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Chapter 011: The Ghosts Of The Past
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Fear.
That was all he was feeling as he ran up the stairs, heart in his chest. Behind him, he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs the lights flickering madly.
"David," the voice of his father called out—but it wasn't exactly his father, something else underneath his father's familiar voice, something monstrous. "Why are you running from your old man, David?"
His heartbeat was loud in his ears as he ran down the hallway, before he tripped. He fell to the ground, twisting around.
His heart plummeted when he saw the glassy eyes of his sister, her throat a ruin of red. Blood stained her chest from the slashes across it, slashes from a knife.
Or claws.
"David. David, can you hear me? There's nothing to be scared of, son. It's all going to be okay."
Scrambling to his feet, the boy raced to his room, slamming the door closed. Stepping away, he got under his bed, heart beating so loud it might explode in his chest. Outside his door, the floorboards creaked, and he saw a shadow in the gap.
"David. Are you in there? Don't be scared. It's just Dad. Mommy and Tom and..."
A chuckle. It didn't sound like his dad's laugh—his dad's laugh was warm and jolly like Santa Claus' laugh. This was colder—a twisted version of his dad's laugh. More... evil.
"And little Jenny are all okay. They're just sleeping, David. It's punishment for losing the game. A game you're winning. Oh, you're winning it really well."
His heart boomed in his ears and he retreated further underneath the bed, hating that his dad's voice sounded like all the voices he'd been hearing since they moved into the house—all the whispering, hissing, voices.
"Do you want to know what game we're playing, son?"
The doorknob jiggled violently. The boy whimpered, going very, very still.
"It's hide and seek, son. I'm the seeker. And if the seeker finds the hiders..."
The door banged loudly, violently, and he bit back a yelp.
"It doesn't end well for the hiders."
The door gave another bang as it opened, and he saw his dad's shoes, spotted with blood.
"David..." his dad said, stalking across his room. "I know you're here, David. It knows you're here..."
