Rosalyn had just gotten ready for bed when she received a text from her parents telling her they were going to be out of town on a business trip for ten days. This wasn’t unusual, considering her parents were constantly on business trips, traveling the world, and were only ever home to pack more necessities for the next trip.

Rosalyn couldn’t remember the last time she had a conversation with them that didn’t involve work. They never called on time for her birthday or Christmas, and they never called to check up on her. The only time they communicated with her was to tell her where they were going and how much money they had left her to support herself.

Rosalyn sighed and put her phone back down. No matter what she told herself, she couldn’t help but hope that one day her parents would wake up and realize that she needed them. She needs a supporting and loving family that is always there for her through her accomplishments and failures. She needs someone to lean on when she’s sad, someone to celebrate with when she’s happy, and someone to motivate her when she is struggling.

The wind howled viciously outside as a storm began to brew and Rosalyn moved to shut the window. Locking it in place, she closed the curtains and turned her light off, heading to bed.

Pulling the covers back, she laid down and covered herself with the blankets. She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and shut her eyes, willing sleep to consume her.

Sleep had almost won her over when a soft tap tap tap came from the window. She didn’t think anything of it, figuring it was part of the storm. A few minutes passed when the tapping was heard again, making her turn away from the window. Tap tap tap. Starting to get annoyed, Rosalyn put her pillow over her head and hoped the storm would pass quickly so she’d be able to rest.

Tap tap tap. She tried to ignore it and clear her mind, but the tapping came more consistently. Any thought of sleep escaped her as the tapping resonated throughout the room, completely engulfing her. Her frustrated sigh was barely heard as the tapping increased in volume, so much so, the walls shook slightly. Fear began to creep into Rosalyn as she questioned the source of the noise. Was the storm really causing this?

The tapping suddenly stopped, and Rosalyn’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded and she arose shakily, eyes glued to the window. The wood floor creaked under her weight and she flinched at the sound, when suddenly, the tapping resumed. She froze in terror, and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the noise. Inhaling deeply, she opened her eyes and inched over to the wall.

Tiny slivers of moonlight escaped the cracks in the blinds and illuminated the floor surrounding the window. She carefully slid along the wall until she was right next to the window, and turned her head slightly to the left. A pair of large crimson eyes glared back at her.

Rosalyn opened her mouth to scream, but it was as if someone had grabbed ahold of her throat. She could barely breathe, much less make a sound, and she began to panic. Her hands clawed viciously at her throat like a rabid animal, trying to relieve the immense pressure on her airway. The eyes glared harder with a tint of amusement as the invisible hold on her throat tightened slightly.

Rosalyn’s knees buckled and she collapsed, her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. Her airway was now completely blocked, and her neck was beginning to bleed as her nails broke the skin trying to release the pressure.

Tears of frustration rolled down her face and her vision blurred as her body slowly shut down. She could faintly hear glass shattering and saw a gangly, dark figure enter her room. Its crimson eyes smiled in triumph watching Rosalyn dying, and the last thing she heard was its gruff, maniacal laugh.