Shadows

I was hiding in a closet behind my parents, sitting on the living room couch. I could see the TV. They were watching a horror movie. I was hiding because I was supposed to be in bed by the time. The movie had a jumpscare, and that was when I screamed and tumbled out of the closet. After I screamed, I heard two more screams and a loud smash.

I looked up slowly to find my mom tearing at her hair and dad looking down at me in pure terror. I got to my feet slowly, and saw that the table was upside down with a broken leg. This was when I realised: There was no way out of this one. I went and sat down by the dining table. After about forty long minutes of getting scolded, I headed to my room, and fell asleep pretty quickly.

I awoke in the middle of the night to a low grumbling. I sat up in my bed, and looked around. My window was open and moonlight was pouring in through it. And then, a shadow appeared at the foot of my bed. I blinked, and it was gone. And then, I felt a strong grip on the back of my neck. I couldn't move. The grip was too strong and it was choking me. I reached out to my bedside lamp, and switched it on. The hands disappeared momentarily.

Crying, I ran to my parents' room. My mom rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. She woke my dad and they both listened to my frantic mumbling. After I finished, both of them shook their heads and my mom said, "It's just a nightmare, sweety. Go to bed." "No, no, listen there was something in my room, mom! You have to believe me!" I cried frantically. My dad chuckled. He then walked over to his closet and pulled out a big flashlight. He handed it to me, and said, "Point this at the something in your room, and it will go away. OK?" I nodded and headed to my room. I got into my bed and pulled the covers till my neck. I pretended to fall asleep and hid the flashlight under the covers.

About a quarter of an hour later, my window flung open and moonlight poured in. The room grew cold and quiet. I saw the shadow creep up to my bed. And in a flash, I felt it behind me. It gripped the back of my neck, but I now knew what I had to do. I pointed the flashlight at myself, and suddenly, my neck felt very warm and a loud screech filled my ears. But I only stopped when the screeches were reduced to silence.

Flushed at my success, I ran to my parents and dragged them to my room. They were both annoyed at first, but when I flicked the light switch on, their expressions changed. There was something glimmering by my bed. A sharp, silvery butcher's knife that had never been seen in our house until then.