" I need a knife." She muttered. " Please tell me you aren't actually going to go through with it, Brea." Lucas said, his voice laced with worry. Brea ignored him, scrambling through the kitchen drawers. There has to be a knife somewhere, right?

Her ears rang. The threat they received earlier still on her mind ; 'I know where you are.' Scrawled out in tiny words, on a piece of paper, in an envelope sitting inside their mailbox.

Either someone was watching them, or it was someone from their past that had found them.

"Luca, we can't just ignore something like this. What if it is someone from our past? Or what if it is a stranger? Actually, I can't even think right now about which would be worse." She said.

"A stranger knowing where we are is terrifying, but someone from our past.. that means they found out what we did." Brea said, slamming another drawer shut closed. Lucas' face paled.

Brea suddenly had a smile plastered on her face, pulling out a serrated knife.

Lucas eyes widened, staring at the knife in her hand. " Brea, put the knife down. We can handle this. Without making any rational decisions."

Brea's smile was almost manic," How Lucas?! Like how we have handled it the past couple of years? Changing our names? Moving halfway across the country? Calling the police is out of the question! Do you think they will help us after everything we did? They didn't do anything the first time! They didn't take us seriously!" Her voice cracked.

Her gaze was unfocused, staring at the knife in her hand. This wasn't her. She didn't want to be this person she was now. But they had to protect themselves.

"How do we do that?" He asked.

Brea looked at him, her eyes holding something wild in them. "We fight back. We show them we aren't afraid of them. We let them come to us first, and they won't expect us to fight back."

Lucas gulped, his fear being clear in his face."We don't have to do that. Why don't we like.."

"What ignore this-"

Before Brea could finish her sentence, there was a sudden thud that sounded by the windows outside.

"What was that?" Lucas muttered.

"I don't know, " Brea whispered. Her eyes darted toward the kitchen window, the serated knife glistening in her hand. The curtains were closed.

Lucas' hand gripped her wrist. "Brea, don't. Dont go near it."

Her gaze was focused on the window, from where the source of sound was coming from. Another sound came, but this time, it was faint. This time, it was a soft scraping.

"They're here." She breathed. "It's not just a lighthearted threat like we thought it was... they are actually here."

She moved towards the window, making sure that her body was hidden. The knife was held tightly in her hand by her side.

"We need to call someone! Anyone that could help us!"

"And tell then what, Luca?" She asked. "That the people we ran from finally found us after all these years. They'd think we were insane and maybe something worse. Like asking questions or interrogation."

The tapping on the window stopped. Silence followed shortly after. Deafening silence.

What was that?

Both of them froze. Is it gone?

But then a new sound.. the sound of the distant, groan of the floorboards. It wasn't by the window. It was by the front door this time.

Brea's eyes met Luca's, fear ignited in both of their eyes.

"Are they coming in?" Lucas asked.

"No.- How would they? The doors, the windows, every possible enternce is locked. We have bullet proof windows and reinforced doors. Which I check everyday." Her voice, whispered.

"Then how-" Lucas didnt get to finish his sentence before her was interrupted by a soft rhythmic thump, thump, thump. It was the sound of someone already in there. In their home. But, how?

"Stay behind me." She pushed Lucas behind her, pointing the tip of the knife in front of her. Her gaze sweeping around the kitchen.

The thumping sound stopped. The silence settled, again. This time it was thicker. Heavier.

"Brea, I really think that someone is in here."

Brea nodded, her knuckles turning white around the end of the knife. "I know, I hear it too. Stay quite and stay behind me." She took a step forward, her eyes scanning the kitchen. Then moved towards the living room, and beyond that the main hallway.

The silence was unbearable by this point. They werent alone, there was something.. or rather someone waiting for them.

She could smell something- not smoke, not something rotting away. It was something oriental. Like a mans cologne. Exotic, with a hint of amber or musk.

Lucas put a trembling hand on her shoulder. "You said everything was locked, didn't you?"

"Yes," Brea whispered. "I double check everyday night. Double lock the windows, and doors. I even put a peice of wood in between the sliding back door. Like always. It doesn't matter how they got in, but what matters is they are inside."

A soft clink echoed in the living room, followed by a barely audible drag. It sounded close. Too close.

Brea lowered herself, tightening her grip on the knife, if that was even possible. Dragging Lucas down with her, her breath catching in her throat.

"Get ready." She breathed, her focus was absolute. "Whatever happens, dont run, dont scream. Don't make a sound. If I tell you too run. Run. You run, Lucas. And don't look back. Even if im behind, or in trouble, go find help."

Lucas nodded, barley able to make any words. His heart hammered in his chest, as Brea took another slow step forward.

Then from the darkness of the living room, a shadow detached it self from the deeper gloom. It was large. Indistinct at first, and then it began to form into a shape.

It definitely wasnt human.
And whatever it was, was not alone.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶
1046 words
Publish date: August 21,2025
Authors note;
Everyone, welcome to the first short story of my short collection of stories. Im excited to get this story going as well. If you have any prompt ideas please feel free to drop them blow >ᴗ<
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