Kayla woke up with a jolt. Darting her eyes about she tries to focus her gaze. From the cream coloured walls, the bright patterns and the huge vanity mirror at her bedside, she could tell she was still at her Gran's house. Okay. But the dream had felt so real. Slipping her stockinged feet into her night slippers she knew something was wrong. It had nothing to do with the horror movie she had watched last night, or the gust of air that rattled her bedroom windows, even the air felt strange. Walking gingerly across the threshold she muttered a prayer under her breath. What was she thinking? It wasn’t as if there was a monster waiting at the door on her arrival. Still, she couldn’t shake this ominous feeling of dread that there was something wrong. The windows rattled louder now banging itself against the frame in protest. The gust of wind was a mini tornado now. Even the floors creaked with every step. Kayla took a deep breath and held on to the door knob. Whatever was out there wasn’t just going to let her saunter in and out. Grabbing her bedside lamp, she yanked the door open and waited for a green eyed banshee to attack her. Nothing. Kayla waited a few more minutes. Maybe the monster was a bit shy? Unlikely.
Kayla continued walking. There seemed to be no one about. The hallway was as dark as death. She thought of putting on the switch but decided against it. There might not be a monster but something was definitely odd. Kayla had reached the main landing when her better sense of judgement dawned on her. Was she just being silly or was anyone out there? It was the middle of the night for Christ sakes! Deciding she was being paranoid for no reason, Kayla turned on her heels. And she heard it: a stifled small cry. Kayla could be brain dead but that voice would always ring a bell. Her gran. Kayla stood for a minute trying to reason. She didn’t want to alert the intruder so she walked stealthily. Her gran's room was on the other end of the house. Another stifled cry and Kayla lost her sense of reasoning. Gran? Are you alright? All of a sudden, the lights flicked on catching her unaware. Kayla blinked her eyes trying to make sense of the happenings around her. Kayla tried to breathe but her breath got stuck in her throat and her legs felt like lead meaning she was unable to move. She didn’t remember walking down the stairs. She circled the trail of dead bodies, trying to grasp what was happening. She lifted the veil and shrank back in horror. Milky white eyes stared back at her unblinking and dripping from their sockets, lips slightly apart and blood dripping from her lips. G-g-gran w…. Kayla felt the room swirling around her. She lifted the second veil and tried to scream but she found no inner strength. Her mother’s lifeless form stared back at her. She cringed at the sight of her mother’s limp body paled before her eyes. She staggered back and stumbled on a limb. Kayla closed her eyes and tried to breathe. She was in her bed, cosy and warm by the earth of the fire. She flipped her eyes open but they were still there. Her gran's neck snapped into two like brittle bone. Her mother’s skin sliced and dripping blood. A hand grabbed her and she screamed. The voice was a harsh whisper, croaky and barely audible.
“Kyle Armstrong.” The hand gripped her tighter and she felt the blood drain for her system. Kayla tried to breathe but the hand clutched her tightly repeating the name again before slumping to the floor. Kayla stood for a full minute before the impact of the situation dawned on her. Whoever killed her family was still here. Unsure of what to do, she stood stock still and she saw the figure silhouetted in the shadows of the dim light. Deep emerald green eyes stared at her, cold and flinty. The lower part of his face masked by a turban. Kayla shivered, the gleam of the sword, the power in his eyes. In five swift steps he was within meters of her. Instinctively, Kayla sprinted across the trail of dead bodies ignoring the disembodied limbs littered everywhere. She tried to think, but her brain didn’t seem to function. She knew he was closing in on her. All she to do was reach the balcony. Grasping, the balcony, she jumped eight feet below not before the steel clashed with her skin. Kayla landed on the sand with a thud. Her head ached and she closed her eyes. Someday, Kyle would pay. She wasn’t sure how and when but she felt it in her bones.
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