Night Terror

On July 23, 2005, at 11:15 pm, Cara Patterson awoke in the middle of the night. She shot up from her bed when an overwhelming foreboding consumed her. Terror radiated through her body, and she just knew something was very wrong with her identical twin Claira. The incredible urge to check on her sister was so intense Cara grabbed the car keys and raced over to her twin’s house. Before entering her sister’s bungalow, she felt the special connection they shared fade away and became frightened of what she might find inside.

Trembling, Cara braced herself before twisting the doorknob to let herself in. Trepidation filled her soul when an overpowering coppery smell lingered in the air, causing her to gag.“Claira, are you home,” she called out as she walked inside. “Mama, Mama,” her three-and-a-half-year-old niece shrieked,” from the other room. Cara held her breath while slowly sneaking into the kitchen with her heart pounding in her chest.

“Claira,” screamed Cara after seeing Emma kneeling beside Claira’s body drenched in her mother’s blood. Emma was wailing uncontrollably, shaking her, trying to wake her up. Panicking, she slipped across the floor, trying to reach her niece. Cara scooped up Emma and ran outside with her eyes darting across the room. Once outdoors, she called the police and waited for them to arrive.

At 1:30 am on July 24, 2005, the rural town of Pineview Valley woke to sirens blaring as the police dashed to the scene of the first murder in the town’s history. The small-town police department was in a state of shock after entering the residence and finding Claira deceased on arrival. What made matters worse was her toddler witnessed the grizzly crime, and they had no idea who could have wanted the young mother dead.

The detectives took Claira’s three and half-year-old daughter, Emma, and her twin sister, Cara, to the police station. For over an hour, the authorities questioned Cara, but grief devoured her making Cara incoherent. So much so the on-call psychiatrist had to give her valium to calm her down. They soon realized she had arrived after the perpetrator left the crime scene and didn’t know anything of value.

The captain called in a specialist to speak to little Emma. Witnessing the murder traumatized the child, causing her to withdraw. After four hours of getting nowhere, they release her to the care of her aunt. Four months went by with no new leads and the police couldn’t catch a break. Without an arrest in the case Cara lived in fear that the murderer would come after Emma and clean up loose ends, so he wouldn’t be caught.

Cara fought for full custody of Emma, and after a long battle, she won. When the court finally awarded her custody she packed their bags in the middle of the night and moved to the city. Once there she started using her middle name Beth and changed Emma’s name to Kelly. She told no one of her past, in fear the killer might get wind and find them. She didn’t even tell Karl Wright, the man she eventually married a year later.

Karl adopted Emma who was only known to him by the name of Kelly right after he wed Cara and legally became her father. Cara told Karl both her parents died in a fire before they met and she was an only child. He never asked Cara who Emma’s birth father was, he really didn’t want to know. He felt she would tell him in time and never pressed the issue. Karl loved Emma with all of his heart and treated her like his own child.

During the day Emma's life was like any other typical kid but at night she had terrifying night terrors. In her dreams, the boogie man would be standing over a woman who looked just like her mother stabbing her in the chest with a big knife. He would look up at Emma with hard cold grey eyes and laugh. With a smirk on his face, he would reach out towards her. Emma would back up and start to run from him. The boogie man would give chase and would be a step behind her.

With an eerie voice, “Emma,” he would call out as he ran. Emma would try to get away. The boogie man would catch her and raise the knife over his head and just before he plummeted it into her chest she would wake up in urine-soaked sheets screaming, “I’m Kelly, not Emma.” Cara would hold Emma and tell her it was just a dream and rock her back to sleep. Eventually, over time the night terrors faded away and Emma didn't have them anymore.

Ten happy years went by and Emma forgot about the horrible night her birth mother died and she no longer dreamt of her. Not until one rainy day did highway patrol show up at their front door to inform Karl his wife had died in a car accident. That very night Emma’s night terrors came back in full force. Karl was consumed with grief dealing with his wife’s death and didn’t know how to help his daughter.

Emma became withdrawn and no longer wanted to sleep, so he finally took her to see a psychiatrist. Without all of the information of Emma’s past, the doctor thought her night terrors were caused by witnessing abuse her biological father inflicted on her mother when she was a toddler. He suggested taking Emma on a father-daughter trip out of the city where they could bond.

Karl thought it was a great idea and he booked a cottage for the summer hoping the time away from home would help his daughter. Karl didn’t know when he packed for their trip that his daughter’s real name was in fact Emma and not Kelly. He also had no idea her night terrors were memories of her birth mother’s murder she had witnessed. When they got into the car that morning to hit the inner state he really didn’t know he was bringing his daughter back to her hometown.

Karl had been on the road for three hours trying to reach his rental cottage on Wolf Lake, and he was utterly lost. The travel agency mentioned driving through Pineview Valley would lead him to the lake’s trail, but no matter how hard he looked at the side of the highway, he could not find the turn-off to the town. “Daddy, look, Pineview Valley is the next exit,” exclaims his adopted daughter Kelly excitedly as she points out the window towards a street sign.

