Alastor found himself standing completely alone in darkness. He felt around for a light switch or something but his hands felt only nothingness. He called out for someone. He called out for his wife and children but no one answered. Suddenly he heard a noise. A noise that he was very familiar with. A noise that had haunted him ever since he was a child.

It was the sound of radio static...

"So nice to see you again old boy."

He froze in terror upon hearing that same terrible voice that always mixed with the static.

"Oh no! Not you!" He cried.

"Thought you had gotten rid of me hadn't you?" The voice chuckled. "But I didn't leave. I merely just went into a period of hibernation if you will."

"I don't want you here!" Alastor shouted. "Go away! Leave me alone!"

"Ha-ha! Haven't you figured it out yet? I can't go away. How can I? When it's obvious that you need me."

"No! I don't need you! I never needed you!"

"Is that so? What about when those boys decided to violate your dear Charlie? You're saying you didn't need me then? Because if I remember correctly if I hadn't of taken over then she would have-"

"Stop it! Don't remind me of that!"

"I'm afraid I must. You seem to have forgotten how important my assistance is to you."

"You went too far! I just wanted to save Charlie! I didn't want to do all that!"

"Oh yes you did. Don't try to fool me, I know every thought and desire you've ever had. That day when you finally conceded you were smiling the whole time. Smiling because you finally made them pay for the years of torment they had inflicted on to you and for the torment they tried to inflict on to your sweetheart."

"Well I don't need you now! I'm not a scared little boy anymore!"

"That's right. You're now just a spineless grown man. One who's turned himself into a doormat. Pitiful. I'm almost ashamed to have any connection to you."

"It was to keep you from taking over again!"

"I know that! You willed me to be dormant for all these years and while I didn't like it, I respected your wishes and kept silent. But now that he's coming I will not allow myself to be contained any longer!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well old boy now that your father in-law has taken residence behind the pearly gates it's up to you to protect your loved ones from what's coming and like it or not, you can't do that without me!"

"Yes I can."

"No you can't and if you think I'm going to let your cowardice put my family in danger then you are sadly mistaken."

"Your family? What do you mean? You're not making any sense! Nothing you ever said to me has ever made any sense! You've been a plague inside of me ever since I was a kid! Who are you? Why won't you just leave me alone?!"

"You still haven't figured out my identity? All these years and you've still failed to notice the similarities? I'm greatly disappointed."

"Just answer me damn it!"

"You want to know why you can't get rid of me? It's because you can't get rid of yourself."

Alastor was struck by confusion when he heard the voice say that last remark and the voice's next remark would cause his confusion to become horror.

"I'm you." He said. "Or rather I was you. Actually if you want to get technical you were me."

"What? I don't even know what you're saying!" Alastor shouted.

"If you would let me takeover then I could make things more clear for you."

"No! No! This...This is not real! You're not real!"

"Oh you'd love for that to be the case wouldn't you old boy?"

"You're not real! You're not real! You're not real! You're not real!" He kept repeating that line to himself over and over again.

"Lie to yourself all you wish my fine fellow but you'll never be rid of me and someday you'll have to face the truth, and when you do you will let me out again."

"No I won't! I'll never let you out again! Do you hear me?! Never!"

"No!"

Alastor sat up in bed, finally awake from his horrible nightmare. After he managed to catch his breath, he looked over to his right side to see that his wife and children were still asleep in the bed. He was relieved that his sudden cry had not woken them up. The last thing he wanted to do was worry them when he believed that it wasn't warranted.

When he looked over on his left side he saw the time on his alarm clock which was perched on his nightstand. 4:00 AM. Much too early to be getting up but he was sure that he couldn't go back to sleep now. So he quietly slipped out of bed and left the room without waking anyone then made his way outside to get some air.

He couldn't believe that after all these years that dreadful part of him that he had tried so hard to hide away was still fighting to get out. He'll never forget the day he let that monster loose and what it made him do. The terror, the blood, the evil, and the look on Charlie's face. He had never seen her look so frightened and he hated himself for being the one who enlisted that fear in her. After that he swore that he would never let her see that part of him again. If he were to let that side him takeover again it would probably scare Charlie to such a degree that she would leave him and take the kids, and he couldn't allow that. He would die without his lovely Charlie and the two beautiful children she had given him. Without them he had no life.

