When Sally returned home from the woods that night confused, scared and exhausted, something followed her inside - a visitor she had not been expecting.
Deep in the heart of rural England, in the midst of a dense sprawling forest, the sky grew dark as the evening wore on. As the greyness descended relentlessly, a single car made its way down the only road visible for miles around. The twin beams of light struggling with the mist that had begun to seep between the trees like a boiling ocean. One hour passed. The clouds had become a more violent shade of black, the drizzle replaced with a fierce downpour that showed no signs of easing. The wind that had stirred the pools of mist grew like a harmony to a deafening crescendo, wrenching the few remaining leaves from the branches of the trees. The car returned the way it had come, the hum of it’s engine no longer audible above the roar of natures’ climax.
Sally put her foot down. This was no night to be alone in the woods. She was very grateful that she was in her car and not exposed to the elements. But despite this, white vapour seeped from her lips as she breathed. She wasn’t entirely sure why it was so rapid, she must be out of breath. She continued along the road, so fast now that the dark pillars of bark on either side began to blur together like a long, dark wall closing her in. A shiver ran down her spine, it started in her neck and crawled downwards like a spider into her legs and disappearing through her feet.
She gripped the steering wheel tighter. She so wanted to be at home, warm, light and safe. She sped up still more as she squinted into the fog. Visibility was poor but she knew these roads so well. She’d been born and raised in this wood, it was her home. Not one other soul for miles and miles, and would have more sense than to be out at a time like this if they were. She wouldn’t have to worry about traffic, that was one relief.
The rain beat down on the roof and windshield as she sped along the hard earth. She continued along the road in a kind of daze. She craved her home and her bed. She passed the familiar charred stump at the roadside, the remains of a mighty oak tree. They had a lot of trouble with storms in these parts and trees were often struck down or blown over. This stump in particular had become a kind of landmark for Sally marking her nearing the end of her journey home. Even now she noted it and took some comfort from it. She drove on for a few more seconds. The storm had been growing steadily and by now the rain was relentless and the thunder was bellowing. Despite everything she felt safe in her car and pitied anyone who was outside, vulnerable to the elements. But just then as she was anticipating the lights of her house to emerge from the gloom, a particularly bright flash of lightning revealed a dark figure standing at the roadside. He was standing completely still as far as she could see in that instant. But what was even more odd was that he had been facing away from the roadside. He had been a fair few metres down the road, but even so his sudden, unexpected appearance had shocked her. She squinted into the greyness but despite having her headlights on full she couldn’t make him out at all. All she had been presented with was the silhouette of a man. He appeared to have been wearing a brimmed hat, like a bowler hat. As she approached the spot she was sure he had been, another flash split the night. There was no one there at all. She had obviously imagined it, or misjudged his position. There would be a natural explanation of course. She would have felt sorry for the poor soul if he did not fill her with a cold dread that she could not explain. Under the circumstances it was no concern but still her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and she began to pray her house would reveal itself soon. Thankfully, after a few moments the familiar turning presented itself, advancing through the dark, offering light and safety. She immediately forgot the lone stranger at the roadside and instead watched the needles of rain cut through the glow of the headlights as she drove down the lane and pulled into her driveway, the face of her house less inviting than she’d hoped.
Sally was glad she had arrived home without passing any cars. She braced herself for the brief exposure, pulled her hood up, flung open the car door, slammed it shut and ran for the front porch. She arrived a few seconds later, turned and locked the car remotely. As she unlocked the front door she suddenly remembered the figure. She realised that it was the unnaturalness of the man that had frightened her. The hat, although trivial, was very out of place in modern society, the stillness had an air of the artificial she was not sure she liked. Convinced, on reflection, that it must have been a trick of the light, her mind creating shapes out of shadows, she put her mind to rest. But she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that there was someone out there in the sea of darkness surrounding her house. She stepped forward over the threshold quickly, forcing herself to shut the door calmly, not wanting to surrender control over something so trivial. She had so much going on in her head, issues screaming at her for resolution, that she decided to put them all to rest for now and go to sleep, deciding they could wait till the morning.
