Imagination is an interesting thing. It is described as the ability to form images and ideas in the mind. There are certain situations in which imagination leads someone to believe in outlandish circumstances. And there are other situation in which imagination is nothing but reality. Sometimes it is not imagination but something more sinister that causes… peculiar… instances to occur. That is the case with my life.

Not very long ago when I was about sixteen I moved into this new house. I guess that's how the majority of these situations take place, an unsuspecting family moving into a house with insidious motives. The thing is by just looking at it you wouldn't suspect it was a pillar of unmentionable evil, oh on the contrary. Actually it would be (and still is) the most handsome house I'd ever seen. It was absolutely huge and at first my parents and I were baffled that such a magnificent house was being sold at such a low price. You could tell by just the craftsmanship of the house how much work was actually put into making this adorable French style abode.

I'm an only child so I had the luxury of picking out which ever room I wanted, except for the master of course. There were four rooms in total in the house. I picked the room with the bay window. When I saw it I fell instantly and madly in love with it, the bay window would provide to be an amazing reading nook I thought. Those first few weeks in the house were extremely normal I even dare say happy…. To bad they didn't last.

Midway into the second mouth of living in the house I started to hear foot steps, well more like tiptoes in the middle of the night. I ruled out my patents because they were much too…. childlike and agile to be theirs. As a rational person I instantly deemed this as just a case of an overactive imagination and carried on sleeping. But the foot steps would soon escalate, they would be louder as if wanting to get my attention and soon after that I started to hear tiny whispers emanating from the darkest places in my room. These petite voices were hard to make out but sometimes I would detect key words, for example hungry, get the girl, and kill. I was completely baffled and had no idea what to do. Each night they seemed to be getting closer and closer. And suddenly as soon as it started it stopped, just like that… I considered I was going crazy, schizophrenia I thought. It wasn't until my parents had started telling me about their encounters that I knew there was something terribly wrong with the house.

Things started to move around pots, pans, keys, remotes, books, and many more things. These events started taking place in the day time now. That's what really started to unnerve me. My parents would get 'gifts' old lockets, dead birds, lipstick, watches. They would just laugh it off. "Hey look the ghost gave us another present." They would say as they chuckled. They would even thank the ghost for Christ's sake! Like my torture was justified just because of some silly trinkets! I would beg them to stop, to put their foot down, to call in a priest whatever it would take to remove this thing. "Oh Cristina stop being silly they're not hurting anybody, just leave it alone."

Then one night I hit my braking point. I had woken up to the footsteps and whispers but something was different about this time, this time there were closer than usual. It felt like they were right next to me. All at once without any warning I saw rapid and angry movement under my blanket and soon after that I had felt needles stabbing into my flesh. I had suppressed a scream that threaten to escape my lips. How I wanted to scream, but somehow I knew that if I did that would enrage them even more. A cold sweat filled my body as mere seconds felt like excruciating hours. I flung the blanket off my body as I saw something that looked like pitch darkness scurry away. The aftermath of this absolutely petrifying incident were bloody legs filled with tiny teeth marks and scratches. I had contemplated on telling my parent, though I knew they wouldn't be of any help. I had to solve this problem on my own and I was confident that I would. It might have been confidence or rather something less noble, perhaps my ego or pride that led me to believe I could do this all on my own. I am an only child I'm used to doing things by myself. I would tell myself. No big whoop. Right?

Soon after the bloody legs incident I had been confined to only wearing jeans and closed toed shoes. This was really no bother because that's what I would usually wear. Although I still loathed the fact, that because of those little creatures some of my free will to wear whatever I want was taken from me. After school I would always spend a couple of hours in the library to try and shine a light on whatever was happening in that house. What I found would lead a quiver down my spine even to this day. There had been a family living in the house in the 70's, a father, a mother, and a girl. The family structure was uncannily alike to mine. Other than the fact that the girl was noticeably younger than me there would be a perfect similarity. The girl was around five or so. She was the first to go missing in the family. In the days leading up to her disappearance her parent had described her having bite and scratch marks all over her body not to mention a complete decline in her personality, they said each day she would become more…. faded. At the time I didn't understand what that meant however I would soon find out.