“Thank God,” Karl muttered under his breath as he turned right onto the off-ramp. “It won’t be long now, Sweety,” he announced as the Welcome to Pineview Valley population 500 sign came into view. “What a quaint little village,” expressed Karl as they drove down the main drag.” “IF you say so,” replied Kelly as an ominous feeling swept over her when she surveyed her surroundings. In the back of her mind, a tiny voice screamed, “Turn around, run,” and she couldn’t help but feel like she’d seen this place before.

“ Do you believe in deja vu, Daddy?” she asked, not being able to shake the dread that was building up inside her as they hit the edge of town. Karl chuckled, “No, why do you ask?” Shaking uncontrollably, Kelly mumbled, “I swear I’ve been here before, and I’m scared.” Karl glanced at his daughter and placed his hand on her shoulder, seeing the state she was in, “ Honey, what are you so afraid of?” he queried with a look of concern.

Tears streamed down Kelly’s face, “I don’t know, I can’t explain it, but I just want to go home,” she whimpered. “ We can’t go home. We’re almost there,” spoke Karl softly. “ Please, Daddy, can we just leave? I have a bad feeling about this place,” pleaded Kelly. Karl pulled over to the side of the road, frustrated and confused regarding Kelly’s behavior. He placed his head on the steering wheel and began mentally counting, “One, two, three, four, five,” before replying to his daughter’s request.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure Karl took his daughter’s hand. “Can you tell me why you’re acting this way?” he implored. Kelly shrugged her shoulders and turned towards the window, clearly distressed. “How about this, if you still want to go home in a week, we will pack our bags and leave. Does that sound good to you?” he requested. Kelly sighed as she pondered what he conveyed and then looked back towards her father while asking, “You promise, Daddy?”

Smiling, I promise,” he replied. “Ok, I’ll give it a try,” Kelly sniffled as she wiped away her tears. “It’ll be fun, but first, we have to call the caretaker for the keys,” Karl announced as he pulled out his phone. “Who’s the Caretaker?” inquired Kelly. “The agency said his name was Mr. Drake and to call him at home. When we arrive, he’s supposed to meet us there,” replied Karl. Kelly could sense they were making a mistake by going to the cottage as they drove back on the road.

“I think this is the place,” said Karl as a one-story house came into view. Kelly started to panic as they turned into the drive. “ What the hell,” she thought.” No way, it can’t be the actual house of my nightmare. It’s just a coincidence,” she tried to reason with herself. Kelly stared at the residence, not being able to believe her eyes. “Dad, wait,” she pleaded. “ Honey, you said you’d give it a chance,” her father conveyed while parking beside a red pickup truck.

“Well, hello there, the keys are on the key rack by the door,” called a man cutting the grass as Karl got out of the car. A shiver ran down Kelly’s spine when she heard the man’s voice. Her head shot up, and she stared out the window. Kelly began to tremble when old memories boiled up from the past.

She was three years old, standing in the kitchen doorway watching a man grab her mother by the throat. Her mother was kicking and screaming while hitting him with her fists. He then grabbed a knife off the counter and stabbed her repeatedly. “Hide Emma,” her mother mouthed before slumping to the floor.

The vision faded, and Kelly knew the nightmares were confirmed. The man cutting the grass was the same person from her dreams. She opened the car door and screamed, “Daddy get away from him.” The man looked at Kelly and their eyes locked. A cold grin crossed his face, “Greeting Emma. I’ve been looking for you, but I guess now I don’t have to, you’ve come home,” he mocked.

Confused, Karl looked at the man and then at Kelly, “What? Her name is Kelly, not Emma,” he stated. “Daddy, run. I think he killed my real mother,” cried Kelly. “So you do remember me,” spat the man as he grabbed Karl and punched him in the face knocking him out. He then lunged towards Kelly,” Come here, you little bitch,” he growled. “Stay away from me, you freak,” hollered Kelly as she high-tailed it into the cottage and locked the door behind her. Once inside, she hid inside a closet.

Shaking, Kelly pulled out her cell phone and called the police. “Please help me. He’s going to kill me,” she sobbed into the phone. “Oh my God, he’s in the house,” she whispered when she heard the man kick in the door. “Emma, where are you, come out, come out wherever you,” taunted the killer as he roamed the house looking for her. Kelly looked out through the slats of the closet doors. Terrified, she covered her mouth with her hand, so she would not scream.

“He’s found me,” wailed Kelly into the phone when the man stood in front of the closet. She backed up further, trying to hide. “Found you,” goaded the man as he ripped open the door and grabbed Kelly. Kelly kneed him in the groin and knocked him backward. Scrambling past him, she ran. “Got you now,” the man snarled as he tackled Kelly from behind and slammed her to the floor.

Elbowing him in the face trying to break his grip, Kelly screeched, “Get off me.” The killer wrapped his fingers around her neck and snarled, “I’m going to kill you,” Kelly desperately clawed at his face while gagging for air. In the distance, she heard sirens as the light began to fade, and then two gunshots rang out before darkness overtook her.

“Kelly, you’re safe now. We’re taking you to the hospital,” said a voice. She drifted in and out of consciousness as hands lifted her and placed her on a gurney, and then she heard nothing. The next thing she knew, she was lying in a bed with someone holding her hand and people whispering all around her. “I think she’s waking up,” said her father as she opened her eyes.