The Darkness Inside

Suspense Stories | Feb 25, 2012 | 6 min read
48 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
Suspense Stories

The Darkness Inside

A blanket of darkness engulfed the sky above, with no sign of the moon tonight to provide it's indigo glow and shine a little illumination into the darkest corners or the world below. No, tonight the shadows were everywhere. For Jane, this mattered nothing to her, she was safely home. She bolted the door and tossed her bag in the cupbaord under the stairs and was happy to shut out the world for the weekend. This was a moment she savoured most, it was the farthest point in chronological terms from Monday morning and that long train journey to work again.
Jane had nothing special planned for the weekend, far from it in-fact she actually had been putting her friends off.  After a hectic week at work she needed some time alone. Besides it was another week till her payday and she was a little short on cash to be out partying with her friends this weekend.

She put the kettle on, slung a tea bag in her favourite cup and went to retrieve the milk from the fridge. ‘Damn,' she cursed as she pulled out the near empty carton save for a drop at the bottom. ‘I could have sworn I had more than this. Well this isn't going to last the night, let alone the weekend.' She contemplated rushing to the shop to get some more there and then, but decided against it when she saw a half a bottle of wine in the fridge.

Suddenly a noise came from the back garden. Jane snapped around and slowly edged towards the back door. It was a sound of something struggling to climb the back fence. Jane pressed her face against the backdoor window. She could barely see out due to overwhelming kitchen light reflecting in the glass. She cupped her hands around her eyes and looked out again. Nothing beyond the kitchen light's glow on the lawn seemed to exist beyond the darkness. Her breath fogged the glass, but not before she caught sight of something moving in the bushes to her left. She whipped open the door and called out. ‘Jasper…'
A ginger cat sauntered in like he owned the place and grovelled around Jane's leg waiting to be fed.

After feeding Jasper and drinking her tea a shade darker than she liked, she decided to head upstairs to run herself a bath. As Jane made her way up, she heard a thud. Damn cat, she thought, I wish you would be a little more considerate sometimes, instead of freaking me out all the time. She noticed Jasper seemed to be a little heavier on his feet than usual lately. Maybe I am feeding him too much.

As Jane waited for the bath to fill she stripped down to her underwear and sat on the edge of her bed and switched t.v on. The news was showing. They were replaying footage of a press conference by the police from earlier in the day. Despite there being a murderer on the loose and the last victim being closer to home than Jane liked she was not worried. Jane, like most people had that blissful ignorance and never believed anything truely evil and untoward would ever happen to her.

But tonights report made her feel insecure about that ignorance. The Detective Superintendent spoke in a calm voice but his eyes conveyed a seriousness from the evil this case had presented. ‘We have today learned of some startling information into the five murders.' He was a confident man, but he looked under pressure and genuinely fearful for the publics safety.

‘It has been discovered by our forensics team today that the murderer had been living under the same roof as his victims long before they were murdered. It would appear that our suspect breaks into the victims homes whilst they are out and hides in their loft. We also believe he lives off a combination of his own supplies and food and drink procured on sight.'
She glanced away from the t.v and looked up at the ceiling, the thought of a stranger hiding in her home gave her the creeps. She shook the thought from her head, and switched the television off. This is why I hate the news, Jane thought. Where are the nice things that happen in the world. She knew it was naive to think this way, yeah sure bad news sells, but sometimes she just wish she wasn't scared out of her wits in her own home. You're supposed to feel safe in your home, aren't you.

Jane stripped off her remaining underwear and walked naked from her bedroom to the bathroom. One advantage of living alone you didn't have to worry about being private. She gently lowered herself in the tub and lay back. Closing her eyes she tried to relax.  However upon opening them again she found herself staring up at the ceiling. But what if? she thought. All alone in the tub, naked, without my phone to call for help, without a weapon to fight back, her mind continued to play with the horrible thought until she felt physically vulnerable. Again she pushed such thoughts from her mind and submerged her head under the water.
As Jane dried herself with her towel she couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched. Despite just having a bath she felt dirty. Her mind had been poisoned by the news report and she knew she would find it hard to relax tonight. Sleep would not come without a struggle. Not waiting to dry herself completely she hurriedly got dressed into her night clothes. Jane then remembered the wine in the fridge, a few glasses would be needed tonight, she thought.