I would wake to the suckling noises, the way a baby would drink from a mother's breast. And almost seconds after a dreadful grave silence gave in, and I could see the terrifyingly grotesque dark figures dancing in and out of she shadows. My heart stop I cover my mouth in hopes of not letting a single sound from escaping my lips. I did not want them to recognize I was awake, but somehow I could tell that they already knew. That paralyzing fear is something that I don't think I'll ever escape from. I didn't sleep that night. How could I? Right when the sun came up I hesitantly creped out of bed. I passed by the mirror, stopped, and moved three steps back. I wouldn't describe myself as being a drop dead beauty although I wouldn't say I was bad-looking either. I was always told I had a simply beauty nothing too special. What I saw in the mirror looked nothing like me. My bright blue eyes were a dark dreary grey color that looked as if they had no life left in them and abnormally big to say the least. My once curly blond hair was now flat and lifeless. A stark white face stared back at me. Bags were placed under my eyes. My legs almost gave out I couldn't help the word 'faded' from running over and over in my mind.

In the hour or so I had before school started I applied as much concealer as I could to not make me look dead. I got dressed and when I did I noticed the bite marks all over my arms and neck. I wore a turtle neck that day.

Probably the only thing keeping me from having a full fledged panic attack was my best friend Mattie. He was always there for me since my move to my new house and was the only person I trusted at the time. I had given up on my delusion that I could handle things on my own after the most terrifying night of my life. So I decided to tell Mattie everything and even show him the scratches and bite marks. He was enraged that something had done this to me. And after a lot of explaining and I'm sad to admit…. crying…. he truly believed me and decided to spend the night at my house. At first I was reluctant… I mean Mattie was a boy and I was a girl my parent would never permit this. After Mattie's persistence and his assurance that my parents wear going out for the night I finally gave in. I trusted him. So that night he snuck into my window I would be lying if I say I wasn't a little nervous and excited upon his arrival. I mean here was my prince in shining armor. I was such a fool.

The majority of the night was spent talking and laughing and then something unexpected had happened. Mattie kissed me! He kissed me! It was my first kiss and the highlight of my teenage life. Not long after that we fell asleep. I was woken up by the sound of Mattie screaming, on his neck and wrist were deep gashes and the grotesque diabolical creatures were feeding from the open wounds. Lapping at the blood with pure adulterated desire. Their immeasurable and enormously wicked beady eyes were filled with an intangible yearning that I had never seen before. I sat there mesmerized by these twisted little faces. They were an awful darkness more dreadful than death. Rage suddenly filled me body and soul. I lunged at Mattie ripping off the tiny evil creatures that were feeding from him. He made a mad dash for the window gave me an untamed terrified look of pure fear. And then he was gone. I wanted to follow him to run away from the creatures too. But I was scared they would follow me. So I stayed, I pushed back tears not wanting to give this thing anymore satisfaction. These wicked creatures were going to die so help me God.

That day at school Mattie wouldn't even look at me. I was alone again. This was the way it should be I told myself. If he would have stayed he would have only gotten more hurt. My heart break was soon replaced by a yearning so deep so dangerous; I would give anything to destroy of them.

That night I was well prepared I grabbed the biggest knife from my kitchen and placed it under my pillow. It was only 6:00pm but I decided to fall asleep. I was awoken, this time by the door bell instead off them. At first I ignored the door bell and tried to get back to sleep, I was sure my parents would take care of it. After ten minutes and no stop I decided to go open the door myself. I looked down at my phone 11:54pm. Who would be rigging the door bell at this hour? Right when I got not ten feet from the door the rigging stopped. I first looked through the peep hole no one there. I open the door to make sure as I did a cold breeze raped itself around my body as I shuddered and closed the door. An eerie sensation overcame me as I ran back to my room and grabbed my knife. It was now or never.

