Backing away, I watch as the pool of blood continue to rise up. Taking action, I climbed up the dirty couch and closed my eyes.

This is all just a dream. This is not real. Everything that is happening is not real.

His laughter maliciously echoed across the room, filling the empty walls of this house.

"Aw, open your eyes baby. See the beauty of the devil's work." He whispered into my ears. I covered them with my hands, hearing his voice was like nails slowly running down on a chalkboard, producing screeching sounds that irritates the ear. "Open your eyes love." His voice still reaching my ears.

"No, I won't." I said, not wanting to follow him. Cold hands were wrapping around my face like a snake coiling around its prey.

"But it'll be so much fun. Go on Lucinda." The monster hiss, my breathing became heavier. The feeling of something liquid climbed up my ankles until it reached my knees, making it harder for me to concentrate on telling myself that all what I am experiencing now are just illusions. "Come on, just a little peek."

Uncovering my ears, I open my eyes, unable to resist the temptation of knowing. Temptation will always try to lure you, let you see the bright side of it, not even knowing that it is slowly corrupting you in the inside. The decision of opening my eyes made me feel regret once I saw the scene in front of me.

Heads of people that I don't even know were floating above the surface, some were even missing an eye. There were even crows, and pigeons. Huge cockroaches were climbing up the walls, hissing loudly. I gagged at the sight, my stomach churning and the foul odor of blood was not helping at all.

"Do you like it?" He questions. I look up to see him dangling above me on the ceiling. A butcher knife was resting on his hand, I froze when he pointed it at me, the tip almost touching my nose.

"S-stay away from me," I stammered, lowering myself. Cocking his head to the side, he gave me a twisted smile.

"You don't like it? I thought it will interest you."

Shock was written all over my face when the couch started to rise, floating above the red liquid that is staining everything in its way. "Leave m-me alone!" I scream, he just laughed at my face, causing me to narrow my eyes at him.

"You and I are going to have so much fun together. So much fun."

I looked around to see the old furniture floating, the tables were turned over and the portraits my mother placed inside the box were being spoilt.

"You and your mother are dumb enough to buy this house. This house only belongs to me!" He yells, the veins on his neck bulging.

"Just please, stop." I murmured weakly, he stared at me for a minute and his lips broke out into a sinister smile.

"Oh, so you now surrender? Pitiful of you to do that Mackenzie. I thought you were good in resisting, turns out I was wrong. We could have fun together."

I could not help but cringed when he mentioned the word 'fun'. What kind of fun does he mean? Torturing my mind with his wicked games? Giving me nightmares? "N-no! I will not surrender." I declared at the meantime, I tried to find a few ways on how to escape this nightmare I am in. Turns out I can't.

A raven flew inside and rested on top of corpse's head. The monster noticed it, once it flew up he sliced it in half with his sharp knife. My jaw dropped in horror when some of its organs fell on top of me, the raven's blood trickling down my head. I screeched, trying to remove it off but to no prevail.

"You disgusting pig!" I exclaimed, shaking the slimy thing off my hands. This only made him laugh loud, angering me. "You bastard! What have I ever done to you? You deserve to rot in hell you swine!" This cause his laughter to stop, the room was deadly silent, he glared at my face before lowering himself to the couch. I trembled under gaze.

Great Lucinda! Job well done. My subconscious sneered at me.

"Repeat that again sweetheart." He dared. I just sat there, frozen. "Say those words again." My lips parted in shock when he held up the knife once again, eyes black as the raven's feathers.

Just as he lowered the knife further to my face, someone knocked on the door. I turn my head to look at the door, the knocking continued. Pulling the knife away, I let out a sigh in relief. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared along with the rising red liquid and the disgusting things that he made.

I ran quickly to the door, opening it, I was met with the same men yesterday. They cast me glances, noticing my panicking and poor state. "Miss? Are you okay?" One asked, but I simply ignored it.

"You b-better get out of here. There's a monster in this house, he'll kill you if you enter! You better leave right away!" I rambled at them, earning concerned and confused stares.

"Uh, sure. Miss, your mother wants us to fix all the rooms in this floor. We suggest you to join her downstairs."

"No! There's an evil creature here—"

"Lucinda." I stop to face my mother. She cocked an eyebrow at me. "What's going on?" Knowing that she won't believe me, I rush pass her and went downstairs. The sound of her footsteps followed behind me, I roll my eyes when she begins to question me. "What happened up there? Why did the man said you told them that there is a monster in that room? Why did you do that?"

I didn't answer her questions, just merely walking to the kitchen to drink a glass of water. Instead of dropping it, she continued to follow me bombarding me. It was getting annoying.

"Why do you have to keep scaring people? Do you understand how much I have paid just to get this house renovated to your liking? I know it's not easy moving and all, but do you really have to do that?"

"Please, just be silent Mom. Geez, you don't have to keep interrogating me." I mumbled in irritation, if I only had a remote to mute her I would've done it before. Giving up, she walked away while grumbling about how immature I am sometimes.

"I'm going out! I'm going to head to the supermarket and you better behave." She yelled.

Hearing the front door slam shut, I sigh and laid down on the floor. I frowned at the ceiling, thinking. Thinking what would happen if my mom listened to me when I suggested that we stay in North Carolina, regardless if my aunt is or is not there. Instantly, I knew our lives would've been simpler.

Why can't my life be easy like the others?

I wouldn't be scared. Ghosts are something that I knew didn't exist in this world, but it does. I wish we were far away from here. I wish my dad didn't cheat on my mother. I wish my mom wasn't a coward and didn't run away, she should have confronted dad. I wish that monster upstairs didn't exist.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up from my place and start to think of happy thoughts. "Like I said, this house only belongs to me." But I guess those happy thoughts are not calming me as I thought it would. I turn to face him, the monster standing only a few feet away. "Sending those pigs here to fix this house? A house that does not even belongs to you!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? This house is already our property." I argued. "In fact, I don't think you're real at all. My mother doesn't even believe you, then why should I? I'm just imagining you."

Okay Lucinda, concentrate. This is all a dream. None of this is real.

Closing my eyes, I repeated the same words on my head.

"Why waste your time?" I heard him sneer, feeling his presence getting closer to me, I opened my eyes and backed away. He stopped just in front of me, his tall frame towering me. I stopped breathing for a second. "Why keep wasting your time in trying to convince yourself that I am not real?"

My lips parted in shock. "H-how?" This cause him to smirk widely, I continued to back away from him.

How did he know what I was thinking about? Advancing forward, he once again stood tall. I gasp when he grabbed my hand with his cold ones, I closed my eyes in fear.

"You say I'm not real? Stop telling that to yourself because you are wrong."

This is not happening. None of this is real. If this is just a dream, somebody wake me up! Wake me up from this nightmare I am in.

Lifting my hand, I felt something soft but there were rough lines, against my palm. I open my eyes instantly to stare at the monster in front of me. My hand on his cheek that have scars, it suddenly dawned upon me. Scaring me.

"You're... you're real."

"Yes sweetheart, I am real."