Needless to say, she got out of the house rather quickly, only stopping to grab an umbrella propped next to the door. Something deep in her head was telling her to get out of there, even though see saw no actual threat to her, just like whenever the police show up to one of her friend's houses. If that JTK fellow was actually going to hurt her, wouldn't he (she assumed it was a he) have done it already? He could have done it at anytime, not like she was paying any attention to her surroundings before. He could have easily got her while she was asleep. And that message he left for her was just confusing. So, why was she getting all upset? All it seemed was, that he wanted to play with her friends. What if-What if they like him better? Sure, he chopped them into pieces to make his strange art. But she didn't hear them complaining one bit. Heck, one was even smiling from ear to ear. They didn't even need her. They didn't need to be saved. Why couldn't she get them to smile like that? Was she really that bad of a friend, that they would even consider replacing her with someone better? She couldn't go through that, not again. She didn't want to be second best, comparable to anyone else. She wanted to be number one in their eyes, not him! And what if he decides to take her down to the police station where all run away children are taken where they, in return, will either send her to an orphanage or back to her adoptive parents' house. She couldn't risk going back there, she'd be punished for sure! Then she'd never be allowed to see the light of day again, they take away her freedom!
So the second she got out the door, she took off running, bolting down the sidewalk and onto the empty street. She ran like a bat out of hell, into the inky blackness of night. The pale moonlight from before now block by thick angry clouds, growling with thunder like big angry dogs. An obvious sign of rain, but she didn't know that. That's not way she had the umbrella, no, she had it to defend herself if needed. Probably not the best choice of weapons for her, as she preferred something sharp instead of blunt, but it was better than nothing. A loud roar boomed out in the distance and a sudden flash of lightning tore through the darkened sky, lighting up the area briefly with a veiny zigzag line. Her body tensed up at the sound but she didn't let that slow her down at all, only encouraged her to speed up (not that she could go any faster than what she was already going). She clinched the handle of the umbrella tightly in her fist, holding it hard enough for her knuckle to turn white. Her head turned frantically, looking for any place to hide her from the approaching storm and possibly, any suspicious looking people. It was so hard to see anything though, and it's a surprise she hadn't tripped over a pot hole yet. The dingy streetlights, placed all about the neighborhood, did nothing to assist her either. Then another bolt of lightning flash, followed by a clamor of thunder, sending a shiver down her back at the reminder of a heinous crack of a whip. Her body came to an abrupt halt, under the dull white glow of a streetlight, and she almost fell over, wheezing for air. The umbrella dropped from her hand, hitting the concrete with a clatter, but that hardly registered in her mind. Her body was racked with silent laughter, shoulders bouncing up and down, and there was nothing she could do to calm herself down. Nothing that could be said to get her moving again, and she felt light in the head, like she could pass out at any moment. Her legs refused to moved though, feet not wanting to take another step, and she didn't feel in control of her body. She choked on a breath, noticing a quick movement out of the corner of her right eye and something started screaming at her, spouting out gibberish. Her hands instantly flew to her ears, trying to block out the sound, wanting nothing more than for it to stop. It wouldn't stop though, and normally she'd be able to tune out most voices but not when they're screaming at her like this. It was almost like-! Her body trembled, as she fell to her knees. Stomach churning violently as she was thrown into a rough coughing fit, making her heave up a yellow bile that burned her throat. She barely heard the footsteps, moving towards her slowly, over the screams. And her mouth opened, trying to get words to form in between the coughs, but it all seemed lost to her, like she had forgotten how to speak. Instead, her body went limp, eyes rolling to the back of her head, before collapsing to the ground unconscious.