Come out you little monsters! I echoed over in over each time more confident and fearless. I heard the foot steps once again; they were coming from my parent's room. So I slowly walked towards it. My mother agley stepped forward closing the bed room door behind her she gave me a groggy look. "Honey what are you doing? What's making all that noise?" Her eyes widened as she saw the knife. "Cristina what are you doing with that." She said eyeing the knife. "Oh I heard a ruckus and thought someone was trying to break in." I said nonchalantly. She nodded "Okay honey, I'll go back to sleeping then." She said opening the door very cautiously never turning her back to me. Something wasn't right. First of all she wasn't freaking out at the fact that someone could somehow be braking into the house and secondly she was being way to cautious and suspicious. "Mom?" I said when she was just about to close the door. "Yes sweetheart?" she asked. "Do you mind if I go to the bathroom in your room I don't want to go all the way downstairs." I said making sure my voice was sturdy and casual. She stepped out a sweet strained look on her face. "Oh no honey, I'm really quite tiered. You can't use the bathroom in my room. The bathroom downstairs is really not that far from here. I pushed her against the bedroom door. "Wrong answer! There is no bathroom in my parent's room!" I yelled as her body fell. She was now limp suddenly dozens of the disgusting little creatures spewed from her body running and disappearing into the darkness. Her body now laid face down on the floor.

My eyes widened as I saw her back was completely gone. I had looked as if someone had cut her in half. Blood and pieces of meat and tissue lay exposed. All I could see was a dead carcass that was my once beautiful mother. I let a pain filled and wrathful scream into the night as I fell to my knees. Tears ran down my face as I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The smell was an unbearable a mixture of death and tar. "I'm so sorry" I whispered. I grabbed the knife and got back up wanting to know what the creature didn't want me to see. I opened the door my knuckles white from holding the knife. And there was my dad much more mutilated than my mom. I don't even what to describe his appearance. I gagged then let out a soft sob.

"COME OUT!" I half yelled half sobbed. No answer. "I SAID COME OUT!" I said furry consuming me. I heard a noise coming from downstairs. I ran as fast as I could knife still clutched tightly in my hand. And there I saw Mattie. Sweet innocent Mattie. His eyes were gashed and his body beaten up and bloody. Tears now hysterically rolled down my cheeks. "MATTIE!" I yelled out pain in my voice. He must have been the one at the door. If I only had gotten there sooner then my poor sweet Mattie wouldn't be like this. He let out a faint smile. "Cristina…" he said is voice raspy and soft. "OH MATTIE NO!" I yelled running to him. "I'm sooo sorry." I cried cradling him in my arms. "Cristina." He said again as his body went limp. I let out hysterical cries and I hugged his body to mine.

Why was this thing doing this to me? It was taking away everyone I loved. And At that point I don't think I could loath and hate something so much. I looked up, my eyes glazed in what looked like madness and hysteria. That's when I saw it. A long dark silhouette its face stark white and blank. Absolutely blank. I think that's the thing that most sacred me about this it. It was faceless, emotionless. However I could feel it was smiling down at me. Looming closer and closer I could smell its potent stench, that of tar and death. I lunged forward careful to let Mattie's body down slowly. My knife raised I stabbed the creator. It let out a furious and surprised cry as the silver touched its skin. "Gotcha." I said using the weight of my body to pull the knife down as I fell towards the grown. Once I was touching the floor I inched back a little. Where I had left the long stab abrasion smoke was dancing feverishly out. The little black creatures ran/ scampered towards the elongated dark being. They let out little cries and whimpers as they ran into the dark being's wound. It abruptly healed. "No." I whispered. It let out this long sight and cough that I imagined being a laugh. And then I was paralyzed not only form the fear, it felt like rope was enwrapping my body. That's when the fear started to creep itself back into my mind. A fear for my life. A fear of what this thing was going to do to me. It was saving me for last and I knew it.

It made me watch…. It made me watch as it consumed Mattie. My poor, sweet Mattie.

It opened its mouth which looked like a hollow black hole. It gobbled him slowly my heart sank. Is this what it would do to me? To my parents? I couldn't let that happen. I was surprised I still had tears to shed. Once it was done eating Mattie it doped me of its physic hold. I fell to my knees. My body covered in the blood of the people I loved the most. My hair was covering my eyes as I felt it smiling.

One mistake was letting me stay with the knife. I lunged up one final time, with all my might, I raised the knife. My eyes that of a madman's. All my force was put into that final blow horizontally across its neck. Black goo spewed out from the dark being and its head and I fell onto the floor. The small evil creatures scurried away in frighten and defenseless cries. I walked towards the front door covered in blood and black goo. I reached the middle of the driveway as I fell to my knees the moon light hitting me as let out a single pain filled and victories cry into the night.