A Haunting

All of a sudden, a single footstep creaked on the outside of the closet door. Panic filled my chest.

Mustering up every single ounce of courage that I possessed, I grabbed the door handle of the closet. One. Two. THREE. I flung the door open and sprinted toward the staircase that would take me downstairs. I grabbed the banister, using it as my anchor as my body flung around and took the sharp left. What the hell?! Where is Tanner?! The fresh image of his bloody, mutilated body at the bottom of the stairs was seared into my memory. So where was he?

But there was no time. I ran past the spot where his body should have been and toward the front door. Slamming into it, I grabbed the handle and pulled but the damn thing wouldn’t budge. I turned around frantically, looking for another way out.

A little boy was standing right in front of me.

I shrieked. This was it. I was going to die. This... was... wait. The little boy made no move toward me. He looked as surprised as I was. “Why are you here?” he asked. I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t even move. “I... I...” was all I could stammer. “Leave my family alone,” he said. Then he ran.

Confusion replaced my panic. What? I looked around the room, looking for the man who had killed Tanner right in front of me. All I saw were papers strewn about the room. Were those there before? I walked forward toward the desk. A paper with a government seal lay on top. I picked it up.

My blood ran cold. I dropped the paper as I let out a scream that shook me to my core.

It was a death certificate.

It was mine.