step over the threshold.

One step, then another, and one more, was all Claire could think about as she slowly crept down the hallway, the walls were still covered with photo frames, Helena hadn’t removed anything, hadn’t put any of it into storage, it was still exactly what it had been when Claire had left it, and it hadn’t been a happy departure.

She had a nightmare, she would never forget it, even though it had been a very silly childish dream it still haunts her to this day because of what she’d found when she had woken from it, it had been tree goblins, tree goblins had been after her, they hid up in the trees and used magic to make the tree reach out to snatch her, she had woken drenched in sweet, her breathing raspy and she had gotten up to go find her mum, Alice was always wonderful after Claire had had a nightmare, she would get her a glass of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and then read her another bedtime story until Claire couldn’t stay awake any longer but that was not what Claire had received that night.

She had found the house cold, very cold as her bare feet had taken slow steps on the wooden floor boards, it wasn’t normal for her house to be cold, her father would always have a fire going in the lounge room and his office on the second floor, each one keeping each floor warm, or over the night once the fires were out he would leave heaters on to keep it warm all through out the night.

It had also had a pungent smell, like something was rotting, which was also not normal, her mum kept great care of the kitchen, she loved to cook and bake but this smell had been horrible, it had made her stomach curdle and she had nearly doubled over to be sick.

However it was when she reached her parents room that she had found the worst thing to have happened, she’d knocked, nothing, she’d knocked again, still nothing, it would always wake her parents, not that they would have been asleep at that hour, after Claire would go to bed they would stay up together in their armchairs reading and talking for a bit, Claire remembered sometimes she could hear the pages turning in her bedroom if it was quiet enough, or the soft laugh of her mother if her father had made a joke.

Slowly Claire had opened the door and peeked inside, the light was still on, the bed was empty, so she slowly crept inside looking around, the armchairs was empty, books left on the small tables beside them, a cup of tea and coffee left to go cold on the coffee table in front of them and that was when Claire spotted it.

A note, even though they had been to the police and reported it, not that Claire knew that, or of the letter they hadn’t handed it in for evidence, they had wanted to keep it on them to try and figure out if they knew who it was from the speech pattern.

And slowly Claire had walked over, picked it up and read the blood written words.

I have been watching you.

You will pay for you’re part.

You will know of the suffering of which I have endured.

You’re blood will pay for the blood I have lost.

You’re souls will feed the emptiness of my life essence.

She had ran, letter scrunched in her tight grip, she didn’t even bother to put on shoes as she ran bare foot into the night, all the way to the police office, tears staining her cheeks.

Claire shivered, being pulled from her memory, and she gasped at the horrid feeling, knives, twisting in her stomach, ripping open old wounds, her chest tight, her lungs frozen and unwilling to take in air.

Suddenly her phone rang and she jumped before sighing at herself, feeling stupid as she pulled it out and answered it.

“Hello?” Claire spoke into the phone.

“Claire are you alright? I expected you to be back at the cabin now, you never called me to tell me you got back alright" Bob's voice was on the other end and she could hear the concern.

“I’m fine, sorry I forgot you were expecting my call, I’m just at.....” She trailed off, she didn’t know how to say it, she didn’t know if she could, it was paralyzing.

“What? Where are you? Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked, becoming even more paranoid now.

“No I’m alright, I promise, I’m just at..... my... old... home" it took her a little while to get it all out, she paused a few times in between each word but she did finally managed to say it.

“What are you doing there?” he asked curiously.

“I just thought that maybe coming back here might help me come to terms to move on but also to see if I remember anything from that night that might help us" she explained, she wasn’t sure if it made any sense but that was how it was to her.

“I understand, well please don’t stay out too long, call me later please, don’t forget" he pleaded with her, he didn’t like her being out by herself, she knew that he was thinking of offering to come and help her but he also understood that this is something that she would need to do alone.

“Alright I will, talk to you later" she hung up, before he could change his mind, she could tell he was struggling with it and didn’t want to make it any harder for him than it needed to be.

