Chapter 7: Welcome Back

I grab the door handle and it won’t open. I can’t see Josh outside. It’s dark out. Very dark but it can tell I’m I’m being watched. I finally get the door open and rush outside. I run down the back porch steps and look around and call for Josh. There is no response. I turn around and look back at the house. I see shadows heading to the basement door. I hear a thud on the ground behind me. Oh no! That’s not good. I slowly turn around and Josh is laying on the ground. He looks hurt. I start to kneel down but his body raises and floats. A bunch of figures creep out of the darkness. Grayish figures with big heads and huge black eyes. I go into a panic attack and fall backwards. I get up and grab his leg but he starts floating away. Oh god i need to protect Maggie and find my brother. I turn and run back into the house.

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Basement . Zach’s POV
*****

I grabbed a flash light from the fridge. Mallory joined me. We started to go down the old dirty wooden steps into the basement when a loud humming started coming from above. A bright light shines through the kitchen windows and comes through the door before both. I get shivers. This isn’t good. Mallory checks her but it’s dead. I pull mine out and it as well. At least I carry a real flashlight. We turn around and get to the fuse box at the bottom of the steps. I flip the switch and nothing. I try over and over as I hear the dogs barking upstairs. This is real bad I think to myself. Next to the fuse box is an old gross bathroom. It used to freak us out as kids. Next to that was our dads old workshop area. It’s normally barely lit. Under the stairs are the washer and dryer and then fitness equipment past that. Then we have a refinished section with Sheetrock walls and a hot tub on the other side.

*bam*

The basement doors slams shut. Mallory screams and runs to the farthest point away. Its impossible to see without the flashlight she sees enough to get around the corner and hide by the hot tub from my light. As I walk around the corner I hear the the outside door to the basement start to shake. I run and hide behind the hot tub with my girlfriend. She’s terrified. The hot tub cover is off and it’s quiet with no power. I was hoping we would go in it later. Now everything is bad. I hold her as the the door handle turns and the slowly opens. Even though it’s dark outside some natural light enters and shines around the tub. I look around the corner for a second as several skinny figures walk down the steps into the basement. They spread apart. They must be hunting us. Why not freeze us from the start I ask myself. One of them slowly creeps toward me. A slight shadow grows on the wall.

Bang. Something drops in the workshop area. I hear movement towards it. They are so silent but you can tell. These ones move slowly as if they are hunting us or playing a game. No urgency or threat like some nights I remembered from hypnosis. One stands guard right next to us. Does it know we’re here? Is it terrorizing us on purpose? Mallory starts crying silently. Then out of nowhere the hot tub turns on and all the blowers turn on all at once. Mallory screams and rushes around me. The figure is looking at the hot tub confused. I move around the corner to stop her and I see some her get pushed by an invisible force into the hot tub. I strike the creatures head with my fist and try to pull her out. Something is pulling her down. Then she freezes with a terrified expression. I try to pull her out. Her mouth is open and I’m scared she’s going to drown. Other creatures start coming around the corner. As I try to pull her out the hot tub loses power again and she suddenly feels lighter like something let go of her. I get her out of the water as fast as I can.

“Wake up” I yell as I shake her. The creatures start creeping closer. Pointing at us. She raises off the ground a little. “Mallory! No!” I shout as I try to pull her down. I’m losing her. I can’t let them take her. She’s been with me through so much. Her body pulls away from me. I stumble. They grab her. Their long creepy fingers all over her frozen almost drowned body. Her terrified appearance from being attacked by something invisible looks perfectly placed as they manhandle her. They start to bring her outside. I sprint after them. They look at me like they have nothing to worry about. Like I’m just a fly on the wall. Right before I get outside the door slams shut in my face.

I try to open it but it won’t budge. I turn around and into the dark. Luckily I dropped my flashlight shining towards me so I can see the ground. The creature I struck starts getting up in front of it. The slender silhouette is almost fully standing and I go into a fury. I charge it and run through the drywall with it. Right between two wooden beams. It’s head hits the counter in the workshop. It’s dark as I reach for anything within grabbing distance cutting my hand on sharp things . I feel something with a rubber grip and hope it’s a hammer and grab it tight and start swinging at it’s head. I keep swinging and swinging in a berserker rage. After a few more strikes I drop the hammer as I sit on my knees and catch my breath.

After a few heavy deep breaths
I wipe away some tears. I grab the hammer and the grab the flashlight. I look for any more potential weapons and grab a screwdriver and anything else it looks like I could use. I rush up the stairs. The door still won’t open. Then I hear the metal lock slide and it creeps open. Long slender grey fingers grip around the door and stumble backwards down the stairs. My body hurts. I get up and shine the light in the workshop and the beaten creature is gone. The basement back door slams open. My heart races. They’re coming for me next. I rush in the bathroom. There is a small window near the ceiling. I smash it open. I don’t care about being quiet I just need to escape and get help. I stand on the dirty toile. The bathroom door starts opening and slamming over and over. I shine my light out and see them walking over to me. I grab through the window and start to pull myself up. After s little struggling I pull through broken glass. I feel their eyes watching me. Reaching for me like I’m an innocent pet. Once I get halfway through I crawl outside. I gasp for air. I run around the house. I throw a screwdriver on the porch. Hopefully they find it. I don’t see anything around and start to run down the road. I need to find help.