This entry into our FICTIONAL FRIGHTS series is a special one. Our very own Leonel VHS sent this my way, and not only is it a VERY fun and eerie story, but is taken from his upcoming novel, Daddy Long Legs. We’re very happy to be giving you fright fanatics a taste of what’s to come, because if the complete novel is anything like The Lobby, then you horror lovers are in for a treat. So have a seat, curl up under a blanket in fear and step into THE LOBBY.-Jerry
(taken from “Daddy Long-Legs“)
written by Leonel Benavides, Jr.
From a story by Leonel Benavides, Jr. and Matthew J. Garcia
©2014, 2015 LEONEL BENAVIDES, JR./MINUS
There was nothing she wanted more than to see the sun breaking through the dark clouds that were hovering in the night sky. Dark, dreary storm clouds looming above that had sent rain to pound angrily against the glass windowpane she was leaning against. She could hear herself breathing heavily, her breath forming a film against the glass.
She wanted her heart to stop from beating a million times against her chest like a metal rod against a steel drum, the sounds of its loud and rhythmic palpitations were almost deafening. She had found a safe place in an open housekeeping closet that was on the far end of the fourth floor, her small body cramped between the window and an old maid’s cart. She wished that someone could see her. The more she looked out into the rain and onto the lifeless ground below, the more she became afraid that she was all alone.
She kept an eye on the door and listened for any movement outside. She was still terrified and in disbelief of what she’d seen and feeling her body shake in terror, all she could do was pray that whatever it is that she had laid eyes on was gone. She felt her body jump and she covered her mouth when she heard the air-conditioner kick in, the sound of the air pushing through the large vent above frightening her. She didn’t want it to know that she was in that closet by herself, helpless and scared.
She felt her heart beating faster as a pair of car lights came to the front of the building amidst the tumultuous storm outside. She moved closer to the window to see who it was as the car came to a stop. She was shivering from head to toe and she pulled her nightgown over her feet in an attempt to stay warm as she curled up against the glass. She could see two people, a man and a woman, get out of the vehicle and walk toward the entrance.
A horrible panic quickly entered her as she watched the unknown man knock on the front door. She had to make the decision of whether to get onto her knees and pound against the window as hard as she could in hopes of getting them to see her and risk being discovered or to remain there trapped and figure out an alternative on her own.
She had to keep quiet as she watched the pair get into their car and drive away as she saw that nobody had come to answer the door. Her heart sank and she fought to hold back tears, as she watched the vehicle disappear into the rain and onto the highway that would lead them away from her. She was becoming more and more uneasy, wondering to herself if it was still out roaming the hallway and at the same time becoming very uncomfortable with the feeling of the cold, clammy floor against her skin.
She was curious to know who the couple was that had come to inquire at the front door and why no one had come to let them in. She swore to herself that she had seen someone at the front desk just before taking the elevator that would bring her to the top floor. She was sure that she had seen the girl in the blue blazer behind the night window with the silver earrings and pretty curly hair that had checked her and her parents in only hours prior.
She recalled her smile and remembered her mentioning to her parents that if they needed anything, all they had to do was call her by pressing the zero button on the telephone that was in the room. She wished that she could do that now. She was starting to become angry at the fact that the maybe the couple hadn’t seen anyone at the desk therefore causing them to drive away. Where had she wandered off to and why didn’t she let them in?
Her heart then came to a paralyzing halt as she heard something moving in front of the door. She hadn’t seen anyone else in the hallway when she ran inside the closet and locked it tight behind her so she could only deduce that it was, in fact, the thing she had seen outside. She could feel herself breathing deeply as she cautiously walked toward the door even though she knew that doing it could be a costly mistake. She could feel the cold linoleum lining the floor against her toes as it sent a peculiar shiver up her spine, the rain now ferociously hammering against the window.
She could hear a voice inside her head pleading for her not to move another inch toward the door. She could hear it insisting over and over again that it was a bad idea and that she would regret doing it, but ignored it as she wanted to know if it was still out there. The curiosity was nagging at her just like the voice within her head. She stood in front of it and slowly reached out to grab the knob, her hand trembling in fear. She told herself that she would just open the door slightly, just enough to peer out into the hallway and see for herself that there was nothing to be afraid of.