A thumping noise from upstairs woke her. Jane's eyes snapped open. The noice stopped. The living room lamp and t.v were still on, she had been unable to fall asleep without them. She remained motionless for a few moments then sat up. ‘Jasper,' she whispered. ‘Jasper,' she repeated a little louder this time. All was silent. The clock read: three-twenty-two am. She couldn't wait for morning and that first shaft of light. Jane stood up and picked the empty bottle of wine up from off the floor, she put it out of the way onto the side table. She slowly walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. The bathroom light had been left on as usual to provide some illumination on the stairway as the hallway light had blown long ago, how she wish she had bothered to replace it now. Jane slowly took one step up and a figure jumped out from the landing.
‘Jasper, you bastard!' She could kill him. Bloody cat. What's wrong with you. The ginger feline ambled down the stairs and grovelled around her ankles. He was purring loudly and in a good mood. She reached down and gave him a stroke. ‘I love you Jasper, but sometimes I could just…' Jane shook her head. ‘Come on, let go to bed.'
Jane went upstairs and into the bathroom to brush her teeth. In the mirror she could see Jasper behind her in the hallway waiting. When she finished she bent down to stroke the cat, she stopped as she noticed a thick layer of dust on the carpet. Jasper was still purring deeply, she looked at him and tracked his gaze. To her horror he was starring up at the open loft hatch.

Jane fell back against the bathroom floor. She wanted to scream out but she held her breath. Her arms and legs tingled from the panic and she could feel her heart beating deep and fast like an incessant military drum. She was frozen to the spot, scared, contemplating in a matter of milliseconds whether she should make a run for it or hide inside the bathroom and lock the door and scream for help from the window. The loft was like a black hole, even the light shining out from the bathroom seemingly unable to penetrate the darkness above. Someone could have been up there looking straight into her eyes and she would not have known it. Maybe the loft hatch just fell down open by itself? Even now she was still trying to persuade herself otherwise, but her ignorant bliss had been shattered. No, this was real, and she was in trouble.

A killer was in her house. But where? Was he in the bedroom waiting? Or was he still in the loft ready to pounce? She contemplated her next move. Her mind cast back to the strange noises. It all made sense now. For a week now she had heard the strange thuds from upstairs. Jasper? No, now she knew why. The signs were there. The milk, she remembered the policeman speaking on the t.v. "We also believe he lives off a combination of his own supplies and food and drink procured on sight."
He'd been coming down drinking my milk and god knows whatelse. As she contemplated whether to run or lock the bathroom door, one thing was certain. She would not be spending the weekend alone.

Jane thought about the empty wine bottle. A chill ran through her as she was sure she hadn't finish it off completely. Sometimes the darkest parts of the world are closer than you think...

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Reviews

Nikki Jul 28, 2012

Oh yes you should =D i am so addicted to your stories..please please submit new ones. I'm actually majoring in criminal Justice so i have quite an interest in reading these stories. Thank you again for sharing with us :)

Nikki Jul 25, 2012

Creepy

L.A. Camp Jul 26, 2012

Thanks Nikki for the comment, I almost forgot about this website. Been away from the game too long. I may have to submit something more now coming back here and reading stuff.

Saad Mar 1, 2012

Good Story lee . Please upload more stories. Keep it up. I gave it a 5 star rating bro.

L.A. Camp Mar 2, 2012

Hey Saad, thanks for the feedback and double thanks for the 5star. I will keep writing and get some more posts on here soon. Although I did finish a bit hasty it was always my intention to leave the ending up to the reader and share the fear Jane felt, wa

Daisy Feb 27, 2012

Please Please Please make a part 2!! This story is so well written and so gripping!! I couldn'tstop reading!! But i want to know what happens next !! Please Please Please make a part 2!!!

L.A. Camp Feb 27, 2012

Thank you so kindly for you nice comments. Are you sure you want to know what happens? You might not like it. Okay I will work on a part 2 for you soon. Thanks once again.

Jagrit Feb 26, 2012

Oh Lee you started so well and your idea of the story was so nice but in the end you finished it hastily.. I mean I like the ending but writing style could have improved.. but really gripping one..

Saad Mar 1, 2012

Can u make a better ending than him.

L.A. Camp Feb 26, 2012

@Jagrit yeah you know what I agree. To be honest when I was writing it I was double spacing and I thought it was getting out of hand, so I wrapped it up quick. In retrospect when I read it back I should have done some more. Thanks for the positve comments

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