The moment she pushed the door closed behind her she felt the soft, warm steam of sleep descend in her head. The worries and darkness of the night dissipating as she felt the sweet oblivion draw close. She averted her eyes from the kitchen door that stood firmly closed at the end of the hall. This was not the time for such things. As she staggered up the stairs and flung open her bedroom door she quietly pushed away the niggling feelings and set them aside. She collapsed into the bed and had only begun to pull the covers around her when she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Silently a shadow moved out of the storm and crossed the threshold into the house.
She jerked awake suddenly. She automatically looked at the clock, but couldn't determine the time in gloom. Looking to the window she was surprised to find it was still night time, or at least the sun was yet to come up. What had woken her? She'd been so tired, surely she would have slept solidly till late morning?
However, as her mind sharpened and the room began to swim into clearer focus, she became aware of a coldness deep in her chest. Like something wrapped around her heart. A vague form began to emerge from the fog of her mind, a memory, or, a realisation. She could almost make it out.
Bang! A door slammed downstairs. She almost jumped out of her skin. On reflection she could now vaguely recall a bang as she had first awoken. Cursing herself she reluctantly swung her legs around from under the covers where she had thrown herself and placed her feet onto the carpet. She noticed she still had one sock on, she reached down and pulled it off and threw it onto the ground. She stood up and moved across her room to the bedroom door. She flicked on the light, grateful for the relatively dim glow that didn't sting her eyes. She turned and looked back at the clock. It was only four in the morning, still a good hour or so until it would start to brighten.
As she reached the top of the stairs she looked down, as she'd suspected the door lay slightly ajar. She descended gently, not allowing it to break her peace. She stepped through soggy envelopes that had been blown around by the vicious wind that she could hear was still wailing outside. She walked past her dark coat hanging silently on it's stand looking eerily like a person in this half-light. A vague memory surfaced but she dismissed it. She would deal with such things in the morning. And besides, things always seemed worse at night.
She reached out and began to close the door. She'd left the latch off - she was usually so careful to make sure it was locked tight, but she'd been so tired. As she reached out the door suddenly shot back almost knocking her over. The wind caught her full blast, pelting her with rain. She experienced a horrible exposed feeling brought on by the sudden rush of the elements in only her night clothes. However, it was muffled slightly on her top. Forcing the door closed and pulling the latch with finality, she glanced down at her body. When she'd stumbled in she hadn't even fully undressed. She was still wearing her coat. She felt it, it was still damp, so she had gone out into the forest that night. Seemed like an odd thing to do.
But then a thought connected in the back of her mind and sprung up. She whirled round, squinting at the coat stand, a flash of lightning briefly illuminating the hallway. It stood there completely empty, no dark shape, as the coat was and had been on her. Her heart dropped and her mind lurched as the furniture of her mind and picture of surroundings was suddenly altered.
Her mind flitted back to the broken stump at the roadside and the dark figure. But as she felt herself slide towards mad thoughts, she intervened. She would put the nonsense behind her and just sleep. That's what she needed. She could barely think straight, all she knew was that she could look back in the morning and piece it together. She moved up the stairs silently, not wanting to disturb the quiet that she had forced to descend once more on her mind. Only dimly aware that it was a thin veil of silence and that something dark was tossing and turning beneath. Sleep would bring a sweet release she thought as she got back into bed, careful to remove her coat this time. She must have imagined the coat as she'd expected it to be there along with anything that had come before. After all, something terrible had happened. And as she drifted back off to sleep, she wondered why she'd thought that.
Her eyes opened slightly as they sometimes did before she fell entirely asleep. Between the lids of darkness she could just make out a man standing at the end of her bed, watching her. She closed them again as she rolled over the brink of unconsciousness. Then she was falling, she kicked out and was suddenly wide awake. Her stomach dropped as she realised what she'd seen. Her heart in her mouth and cold terror writhing in her mind, she reached for the light, not daring to look. She couldn't find the switch, it was moving toward her, she knew it, mere inches away by now. Click, she found it. Looking up and covering her face with her hands, she saw - nothing. There was no one there. She breathed out and took a moment to compose herself. She felt her chest, her heart was racing.