The sound of thunder danced noisily overhead as she saw the shadow of her hand take hold of the shiny silver doorknob. She felt the metal against her fingers as she grabbed it firmly and suddenly realized that the noises she’d heard from the hallway had stopped. She became nervous as she noticed that the sound of the once-pouring rain had dwindled down to almost a whisper and the air-conditioner shut itself off loudly, the sound above her of its presence fading slowly until she was left in almost complete silence.
She then let go of the knob when she heard what she thought was a woman screaming coming from somewhere on the floor outside. Frightened and trembling, she grabbed the knob a second time and turned it only to horribly realize that she was locked in. She wanted to know who it had been since she hadn’t seen anyone on the floor and was afraid that it was there outside. She grabbed the knob tighter and frantically moved it from side to side with no luck and quickly panicked as nobody knew she was locked in that closet.
She immediately cupped her hands over her mouth when she heard the sound of someone or something push loudly up against the door. She heard the sound a second time louder and stronger than the one before it and it knocked her to the floor. She began to look around in a panic telling herself that the only way out of the room would be to somehow break the window and make a daring jump to the ground below. She heard the sound a third time and screamed as she rummaged hysterically through the maid’s cart for something that would be tough enough to break the thick glass.
As the rain regained its momentum, she heard the air-conditioner come on and once again heard the sound of what was now banging against the door. She could hear the doorknob being moved side to side from outside as if whatever was out there was trying to get inside. She refused to accept that she was trapped inside the confining room and was relieved to see that a door that was behind the maid’s cart she had seen earlier was actually doors of a freight elevator!
With all her strength, she pushed the cart to one side to reveal the buttons that would summon the lift and pressed them frenetically with her shaky fingers, lighting both of them up simultaneously. The banging on the door became louder and more frantic and she burst into tears as the elevator seemed to be taking its time in reaching her. Along with the thunder echoing overhead, the sound of the forceful and rhythmic contact with the door from the outside was driving her mad. She dreaded to even begin to think about what was standing on the other side of that door.
Knowing that she would not be taken to or lead out into the main lobby, she was thankful that she had remembered where the housekeeping department was located and its proximity to the main elevators downstairs. She knew that if she could only get to the first floor, everything would be fine and that everything would return to normal. If only the elevator doors would open so she could step inside! She pressed on the buttons repeatedly as she looked over to the door again and again in case something was to come inside. She could feel her feet slipping both against the cold linoleum below her and the fabric of her nightgown.
After what felt like hours, she heard the familiar sound of the bell that announced the elevator car’s arrival. She heard the loud sound against the door again but this time, she knew that it wouldn’t be long before whatever was standing out there would make its way inside. She heard the sound of the car docking loudly in place and rapidly placed her small fingers where the two doors came together in hopes of pulling them apart herself. The doors finally opened slowly, allowing her access to the elevator car. She heard the loud rapping against the door come faster and more rapidly and knew that she didn’t have much time left to escape.
She jumped inside and pushed the button that would take her to the ground floor but was terrified to see that the doors would not close. She began to panic and wonder why nothing was happening. The elevator stood silent and motionless with her inside and she pushed on the buttons once again one right after the other and screamed out in frustration as the doors remained open and idle. She could feel herself crying in a frenzy, scared to death and screaming at the top of her lungs out into the open. This was her only way out and nothing was happening.
She smashed her palms against the elevator panel as she screamed for help, hoping that someone that was in one of the rooms around her would be able to hear her. She was positive that someone had heard the garish sounds of someone banging up against the door where she had been hiding. She then heard those same sounds come louder and in succession only to quickly come to a complete and eerie standstill. All she could hear was the sound of the rain against the window, the sound of the air coming through the vent above her and the sound of her own heart beating.
She wanted to step out of the elevator and make her way to the door but decided to play it safe and stay right where she was. She placed her hand over her chest and began to attempt to calm herself down so she could think about what was happening as the doors to the elevator were still wide open. Pulling herself together as best she could, she placed her back up against the elevator’s inner wall and slid down slowly to sit down on the floor. She looked around carefully and listened for anything that sounded out of place as she began to wish for the possibility that this was over. She could still hear and feel her heart beating inside her head and placing her hands over her tear-stained face, she let out a deep sigh and heard the sound of the elevator bell.
Relieved, she smiled as she heard the motors that would close the doors and was happy to know that she would be on the first floor soon, away from whatever it was that she had encountered out on the fourth floor. Running her hand across her forehead to wipe the nervous sweat coming from her brow, she sat up and smiled again when she saw the two pink doors slowly come together and couldn’t wait until she knew for sure that she was free from this horrible ordeal, the silence of the room now a welcome sound.
