The rain had stopped and the clouds had parted letting the warm rays from the sun land on my cold skin. I pulled myself out from the mud and took a look around. I didn’t recognize the street I was on.

 I knew that I had to call the police and let them know that some sicko had broken into my house. I tried to walk over to the nearest house but the bottom of my feet stung with my step. I sat down quickly to check my feet. I had lost my slippers and thus damaged my feet running on the asphalt.

They were scraped and cut up but I had to ignore it so that I could try and warn people about that freak. I limped while walking on the sides of my feet as I approached the front door of the nearest house. I froze when I saw what was on the front door.

'Too late' read the note. It sent shivers down my spine and then I saw that the door was cracked open. I took off faster than I had run last night. I felt no pain from my injured feet and only that presence that right at my back.

'He's right behind me' I thought while tears formed in my eyes. 'I hid in a ditch to avoid the bastard but he still found me' ran my mind. I couldn’t take the fear any longer so before my rational mind could tell me otherwise I had spun around and threw a punch.

I hit nothing and the momentum from my running made me fall backwards into a roll. Once I had stopped I looked everywhere trying to see him before he got to me but there was no sign of him. 'Was I just running from the dark?' I thought.

I stood up and checked myself for new wounds. My elbows and knees had bore the brunt of it. My skin and thin clothing were now blood stained on top of the loads of dried mud on them. "Fuck it" I said out loud. I was tired of this fear. I hadn't even seen him yet I was in this amount of pain.

I walked over to another house so that I could make the call for help. As I approached that door I spotted another note. My head shook left and right in denial. 'Look inside' read this message. My feet became rooted to the ground unable to take another step.

'Too late' and 'Look inside' had obvious connotations. My head turned to look at the house directly across the street. Its door had no note but that gave me no relief. The door was broken in two and the yellow note was placed on top of the door way instead. He had broken into every house.

My numb body walked forward and pushed the slightly opened door. The thick door slowly moved while its hinges that were in much need of oil squeaked. The lights were off but the daylight that came from the door way lit enough of the inside of the house to see.

There was a trail of blood drops on the tile floor leading up the stairs. To my right laid some cloth, most likely clothing, covered in red stains. 'He must have used it to clean off his weapon, but if so then this trail was done on purpose,' reasoned my mind.

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'Am I walking into a trap? Could he have done this to every house? Was I the only one that escaped? Or is he playing some twisted game with me?' The circumstances caused my brain to rapid fire questions. Questions that at the moment I had no way of answering without following the trail.

I took small steps smearing the trail as my toes stepped on the fresh drops of blood. I kept looking downward staring at the path he had created for me until I arrived at the stairway. I looked up and saw only darkness. I reached over to the light switch and hit it but nothing happened. I flipped it a few more times but the light did not come on.

The darkness seemed to grow larger as if seeking to consume everything. I lifted my leg and began to climb the stairs. As I was absorbed into the dark I held my breath waiting for whatever he had in store for me. Once I reached the top the lights suddenly came on.

I could breathe again but it was limited by the sight of the blood. Now a red carpet had been laid out to me leading to a room. The walls were covered in a Pollock-esque art style featuring a blood medium with a sheet rock canvas. Even the lights were covered causing it to dye the area in an eerie red color. The whole thing was way too elaborate and purposeful.

'What are you trying to say?' Questioned my strained mind. I stood without movement until I heard a phone ring coming from the room where the red carpet made of a pool of blood led. Without thought I walked over and pushed the door open to see a bed room similarly decorated as the hallway.

On the bed laid a couple I recognized. They had been stabbed with a railroad spike through the head. Their bodies were covered in many holes most likely from the same spikes. At the sight of the two my throat contracted and I struggled to deal with the sight.  "No, that isn't possible…" I croaked out loud.

The ringing of the phone stopped allowing me to focus a small amount better. I tried to piece together the meaning he had left for me but before I could make any headway the phone rang again. I walked over to the nightstand and picked up the small pink phone beside two other black phones.

I answered the call and held the phone up to my ear. "911, what's your emergency?" came from the phone. Words became stuck in my mouth and tears formed in my eyes. But before I could say anything a surprised yelp came from the small pink phone.  Then painful grunts and whispers for help. Finally after sometime the line went dead.

I blankly stared ahead with the phone up to my ear. I didn’t know what to think. Then the phone started ringing again and so I answered it again. "911, what's your emergency?" said a different voice from the last time.

My eyebrows came together but once again before I could say anything a thud sounded out. My eyes unfocused as I listened to the women on the line cry out for help. I imagined every action he was doing to her with what was probably another railroad spike. Finally after a gurgling sound the call dropped.

This time however the silence didn’t last long. The phone started ringing again but I did not answer this time. I placed the phone back on the night stand and walked over to a corner of the room. I leaned against it and slid down into a sitting position. There I stared at the ringing pink phone.

After some time it stopped and after a bit more time it started again. I simply stared at the pink phone and listened to the rings knowing what they signified.