The Strangers

This is Chapter 2 of the Strangers, or at least, a story that's set after the first one… enjoy peeps!

It was 2.00 am and a lot of people had work or college in the morning. The party should have gone on way longer, but when people started calling taxis on their mobile phones, Shelley understood why. She said bye to everyone, in fact, more people than she expected- it seemed that half the people here weren't actually invited. How come she hadn't noticed? She rubbed her temples, trying to ease her growing headache. Thank god for Tom. He sorted everyone out, even helped tidy up the worst of the mess. When the last guest finally left (Jerry and Sophia, stumbling away laughing- Tom looked worried about them) at about half past 2, Shelley was just about ready to collapse.

"Shelley? Are you alright? You look ready to collapse or something," said Chloe, putting a kind arm round her.

"Just tired, Chlo. I'll be fine. I think I'll go and get the sleeping bags from upstairs though…Tom and Amelia are cleaning up the mess in the living room."

"No, it's okay. I'll get everything sorted, you sit down. Just take two…or ten…or maybe even twenty." Chloe rushed off upstairs before Shelley had time to object.

Shelley wandered into the kitchen and sat on a bar stool, unaware that someone was creeping up on her from behind…

"Shell?"

"Kathy?! You scared me!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just wondered if you wanted a drink? I'm getting Tom and Matthew one so I thought…"

"That'd be great, Kathy. I don't know what I'd do without you guys…"

Without exactly knowing how or why, Shelley burst into tears.

"Oh, Shelley! Don't cry!"

Kathy gave her a huge hug. Amelia ran in.

"Kathy? What's up with Shelley?"

"Oh, I'm just being silly," cried Shelley, wiping away her tears as best she could.

"Tissues needed urgently!" said Amelia, grabbing some out of the box on the kitchen side and mopping her up.

"Don't cry, you'll mess up your mascara, and all your beautiful eye liner."

"I can't- stop- thinking about-" Shelley tried to sob her sister's name but she was crying too hard.

"Oh, Shell. You shouldn't give up yet. They'll probably find her soon. I'll bet she's wishing you a happy birthday right now, wherever she is."

"Are you guys okay?" asked Matthew uncertainly, hovering in the doorway. "'Coz Chloe's got all the sleeping bags sorted out so…"

"Yes, we're fine," said Shelley, composing herself as best she could. She wiped away a mixture of tears and mascara.

"You've still got panda eyes," teased Amelia, wiping them away with her thumb. Shelley forced herself to giggle, though it was the last thing she felt like doing. She opened her mouth- and there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, I'll bet you anything that was Stephanie. She forgets everything," sighed Shelley, and she went to answer the door.

She was too late though- Chloe had already got there.

"Sorry, there's no one like that here. I think you should get yourself home, it's late out, and there's all sorts of idiots around. Bye." She shut the door.

"Who was it?" asked Mathew, curious.

"Just some woman asking for someone who wasn't here. Are you alright, Shelley?"

"Sure, sure. Shall we get ready for bed now?" asked Shelley anxiously.

"Wait," frowned Tom. "Did she ask for someone called Tamara?"

"Uh, yeah. Are you psychic or something, Tom?" laughed Chloe uneasily.

"She came about an hour ago or something. I told her she wasn't here then, too."

"She might have special needs or something," giggled Amelia.

"Do you have any chocolate, Shell? I'm starving," pleaded Kathy.

"I think there's some in the fridge…Cadbury's? Help yourself. I'm going getting ready for bed. I'm so tired."

"Me too. That doesn't mean we're going to sleep, though," said Matthew, grinning at Tom.

It was then they heard the window smash…

They all turned as one, staring unbelievingly.

"It came from upstairs," said Tom. "Quick. Come on!"

They all bolted upstairs, Shelley's heart hammering. What would she tell her mum and dad? They'd be angry for sure…

Through the window in the master bedroom, someone had thrown a brick, and it was lying on the floor in amongst the shattered glass. A breeze blew in through the huge gash in the window, making Shelley shiver.