Surely it had been a dream? After what had happened, it was the least she could expect. The encounter had seemingly blasted the shroud of sleep from her body. She was awake now and would have to deal with it. She’d slept enough for now, why not make the most of this time and deal with the kitchen? It didn't seem so imposing now the light was on and she’d calmed down. It had all been in her head and now it's gone she thought. However, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was a piece missing from her mind - but somehow, she preferred it that way.
She turned off the bedside lamp and felt only a twinge of fear as she walked over to the hall light and turned it on. The light was her friend, it banished the shadows that gathered and lurked in dark corners, bending and deceiving her eyes to see specters at every turn. She was calm and the lights were on, she’d deal with the kitchen and get things back in order. She’d always liked storms in the past, sitting inside and appreciating their raw power from behind a pane of glass. It also encouraged her to get on and do what it was she’d been putting off around the house.
She made her way down the stairs once again, her feet padding softly on the carpet. She noted the empty coat stand with quiet relief. Harmless she thought to herself. She made a point of looking at each of her photographs in turn, they documented her entire adult life. She turned her attention to her favourite photo of her and her husband. They were so young, so in love. Nothing perfect can last forever she thought as less pleasant memories of her husband swam inevitably before her. She wondered to herself whether the darkness of the times that came after made that time less wonderful, or more so. It didn’t matter she thought, he’s gone now.
As she walked past the lounge she braced herself to enter the kitchen. In the corner of her eye, through the crack in the lounge door she saw a man standing in the middle of the room, perfectly still. She concentrated on the job at hand, she’d open the door and start sorting out right away and wouldn’t stop until it had all been finished and only then would she think about sleep and putting this dreadful night behind her - There was a man in her lounge. She froze. Somehow she’d assumed it’d been her husband, he hadn’t come to bed that night after all. But -
The lights flickered, she whirled around to face the lounge. She felt the calm she’d fought to bring back evaporate in an instant. As the lights disappeared, so did Sally. She descended once more into a creature of fear and instinct. Terrorised by the confusion and threat of this dark figure. She could see into the room in the reflection of the mirror on the wall. No one was there, somehow that was worse. She had nowhere to face because she didn’t know where it was. The moon must have disappeared behind some clouds, for now it was pitch dark. A bolt of lightning struck in the sky and suddenly a shape resolved itself one foot away from her, the shape of a man. He’d been standing right in front of her obscuring her view for the past few seconds. It hadn’t been pitch black at all. Her entire body jolted backwards, almost vomiting in the sudden burst of movement. She felt herself begin to shake violently and sweat prickle up all over her body. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, deafening. Another flash and he was gone once more. Leaving only the swirling fear of the unknown. Once again, in the corner of her eye she saw it, or thought she did, a flicker, by the stairs.
She backed up fast, away from the threat. Pushing herself back with an air of panic. Desperate to get away. She felt her back connect with the hard wood of the kitchen door. She was at the end of the hallway. There was no way she could move forwards again, so she could only go back. And that meant through the door. For some reason she seemed to dread this almost as much as confronting the figure. She reached up, keeping her eyes fixed on the spot by the stairs where she'd seen the movement. Her hands were shaking badly by now, it was as much as she could do to force her fingers to close around the door knob. But as she began to push the door back, slowly, creaking ominously, her chest tightened. The dread that had been building in her since that night had begun seemed to her to have gathered in the room behind her. When she'd first come in, it's this room she'd avoided facing. But as the doubt surged as a torrent into her mind a dark shadow fell across her.
The upstairs lights had come back on, she squinted into the brightness but could barely make anything out. It moved forwards and in a moment of blind panic she threw herself through the doorway and slammed it closed behind her. As the door had come to she was sure she'd seen the figure step up obscuring her view and blocking the sliver of light. However, she looked down to the crack at the bottom of the door, no light. Either the lights had gone off again or. The figure was standing there, inches away from her.
