I got home Sunday night after making Jaycee promise to call if there was any change in Renee’s condition. Goosebumps rose making the hairs on my arms stand up, it was cold and the inky darkness of my apartment made it difficult to find the thermostat. I pulled out my phone as cotton puffs of air escaped my mouth, thankfully my flashlight app only took a few seconds to load up letting out a ray of dazzling light when it finally did. The thermostat was on the side of the living room wall that lead into the hallway, I flipped the light switch multiple times before realizing the light must be out which meant I’d have to replace it tomorrow morning. ‘ Great my apartment is now officially creepy’ my mind raced as I instantly thought of ghosts as the alternative to the temperature and lights. My foot caught the corner of the small light blue couch that sat against the wall in the living room, my knee burned after my skin scraped against the usually soft carpet, my phone bouncing a few feet away to highlight a dark window. Palms buried in the carpet, I pushed to get up focusing on the light beaming from my phone so I didn’t have to focus on the terror that ripped through my stomach moving up to fuel my pounding heart. Quickly I snatched my phone from in front of the window turning to shine the light towards the kitchen everything looked odd in the dark lighting it didn’t feel as though I lived in this strange apartment it didn’t feel as though anybody lived here.

I paid close attention to where I was stepping looking down to make sure I could actually see my sneakered feet, I did not like falling I especially didn’t like falling on hard surfaces which happened to be what my kitchen was made out of. A row of large square drawers lined the counter I knew they contained all manner of things, but the drawer I was looking for was filled with just candles and matches I needed to use a lighter, but I simply forgot to get one when I moved in. I could never remember if it was the second or third drawer so I searched the second drawer first, finding various cookie cutters deciding that was most definitely not the drawer with candles I went to the third drawer. I found three large scented candles and ten small tin candles with two boxes of matches lined neatly between them, ‘It’s probably just a power outage’ I thought as I set a large candle down on the small coffee table in front of the couch and lit a small match. After lighting candles in each room of the apartment I sat down on the couch feeling some of the fear and tension leave my muscles in the warmth of the orange flames wavering light. I wanted to call Jaycee just so the loneliness I felt would also ebb away, but she didn’t need me burdening her right now, she was already going through enough.

-TAP...TAP...TAP ice ran through my veins. ‘What was that?’ my eyes widened as my brain registered the sound. ‘Maybe I just imagined it?’ I thought after a few seconds passed. Just in case I snatched my phone from its position on the coffee table, my finger hovering right above the emergency dial button as my eyes searched around my apartment looking for anything out of the ordinary.

-TAP...TAP...TAP the sound came from my window, as if someone was tapping on the glass. Goosebumps made the tiny hairs on my arms stand up; it was not my imagination.

-TAP.TAP.TAP faster the tapping sounded again, and it was all I needed to press the emergency button.

I clutched a kitchen knife as I waited for the police to arrive I needed some sort of protection. I wasn’t safe anymore, I had no idea if someone could see me through the transparent white curtains with their trails of light green swirls that led to baby blue flowers (in hindsight I don’t know why I chose those curtains they looked so good at the time now they were a cause of terror). I was thankful when I heard a police siren and a solid knock on my door I sighed with relief putting the knife down, I twisted the upperlock listening for the thud as it unlocked.

“Officer thank-” I started to speak then stopped when I realized I had opened the door to the night’s darkness there was no police officer no person stood there at all it was just empty. I slammed the door and locked it again, my heart pounding against my ribcage I snatched the knife back up God only knows who had knocked at the door and I was not about to be a victim. Another knock at the door had me jumping out of my skin.

“Who is it?” I shouted.

“ The police ma’m, you called about a possible intruder” a light female voice called.

This time I did not drop the knife, I brought it with me as I answered the door. A tall female officer stood next to a taller young man both were in a police uniform, I inhaled and exhaled ,letting some of the tension I’d been feeling, escape. Frantically I told both officers what had happened starting with the lights not working and my freezing apartment, I was just so glad somebody else was here.

They searched my apartment thoroughly then they concluded the outside search.

“ Well someone was definitely here, don’t worry it was most likely some kids who thought it was funny to terrorize you; but just in case is there someone you can stay with for a few days?” The woman asked.

“ Umm, not really the only family I have lives out of state” Jaycee was not an option at this point I didn’t want to stress her out.

“ Well you could probably stay at the station it’s pretty quiet there right now” the young officer piped up.

“ I’m sure the captain won’t mind” he gave a crooked grin that made him look even younger almost like a teenager though he must’ve been at least as old as me.

“ Well I guess just for the night it won’t hurt it’s not like we haven’t done it before” the female officer shrugged.

“ We can give you a ride then, I’m officer Lamont and this is officer Parker” She said as she ushered me to the patrol car. Relief washed over me as I walked away from everything I owned and into the safety of the car. I was safe and hopefully it was just a kid playing a terrible prank.

‘Find him’ the dead chanted in a eerie unison. I was back to this world standing on top of a lake so dark I wasn’t even sure it was a lake, fog furled around the dead making it difficult to see their horribly scarred bodies.

‘Find him, find him, find him! Find him! Find him!’ Their voices turned into an irate yell it was painful it felt as though they were closing in around me surrounding me with their gray haunting eyes accusing me of a sin unknown to me. I sobbed as I felt the pressure of that sin crash down on me.

“ I didn’t know!” I cried out seeking forgiveness.

“ I didn’t know!” Hot tears slid down my cheeks, the cold inky lake wrapped itself around me accepting me into its ice cold depths. I screamed and screamed until I felt numb and gave up my eyes staring at nothing but darkness ‘this is it’ I thought as I floated in nothingness.

A white hot light burned my eyes until I had to look away, it’s warmth invited me back up to the surface rescuing me from the torturous oblivion that was the lake… that was hell.

“ Don’t cry love” a compassionate voice rang from the light. A soft hand made of light reached towards me, tears streaming down my face I reached out my own small hand.

“ Cassiapeia” the voice whispered my name just before our fingers touched.

I woke with a start just in time to see Alex, with his dark blue eyes and disheveled rave hair, stroll into the police station like he owned the joint.