A Harrowing Howl

Darkness. There is nothing but darkness. I am lying in the dead of night, surrounded by the eternal blackness. I wake up. Gasping for air. I have never felt so afraid. I suddenly jolt as a loud and unrelenting hoot of an owl is heard just outside my window. I turn my head. The owls piercing eyes staring me down. I have never felt so afraid. Thud! A noise from downstairs sent my heart rate through the roof. I have never felt so afraid. ‘I live alone,’ I thought. Who could it be? What could it be? I am engulfed in the fear of the unknown. A voice told me to check it out. Slowly I rise from my bed and gingerly make my way towards the door. The floorboards creaking with my every step. I place my hand on the cold, steel door handle. Another hoot from the owl outside threw me straight back under the covers. I have never felt so afraid. Why is this happening? What had led me to this point in life? Overcome with fear and paranoia. What event had occurred in my past, forcing me to live like this? I want to be brave. Fear cannot rule my life anymore. I throw back the covers and make my way out of the door. I begin my descent down the spiralled staircase. After what seemed like hours. I reach the bottom. The hallway had never seemed so long. I walk. Carefully making my way towards the kitchen. Turning my head constantly to make sure nothing was waiting in the dark… waiting to pounce. The end of my journey was nigh. It was now or never. Closing my eyes, I muster up all my courage and burst through the door to the kitchen. I expect the worst… but there is nothing. Nothing. My kitchen is as boring and as normal as any other day. A sigh of relief flowed out of my body. A smile crept across my worried face. ‘Back to bed then,’ I thought. It was late, and I have work in the morning. I leave the kitchen and head back up the stairs to get back into my bed. I reach the end of my summit. Ding. The doorbell. Who could it possibly be at this time of night? Just like that, the smile was wiped from my face. I creep slowly back down the stairs. “Who is it?” I call.

A woman’s voice calls back. “HELP PLEASE!" is the frantic reply. I rush to unlock the door. She sounds in danger. I pull the door back. The woman is facing away from me, shivering in the dead of night. Her long brown hair draped over the back of her shoulders. “Are you alright?” I ask tentatively. There is no answer. She slowly began to spin around, revealing her identity to me. I am shocked at what I see. Her skin was white and pale. Her eyes a light blue and she had a small scar underneath her left eye. But her mouth. How could she possibly have spoken to me? This could not be real. I have never felt so afraid. Who could possibly have done this to her? Her mouth was sewn shut. Her blood starts to drool from the small gap between her lips. This is the most horrific thing have ever seen. Suddenly her eyes widened. She appears to be terrified of something… something she could see behind me. Her shaking became more rapid. Slowly raising her hand to point at the frightening figure finding its way towards me. I span around. Nothing. Confusion filled the aura around my head. I went to look back at the woman when I was grabbed. Something threw to the ground. Nothing. Nobody was around. I shut my eyes, trying to hide myself from this house of horrors. “Th… this can’t be real" were the only words I could mutter. I very slowly opened my eyes to find myself back in my bed. The owl hooting away outside. Once again, I heard a loud thud from downstairs. Surely not. This cannot be happening again. I try my hardest to scream. Nothing. No sounds. Like my mouth has be s… it cannot be. Please do not let this be true. I ran to the bathroom to have a look in the mirror. The horror. The pain. My mouth was sewn shut. Tears streamed down my face. I collapsed to the ground in a state of total shock. Ding. The doorbell. I have never felt so afraid.