Just as the two doors would meet in the center and begin to take her away, she jumped and screamed loudly when something burst stridently through the housekeeping closet door, coming straight at her. It knocked the door completely off its hinges and violently tore through the maid’s cart, knocking everything out of it onto the floor. The sheer force threw her small body against the elevator wall and as she felt that this is where everything would come to an end, the doors met and closed shut just as whatever had made its way inside was about to make contact with her.
She heard the bell and felt the elevator move down toward the first floor. She was crying loudly and was frightened out of her mind. She had trouble standing and was unable to catch her breath as she sat in the corner of the small car unable to balance herself on her feet. All she could do was close her eyes and pray that she would be able to reach the bottom floor and dash to where she had come from before it would meet her there first. She could barely feel her legs but could feel a horrible and sharp pain in her back from where she had struck the wall. Her hair was disheveled and covering her eyes and the more she tried to move it away from them, the more it became tangled and stuck to her face.
She gasped as she felt the elevator reach the ground level. Struggling to steady herself, she knew that she had only one option and that was to run as fast as she could out of the housekeeping area, into the main lobby and toward the room where her parents were sleeping. She began to whisper to herself that no matter what she saw or no matter what was out there, she had to make it back to the west hallway of the first floor safe. Her lips were cold and dry and there was a lingering fear inside her that there could be the possibility of once again having to see the horrible sight of what had been up on the fourth floor with her.
The entire world came to a standstill when she heard the sound of the elevator announce that she’d reached her destination. Though it was the sound she had been waiting to hear, there was a nervousness that entered her as she began to gather herself. She poised herself upright and stared at the doors that were about to separate, releasing her from the lift’s care and leaving her on her own. There was a part of her that didn’t want to leave the confines of those four grey-colored claustrophobic walls as they were the only things that had kept her safe from whatever it was that tried to attack her in the housekeeping closet. Though she was only eight years old, she knew that they couldn’t keep her away from harm for long.
The sound of the doors opening echoed into the housekeeping department of the bottom floor. She could see the east side of the lobby from the elevator and the small palm trees that lined the wall near the hotel’s entrance. She looked around the room for any signs of life that were maybe hiding between the oversized washers and driers and quickly darted out the door and around the corner until she reached the lobby itself. The red and mauve sofas placed atop tan and black area rugs sitting in the center of the room weren’t as inviting as they were when she first walked through those glass doors. She could see the rain falling outside and as she took a cautious glance around the room, she saw that there wasn’t anyone around. The girl who had been sitting at the front desk and had given her parents their room key wasn’t anywhere to be found.
She was reluctant to go any step further, especially knowing that no one was there to acknowledge that she had made her way into the lobby from the housekeeping elevator. In fact, it was knowing that someone or something may be waiting for her there that kept her from leaving the safe haven and temporary refuge the lift had given her. She knew that she couldn’t stay in there forever and knew that to make it back to her parent’s room she would have to put one foot out onto the floor and take that first step.
A wave of fear came over her as she heard the elevator door’s close in housekeeping department from where she stood. She felt her heart racing as she tried her best to calm down and regain her composure. She continued to think about the fact that she was completely alone and that nobody would be around to help her should something happen while she was there. Where was the front desk clerk and why wasn’t she behind the night window like she’d been earlier? Just knowing that she was there in the office would take away her uneasiness and give her that needed confidence to walk down the hallway and get back to where she’d come from.
She could hear still hear the sounds of thunder rumbling in the sky coming from outside and watched lightning that danced across the sky reflected onto the glass doors that led out into the parking lot and the night window inside. She took a few steps and looked around the room for any movement and continued to tell herself that someone would come out soon to help her. But suddenly, a peculiar sensation came over her as if she’d been in this sort of predicament before, as if she had been here at another time. She noticed the familiar mauve and purple artwork that adored both sides of the lobby wall, the cream-colored lotus flowers painted in a drooping fashion to the left, and knew that she’d seen them somewhere else.
She remembered the issue of Cigar Aficionado with the photograph of the tall mustached man in a tuxedo with a white flower in his buttonhole that sat on the end table closest to where she stood and told herself to completely stay away from it. She looked up as a loud crack of thunder sounded overhead and noticed something she hadn’t seen when she first stepped into the lobby. She slowly walked toward the front doors and saw what she thought were red spots that were dotting the undersides of the both latches.
