In the Night

A young woman looks out the house's back window. For a moment, she can only see her reflection, before she turned her attention up as clouds float gently in the dark sky. They loom over a white house, their departure revealing a full moon hanging just within her sight. Raindrops start to cascade on the glass. Her eyes dart to one and halt on something that dashes out of view faster than she can see. She blinks, startled, unsure if that was simply the water falling from the sky or not. 

Shrugging it off, she turns and walks over to the couch, throwing her small frame onto its worn surface. She starts to flip through the channels on the TV, before settling on a racing movie for background noise. She leans forward to complete her calculus homework on the coffee table. One of the perks of babysitting: she can do whatever she needs as long as the kids are asleep.

The sound of heavy rain on the roof causes the house to creak and groan. The college student thinks she might not be able to focus anymore because of it and closes her textbook. She leans back on the white couch with a large yawn. 

Glancing at the TV she sees that a car chase was nearing its end. Bright explosions flash on the screen and light up the dim room around her. It was loud, mindless excitement that did little to ease her fatigue.

A crash comes from behind her. Instantly, the young woman freezes in place, a cold chill flooding her veins. She rapidly turns and spots a fist-sized rock in the middle of the floor, surrounded by glass from the shattered sliding door. 

A scream catches in the young woman's throat as she brings her hand up to stifle the noise before it can come out. She tries to swallow the panic to no avail as her heart started pounding in her ears. It's just a joke, a prank, her mind frantically tries to reason. She realizes that the children upstairs haven’t made a single noise - were they heavy sleepers? Did their parents tell her that? She doesn’t remember. A low guttural growl comes from outside and she doesn't think twice before bolting for the kids.

Rushing up the stairs, she almost trips over her own feet a few times. Without wasting a beat she throws open the door to the twins’ room. But instead of sleepy children, she’s met with empty beds. She backs away slowly, a cold sense of dread settling in her gut. Where were the two well-behaved kids? How was she going to explain to the family that she lost their kids?! She makes it back down the stairs in a rush to find the mother of those missing children, sitting on the white-accented chair downstairs. 

She blinks a build-up of tears out of her eyes. “Mrs. Irvey, w-what are you doing back so soon?” The young woman speaks from the last step of the stairs in a shaky voice. 

The older woman smiles and uncrosses her legs, standing up to face the brunette. “Jane, I’ve always hated doing this... but it is tradition,” she says in a somber tone, pushing back some of her golden blonde hair.

Jane was frozen in place as the same panic that made her sprint upstairs courses through her veins., “What tradition? What are you talking about?”

“You see, my children are hungry and only the best will suffice.” Mrs. Irvey leans back to something behind the chair. To Jane’s horror, she pulls out a literal battleaxe.

It didn’t take the young woman long to understand she was on the menu, but it did take a few moments for it to sink in.

They hired her to babysit so they could kill her and have dinner. Jane spent a few moments absorbing this information before she looked to the front door. Mrs. Irvey was blocking it with the very large steel axe slung over her shoulder. Her face was void of emotion.

Breathing heavily from the adrenaline, Jane lunges forward to the table and grabs her only weapon: her calculus book. They lock eyes for a moment before engaging in what is a rather unfair battle.

The axe is brought down on the hardcover book. It tears through the cover and paper until it’s split in half. The prey having lost her only defense, Irvey laughs. It’s the only opening Jane needs to kick her in the shins and knock her down. 

The college student slams the broken book halves on Irvey’s head. She doesn’t stop until the woman stops moving.

Grabbing the axe, Jane bolts out the door, into the rain and wind. It whips her caramel hair around wildly and rain stings her eyes. Her heart pounds and adrenaline fuels her legs until she trips on the gravel road leading to her former employer’s house. 

Tumbling to the ground, she claws at the dirt, one-handed, trying to keep her grip on her stolen weapon. The young woman stops abruptly as she sees furry legs. Snapping her head up, she watches as a clawed hand comes down on her right cheek.

Fury rising in her chest, she swings the axe to slash at the thing’s legs. It howls in pain and swipes at her. She ducks hard into the mud, the rain sticking her hair to her face. She scrambles out from under the hairy creature and bolts to her car, remaining college books be damned. 

She puts her keys in the ignition and twists, the car roaring to life without stall. She doesn’t bother to look back as she pulls out of the driveway and slams her foot onto the gas. Jane keeps driving for several miles until she reaches her house on the outskirts of a suburb.

The adrenalin didn’t cease as she leaps out of the car, not risking turning it off. She sprints to her front door, fumbling with her keys as her hands shake. Jane slams the door shut with her boot and bolts into her room. Grabbing a suitcase, she picks up everything she couldn’t live without: clothes, journals, tablet, and some food. Once everything is secure, she hauls it out of the house, shutting and locking the door behind her, before tossing the case into her car and driving away. 

She’s aware of the eyes on her as she drives to the train station. The father and the children are left and they’re watching her - she knows it. The police can’t help her. They wouldn’t even believe her if she told them about a hairy beast and an axe-wielding woman. The only thing she can do now is to get out of town. 

Boarding the train goes without incident, and before she knows it, it’s barrelling down the track. The vessel is full of people minding their own business. Jane is among them, shakily searching for information on her laptop. She glances out the window next to her seat, tucking a stray hair behind her ear when she hears a howl in the distance.