He has me. I could feel my panic rising as the rusty hinges on the bathroom door squealed to burst. Although the wood was grimy, filled with dirt and the dank moisture of the thick filthy air, I pushed against it with all my strength, getting weaker each time it slammed into my back. I can't believe how stupid I am for letting him trap me here. For letting him get inside my head. The door was breaking behind my back. I could feel the splintered wood chipping away. Leave it to me to run into the bathroom where no one lives anymore, leaving it without care, obviously. I shut my eyes, so afraid of what was going to happen to me as the blood ridden axe broke through the wood near my head.

I remember. I remember being at boarding school when I received a letter from my mother back home in Erie. I don't exactly remember everything in the letter but I do remember the ending. "Alyssa, stay at school and do not come home. Hide away and don't come out until I come to find you. Katherine." My mother wasn't one to be paranoid no matter what she did, and writing a letter to me to tell me I was not allowed to come home for my monthly visit made me suspicious. So I packed my things and headed home, not bothering to heed my mother's warning. I could only imagine that something had happened to her, or worse, something had happened to Michael, my 11-year-old brother. I was 17, I was supposed to take care of him, and I was worried.

Arriving at my house made my panic rise. The yard was disheveled, a complete mess that my mother simply would never have let happen. We live up on a hillside, not far from the town, but the only nearby house had been abandoned about 25 years ago, and it was, to
put plainly, a disaster area. Really all that you could see behind the five foot high grass was a small outhouse that served as their bathroom. Not that it was in the best shape in the first place. I wandered up our driveway, noticing that only one light in our house was on and it was coming from Michael's room. As I turned the knob I only wondered what was going on.

The door was unlocked, another surprise. Mom never kept the door unlocked, especially with Michael at home. I wandered inside, lost in the darkness I found myself in, and not even realizing that when I had let go of the doorknob the door had shut behind me. I was now in complete darkness. Unable to see anything, I stood there motionless trying to think of what to do next. Call for mother? Look for the stairs? I knew my house, but not as well as to find my way in the dark. Still, as I thought about the unlocked door and letter from my mother, I became afraid of calling out and drawing attention to myself. I
decided to try and find Michael's room.

Looking for the stairs wasn't really as hard as I thought. After my eyes adjusted, I could make out shapes that would clearly be able to lead me to where I needed to get to. Reaching my wandering hands out, I nervously shuffled to my right, waiting for connection with the banister, or at least to trip on the stairs. The entryway wasn't really that big. As soon as you walk in, straight ahead the hall turns right down into the dinning room and kitchen. To your right after you walk in, are the stairs to the second floor where Michael and my rooms are.

Finally, my right hand caught the edge of the smooth wooden banister. My feet found the first steps and I wandered to the top of the second floor. The light that I had seen from outside wasn't a hallucination, however it seemed dimmer than I remembered. At the top of the stairs is a wall, and directly to your left is my room, right next to it is the bathroom.
However, to get to Michael's room you need to turn left down the hall and then right, and his room is on the right wall. The dim light coming from the corner made little difference on my sight range. I wandered into the hall, feeling for the right wall and following it till the
corner. The light got brighter as I turned the corner, however it didn't seem like the light in his room was on. My heart was beginning to beat faster, but I continued to follow the wall into his room. I turned into his room and my crystal blue eyes widened. "Oh my God."

I looked into the room and saw the broken lamp on the floor. It had been cut in half, no doubt about that, the glass bulb laying in three hundred places on the burgundy carpet.
To answer the light question, his light really hadn't been on. The carpet had caught fire when the lamp broke. It really wasn't that big, but I wanted to put it out before it spread. I wanted to, but I couldn't. All I heard was the slight creaking noise of the floor boards behind me, the shuffling of someone's feet, and the dragging of-

I turned around immediately, unfortunately unable to see the figure coming from beyond the corner because of the darkness. I slid into Michael's room, my heart pounding in my chest. Is it my mother? Is it Michael? My thoughts raced with my pulse as I came to a stopping point. What if.what if this is the thing mother was trying to warn me about? I
shook my head, the thoughts drawing no final conclusion, and the sound of the shuffling, continued to grow louder. I needed to hide, or at least hope to God that whatever it was, it couldn't see in the dark. I looked over to my right, looking for anything. Suddenly, on the far end of the opposite wall, I saw his closet. If I hide in there, whatever is coming toward me won't see me, but I'll see it, hopefully.

Not even thinking how loud I might be, I raced to the other side of the room and dove into his closet, shutting the shuttered doors. The closet was darker than his room, but just being near Michael's clothes made me feel a little safer. I slowly, carefully, pried one of the painted shutter pieces open, to try and see the object shuffling into the room. The light from the flames did absolutely nothing to help me. I could only make out a small shape, it had to be smaller than me, but in the dark who knows. They were dragging something and although I couldn't see their face, I could see in the way they turned their head they were looking for something. Come to think of it, that object looks like an axe, or something close to it. I also noticed that the rest of the room seemed to be in slight pieces too. Obviously, this person had been in here before, unless he had friends. By the look of the house though, I'm pretty sure I would've run into one, he should be alone.

