Jack

Chapter 1

"I hate it when you do that" she screams at me from under her blanket.

"It was too easy" I chuckle whilst holding my stomach, hunching back in a fit of laughter.

My little sister Annie does hate to be frightened but when she reacts like that I can't resist. Being younger than me helps and she is so easily spooked, makes for an easy target.

"Get out of my room Kody" she shouts whilst sobbing.

"Chill out, I'm only messing" I declare whilst walking out of the room.

I walk down the long dark corridor to my room and push open the door. Kicking off my trainers I collapse onto my bed, my head sinks heavily into my pillow. My ritual before bed is to listen to some music, so I grab my phone from my bedside table. Putting the earphones in I press play, the music starts, and I close my eyes.

I fall into a relaxed state as the music plays around in my head, the acoustics bouncing around like an auditorium. It isn't long before I awake from the slumber, a familiar tune is heard from over the music. Removing the earphones and rubbing my eyes, I rise up onto my elbows. Looking around the room I try to locate the tune, at the moment it has gone quiet.

Is Annie playing music in her room?

Just as I am about the drop back on the bed, the tune plays again. It sounds like it is coming from outside my room.

She must be playing music; how come she hasn't been told to turn it off?

Swinging my legs around, I sit up on my bed. Rising to my feet, I instinctively stretch my arms towards the ceiling. The tune plays again but this time it is slightly louder, still sounds like it is right outside my room.

The faint sound of a child singing carries through the tune,

"Jack in the box, Jack in the box, quiet and still"

"Will you come out, will you come out"

"Maybe I will....."

I get to my door and grab the handle, as I turn it the tune stops. Pulling the door open, the wood creeks to a stop. My family are in bed so the lights on the landing are now off, complete darkness consumes the landing. A glimmer of light can be seen creeping from under my sister's door, it must be her singing that tune. Taking a step onto the landing I knock something with my foot, I step back and look at what it is.

"What the hell" I can't quite make out what it is, but it looks like a box.

Bending down I pick it up, I walk further back into my room. It would seem that my annoying little sister has left her Jack in the Box outside my bedroom.

Maybe to try and freak me out?

I drop it on my bed and walk out of my room, I am now back on the landing. Turning right I head down towards my sisters' room; the light is still creeping from under the door. Normally I would knock before entering but this time I don't, I barge straight in catching her off guard.

"Why the hell did you leave that outside my room" I squint my eyes and stare at her angrily, whilst gesturing towards my bedroom down the corridor.

"Leave what outside your room" she huffs back at me in an immature tone.

"That annoying Jack in the box, it was sitting outside my door" I confirm knowing it was her anyway.

"Well it wasn't me, I didn't go near your room" she responds, looking pretty convinced.

"So, it just put itself outside my room" I am not giving this one up without a fight.

"Look it wasn't me ok, why would I put it outside your room" she has now sat up on her bed and put her phone down.

"Where did it come from then" I insist that she admit to what she done.

"I don't know, and I don't care" she walks towards me at quite a pace. Shoving me backwards towards her bedroom door.

"Now get out of my room" and with one last shove I am back out in the darkened landing.

With only the light coming from under her door, I stagger back down towards my room.

I don't remember turning the light off.

I reach my bedroom door; it is shut, and the light is off. Not being able to focus in this dense darkness I aimlessly look around; I can't make anything out. I feel across the front of the door for the handle, finding it I grab it tightly. My heart is beating so fast in my chest, it forces a lump to rise in my throat. Fumbling my hands on the wall to my right, I quickly try to locate the light switch. I know exactly where it is but in this brief moment of panic, I can't locate the damn thing. The light flicks on and I can finally focus my eyes. Looking around everything appears the same, nothing out of place and nothing out of the ordinary. I make my way over to the bed to take another look at this box.

Where the hell has it gone?

It is nowhere to be seen, I definitely left it on my bed. Frantically I drop to the floor and look under my bed. Having seen a few horror films, it wasn't my greatest idea. Slowly I pull the bottom of my bed sheet up, gradually I lower my head to look. To my relief it isn't under there either, I get back to my feet to check the rest of the room.

After a couple of minutes of finding nothing, fear now starts to set in. A sweat breaks out onto my forehead, my hands begin to shake. The lump in my throat hasn't left, my heart is still beating at an alarming rate. Out of the silence I hear the damn tune again, then quickly followed by the child's voice.

"Jack in the box, Jack in the box, quiet and still"

"Will you come out, will you come out"

"Maybe I will....."

"Annie is that you, this isn't funny" I plead in a whispered tone.

I get no response from my sister as expected, the light from under her door is gone. The doorway of my bedroom is also empty, the box is not there either. 

Where the hell is that coming from?

My attention is now drawn to the wardrobe, it sits at the opposite side of the room to my bed. It is slightly ajar, and I know it wasn't open earlier. The tune plays again but this time slower, however the child's voice cannot be heard this time. It appears louder and closer, so it has to be coming from my wardrobe.