She pressed herself hard against the door, she wouldn't let it through. Her eyes closed tight, listening. It was a thick door, it almost entirely blocked the sounds of the night that were bellowing in the hall. A momentary break in the madness spread out around her and filled the room. She let a small sigh of relief escape her lips. She felt a warmth start to spread through her from below. Slowly looking down, she found herself in a pool of the deepest crimson. Her legs were speckled with droplets. Its was gently lapping away from her, disturbed by her fast movement. She watched, unblinking as it settled and began to reflect her dark eyes. She found that she was not surprised or scared to find this. She had known, or suspected at least. As if looking through someone else's eyes her head slowly rose, her vision moving steadily towards the source of the blood. A dark shape on the tiles, a sharp line lying at a violent angle. A bloodstained jacket and kitchen knife. It was so still and silent it seemed somehow peaceful. Her husband had been murdered, she could see that now. There was no denying it.
The storm continued to buffer the small house in the middle of the wood. Sally sat alone in her kitchen sinking under the weight of her mind, wailing silently as the wind roared and the thunder rumbled through the trees and over the hills.
It wasn't too long however before the sun broke the line of the horizon and shone out over the land. The storm, having done it's worst, abated. The clouds moved away and dissipated into the sky and the wind dropped to a gentle breeze. The rain continued a little longer, but dropped to a light shower. It had all the makings of a fine day. The storm had cleared the air and sky for the sun's return.
At a small police station on the outskirts of the forest, a call was received. A woman named Sally had claimed she'd murdered her husband and buried him in the forest. She'd been taken in for questioning and was to be detained in the local jail until further notice. The couple had a history of domestic violence so it was still possible that the incident had been self-defence.
Sally sat in her cell. Morning sunlight poured in through the barred window. She sat with her back against the cold stone wall gazing into the sky. Somehow she knew the figure, that man, that visitor, wouldn't be visiting again. She was at peace. Whatever happened now, happened. She was free.
The Earth spun on through the night, turning Sally towards the light and shrouding the other side in darkness. After the sun had fallen away beneath the rim of the horizon, a man stood over a broken shape in an alley way. A pool of scarlet reflected the starlight that was slowly being replaced with dark clouds as a storm began to brew. Drip, drip, the red fell from the man's balled fist. And as he turned and fled down the alleyway into the night, a dark figure stepped into view - it seemed this man had a visitor.
Fred Donnelly
Deep in the heart of rural England, in the midst of a dense sprawling forest, the sky grew dark as the evening wore on. As the greyness descended relentlessly, a single car made its way down the only road visible for miles around. The twin beams of light struggling with the mist that had begun to seep between the trees like a boiling ocean. One hour passed. The clouds had become a more violent shade of black, the drizzle replaced with a fierce downpour that showed no signs of easing. The wind that had stirred the pools of mist grew like a harmony to a deafening crescendo, wrenching the few remaining leaves from the branches of the trees. The car returned the way it had come, the hum of it’s engine no longer audible above the roar of natures’ climax.
Sally put her foot down. This was no night to be alone in the woods. She was very grateful that she was in her car and not exposed to the elements. But despite this, white vapour seeped from her lips as she breathed. She wasn’t entirely sure why it was so rapid, she must be out of breath. She continued along the road, so fast now that the dark pillars of bark on either side began to blur together like a long, dark wall closing her in. A shiver ran down her spine, it started in her neck and crawled downwards like a spider into her legs and disappearing through her feet.
She gripped the steering wheel tighter. She so wanted to be at home, warm, light and safe. She sped up still more as she squinted into the fog. Visibility was poor but she knew these roads so well. She’d been born and raised in this wood, it was her home. Not one other soul for miles and miles, and would have more sense than to be out at a time like this if they were. She wouldn’t have to worry about traffic, that was one relief.
