I was jolted awake by the sound of a shrill scream which pierced the silence of my bedroom. My eyes bolted open in my shock, and I struggled with whether what I heard was a part of my dream or reality. Sitting up in my bed, I moaned and placed my head in my hands, feeling lightheaded.
Clumsily turning on the bedside table, I noticed the bottle of sleeping pills placed beside a half empty glass of water. Testing my memory, I recalled taking a single pill and resting my head on a pillow. I must have still been under the effects of the pill so I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and carefully rose to my feet.
Suddenly, another scream radiated through the house.
Running towards my bedroom door, I grabbed the doorknob, bursting out of the room. I made my way down the staircase with reckless abandon. “Sharee!” I called out, holding my head with one hand and clutching the banister with the other.
Reaching the foyer, I looked around wildly, glancing into the living room. I noticed the lights were on, and the television was playing a movie.
With my heart pounding against my ribcage, I stumbled further into the front hall. “Sharee!” I called, running towards the dark kitchen.
Flipping on the light, I heard a moan.
My eyes shifted from the backdoor, which was wide open, blowing in the breeze, to Sharee. She was lying on the floor, crying with her head in her blood-stained hands. Rushing to her side, I grabbed a clean rag from a drawer and placed it over an open wound on her head. “What happened?” I questioned, my voice coming out at a higher pitch than anticipated.
Struggling to catch her breath through her tears, she said, “There was a man. He had a mask.”
Suddenly alarmed, I looked around the room cautiously, trying to figure out where someone would hide. “Where did he go?”
“He ran out the backdoor.”
Without further hesitation, I climbed to my feet. Taking determined steps, I made my way to the back door, feeling the effects of the medication melt away as adrenaline pumped through my veins. When I reached it, I looked out, shaking from both fear and the chill of the winter air. The yard was surrounded by large evergreens which were beautifully overgrown; however, under the soft glow of the moonlight, their form made eerie shadows on the ground. The tree cover and shadows were so dense that anyone could blend into them, masking themselves from sight.
I hugged my torso, guarding it from the cold breeze that swept through the night air. Feeling increasingly anxious, I felt eyes on me, watching me from somewhere in the darkness. I felt as helpless as an ant under a microscope. Someone killed my sister, and I couldn’t help but feel that the rest of my family would be next on the killer’s radar. We were all in terrible danger, and yet, I was clueless as to why.
With a shiver running up my spine, I slammed the door shut, locking it firmly, and called the police.