Population: 1245...And then Some

Chapter Four

:) :) :)

He walked down the cement road in the dark cold emptiness of the night. He turned left down a street. He checked his sheet of paper that he tore from the address book with the circled house number.

He looked at a small blue rancher with a white door and picket fence. There were flower beds and clean cut green grass. There also was a oak tree in the middle of the yard. He looked through the window and he noticed a lamp was on.

He smirked to himself. This house looked far too innocent and far too happy for what lay inside this house was the monster that ruined his life as a child.

He slowly made his way to the door and rang the doorbell. He stood there patiently waiting. The white door opened with a creak. As it opened he heard the voice that sent chills down his spine.

"Hello son."

He saw a smirk plastered on the man's face as he came from the darkness of the hallway and into the light of the moon.

:) :) :)

I jumped when I heard my bedroom door open. My eyes shot to my clock on my wooden nightstand. It read 7:00 am. I've been here the whole night in the same shaking shuddering position, too terrified to move.

I heard a gasp. I looked up and found my mother shaking, her hand covering her mouth while her other hand supported her weight on the door handle. She was terrified of seeing her flesh and blood like this, like a terrified animal in a cage. She rushed forward and hugged me. Squeezing me.

"Another nightmare?" she whispered in my ear. I nodded in reply refusing to speak, too ashamed that my mother found out I had another nightmare.

"What was it about this time?"

She looked up at me with her same green eyes. I saw sorrow and worry in her eyes.

"Um....." Trying to form words was difficult, but I managed.

"I was tied to a wall......getting knives thrown at me and um......he slit m-my wrist open...Mom..." I sobbed the last word with a cry for help. My mom came close to me to protect me; care for me.

But I knew deep down she truly couldn't do it. Mom sighed as she came in for a second hug. We stayed in this position for a couple minutes in complete comfortable silence until she broke it.

"Kathryn, I don't think your fit for school....want to stay home? I'll call the school on my way to work alright honey?" My mother said with worry and care.

"Yea I'd like that a lot thank you," I gave her a tight smile.

"I have to go to work alright? Feel better."

She kissed my head. She started to exit out of my room. She stopped at the door with her left hand on the doorknob.

"And Kathryn? ...remember they're just nightmares. They can't hurt you."

I met my eyes with hers. She gave a small nod and closed the door behind her.

I sat there letting my thoughts swim around in my head. The grumbling of my stomach took me out of my trance. I got up from my position and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I walked to the fridge and looked at my choices. I sighed. I was way too lazy to make something big, so I grabbed the bread and peanut butter from the fridge and made myself a simple peanut butter sandwich.

I grabbed a glass of milk and made my way to the living room. I turned on the T.V. flipping through the channels rather quickly.

"You make a chicken casserole -" said the preppy blonde woman on my TV.