The boy's heart pounded in his chest as he crept up to the front door of his home, his adrenaline pumping from a night out with friends turned sour. The darkness seemed to close in around him as he fumbled with the lock, desperate to enter without alerting his family.
But his efforts were in vain. As he stepped inside, his eyes fell upon a torn yellow paper on the kitchen counter. Panic coursed through him as he picked it up and read the words scrawled haphazardly across it, each one like a knife twisting in his gut. Fear soon began to discard the facade that was the calm and collected boy.
Time stood still as his mind raced, unable to comprehend the devastating truth before him. With trembling hands, he checked every room in the house, praying for some sign that this was all just a cruel joke. But the reality was far worse than he could have ever imagined.
In his parents' room, chaos reigned. The bed was visibly torn up, and broken glass littered the floor, with it all drenched in a sickening mix of red and pink. His chest constricted with grief at the sight of what used to be his loving parents. And when he entered his older brother's room, it was no different. Only this time, instead of shattered glass, there was the sight of his old beloved teddy bear torn apart, its insides spilling onto the floor.
Tears streamed down the boy's face as he collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by shock and sorrow. In an instant, his once peaceful home had become a scene of unspeakable horror.
His blood boiling with rage and fear, he wobbly rose, stalking towards his little sisters' bedroom. Each step felt like he was dragging heavy weights, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. With trembling hands, he grasped the doorknob and twisted it with all his might. His heart hammering in his chest, he flung open the door and braced himself for the worst.
But to his immense relief, his sisters were safe and sound, their peaceful breathing a stark contrast to the chaos in the rest of the house.
The boy's body wracked with sobs as he struggled to comprehend what had transpired in his home. He remained at the door for a moment, trying to process everything that had just happened. His mind was still racing, and he felt like he was going to be sick. How could this have happened?
The boy slowly exited through the front door. In the dark shadows of the empty streets, the boy noticed the tall silhouette of what looked like a man covered in darkness. The man turned around to face the boy, his face remaining covered in the shadow of the late night.
"H-HEY!" The boy yelled towards the man.
"..."
"..."
"…"
"H-HELLO!?" He yelled once again.
"..."
"..."
"…"
The man never responded.
The man slowly began to dissipate into the darkness, leaving the boy confused and horrified at the same time.