When she reached the doors, she could see a large puddle of water at the inside of the entrance almost as if someone had come in out of the rain and she saw that a trail of water led away from them to the back corridor leading to the front desk office. But what she didn’t understand was the tinge of bright red speckles and tiny puddles of crimson that seemed to polka-dot the bottom of the door and lead out to the same place just as the water had.
Startled, she looked in the direction of the night window when she heard the PBX ring loudly, the sound of its bell echoing and cutting through the silence like a razor-sharp knife. Excited to know that finally, someone would come out of hiding and see her alone the lobby at this hour of the night, she looked down onto the floor to see an unusual trail of red that lead from where she was standing to the back office door. She stood idly and waited for the front desk girl to come out of where she was and at the same time, trying to discern not only what the red substance was, but where it had come originated.
The PBX continued to ring at full volume into the lobby, its continuous monotonous tone slowly moving from reassuring to exasperating as she stood there quietly and waited. Quickly becoming impatient and anxious, she realized that nobody was coming to answer the phone and the ominous notion that there was nobody in the office behind the glass window was now beginning to worry her. She knew that something was wrong and the more she thought about the gravity of the situation, the more terrified she became.
She began to walk toward the entrance of the door that would lead into the back office and as she proceeded to walk, she noticed that she no longer heard the pitter-patter of rain against the lobby’s glass doors. It had been so loud before that its sound had filled the entire room, the clapping of thunder alongside it. There was an unnatural silence that suddenly took over and it was then that she heard the faint sound of music that came from somewhere near the front desk. She recognized the familiar tune and slowly began to walk toward the door in hopes of finding someone behind the counter.
As she tip-toed further away from the front doors, she noticed that the music was growing louder the closer she got to lobby hallway. She thought to herself that the pretty young girl who had been sitting at the desk had left her radio on when she’d stepped away. She soon made her way to the small door that would lead to the front desk office and noticed that it was slightly ajar, the music softly creeping into the hallway.
She hoped that she would find someone that would help her, someone that would come out from behind the door and ask her if she was alright. She would breathe a sigh of relief, smile and tell whomever it was that would come out to see her standing in the hallway alone that she was lost and needed to get back to her room before her parents noticed that she was gone. She would happily and eagerly tell this person the number of the room where she needed to go and she would be escorted back to the end of the hallway feeling safe from harm. She would then close the door behind her, lie down on the extra cot and fall asleep, effectively rendering this night over.
She tugged slightly on the big brown door and opened it carefully only to find the back room empty, the music coming from a small clock-radio that sat on a small shelf over the stack of soft white and amber-colored towels that were near where she was standing. All she could see on the other side of the room was a black rolling chair that sat unfilled by a large desk with mounds of papers that sat stacked on its edge. Suddenly, this music that she’d heard before on her mother’s kitchen radio back at home, this one particular song was now terrifying her as the sounds of plucked guitars and the lead female voice echoing across the room would forever remind of her of what would happen next. She thought about walking over to it to switch it off, but didn’t, afraid of the silence that would follow.
She stepped back as she felt something hit the crown of her head. She heard the air conditioning come on loudly overhead just as the thunder had when she was trapped in the maid’s closet, booming across the hallway behind her. She felt the breeze from the vents that were above her caress the back of her neck and travel quickly down her spine. She looked around the room and much too afraid to call out to anyone for fear of being found by what she’d seen on the top floor, she decided to look around the small office in hopes of coming across anyone who would be able to help her.
She felt something hit the top of her head a second time but ignored it thinking that it was only a drop of water that had dropped down from the air conditioning vents above her. She came upon the empty chair and became concerned when she saw what appeared to be sheets of paper scattered at random on the floor all around it. Puzzled, she looked around the room again and found no one there. Feeling her heart beginning to race once again, she was now certain that something wasn’t right. She then felt her eyebrows and her eyelids open wider and wider as she saw what looked like blood smeared all across the desk where the papers had been, a large pool of it next to the PBX system, dripping rhythmically onto the carpet below.
