Hamlin

The baby hadn’t wanted to go to sleep and it was now late. Sarah felt exhausted and hungry. She turned the dim landing light on and went downstairs in search of a small snack. For some reason, Sarah felt uneasy going downstairs into the shadows - she didn’t often end up scaring herself when she was alone.

Sarah made a beeline to the fridge when she got to the kitchen. The bright florescent light dazzled her a little as she turned them on. Sarah found some ham and shuffled towards the bread bin, suddenly feeling more frightened. As if in a trance, she became hypnotically aware of a foreboding dark figure through the window loitering by the side of the road. The shape was under the lamp post and wearing what looked like a leather coat and hat pulled down low. There weren’t any visible features other than an imposing stature.

Sarah’s blood ran cold. She stood frozen in horror as the figure seemed to look back at her, seemed to look through her. Seconds later, the figure moved its arm and rummaged in a deep overcoat pocket, eventually pulling a small object out. The figure raised the object to its head and soon afterwards, a high-pitched husky sound pierced through the air. A kind of whistling.

Within a couple of seconds of the ghostly noise, scratching noises throughout the house stared. The bread bin started rustling. There was a sudden smell of damp. Mice and cockroaches oozed out of the bread bin, scurrying incessantly and vibrating with terrifying vitality. They streamed towards the door in a heaving mass and scurried frantically on towards the dark figure outside.

Upstairs, alongside the sound of a thousand insect and mouse legs, there was also the sounds of something heavier. The baby was crawling, scratching to join the stream of creatures.