Halloween Special: Psychopathic Parents

DISCLAIMER: May contain content that is unsettling for some readers.

I locked my door sat down in a huff. My parents were out working, my brother was at a camp, and I had the whole house for myself. Finally, I had some time for myself, away from the busy, stressful world.

I sat on my comfy beanbag with a cup of my favourite honey tea, and my fluffy blanket. There’s nothing more relaxing than reading a good book in my room with some calm music.

As I was engrossed in my storybook, I felt something cold on my shoulder. I touched my sleeve, and noticed it was wet. I looked up, and noticed some water dripping down from the ceiling. ‘Strange’, I thought- it hadn’t been raining for two days.

Suddenly, the power went out.

“Great,” I muttered. Just in the middle of my free time.

I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight. I started walking down the steps towords the main outlet box. Suddenly, the attic door behind me swung open.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

I slowly turned around and noticed the swinging steps leading toward the attic. My brain repeated the words, ″TURN BACK YOU IDIOT” but I ignored it and approached the steps with caution.

I climbed up the attic and looked around. I don’t really come up here that often, and there were cobwebs everywhere. I felt a strange change in the atmosphere, it was almost... eerie.

That was when a sudden breeze started blowing indoors. I could not help but notice only one paper started flying around. It landed in an awkward angle next to an old lampshade. I trodded towards the paper. It was a newspaper cutting, dated 2000. I shivered as I read the headline;

‘GIRL AGED 15 FOUND DEAD IN WOODS’

The article talked about the body of a girl named Carla which was discovered in the woods on October 31st, today 20 years ago. The body had stab marks and the victim also seemed to have been strangled- murder. The article also linked this to the deaths of 5 other teenage boys and girls in the same month.

I was puzzled but I noticed something sticking out on the floor. I tugged at it, and the entire floorboard piece became dislodged.

There was a secret compartment.

⁽ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗᶦᵐᵉˢ,ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ʷʰᵒ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵘˢᵘᵃˡˡʸ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵗᵒ ʰᶦᵈᵉ⁾

With shaky hands, I picked up the chest which was inside. I slowly opened it, and I saw a cyan overcoat. But that was not what I noticed first. I could see a red stain blotch on it...

It’s blood.

I looked at the photo on the newspaper again. There was a picture of the girl before she went missing. She wore the exact same jacket.

What was a bloodstained jacket from a girl murdered 20 years ago doing in my attic?

There were sudden whispers in the air. I backed away to the wall. The wind started blowing, this time harder. the lampshade crashed to the floor. The whispers grew more intense. My heart was thumping wildly.

Suddenly, silence.

I looked around. The room was in a mess. There were shattered glass everywhere, and all the papers were scattered across the floor. Gathering up the courage I had left, I approached the chest. I could see a faint scribble which was not there before. It said;

AVENGE ME

The lights turn back on.

I hastily open the chest and check for anything else. I found a brown leather covered book. I opened it, and what I saw sent chills down my spine.

There were pictures of many girls and boys. Each one of them... were from the newspaper. Every page was a profile of them, including Carla... along with a lock of their hair taped on the bottom. There was a profile of every one, some said ‘Goes for tuition at 6pm on Saturdays’ and ‘visits aunt every month’. The only one that alarmed me most, was that there was a stamp on every page, each saying ‘ELIMINATED’.

I snapped some pictures and sent them to my friend. I told her I didn’t know what to do and she assured me she’d alert the police.

Were my parents... cold- blooded murderers? I looked at the last pages, and that was when my blood ran cold...

Name: Bryan

Status: Age 15, Katie’s brother.

First step: Successfully kidnapped.

Second step: Isolated in ‘camp’.

Final step: Eliminated at 5pm, 31 October 2020

Blood collected: Yes.

I gasped. My brother.They killed him. My parents... they are monsters.How could they betray my trust?

Suddenly, realisation struck me. If my brother was killed, that means...

I hear slow clapping. “Well done, Katie. You’re the first one that figured it out, you know.”

I freeze. I turned around, and saw my parents leaning against the wall, gently stroking a knife blade. I tried to scream, but I was choking on my own words.

I hear police sirens. My friend must have called the police. My father groaned and swore under his breath. “You called the cops on us, didn’t you?” he said, “Let’s just kill her first, honey. The cops won’t make it in time,” he told his wife.

I backed away, and tried to find any means of escape, but they blocked the exit.

“You know? It’s a pity, I thought we’d keep you,” my mother, or if that’s what I should even call her anymore, sneered, “It’s too bad you had to be the snoopy Nancy Drew. Now, you’ll join your little brother!“she laughed crazily.

She lunged towards me. I yelped and tried to dodge her. I felt something cold and sharp pierce my stomach. It’s funny, I never knew how a knife stab felt, especially in movies. Let me tell you, it feels nothing like that.

It’s funny how you don’t feel anything at first, but that’s when the pain kicks in. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, though.

DISCLAIMER: MAY CONTAIN UNSETTLING THOUGHTS.

I just started feeling a tingling sensation on my stomach . I touched my wound and I saw blood dripping down my palm. I started tasting blood on my tongue, and soon I was chocking on my own blood. I collapse on the ground. I’m losing my consciousness. All I see is the attic door bursting open and a bunch of cops barging in. My parents are in handcuffs.

My vision blurs. The last thing I see, is a figure looming above me, whispering, “Thank you.” It was Carla.

Darkness.