[A terrifying noise is coming from the kitchen.]

There is a terrifying noise coming from the kitchen.

Sophie hugs Mr. Rabbit tightly- her birthday present from her older brother. He said it will protect her from the monsters in the dark, so she lifts the toy up to stare into its button eyes. She recalls Daddy's words to stay in her room before the lights went off. Now she remains awake.

CRASH!

She can't help but flinch. The monster is back again.

"Mr. Rabbit... what do I do...?" She whispers at the doll, who hangs lifeless in her clutch.

A bang reverberates throughout the house's whitewashed walls. A low, chilling moan soon follows, sending her sinking further beneath her blankets and grasping the toy closer. Her gaze fixes at the ajar door, where beyond that all she can see is more darkness- the type that creeps up on you from behind as you feel there's something breathing down your neck and sends paralysis of terror to grip your mind, puppeteering all sorts of possibilities to flash through your mind.

A shadowed silhouette lurks past. She freezes, breaths hitched.

She doesn't know how long has past since the monster passes her room, but the next time she moves, she shifts her covers and reaches her feet over the edge of her bed. Slowly and as silently as she can, she drops her petite figure down, then quickly snatches Mr. Rabbit from the bed.

The house remains silence as she inches towards the door. Just as she approaches the door, another crash goes off, then a loud thud and shattering of glass. She is rooted mid-step, the little valour she has managed to muster to defy her mother's instructions snuffed out.

Once she has ascertained there was no more signs of activity, she steps forward again, this time making it to the door.

Her hands are clammy as she stretches upwards to grip the cold doorknob; her palpitating heart is loud in the eerie stillness. With a gulp she pulls the door open ever so slightly, and she allows a small sense of relieve to bloom within the dwellings of disquietude in her mind when the creak she expected doesn't arrive. Finally, she slips out.

The soft taps of her footsteps cut through the unusual thickness of silence. She stays still for a while, contemplating whether she should wake her family up and tell them about the monster. They may only scoff in disdain at her running imagination, but it is still worth a try, and so, she walks over to her brother's room. She padded to the room adjacent to hers and quickly enters, afraid to look behind her.

Her brother's covers are pulled up high. When she tugs on the blankets, they fall right off, revealing an empty bed.

Panic seizes her. She squeezes Mr. Rabbit tight in her arms and frantically glances around. The bathroom light isn't on too. Where is he?

There is another bam that is muffled by the closed doors, and a wail pierces the silence. Sophie crouches against her brother's bed. Tears begin to veil her vision. She suppresses a whimper, afraid the monster will catch her if she makes even the slightest noise.

She doesn't hear the door creak open, only the heavy thuds of quick footsteps closing in. Instinctively, she throws up her hands-

"Sophie!" A sharp whisper hisses, though it is laced with distress rather than indignation. "What are you doing here?"

The eyes of her brother stares back at her when she lifts her head. With a sniffle, she replies: "There's.. a... a monster... I'm scared..."

Immediately, Josh's eyes softens and he lowers himself beside her, shifting his backpack. "Shh, I know, I know. Look Sophie, I need you to help me." Her rising curiosity overpowers the terror, and meekly she nods.

Satisfied, he continues to explain: "We're going to get out of here, you and me. So you have to be very quiet when we sneak out, got that? Otherwise, we will be in big trouble."

He allows her a brief moment to take his words in. When she finally nods again, he smiles and ruffles her hair, before grasping her small hand in his, and together they leave the room.

Albeit a one-storey house, what is only a few meters feels like a hundred to Sophie as they slink along the dark hallways, Josh taking the lead. Sophie doesn't question why he has a backpack, nor why his long blonde hair covers one side of his face. She obediently follows, deciding to put all her trust into her older brother.

As soon as they approach the living room, a loud slam ceases their movements, a low growl in its wake. Her brother pulls further between his back and the wall before peeking out. From the dim rays of the streetlamps, she spots a looming shadow, prowling back and forth in the living room. The door to outside is now directly ahead of them. If they are to dash past recklessly, they will get caught.

Josh turns towards her. With a shaky exhale, he looks at her severely.

"When I say go, we will try to sneak past as quietly as we can. If I tell you to run without me, you listen, and do," he sternly tells her in a low voice. "The door is already unlock. We can do this quick."

Without waiting for her reply, he wheels around to peek out again once more.

Seconds tick by. Sophie watches the shadow, not daring to move. As soon as it shrinks, there is a slight tug, and her brother pulls her forward. She does not look at the monster when they slip past the open area. Now safely on the other side, Josh wastes no time and yanks on the door handle a little too recklessly.

The door swings open, but at the cost of an ear-splitting creak.

She hears the roar of the monster, and her brother pushes her forward. "Go! Go! That blue car!" he screams, and they both dash out just as the stomps round the corner.

Sophie can barely muster the breath to cry. She runs towards the blue car like her brother instructs, and the car door swing open at their approaching figures. A familiar lady steps out, tugs open the back doors and opens her arms wide.

"Quick!" She swoops Sophie shorter stature upwards as Josh clambers into the backseat and settles her beside her brother. As soon as she slams the doors shuts and settles down herself, the car lurches forward and they high-tail away from the house.

The last thing Sophie remembers of the house's yard is the enraged, bloodshot eyes of her father.

♧[12/5/2020]♧