Amy woke with a start, bolting up in bed. She was panting for some reason, and her head was spinning. It was dark, pitch black, and she couldn’t see a thing as she looked from side to side, getting all the more dizzier. The shadows around the room she was in seemed to be looming over her, as she became more panicked and went into a frenzy. She tumbled off the bed and landed on something hard, very hard, and extremely uncomfortable. She listened as Susan groaned, shoving her off of her make-shift bed on the floor.

                “What’s going on?” Susan asked as she sat up.

                “I don’t know, I just woke up suddenly,” Amy answered, and just as she did a loud crash was heard downstairs.

                The girls looked at each other as they shot up. They quickly dashed into the hall and down the stairs, the sound of their footsteps almost as loud as their pounding hearts. When they arrived, they caught sight of Logan on the floor of the kitchen, groaning as he struggled to get up.

                “Would you be quiet! You’re going to wake them! What were you even doing up?” Eric said, yelling in a whisper at him.

                “Too late, we’re awakened. What’s going on?” Amy said eyeing Logan suspiciously, the best she could in the darkness.

                “I don’t know. Logan heard a sizzling noise and popping, so he woke me up and we came down and found that none of the lights are working,” Eric said, helping Logan up.

                “Oh, so Logan was just, up and about and heard some strange noises?” Amy said, questioningly.

                “Yes,” Logan hissed, “Now shut up or help us find out what’s going on.”

Amy growled, “Don’t tell me what to do. Have tried all the lights?”

                “Yeah, all the ones downstairs, nothing works, not even the water or fridge, none of it. It’s all just gone out,” Eric said, gesturing around the kitchen.

                “What about the back-up braker in the closet?” asked Amy, edging away from Logan.

                “Checked that too, nothing is working,” said Eric, slightly panicked.

                “You don’t think, like, it’s a break in? Do you?” Susan said, grabbing her arms and looking around uncomfortably.

They all suddenly heard a creaking noise, making them jump and whip around towards the kitchen door. They all screamed as they jumped back behind the counter to hide. There stood a girl, in white night dress, the moonlight shining through it and illuminating her pale skin and black hair. She was holding a teddy bear at her side as she peered at them

                “Oh, it’s just Florica! What are you doing up?” Susan asked, as she stepped out towards the seven-year-old.

“I heard yelling, and my lamp’s not working. The monster was trying to make me afraid, he turned off my lamp and it won’t turn back on,” she said in a soft whimper.

“What monster? The one in the window again? I thought we got rid of him?” Amy said in a soft voice.

Florica shook her head, “He’s back. Why won’t my lamp turn on?” She said even weaker.

“Well, we don’t know. We’re going to find out though,” Said Eric, grabbing a flashlight out of the kitchen drawer.

“Shall we go to the original braker?” he asked, turning on the flashlight and shining it around.

“Florica, stay close to me and Susan, okay?” Amy said, looking at her younger sister, then to Logan, who glared at her.

They all walked down to the basement in silence, Eric leading the way, with Amy and Susan behind, their own dim flashlights in hand.

“I don’t like this,” Susan said, “It’s too creepy in here.”

“I’m scared,” Florica said, tugging on Amy’s arm and shielding her face.

“It’s okay, we’ll just find this box in the wall and turn all the lights on,” Amy said softly.

They walked to a corner of the dim old room, and opened a small hatch sticking out of the wall. They all gasped. There was the breaker, and all the switches and cords, but there was also a small axe, right in the middle of it all.

Amy pulled Florica close, and Eric stepped in front of them both.

“Who could have done that?” Susan exclaimed frightenedly.

They all watched as the cords sparked and popped, and the shadows in the room seemed to grow deeper, closing in around them.