Chapter 1 Prologue

What lurks in the dark?

Something about the night seems so strange to Emma Walker. Probably that explains why she is always within the confinement of her room when the darkness becomes thick.

'Gloomy', that is the only adjective that seems to repeat in her head as she stares through her window at the sight of black.

She dares not step out.

Anna and Chloe were out doing the usual. 'Those two,' she thought,as she lifted her head to the bulb light that held so much pleasantness and beauty. She sighed.

Will she continue this way? Hiding behind the beams of light always and never daring to let the hands of the dark touch her. For goodness sake, she was twenty. What type of phobia was this?

Her friends were out sometimes,partying and they came back, unharmed, alive. Now, everyone thought she was weird, they even admit it to her face. That's worse enough.

"Whatever," she said as the trembling hands of fear held her back.

She was the only one at home. She didn't care as long as she was in the warm embrace of safety with the eyes of light staring directly at her,watching her. This was safety indeed.

She closed her eyes, giving in to sleep.

Even as she closed her eyes, there was darkness everywhere. She couldn't see a thing. It was....it was gloomy!

All of a sudden, it seemed like something was coming for her, something ugly, monstrous, something she was too afraid to behold. It was coming closer.

She gasped.

It was coming closer and closer. It's shadows closing in on her. She screamed "No! Stay back!"

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She screamed and screamed and amidst her screams,she remembered that she had closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes quickly,blinking frantically.

Oh no! The darkness was still there. There was no light! She blinked harder as her breathing became heavy. It was as if she was sinking in a deep black ocean. She tried to keep steady but no, the darkness was still there.

It was then, she realized that the electricity had been interrupted.

Damn!

She was all alone. No one with her. No light. Helpless. Darkness wrapped around her like a big black cloth. She couldn't see herself. She could only feel herself.

"No no no no no no....," she shouted as she felt two strong hands on her legs. A force pulled her and kept pulling her. She screamed in fear.

She tried reaching for her torch lights. She couldn't make out what she was touching but she knew it wasn't any of her torch lights. "Damn!" she screamed.

Her phone! She tried to reach for her phone. She felt something flat. She gasped with sudden joy.

She felt the sides for the on button. There were no buttons! She gasped. The hands pulled her and dragged her away from her bed. She would have thought she was dreaming but when she hit the tiled floor of her room so hard, it dawned on her that it was real.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo," she screamed as the darkness swallowed her up.