Blood. Karin could smell the tangy metallic sent snaking its way through her nostrils and coiling into her very soul. She tried to move in order to pull off her covers but failed, they seemed tight around her, like there was a force pressing them down. Her mouth opened to scream, but when she did it just filled up with the fabric which was clinging to her face, choking her. The smell was getting stronger and she was becoming dizzy from the lack of oxygen. Eyes bulging, she tried desperately to move, but the more she tried the tighter she seemed compressed. Then, Karin’s senses tuned into a dull scraping, just outside of her covers which now seemed to be getting lighter. She made an attempt to move again and this time succeeded. Slowly and cautiously, her arms moved up to her face and she pulled the covers down. The sound had stopped and nothing could be seen other than what was normally in the room. Her heart rate slowed and she closed her eyes, but something was still wrong. The smell of blood remained, more pungent than it was before. Her eyes darted open, and right in front of her line of vision, inches away from her face were a pair of sinister onyx eyes, which seemed to bore right through her. Karin’s body turned marble and everything faded into black.
Sweating heavily, Karin sat bolt upright, moisture cascading down her face. Her head rigidly scanned the room, dreading what she might find. Everything was normal, the smell was gone, as where the eyes. Shaking, she leant over to her phone which was on the bed side table. The time was 01:37. A broken laugh escaped her lips. It was just a nightmare, a nightmare induced from reading too much and her brain becoming too active. The laughing made her aware that although she was sweating, her mouth was sandpaper dry. After tugging on a baggy black and brown striped jumper Karin padded her way to the stairs, but tripped at the top and tumbled all the way down. Cursing, she rubbed her head and wriggled all limbs to assess for damage. Everything seemed in check, although she had landed in a way which meant her body flumped diagonally, her head twisted sideways on the floor and her legs were tangled upwards on the banister. “uuugh...” Karin groaned. “I’m going to need ice for that”
“Or a cloth soaked in water, ma’am. It works ‘ere wonders with bruising.” A small voice echoed, like a whisper in the wind.
Karin shuddered, feeling an intense chill wash over her. “Who is there, and what are you doing here?”
The voice made a startled grunt and a pair of black, highly polished boots appeared next to her.
Karin repeated her question through gritted teeth.
“My name is Kate ma’am, Kate Longside.” There was a pause. “Would you like a hand?”
With much effort, Karin swung her legs over the banister and staggered up to the floor with all the grace and elegance of an elephant on a hangover, only to find herself nose to nose with the supposed Kate Longside. Trying to conceal her fear, she managed to stutter “W-w-what the heck are you doing here?”
For a split second, an offended expression flickered on Kate’s face. “I look after this house. It’s my job.”
“Your job....” Karin repeated, dumbfounded “I didn’t realise Grandmother had a cleaner who came round this late.”
Kate’s eyes narrowed and she raised her chin in a haughty manor “I don’t just clean, for as long as I can remember I have been the soul person keeping this house in order.”
There was a deathly silence as they exchanged glares. Unsettled, Karin took a few steps backwards and took in the full image of the intruder. Kate was fairly tall and roughly her own height, but beyond that nothing else was normal. She was wearing a black floor length dress with a starched white apron and matching cap. A few flicks of chocolate brown hair had escaped the cap’s tomb and framed her heart shaped face, along with the round spectacles which perched on the end of her nose. There was a strange feeling to her as well, like when you get random shivers in the warmth, like someone walking over your grave. This was wrong. This was very wrong.
“Look ‘ere” Kate mellowed and looked apologetic. “I’m no good at dealing with this sort of stuff. I think there are some people you need to meet.”