She put her phone back into her handbag and continued walking, into the lounge room, the couches and coffee table still as that had been, except now all the furniture was covered in plastic to keep the dust from it.

Through there led to a staircase that led to the second floor and she slowly begun to descend it, each step creaking under her weight.

Once at the top she made her way to the second door on the right, the door that held inside her old bedroom, where she had been sleeping when her parents had been snatched from the safety of their own walls.

Once again she slowly swung the door open and stepped inside, the once pink walls had faded to cream, her dolls on the bed now all seemed to give her the creeps, their eyes made her feel like she was being watched and she shivered before quickly stepping back out, closing the door behind her before leaning on it to catch her breath.

The memories were too much, they were all swarming her, smothering her, suffocating her and she slid down the wall, put her head in between her knees and focused on her breathing.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed while she was calming down from the pending panic attack but the sun had begun to set and she knew that Bob would be starting to get very worried now so she quickly jumped to her feet and rushed out the house.

She exited it a lot quicker than she had entered it and as soon as the fresh air outside hit her skin she was glad, glad to finally be out of there and she took a moment to slow her rapidly beating heart before she locked the house back up and she began making her way back to the cabin.

As soon as she entered the cabin and had locked it all back up she instantly pulled out her phone to call Bob back, the sun had fully set by now and the darkness had descended upon the little town.

“Hello Claire? Did you get back safely?” Bob didn’t even for her to say hello back before he asked if she was back at the cabin, not that it was particularly safe with how people were still being snatched behind closed locked doors and windows.

“Yes I’m back at the cabin, just about to start some dinner seeming as we missed lunch I’m starving" she wasn’t really, after being in her old home and all the memories that came with it, she felt sick, sick and scared but she didn’t want him to know that, it would only cause him more stress and he had enough of that over the years.

“Alright well eat plenty, I’ll pick you up in the morning tomorrow and we can go have breakfast together again, good night" he told her and she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the sides of her lips.

“Good night Bob" she replied before hanging up the phone.

For a moment she just stood there, not sure on what to do before she made her way over to the cupboards to find something to eat, nothing look appetizing, it all made her stomach twist at even the thought of putting any of it in her mouth but she had to eat so she cooked up some jasmine rice with mixed veggies.

She didn’t eat much, barely a quarter cup, that is why she had chosen rice, because it is so filling, at least then it was something, it was all her body could handle.

She then started a fire and sat down on the couch, pulling the case files from her handbag.

Case File 4.

Victim- Keith Rowe.

Scene of the Crime- Victims Bedroom.

What appears to have happened? Kidnapping.

Age- 41.

Gender- Male.

Occupation- Hunter.

Physical Description- Buzz Cut Black Hair, Blue Eyes, Strong Jawline, Big Muscular Build, Brown Mole on top of his nose near his eyes.

Family- None, Mother- Deceased, Cancer, Father- Deceased, Hunting Accident.

Background- Born and raised in Meadows Ville, has received letters written in blood from a stalker, no witnesses or suspects.

Letters have been tested, come back positive as animal blood, deer, no fingerprints.

Has received 1 letter, the night of the 1st letter he disappeared, no traces, no evidence, no suspects.

Case left unsolved.

Also Victim is suspect, Keith Rowe is a hunter, and Criminal obviously has good hunting skills to stalk and kidnap, also he is a loner, never comes into town, never talks to townsfolk.

This had been their only suspect? And now that he was missing too they had no other leads?

Claire sighed in frustration, the only reasons they really suspected this man was because he loved to hunt and because he was a loner which made him a social outcast, yes in profiling social outcasts often are criminals but also a lot are just misunderstood, that is why you need a lot more evidence than just that to suspect them.

Then there was the last file she had, Helena Goldsburgh.

Case File 5.

Victim- Helena Goldsburgh .

Scene of the Crime- Victims Bedroom.

What appears to have happened? Kidnapping.

Age- 63.

Gender- Female.

Occupation- Hardware Store.

This story will continue in Chapter Five- Part Two.