"Who'd do that?" wondered Amelia out loud.

There was silence for a bit. Then Tom went to the window and looked outside.

"There's no one out there," he said, a bit nervously.

"No one at all?" whispered Kathy, her eyes wider than normal.

Tom shook his head.

"Should we call the police?" asked Matthew. "That's like, criminal damage."

"Yes, definitely," said Chloe, snapping back into action. "And your mum and dad, Shell. You won't get into trouble for it. It's not your fault."

They all crept downstairs, Shelley and Tom making sure to lock the master bedroom door- just in case.

Matthew picked up the phone and dialled emergency services, then put the phone to his ear. Then he blinked, bending down and picking something up off the floor.

"Oh, God," said Chloe, running her hands through her hair.

The phone wire had been cut. They couldn't phone for help.

"But… if we were all upstairs…that means…" stammered Tom.

"Someone got in, cut the wire, got out. And we didn't realise," said Shelley, much more calmly than she felt.

A cold chill ran through all of them, and they all thought the same question- how?

"Check all the windows," said Amelia. "And the doors. Quick."

They ran from door to door, window to window. Shelley had always loved that her parent's summer house was so big. Now she wished it wasn't. She made sure all the windows and doors were locked, the curtains all shut. But the house wasn't impenetrable. That was what made Shelley so nervous and worried. She knew it was probably nothing, a cruel prank gone a little too far. All the same, it didn't stop her fearing the worst.

Amelia was closing the dining room's French door. It was as she was closing the curtains she noticed someone standing about 100 metres away. She gasped. The person wasn't moving. It wasn't clear if they were a man or a woman. Amelia wasn't sure whether she should call out to them, ask if they were okay. She peered closer. They looked strange, out of place. What were they doing?

BANG.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

A shrill, terrifying scream came from one of the many living rooms. It sounded like-

"KATHY!!!!"

It was Tom. Him and all the others ran to the room it came from. Kathy was lying on the floor, propped up on her elbows, staring at the window and hyperventilating, her eyes wide with shock.

"Kathy! What's wrong?" gasped Shelley, bending down to help her friend up.

"There was- someone- at the- window," she choked. "A man- with- a bag over his- head. He banged- and- scared me…"

"Oh my god," whispered Amelia.

"Right, from now on, we all stay together," declared Chloe.

It was obvious Kathy wasn't making it up. She was so frightened it was unnerving.

Shelley paused, counting them all.

"Where's Matthew?"

No one spoke. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Matthew?!"

"MATTHEW!" bellowed Tom when there was no reply.

"I'm going upstairs," said Chloe.

"I'm coming too! Please don't leave me," begged Kathy, starting to cry.

"It's okay, Kathy, it's okay," soothed Amelia. "We'll all go together, right, Tom?"

They all went upstairs, sadistically curious and scared at the same time. Chloe was the first to enter where they thought Matthew was.

She let out a shrill shriek, and stumbled backwards out of the room, her chest heaving, tears spilling down her cheeks. Shelley dared to look inside anyway, though she was terrified of what she might see.

She expected the worst and she got it- Matthew was dead. It looked like he'd been stabbed through the chest and stomach. Dark stains soaked through his grey T-shirt and the top of his jeans. His eyes were staring blankly in fright, his mouth open a little. Blood was splattered on the wall behind him.

Shelley swung the door shut and locked it before anyone else could see. Matthew had been a great friend. He was so kind and funny, friendly. She couldn't believe a whole life had just been taken like that. She'd never hear him laugh again, or speak to him. He was gone.

But she couldn't wait for it to sink in.

"Shelley? Is he alright?" asked Tom, though he knew as well as anyone what had happened. Shelley didn't reply.

"But-but-" stuttered Amelia. "That means that…there's at least two…I saw someone from outside the French door…and- that means there's someone inside the house!"

Kathy whimpered in terror. Shelley swallowed, resisting the urge to scream. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It said 3:25. Then she turned back to her friends. Whatever this was, it was definitely not a prank.