01:30

It’s odd how subconsciously one can hear sounds to drive them out of sleep. The sound that drove me out of slumber that dreadful night was a sound like no other, a low, soft, agonised wailing. I attempted to convince myself that it was the wind producing strange noises, a ghosty orchestra of natural chimes, but I was most certainly not convinced.

My eyes slowly opened revealing the dark chambers in which I lay. The sound had stopped, but my body was still rigid and my heart still palpitated at an extraordinary rate. I waited. The weight of the silence and darkness pressed against my face, my chest, cold, and still, robbing me of breath, choking me slowly with dreaded anticipation, the stillness echoing off the walls in hushed tones. I didn't like this. Not at all.

A whimper pierced the silence, and an incoherent gasping sob escaped my mouth. I tumbled clumsily out of the bed, the covers rapidly growing cold as the last of my body’s warmth escaped from its clutches. I shivered as the icy air clawed at my clothes and face, scratching my cheeks, gnawing at my nose. I stumbled to the door after much fumbling with my shoes and clothes and that was when the wailing resumed. There was something strange about it. It wasn’t the same as the chilling hymn that had previously bled into my ears, seeping into my dreamless sleep. A different animal was the cause of this second wailing. It sounded tame. Alive. An extreme contrast to the raspy, lifeless howl I had formerly heard.

I carefully made my way through the rickety house, the stairway painted in thick black paint, peeling and scratched. I could feel knots of harsh terror loop themselves into heavy chains in my stomach as the dancing shadows on the walls, cast by the spectral moonlight, stretched menacingly towards me, arms melding into daggers, bodies twisting into nooses. The grandfather clock in the entrance hall melancholically chimed the broken melody of 01:30 in the morning. A coldness seeped through my body. I could feel my heartbeat on my lips, in my throat. My breath barely a wheeze.

But my fear escaped me in a rush of relief as I realised the cry of lament was only Roy. He lifted his head in joy at the sight of me, his eyes however held a different emotion. He looked disturbed. It was as if he had seen something. Not just anything. Something. Something nobody should see. A haunted expression possessed his eyes as he let me approach. He was trembling and whining softly. Something had disturbed my dog, and when my dog is disturbed, it tends to be serious.

The walls on either side of me looked suddenly menacing, towering over me, like a tomb, as if its sole purpose was to isolate me from the rest of the world. I shook this thought from my mind as I grabbed his leash from the hook above Roy’s head and attached it quietly to his collar, straining my ears for further noises this strange house would emit. I felt trapped. Why ever did I agree to this? I whistled to Roy and he jumped up from his bed, tugging me through the door roughly, not permitting me the chance to lock it behind me.

Once Roy had settled down, we strutted along together. A few stars peeked out behind the smog of clouds in the sky. I finally felt a glimmer of tranquility shiver through me. Almost immediately, the sounds of padding footsteps behind me sent shards of icy alarm screaming through my body. Roy and I were meant to be alone on this property. But when I turned in whirling panic, there was no one.

I attempted to shrug off the sensation of peril that encompassed my mind and the feeling of foreboding that shrouded my body. My stomach churned as I rounded a corner, and I suddenly felt very sick. That’s when I heard a noise. The noise.

The wailing.

It was close. Very close. Too close. It punctured the tranquillity of the night, a venomous song, a dagger dripping in vengeful anguish slicing through the darkness, shattering the silence.

I panicked. I felt my throat close up and I struggled to breathe. I was exposed. Unprotected. Roy struggled against the leash I held onto tugging desperately, violently, fighting tooth and nail in order to obtain freedom. His eyes were wild and his howls were screams of sheer terror and panic. Running footsteps. Behind me. I turned. No one. I felt a tug on the leash in my hand. It began to slip.

No. Panic coursed through my body, leaving me in a trembling heap. In an act of desperation I let go of the leash in order to gain a better grip on it. But the deed was done. I closed my hand on empty space and stood, shaking as I heard my dog bolting into the night.

I stood unmoving. Terrified. But as soon as I heard Roy's screech of agony I unfroze; my legs came to life and when the sound stopped abruptly, I ran faster, wildly, in which direction, I will never be sure, but I ran and ran. I ran at a speed I never thought I could achieve, but with the adrenaline pulsing in my veins, and the fear clouding my mind and my ambition to save my dog, it was possible. I cared little for the burning sensation in my legs. I cared little for the screaming of my lungs that pleaded for air. I cared even less for the pattering sound of footsteps behind me or for the mysterious shadows that popped into existence on the ground.

However, it was the low, soft, agonised wailing that stopped me in my tracks. My heart thumped heavily in my chest and my hands were clammy with sweat as I strained my ears in an attempt to locate where the moaning was coming from, except I found no source, and simply stood, terrified, until I realised the sound was coming from all around me. A snap of a twig. I turned. No one. A rustle of leaves to my left. No one. A screech of what sounded like a barn owl echoed from above me. My breaths were short and quick. I felt dizzy. I felt sick. I felt scared. I turned and turned, trying to see something in the bushes and scenery that surrounded me. I was in a forest. I didn’t know there was a forest around these parts. There was no forest around these parts.

The wailing mounted to an ear-splitting, cacophonous screech. It stopped. Suddenly. All was silent. Nothing moved. Everything was calm.

Until something smashed against my mouth. A hand. Gloved. A black glove. My thoughts echoed in my head as I fell unconscious. One thought. Roy.