She reached out to grab the back of the chair and spun it around only to find the severed head of the girl who had occupied it when her family had arrived at the hotel lying in the seat, its lips having been violently ripped off, leaving nothing more than a ghastly grimace, replacing the warm and welcoming smile that she’d seen only hours earlier. She swiftly placed her hand over her mouth and stopped herself from screaming as to not be heard by what had done this. She began to cry and then began to hyperventilate, the terrified sapphire-colored eyes that remained in the lifeless head now starting directly at her.
Closing her eyes, she then slowly touched the top of her head and was petrified to discover that what had fallen onto her head had been drops of blood that had come from the ceiling right above where she was standing. She looked up to see the grotesque, headless body belonging to the front desk clerk hanging out of the ceiling panel above the clock-radio, arms dangling freely, blood dripping bit by bit from all ten fingers.
She had to get out and find her way back to where she’d come from as now she realized that she was in a much greater danger than she’d ever imagined. She frantically ran out the door, frightened beyond words by what she’d just seen and ran back into the hallway and to the front doors only to find them locked shut. She grabbed both handles and shook them back and forth as hard as she could with no luck. When she let go of them, she saw that her palms were covered in blood. Trembling as she looked at them, she screamed abruptly when she heard the sound of something hitting the floor loudly behind her. She knew that what she had seen on the top floor was now here with her in close proximity and there was nothing left to do but to remember where she had come from and to get back to her parent’s room before it was able to get her.
She ran past the elevator from where she’d come from and made her way into the hall that would take her back to the other side of the hotel. She could feel her heart beating violently against her chest and could see the door at the end of the hallway that would become her way out of this nightmare. She could see that she was only mere feet away from escaping from the horrific things she’d seen in the lobby, things she would never be able to erase from her memory. She could still see what she now knew had been blood smeared through most of the interior of the hotel’s entrance and how it had lured her to the back office. It was almost like the scattered crimson puddles had been used as bait in which she easily fell for, her naivety and innocence to blame for her curiosity.
She could hear her bare feet against the carpet as she ran down the long hallway and could hear herself breathing frantically as she felt the reality of what she’d seen in the office slowly hit her. She knew that something was behind her with the only aim of capturing her and making her its next victim. She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest, sweat running down her brow, and the presence of what was pursuing her inching closer and closer. She didn’t want to die. All she wanted was to get back to her parent’s room, close her eyes, and forget everything that had taken place there in the lobby tonight.
She wished she would have never followed the trail of bright, cherry-colored blemishes that festooned the lobby’s cold, brown tile floor. She wanted to erase the image of the severed head that had been lying in the chair looking back at her as if she’d been responsible for what had happened. She wanted to forget that she’d ever glimpsed upon the dead body belonging to the pretty desk clerk that had dangled from the ceiling and the horrible and disturbing way its arms swung lifeless slowly from side to side. She closed her eyes tightly as her legs pushed harder and faster into the argyle carpeting and prayed that she would be able to outrun what was hunting her at a rapid pace.
A sudden and welcome wave of relief swept over her when she opened her eyes to see the white door to the room at the end of the hallway her parents had rented for the night. She remembered that she had placed the latch outside the door as to not lock herself out and smiled as any second now, she would be safe inside the room, within its four walls, and in the company of her mother and father. She just had to run a little faster and a little further, just fast enough to get inside the room and close the door shut. It was that easy. Get into the room and close the door behind her.
Suddenly, everything around her went completely silent. She stopped immediately in her tracks, breathing heavily and gasping for air, and stood facing the exit door that was only mere feet away from her. She could no longer hear the sounds of the air conditioning units blowing as she had earlier. No longer was the faint music that had been coming from the radio in the office audible. The rain outside that had resumed only minutes ago had ceased and it hitting the windows that were at the front of the building could no longer be heard. She was now eerily surrounded by total silence.
She slowly turned her body around to get at look at the passageway behind her as she could no longer sense that something was behind her. She was terrified but had to know if she was alone in the hallway even though she was only inches from the door of her parent’s room. She turned around completely to find nothing but an empty corridor staring back at her. Both astonished and perplexed, she felt her heart stop for a brief moment as the absent presence of sound was quickly interrupted by a faint scratching that filled the hallway where she stood. She stood there idly, afraid to move. She heard it a second time and closed her eyes in horror.