Rain poured down heavily in the dead of night, pattering against the tin roof tiles outside, like ants pounding on little drums in their ant parade. At least, that's how she imagined the rain; ever since her dad sang her that 'The Ants Go Marching' song. That wasn't the problem though, the rain had never really bothered her. It's what followed some storms, that kept her from sleeping. Thunder rumbled, like the belly of a hungry giant, in background as she curled up into a ball, like a little puppy. Small chubby face peeking out from under a thin blood orange blanket, staring straight at the raindrop covered window pane. Six year old body shaking with fright when a flash of jagged lightning shot off somewhere in a distance. Another loud boom, as her small Winnie the Pooh nightlight beside her bed, giving off a tiny bit of illumination to a portion of the dark room, suddenly cut off. Leaving her in total darkness, asides from the short flashes of light coming from the storm. A whimper escaped her chapped lips, as she tried to cover her face with the blanket, only to have it ripped from her hands by an invisible force. She blindly tried to grab for it but soon realize it had gone over the edge of the bed, a place she deemed off limits at night. It now belonged to the monster under the bed or as she called herself, Lace. She's never actually seen what Lace, or her husband Satin who hides in the closet, but she could go without seeing their faces. "Oh love~" a light feminine voice called out from under the bed in an accent she didn't recognize, "It's quite scary under here. Would ye be a dear and come down here with me? I could use the company." "I-I-I can't. Daddy said y-you're not real. T-that you're imaginary." she mewled at Lace, shaking her head vigorously. "Oh, but your daddy says a lot of things. Doesn't mean they're true, just like when your mum tells ye she loves you." the female giggled. "The pig is in the blanket. The dog is under the bed. The goat is in the closet, and the frog is in your head~" another voice, one more sinister and masculine, started singing as the closet door squeaked open, "The cow is on the ceiling. That cat is in the bag. The fish is in the bathtub, and the boar is in your heart~" "Oi, shut up you bloody wanker! You're singing is rubbish and it's giving me a headache." voice from under the bed groaned in annoyance. "Yeah, well, your attempt to be British is offensive and annoying!" the voice from the closet huffed. "I just thought I'd try something new, you're just jealous the child likes me more." the female hissed, voice laced with venom, dropping the accent. "She does not like you anymore than me." the male retorted lowly. "Oh dear, please come down and prove to him that you like me more. Remember, boys are icky nasty creatures and you can trust me, a beautiful female like yourself." the female said sweetly,in a tone like her mother would talk to Molly, trying to lure her into leaving the bed. But she knew as long as she stayed where she was, they couldn't touch her. "N-n-no-" her voice barely reached above a whisper, but the female under the bed heard her perfectly, and cut her off with "Don't you tell me no, child! I will come up there and eat you whole!" "Hahahahaha, I told you." the male barked, his deep laughter filling the room. The room got colder each second he laughed, forcing her to wrap her arms around her form in an attempt to keep warm. "J-j-just leave me alone! Y-you c-can't h-hurt me!" her teeth chatted as she spoke, body shaking unbridled, and if she could see it, she would see that foggy white mist leaving her lips. Thin pajamas she had on did no good protecting her from the surprise winter forming in her bedroom, having been made more for the warmer seasons. "Not yet, child. But eventually you'll have to get up. I bet those little fingers of yours taste good with ketchup." the male growled hungrily, smacking his lips together. A high-pitched creak from the other side of the room swiftly caught her attention, as a flash of lightning flashed, shortly revealing a short figure. "Sissy, are you awake?" a timid male voice called out through the dark, giving her a momentary of relief and grief. What was he doing here? Doesn't he know the monster will get him? The coldness she had been feeling seemed to fade, letting her warm up enough to stop her chattering teeth, before responding. "Yes, but what are you doing here Cody? Shouldn't you be in mom and dad's room sleeping?" There was a moment of silence, then she heard his footsteps shuffling across the carpet, stopping just at the side of her bed. "I was worried about you..." "That's nice and all, but you can't just stand there! Lace could get you and nibble on your toes!" she shrieked, panicking, making him do the same. He quickly pulled himself onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her neck, into a choking hug. "I don't want my toes nibbled on!" he cried, voice squeaking. "I guess you're stuck her then." she gagged, trying to push him off of her. But any strive in removing him only made his grip tighter and she wondered how bad it'd be to just let him get eaten. It was his fault for coming in here in the first place, she warned him multiple times about the monsters. How would she explain to her parents that their only son got eaten though? "Ugh, let go! Or I'll feed you to Lace and Satin!" He sniffed, letting her go, and muttered the question "Who are they?" "How could you forget so easily?! There the monsters under the bed and in the closet. They're also married and like to eat little children for breakfast! Especially their toes and fingers!" she explained, flinching at another clap of thunder. "How come you hear them and I don't, sis?" "I don't know, maybe I'm special." "Molly says you're crazy, hearing voices and stuff. She thinks it's contagious and told mommy about it. Are you sick or something?" he asked innocently. He didn't know any better but, that question still ticked her off. She wasn't sick! "I am not crazy! They're really there! They come out every night and they're are not nice, just like Molly's face!" she huffed angrily, feeling tears pricking her eyes. "That's not very nice!" her brother yelped. "Well, she's not being very nice! What's her problem?!" The scene that played out next happened so quickly in her mind, her shoving her brother off the bed making him scream loudly, causing their parents to rush into the room with a flashlight. Then her mother grabbed her arm, yanking her up from her bed, and took her out into the dark hallway. Down the-
She woke up before the memory could finish, right arm sticking up in the air. It was the first time in a long while that she dreamed about her past more accurately... But she didn't need to be reminded of the pain she got in her backside when her mother spanked her. Her eyes opened sluggishly, only to meet the darken eyes of an unfamiliar character.