I remained silent, watching his movements, until I heard the tiniest voice. A familiar voice, it was-"Alyssa.where are you. Alyssa, come out and play..." At the first sound of his voice I jumped out of the closet looking down at the person half my five foot six. "Michael!!" I started to step toward him when I saw it. His green plaid overalls were dirty and blood ridden, as was the white T-shirt he wore underneath, only it had been shredded. I stopped dead in my tracks, starring breathlessly at the little boy I thought I knew. "That's right Alyssa...come play with me."

Although I could see his pink tinted lips moving, the rest of his face was shrouded into what looked like his samurai helmet. It was grayish tinted with a slit up the middle that his once sandy hair would come through. Now it was dirty and filled with particles of dust and mud. He took a step toward me, dragging the long axe in back of him. I stood there motionless. "M-Michael.where did you get that axe?" We didn't own an axe as far as I knew, but then it struck me. "Were you in that abandoned house? Mom told us not to go in there!" He took the axe and flipped it over his shoulder with one mighty blow and stuck the floor in front of me, breaking the boards in half. I jumped back from the blow; not knowing how on earth he had been able to pick it up for it was at least twice his size and twice his weight. My expressions had shifted into a completely frightened figure as he spoke again. "Mom.is.dead.."

He ripped the axe back out of the broken boards and flipped it back behind him. I couldn't move. My limbs were frozen in place. Mom...Mom's dead? And how would he know? I looked once again at the axe in his hand. Shoot, he would know. "Michael.what happened.?" His blank expression pointed at me, he moved his lips once again in a careless fashion. "I killed her." His words were so cold. This wasn't Michael. This couldn't be my little brother! Immediately without thinking, I dashed to the window near the fire-ridden floor and jumped out onto the roof below. I didn't turn back even to look to see if he followed. The roof was slippery, but I made it to the edge before I heard him call to me. "Alyssa.where are you going...come play with me." My pulse continued to race as I slid off of the roof, landing in the dirt on my knees. I quickly stood up, ignoring the stinging pain and making a run for the abandoned house. "There has to be some answers somewhere. Something to tell me what the hell's going on!"

I ran through the bushes, the broken twigs and branches, the few trees I managed to avoid in the dark moonless night. Finally, I came upon the house beyond the immensely high weeds. Sprinting through them and towards the door, I began to hear the slight dragging sound coming from behind me. "Oh crap!" My heart racing, I dove into the door, nearly injuring my elbow in the process and toggled at the knob. "Please be open, please be open, please be--" And again came the shuffling, dragging sound I had heard, and that faint cold voice. "Alyssa...where are you." I shoved at the door, trying to get it open as the sound grew louder and louder until-

The door burst open and I threw it shut behind me. There was no real lock; I must have broken it trying to open it, so instead I threw a chair under the knob. I stopped to take a sigh in relief before turning to see where I was. Looking around the dirty house, there really wasn't anything to see. Pieces of the wall and ceiling had been decayed, or rotting away. The table with the chairs like the one I used for the door was dirty covered in dust, the wood barely keeping intact. It was dark too, the only light coming from a candle in
the other room. "Wait.a candle? Someone's been here!" I rushed into the other room, the light drawing me around the corner to my left. I dashed down the hall and into the lighted room where-

My heart stopped. I stood in the opening, slowly bringing my hands up to cover my wide-open mouth. It was my mother. She was in the corner, her breathless, but once vibrant figure crumpled against the wall. Her head slumped into her shoulder, her mouth wide and her eyes back in her head. Her reddish-blonde hair, like my own, was meshed and flipped every which way over her delicate face. I stepped towards her slowly, noticing her arm was missing and the huge slice across her chest and neck. It had to be from an axe. Without tears, I looked away and to the candle sitting on a desk not to far away in the tiny room. I couldn't cry, I was too scared to do anything, but I noticed on the desk there was a newspaper, and I reached down, picking it up and noticing the highlighted area, began to read.

November 18, 1978

Taylor Alero found guilty of a total twelve murders in the area. The
ten year old is sentenced to death on the 20th. The victim's families mourn their lost loved ones, and yet no one is left to mourn for little Taylor. Doctors have yet to determine what drove little Taylor to kill so many people, and the only evidence is his father's axe, which was used in the murders. Taylor also continuously wore a samurai helmet during the killing spree, in which was taken off of him and buried nearby the house. The moment it was removed, reporters say that the child went into a coma, and has yet to have awakened. With his parents both murdered like the rest, this poor tortured soul is soon to be put from his misery.