The rain beat down on the roof and windshield as she sped along the hard earth. She continued along the road in a kind of daze. She craved her home and her bed. She passed the familiar charred stump at the roadside, the remains of a mighty oak tree. They had a lot of trouble with storms in these parts and trees were often struck down or blown over. This stump in particular had become a kind of landmark for Sally marking her nearing the end of her journey home. Even now she noted it and took some comfort from it. She drove on for a few more seconds. The storm had been growing steadily and by now the rain was relentless and the thunder was bellowing. Despite everything she felt safe in her car and pitied anyone who was outside, vulnerable to the elements. But just then as she was anticipating the lights of her house to emerge from the gloom, a particularly bright flash of lightning revealed a dark figure standing at the roadside. He was standing completely still as far as she could see in that instant. But what was even more odd was that he had been facing away from the roadside. He had been a fair few metres down the road, but even so his sudden, unexpected appearance had shocked her. She squinted into the greyness but despite having her headlights on full she couldn’t make him out at all. All she had been presented with was the silhouette of a man. He appeared to have been wearing a brimmed hat, like a bowler hat. As she approached the spot she was sure he had been, another flash split the night. There was no one there at all. She had obviously imagined it, or misjudged his position. There would be a natural explanation of course. She would have felt sorry for the poor soul if he did not fill her with a cold dread that she could not explain. Under the circumstances it was no concern but still her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and she began to pray her house would reveal itself soon. Thankfully, after a few moments the familiar turning presented itself, advancing through the dark, offering light and safety. She immediately forgot the lone stranger at the roadside and instead watched the needles of rain cut through the glow of the headlights as she drove down the lane and pulled into her driveway, the face of her house less inviting than she’d hoped.
Sally was glad she had arrived home without passing any cars. She braced herself for the brief exposure, pulled her hood up, flung open the car door, slammed it shut and ran for the front porch. She arrived a few seconds later, turned and locked the car remotely. As she unlocked the front door she suddenly remembered the figure. She realised that it was the unnaturalness of the man that had frightened her. The hat, although trivial, was very out of place in modern society, the stillness had an air of the artificial she was not sure she liked. Convinced, on reflection, that it must have been a trick of the light, her mind creating shapes out of shadows, she put her mind to rest. But she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that there was someone out there in the sea of darkness surrounding her house. She stepped forward over the threshold quickly, forcing herself to shut the door calmly, not wanting to surrender control over something so trivial. She had so much going on in her head, issues screaming at her for resolution, that she decided to put them all to rest for now and go to sleep, deciding they could wait till the morning.
The moment she pushed the door closed behind her she felt the soft, warm steam of sleep descend in her head. The worries and darkness of the night dissipating as she felt the sweet oblivion draw close. She averted her eyes from the kitchen door that stood firmly closed at the end of the hall. This was not the time for such things. As she staggered up the stairs and flung open her bedroom door she quietly pushed away the niggling feelings and set them aside. She collapsed into the bed and had only begun to pull the covers around her when she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Silently a shadow moved out of the storm and crossed the threshold into the house.
She jerked awake suddenly. She automatically looked at the clock, but couldn't determine the time in gloom. Looking to the window she was surprised to find it was still night time, or at least the sun was yet to come up. What had woken her? She'd been so tired, surely she would have slept solidly till late morning?
However, as her mind sharpened and the room began to swim into clearer focus, she became aware of a coldness deep in her chest. Like something wrapped around her heart. A vague form began to emerge from the fog of her mind, a memory, or, a realisation. She could almost make it out.
Bang! A door slammed downstairs. She almost jumped out of her skin. On reflection she could now vaguely recall a bang as she had first awoken. Cursing herself she reluctantly swung her legs around from under the covers where she had thrown herself and placed her feet onto the carpet. She noticed she still had one sock on, she reached down and pulled it off and threw it onto the ground. She stood up and moved across her room to the bedroom door. She flicked on the light, grateful for the relatively dim glow that didn't sting her eyes. She turned and looked back at the clock. It was only four in the morning, still a good hour or so until it would start to brighten.
As she reached the top of the stairs she looked down, as she'd suspected the door lay slightly ajar. She descended gently, not allowing it to break her peace. She stepped through soggy envelopes that had been blown around by the vicious wind that she could hear was still wailing outside. She walked past her dark coat hanging silently on it's stand looking eerily like a person in this half-light. A vague memory surfaced but she dismissed it. She would deal with such things in the morning. And besides, things always seemed worse at night.