"Morning neighbor."

He was snapped out of his fearful thoughts by the sound of his next door neighbor Geoffrey Barlow. A robust man who wasn't much to look at but very considerate and friendly. He was very puzzled to see Alastor awake at this hour, he himself worked as the local garbage man so it was natural for him to up so early.

"Good morning Geoffrey." Alastor greeted politely.

"You're up sooner than expected. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah I just woke up from a bad dream and it had me so spooked that I just couldn't go back to sleep."

"I hear ya. I've had plenty of those." He took a sip from the coffee mug he held in his hand before speaking again. "Lana and I heard what happened to Charlie's father. We're very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Geoffrey. I'll tell Charlie."

"Oh there's no need. Lana will tell her herself, she wants to come over later to bring you two some banana bread. My grandmother's special recipe."

"Oh...How nice." Alastor said anxiously "Thank you."

"What's the matter? Don't like banana bread?"

"No. No. It's fine. We love it. Will you be accompanying her on this visit?"

"No I'll be at work."

"So it'll be just her...Great."

"Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. I'm sure Charlie will really appreciate a visit from your wife. I thank you both for being so considerate."

"Anything for a neighbor."

Two hours later Charlie woke up and the couple began to get both themselves and their kids ready for the day. By 7:00 AM Alastor had left for work, Aaron and Carrie were on the bus to school, and Charlie was cleaning up the kitchen. She had just finished wiping down the tables and countertops when she noticed something very strange.

The dishes that she had washed and put away in the cabinets were no longer in the cabinets. They were all placed right back next to the sink where she had left them to dry earlier.

"That's weird." She thought. "I know I put those dishes away."

She put them back in the cabinets and left to do laundry. Ten minutes later when she came back she found the dishes not only out place again but stacked up on the kitchen table along with the chairs.

"What on earth?"

She put the chairs and dishes back where they belonged then sat down to watch them. Watch them and find out how they were getting moved around because she was positive that she had not moved them. However nothing strange occurred and after waiting for an hour she proceeded to do laundry, although she kept her eyes open for anymore peculiar moments.

Later the phone rang.

"Hello?" Whoever was on the other line didn't say anything but she could hear breathing. Deep breathing which to her sounded very unsettling. "Who is this?"

Still no reply. She hung up on whoever called and immediately made a call of her own to her husband's workplace. She didn't want to bother him at work but something in her gut urged her to call him.

...

As the elementary school was being let out that afternoon Carrie sat alone on the sidewalk to wait for the bus and for her brother. She was keeping herself busy by drawing a picture when a shadow fell over her and she looked up from her notebook to see a man hovering over her. At first glance he seemed like a normal looking man but there was something about his smile. Something that didn't seem right.

"Hi." The strange man said to her in a friendly voice.

"Hi." She said apprehensively.

"My aren't you a cute little girl."

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"You're right you shouldn't but I'm not a stranger. I'm a friend of your mommy and daddy. In fact they asked me to pick you up from school. Why don't you come with me?"

Now Carrie was very young but not so much that she hadn't of developed an inner voice of reason and it told Carrie that she shouldn't go anywhere with this man.

"Mommy and Daddy never told me that they were sending someone to get me." She said trying to stall him long enough for help to arrive.

"That's because something came up. Something important. So important that you need to be brought home right now."

"Wouldn't they have called the school first?"

"There wasn't any time. You could say that it's an emergency."

"What kind of an emergency?"

"I'll tell you once we're in the car."

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because we're in a hurry. Now come along and-"

"Carrie." Thankfully her stalling technique had worked and her brother had seen them once his class ended. He hurried over to them and subtly pulled his sister closer to him. "Who are you?"

"He says that he's a friend of Mommy and Daddy and that they sent him to get me." Carrie answered.

"That's bull. My parents don't know you." Aaron said to the man.

"On the contrary young man they know me very well." The stranger replied.

"Listen pal don't assume that we're stupid just because we're kids." He firmly took Carrie by the hand. "Stay away from my sister or I'll call the cops."

He then pulled Carrie along toward the bus that would take them home. Before getting on the vehicle she looked back to see that the strange man was gone. She squeezed Aaron's hand when she felt that it wouldn't be the last time they would see that man.