I sunk back in my mind. "Today is the 21st of 2003. 25 years ago." I couldn't believe it. In the house I was standing in a little boy had totally lost it and went on a murdering spree, right here. "And now it's happening again." I looked down at the words, making a connection suddenly as if the words came out and hit me. "A samurai helmet. Michael said he found it.Oh God, the axe must of come from here too....and mom." I looked back at her again. Looking at her once cheerful and bright image, until I noticed her left hand. The only arm left in tact on her, I bent down and broke apart her fingers, taking whatever it was she was grasping in her hand. It was a letter. A letter for me, she was probably going to send it to me at school. I opened it up and read the drastically hurried handwriting.

"Alyssa, don't come home. It's not safe. He's looking for you. I can hear him at night, calling out your name. He's looking for us. Stay in hiding. Stay away from this place. It's not him, Alyssa. It's not Michael. He's possessed. There's something in him Alyssa, something from that helmet, something I can't explain. If the sun comes up....he'll be gone, Alyssa, gone forever and we'll all suffer. Alyssa, remember sweetie, I-"

The rest was cut off in a furious fashion. I set the letter on the floor, trying to make sense of it all. "Okay...Michael's possessed, mom's dead, and you're next. What in the world do I do...and what did she mean by 'don't let the sun come up?" Suddenly, the window on the right wall burst into pieces, sending glass showering down over me. I screamed as the bloody axe came through the window, forcing me backwards. I got up and started to run out of the room before hearing him. "Alyssa.come play." I ran down the hall and back outside, rushing to the first thing I saw: the outhouse. I could hear him again, the dragging becoming louder, more demanding. I broke through the door and shut it behind me. I tried to grasp the latch but it took a good three times for my frightened hands to do so. Closing the lock down hard, I turned and pushed my back against the door, scared beyond reason, my mind fluttering out of control. "Alyssa...I see you."

He has me. Oh God...help me. The axe had broken through the part of the door near my head to the left. I fell back helplessly into the toilet, waiting for him. My pulse had risen so high that I felt I was going to die before he actually struck me. I watched in complete horror as the door came swinging open. "Alyssa." I still was unable to see his eyes, his entire body covered in the darkness. He raised his axe again, but before he could swing, I turned out of the way and pushed him down. Unfortunately, he threw me off of him. As he did so, I saw the one object I didn't need to see. The sun. It was rising.

"For God's sake." I got up out of the insanely large grass and looked down at my brother.
"Michael." He got up as well and faced me, the axe behind him once again. He started to pick it up again, but I remained where I was. He swung and at the same time he swung I threw all my strength to reach up and grab the handle. Hopelessly, we struggled to retain control over it. I fell onto my knees, his weight bearing the axe over my head. My hands were slipping badly, and I thought to myself. What do I do if I get control? I tried to return my grasp, but continued to slip as I found the axe becoming more and more near to my head. Michael showed no emotion on his face at all, and I realized I had lost my brother. "Alyssa.let's play"

With that said, I let go of the axe, rolling to the side. He missed my head, but had caught some of my shoulder. Without thinking about the immense pain running through my body, or the horrifying sight of my own blood dripping down my school uniform, I ran at him. I reached down to grab the axe, since his back was still turned. I relied on my intuition; I have to get that axe. I picked it up, whipping it out of his tiny hand and swinging it over my head. The gape in my shoulder became huge and bleeding out of control down my body. It was the only time I saw shock on his face, as he turned to face me and I brought the axe down over him and killed my brother.

I sat and watched the sunrise, not bothering with my wound, or bothering with the bloody axe sitting next to me. All that matters anymore was my future. What lies ahead no one knows. My mother and brother were buried behind me; I had picked out a nice spot under an Oak tree near our house. The helmet I had taken off my pale, lifeless brother and had thrown it at the house, shattering it to pieces. I went back to his body to find that his forehead had been imprinted with the words "Till Sunrise" and I wondered how. I walked back to the splintered pieces of helmet lying in the grass, and searched until I found one engraved with text. It read:

When Someone With This Helmet Wear

In Their Body They Must Share

Till the Sunrise Comes So Bright

Their Soul They'll Forfeit to the Light

As It Touches 'Cross Their Face

A Subordinate Shall Take Their Place

I thought softly to myself. "So he was possessed...thismust mean that when the sun came up he'd be gone...which means." I could have saved him. He was still in there, somewhere. I let the cold, salty tears roll down my cheeks, watching them roll off and onto the grass below. "Michael...a subordinate, it's like someone wanted in for a reason...but who and why?"

I knew right then that my mission had just begun, that I would never know the truth until it was solved. I sunk back in the grass, bringing my knees close and hugging them. It was then I remembered the stories my mother used to tell me before bed. She used to tell me that subordinate's were ghosts coming back from a previous bad life. But, how did she know? I would find out. I would figure out what killed my brother, I would. I promise.

I'm sitting and watching the sunrise. I'm letting the tears overwhelm me. Tears for mother, tears for Michael, and tears for myself. But most importantly, tears for the new sunrise.