She reached out and began to close the door. She'd left the latch off - she was usually so careful to make sure it was locked tight, but she'd been so tired. As she reached out the door suddenly shot back almost knocking her over. The wind caught her full blast, pelting her with rain. She experienced a horrible exposed feeling brought on by the sudden rush of the elements in only her night clothes. However, it was muffled slightly on her top. Forcing the door closed and pulling the latch with finality, she glanced down at her body. When she'd stumbled in she hadn't even fully undressed. She was still wearing her coat. She felt it, it was still damp, so she had gone out into the forest that night. Seemed like an odd thing to do.
But then a thought connected in the back of her mind and sprung up. She whirled round, squinting at the coat stand, a flash of lightning briefly illuminating the hallway. It stood there completely empty, no dark shape, as the coat was and had been on her. Her heart dropped and her mind lurched as the furniture of her mind and picture of surroundings was suddenly altered.
Her mind flitted back to the broken stump at the roadside and the dark figure. But as she felt herself slide towards mad thoughts, she intervened. She would put the nonsense behind her and just sleep. That's what she needed. She could barely think straight, all she knew was that she could look back in the morning and piece it together. She moved up the stairs silently, not wanting to disturb the quiet that she had forced to descend once more on her mind. Only dimly aware that it was a thin veil of silence and that something dark was tossing and turning beneath. Sleep would bring a sweet release she thought as she got back into bed, careful to remove her coat this time. She must have imagined the coat as she'd expected it to be there along with anything that had come before. After all, something terrible had happened. And as she drifted back off to sleep, she wondered why she'd thought that.
Her eyes opened slightly as they sometimes did before she fell entirely asleep. Between the lids of darkness she could just make out a man standing at the end of her bed, watching her. She closed them again as she rolled over the brink of unconsciousness. Then she was falling, she kicked out and was suddenly wide awake. Her stomach dropped as she realised what she'd seen. Her heart in her mouth and cold terror writhing in her mind, she reached for the light, not daring to look. She couldn't find the switch, it was moving toward her, she knew it, mere inches away by now. Click, she found it. Looking up and covering her face with her hands, she saw - nothing. There was no one there. She breathed out and took a moment to compose herself. She felt her chest, her heart was racing.
Surely it had been a dream? After what had happened, it was the least she could expect. The encounter had seemingly blasted the shroud of sleep from her body. She was awake now and would have to deal with it. She’d slept enough for now, why not make the most of this time and deal with the kitchen? It didn't seem so imposing now the light was on and she’d calmed down. It had all been in her head and now it's gone she thought. However, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was a piece missing from her mind - but somehow, she preferred it that way.
She turned off the bedside lamp and felt only a twinge of fear as she walked over to the hall light and turned it on. The light was her friend, it banished the shadows that gathered and lurked in dark corners, bending and deceiving her eyes to see specters at every turn. She was calm and the lights were on, she’d deal with the kitchen and get things back in order. She’d always liked storms in the past, sitting inside and appreciating their raw power from behind a pane of glass. It also encouraged her to get on and do what it was she’d been putting off around the house.
She made her way down the stairs once again, her feet padding softly on the carpet. She noted the empty coat stand with quiet relief. Harmless she thought to herself. She made a point of looking at each of her photographs in turn, they documented her entire adult life. She turned her attention to her favourite photo of her and her husband. They were so young, so in love. Nothing perfect can last forever she thought as less pleasant memories of her husband swam inevitably before her. She wondered to herself whether the darkness of the times that came after made that time less wonderful, or more so. It didn’t matter she thought, he’s gone now.
As she walked past the lounge she braced herself to enter the kitchen. In the corner of her eye, through the crack in the lounge door she saw a man standing in the middle of the room, perfectly still. She concentrated on the job at hand, she’d open the door and start sorting out right away and wouldn’t stop until it had all been finished and only then would she think about sleep and putting this dreadful night behind her - There was a man in her lounge. She froze. Somehow she’d assumed it’d been her husband, he hadn’t come to bed that night after all. But -
The lights flickered, she whirled around to face the lounge. She felt the calm she’d fought to bring back evaporate in an instant. As the lights disappeared, so did Sally. She descended once more into a creature of fear and instinct. Terrorised by the confusion and threat of this dark figure. She could see into the room in the reflection of the mirror on the wall. No one was there, somehow that was worse. She had nowhere to face because she didn’t know where it was. The moon must have disappeared behind some clouds, for now it was pitch dark. A bolt of lightning struck in the sky and suddenly a shape resolved itself one foot away from her, the shape of a man. He’d been standing right in front of her obscuring her view for the past few seconds. It hadn’t been pitch black at all. Her entire body jolted backwards, almost vomiting in the sudden burst of movement. She felt herself begin to shake violently and sweat prickle up all over her body. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, deafening. Another flash and he was gone once more. Leaving only the swirling fear of the unknown. Once again, in the corner of her eye she saw it, or thought she did, a flicker, by the stairs.