She reluctantly lifted her head slowly until it touched the back of her neck. Her body began to shake and she closed her mouth tightly to avoid any sounds from escaping. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly to find that the thing she’d seen upstairs was now hovering above her menacingly, its eyes looking directly at her, its face as human as her own. The exception was its body. It had what appeared to be a human torso but both its arms and legs were elongated and stretched, almost spider-like, but each having five fingers and five toes just like hers. Its neck had the same characteristics and she watched as its head move around in a horrifying fluid motion, almost as if it was separate from the rest of its body. Its torso bobbed up and down in a slow, frightening rhythmic motion as it sat there sprawled across the ceiling above her. It then completely stopped from moving and looking at her directly in the eyes, lowering its head slowly until it was face to face with hers.
She could see its hair was sopping wet, water dripping onto the carpet from where it was. Its eyes were brown and large and it blinked at her as she stood there, completely frozen and immobile. She could see traces of red around its mouth and on its body, and she immediately concluded that it had come from the blood from the desk clerk whose body was still in the office. With all of her might, she screamed out into the silent hallway just as its hands had begun to reach out to her with the intent on taking her captive. She dived onto the carpet below, her body hitting loudly against the floor, and began screaming over and over again, crawling awkwardly toward the door of her parent’s room that was now in view. She had to get away, there was no other option.
She pushed her body against the carpet, her feet becoming tangled against her nightgown and began to make her way toward the door. She could see that she had left it cracked open, the end of the latch in view of where she was at. She felt a sudden gust of wind hit her from behind as she realized that what was there with her had dropped from the ceiling and onto the floor behind her. She could feel it moving toward her, its hands coming closer and closer. She struggled with her nightgown as her fingernails dug deep into the carpet in hopes of moving her faster. She was having trouble moving but pushed harder and harder against the purple-colored decor, crawling slowly toward the door.
She could hear herself whimpering and fighting to move as fast as she could. It was there behind her and she knew that if she didn’t act in a more rapid manner, she was going to die. She turned around to see it only inches from her, its putrid and mangled hands coming closer and closer in her direction. She felt her fingers touch the door and quickly pushed it open until it hit the bathroom wall loudly. She pushed harder and grabbed whatever she could of the carpet and managed to pick herself up slightly off the floor. She took one big breath and with all her strength, pushed once more with everything she had until she was able to fling herself into the room, managing to make it just as its hands grazed the edge of her ankle.
She screamed loudly again and placed both palms against the door and pushed it shut with every bit of might that was left inside her. She managed to close it shut and heard its body hit the door from the outside. She could barely catch her breath as she stood up and locked the door and placed the latch, rendering the door completely sealed shut. She was almost hysterical, happy that she had been spared from its grip but still terrified that it may still be out there. She sat down in front of the door and began to cry, all of her fear and all of her emotion coming out into the open in the form of racking sobs that took over her body.
She looked over and saw her parents sleeping silently on the king-sized bed, completely unaware that she’d barged into the room in such a loud and boisterous manner. She could see the television station that had been on when she left the room was now signing off for the night, the deep, raspy voice of the male announcer giving the station identification filling the room. She looked around and realized she was now safe and suddenly noticed that the shadow she’d seen coming from under the door was now gone. She sat there motionless for several minutes as the sounds of a male chorus came from the television and she began to think about everything she’d seen. Though she was safe from harm, whatever it was that had accosted her was still roaming the hallways of the Claremont Waterfront Inn.
She was relieved when the music ended several minutes later and the room went silent. She could no longer hear anything coming from the hallway and thought to herself that it had gone back up to the fourth floor, leaving her to finally be able to sleep and to forget that this night had ever happened. She heard the familiar sound of the air conditioning coming back on and felt it from the vent above her. It was over. She knew that as long as she stayed in within the confines of the room for the rest of the night that she would be safe. Her parents would wake up in a few hours and she would be able to tell them everything that she’d seen. She didn’t want to wake them now. All she wanted to do was to climb into bed and fall asleep and know that when she opened her eyes again, it would be daylight and the storm would be over just as this horrible night would be.
She sat down and smiled to herself, leaning her head up against the front door as the color bars came onto the television screen. She was safe and she would never have to think about this night ever again. Just as she closed her eyes, she heard something coming from out the hallway. She looked down and her eyes opened wide as she could see drops of water dripping onto the floor from the crack under the door. Her heart came to a complete and total standstill as she heard the sound of something scratching very softly back and forth against the door outside, something that wasn’t going to rest until she was in its grasp and until she was dead in its arms.
Skreet-skreet-SKREET!