Only At Night

Chapter 1

Headlights reflected off of the second story window of the Freed's home. The main window led to the bedroom of the only son of Jeremiah Freed, James. He sat in his bed, reading The Outsiders, focused on getting the book finished for school the next day. There was a light rain outside, creating a soothing atmosphere for reading and focusing. James' phone vibrated on the edge of his nightstand. He picked it up and put his finger over the sensor. His phone unlocked and he saw he has a new Snapchat notification. He opened up the app and clicked on the notification from the group chat with all of his friends. Jerry was raving about a new game or something, James didn't pay much attention to it. He set his phone down and picked up the book again. Moments later, headlights illuminated the ceiling, but instead of it being for a split second, the light scanned down the room walls. James got up and walked to the window. His mom's SUV moved into the driveway, finally stopping about five feet from the garage door. The garage door rumbled from beneath him as it opened. The door opened and his mother's voice echoed up the staircase and into James' room.

"James, help me get the groceries out of the car!" She commanded.

James obeyed, slipping into his shoes and raincoat. He walked down the creaky wooden steps and out the door that led to the garage. He grabbed as many bags as he could and brought them inside. He set them down on the kitchen counter. His mother came back into the house, her hands full of bags as well. She dropped them on the ground and snatched her keys from the table.

"I forgot the milk. I go there for one damn thing, buy tons of other crap, and forget the only thing I actually needed." She stormed to the door. "I'll be back."

James took off his grey raincoat and slumped it over a kitchen chair. He flung off his shoes and began to walk back upstairs. He saw the lights of his mother's car disappear into the rainy night, allowing darkness to consume the front yard again. He leaped onto his bed and grabbed his book. He flipped back to his page and continued reading. At one point, the rain calmed slightly, allowing James to hear a slight shuffling sound from somewhere in the house. It was a faint sound, almost as if it wasn't meant to be heard. James swt his book down and listened. Through the occasional thunder, the shuffling could be heard. Then, the sound either got too far away, or stopped all together. James got up from his bed and walked to his doorway. The sound was nowhere to be heard. James stepped into the hallway. He walked about halfway to the stairs. The eerie silence was broken. There was an explosion of thunder outside. At the moment the sound erupted in the air, there was a loud metal crashing sound from downstairs. The lights in the entire house went out, causing the house to be engulfed in darkness. James ran to the lightswitch down the hall and flicked it up. The hall remained dark. He nervously flicked it up and down.

"No." He whined. "Damnit!"

In the eerie silence, the shuffling sound became faint again. James ran back to his room. He dove over his bed and to his nightstand. He rummaged through the drawer until he pulled out his flashlight. He flicked it on with a click. He could instantly see the hallway. He slowly made his way down the hallway, all the while listening to the shuffling noise get louder and louder. He put his foot on the first step. Then the second and third. He slowly crept down the stairs. He put his foot on the second to last stair. It squealed. He cringed and lifted his foot. He skipped that step and went to the next one down. He made it to the bottom of the stairs. He looked out the front window. A flash of lightning exposed the outside. He turned and began to walk toward the kitchen. From the kitchen, he turned and made his way to the basement door. He firmly grabbed the knob and twisted it. The door squeaked open. James glared into the darkness below. Something in the atmosphere changed. Everything went still and an eerie feeling took over James. It was very similar to the feeling of being watched, but it was much more intense. He looked around him, looking for anything that was out of the ordinary. When he didn't see anything different, he refocused on the basement. He shined his light down as he made his way down the stairs. His hand squeezed the railing so tight, his tan hands were now white. He scanned the open room with his flashlight. Then he found what he was looking for, the electricity box. He walked over to it, but noticed something immediately. The door to get into the box was smashing in, preventing anyone from getting into it. James pulled out his phone and turned it on. He clicked on his mother's contact and clicked the call button. A message appeared on the screen. No service. Please try again later.