She backed up fast, away from the threat. Pushing herself back with an air of panic. Desperate to get away. She felt her back connect with the hard wood of the kitchen door. She was at the end of the hallway. There was no way she could move forwards again, so she could only go back. And that meant through the door. For some reason she seemed to dread this almost as much as confronting the figure. She reached up, keeping her eyes fixed on the spot by the stairs where she'd seen the movement. Her hands were shaking badly by now, it was as much as she could do to force her fingers to close around the door knob. But as she began to push the door back, slowly, creaking ominously, her chest tightened. The dread that had been building in her since that night had begun seemed to her to have gathered in the room behind her. When she'd first come in, it's this room she'd avoided facing. But as the doubt surged as a torrent into her mind a dark shadow fell across her.
The upstairs lights had come back on, she squinted into the brightness but could barely make anything out. It moved forwards and in a moment of blind panic she threw herself through the doorway and slammed it closed behind her. As the door had come to she was sure she'd seen the figure step up obscuring her view and blocking the sliver of light. However, she looked down to the crack at the bottom of the door, no light. Either the lights had gone off again or. The figure was standing there, inches away from her.
She pressed herself hard against the door, she wouldn't let it through. Her eyes closed tight, listening. It was a thick door, it almost entirely blocked the sounds of the night that were bellowing in the hall. A momentary break in the madness spread out around her and filled the room. She let a small sigh of relief escape her lips. She felt a warmth start to spread through her from below. Slowly looking down, she found herself in a pool of the deepest crimson. Her legs were speckled with droplets. Its was gently lapping away from her, disturbed by her fast movement. She watched, unblinking as it settled and began to reflect her dark eyes. She found that she was not surprised or scared to find this. She had known, or suspected at least. As if looking through someone else's eyes her head slowly rose, her vision moving steadily towards the source of the blood. A dark shape on the tiles, a sharp line lying at a violent angle. A bloodstained jacket and kitchen knife. It was so still and silent it seemed somehow peaceful. Her husband had been murdered, she could see that now. There was no denying it.
The storm continued to buffer the small house in the middle of the wood. Sally sat alone in her kitchen sinking under the weight of her mind, wailing silently as the wind roared and the thunder rumbled through the trees and over the hills.
It wasn't too long however before the sun broke the line of the horizon and shone out over the land. The storm, having done it's worst, abated. The clouds moved away and dissipated into the sky and the wind dropped to a gentle breeze. The rain continued a little longer, but dropped to a light shower. It had all the makings of a fine day. The storm had cleared the air and sky for the sun's return.
At a small police station on the outskirts of the forest, a call was received. A woman named Sally had claimed she'd murdered her husband and buried him in the forest. She'd been taken in for questioning and was to be detained in the local jail until further notice. The couple had a history of domestic violence so it was still possible that the incident had been self-defence.
Sally sat in her cell. Morning sunlight poured in through the barred window. She sat with her back against the cold stone wall gazing into the sky. Somehow she knew the figure, that man, that visitor, wouldn't be visiting again. She was at peace. Whatever happened now, happened. She was free.
The Earth spun on through the night, turning Sally towards the light and shrouding the other side in darkness. After the sun had fallen away beneath the rim of the horizon, a man stood over a broken shape in an alley way. A pool of scarlet reflected the starlight that was slowly being replaced with dark clouds as a storm began to brew. Drip, drip, the red fell from the man's balled fist. And as he turned and fled down the alleyway into the night, a dark figure stepped into view - it seemed this man had a visitor.
Fred Donnelly