I felt uneasy the rest of the day. I couldn't think about anything but that room. What did it all mean? What's really going on here? I wanted to go back outside, but the rain was pouring down in sheets. The world outside was a gray haze of thick water droplets falling from the sky. The wind howled against the house, making the old boards creak even more. It was only six o'clock in the afternoon, but the storm made it seem later. The only lights were the grayness of the clouds and the lightning that snapped the scene like a giant camera.

We watched a movie I've never seen before, nor ever heard of. Everyone, except Betty and Henry, gathered around the television as if this movie was some new blockbuster. Again, I couldn't focus on anything, but the bedroom. I stared blankly at the screen, watching what was happening, but I was off in my own world.

Should I tell Mrs. Morrison? Am I overreacting to something that, in the end, would mean nothing? Do I have the right gut feeling? Or am I looking too far into it?

Before I knew it, the movie was over and I had barely seen any of it. If there was a quiz afterwards about it, I would fail on a stupendous level.

Dinner was meatloaf, again. It was just as bland and dry as all the other times. I had to force it down with the plain potatoes and the watered down kool-aid. It feels, and tastes, like Betty shops for the cheapest ingredients she can possibly find. They aren't very good, but nutritious enough to keep us going.

After dinner, I got out of my dress and threw it on the bed. I got into my nighttime clothes and sat in my room, watching the rain race down the window. I'd make it a game to see where the drops were at on the window after each flash of lightning. That kept me entertained for about ten minutes before that too became lost to my wandering mind.

Is Shelby okay? Whose blood was that on Henry's shirt? Was it his from working outside? Or is it someone else's...?

I was pulled away from my thoughts as my tiny lamp on the night table flicked off after a bright bolt of lightning. The thunder that followed, rumbled the house with the sound of many tanks firing at once. It was so loud that it made me jump and stand up from my seat.

I couldn't see anything in my now pitch black room. I heard Betty and Henry yelling something to each other downstairs. Henry had a generator, so I figured that's what the topic of their conversation was. I grabbed my phone and turned on its flashlight. I scanned the room, memorizing where everything was, then opened my door and did the same to the hallway. I turned the light off and hid my phone under the cushion that sat by the window.

The entire house was dark, but thanks to the short burst of light from my phone, I knew the layout. I traveled down the quiet, empty hall. All the other kids were in their rooms I suppose, being quiet and obedient like always. The way they obeyed just didn't seem natural. It almost seemed like it wasn't them obeying, but a program. They didn't talk back, have fun conversations with each other, or do much of anything except what they're told. It gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I found the stairs and made my way down, as quietly as I could. From here on out, it'd be luck and memory that got me around.

"Now's the time to see what's in that shed. The kids are in their rooms and Betty and Henry are occupied." I traced the bobby pin that was still tucked under my hair and sighed in relief when I found it.

I made it to the kitchen. It was just as quiet as dinner is every night, so this wasn't new. Lightning flashed again, revealing a flashlight on the counter.

"Yes!" I whispered loudly.

I walked over, picked it up and held the end against my palm. I clicked it on and sure enough, my hand became lava lamp red. I tucked it under my shirt and went to the back door. I heard Betty's and Henry's voice somewhere off in the house as I stood as still as I could. I lightly turned the knob and popped the door open, instantly smelling the smell of rain and wet ground. I gave one more look back and went outside.

I ran to the apple trees, quickly clicking the flashlight once to see where I was at. Luckily enough, the rain had washed away the dirt I used to cover the fork, so there was a shiny object that was illuminated when I flashed the light. I picked it up and hustled over to the door. By now, I was soaked from head to toe. The rain was cold and the wind made it even colder. I brushed off the chills and knelt by the big shed. Again, my heart raced, out of control. I was excited and scared to find out what I'd find here.

I set the flashlight down and pulled out the pin. I bent the tines so that only one was sticking the way I needed it. The rain pelted my face and back as I struggled with the lock. I wiggled the pin and fork, twisting and turning them to get it to unlock. Right before I gave up, a soft click sounded and I smiled, pulling the padlock off and setting it on the ground. I picked up the flashlight and gripped the wooden door, threw it open and ran inside.

I scanned the shed with the flashlight. The cement floor looked suspiciously clean for a shed. Tables lined the walls with varied tools atop of them. Saws, saw blades, screwdrivers, hammers, rope, chains of different sizes, zip ties, wrenches, some weird L-shaped thing that was marked like a ruler. There was also a push lawnmower, a pitchfork resting against the wall, an axe and a chainsaw in the back corner.

What really caught my attention, was the hatch on the floor. I crept across the floor, inching my way towards it. It had a padlock as well, but it wasn't locked. The lock was just through the loop, to prevent it from being opened without taking the lock off. I crouched down, shaking from excitement as I reached for the hatch. I stopped in my tracks as a slam sounded from behind me. I turned, expecting to see Henry or Betty, but nothing was there. It was just the door being opened and closed in the wind. It smacked a few more times, sounding the same way before I felt comfortable enough to believe it was just the wind.

Normally when the phrase "it's just the wind" is used, it's usually NOT the wind, but in this case, it is.

I smiled at my smart thought, feeling happy that I thought of it on my own. I went back to opening the hatch. I undid the lock and flipped the latch up. I gripped the small handle and pulled up, opening the hatch. The smell hit me hard. It smelled like a mix of blood and something rotten. I had to cover my face with the bend of my arm to try and block out the stench.

I flashed the light over the hole left by the hatch. There were several wooden steps leading down to a dirt floor below. I bent lower to the ground, trying to get a further look in without actually climbing in. All the flashlight showed was the same dirt floor and a ton of floating dust or dirt in the air. The longer I stayed there, the more the excitement drained away and was replaced by fear. A lump formed in my throat that wouldn't disappear, no matter how much I tried to swallow. This place gave off bad vibes, really bad vibes. I wanted to go down and see what was down there, but I ended up closing the hatch, putting the lock back on and hurrying out of there. I locked the shed, put the pin back in my hair and put the fork back into the dirt by the trees.

I ran to the house and quietly got inside. I watched out the window a bit, listening to the rain hit the window. Suddenly, the lights in the kitchen turned on.

We got power back!

I relaxed a bit and closed my eyes. When I reopened them, my heart stopped.

Henry's reflection stood behind mine, staring intently at me. I felt his eyes burn a hole into the back of my head. I turned around and came face to face with his hand. His hand wrapped around my neck and his other remained hidden behind his back.

I tried fighting for air, but it was no use. He held me against the door, squeezing my throat. A sharp pain shot up my arm then. I looked down and saw a needle sticking out of my forearm. He pushed the syringe and emptied the liquid into my veins. He let go and I fell to the floor, gasping for air.

"What the hell did you do?!" I screamed. I grasped at my neck as I breathed.

"You saw something you shouldn't have. You should've listened. Now, you can't leave." His voice was deep and stern.

Soon after he said that, my vision spun and I started to lose mobility of my body. I couldn't feel a thing, not even when I face planted the ground after trying to stand up. I couldn't move my body anymore. I flicked my eyes back and forth, the only thing I could do. Henry sat me up and looked me in the face.

"You're paralyzed. Don't worry, it's only temporary. But by the time it wears off, you'll still have limited movement." He gave a cheeky grin.

What the hell is going on? What's happening? Am I going to die? This is something out of a horror movie!!

I started to panic, making my pulse deafening loud in my ears. My eyes teared up, making everything an unfocused blur. Henry opened the door and the light from the kitchen lit up the rain falling outside. He grabbed a fist full of my hair and dragged me out the door. If it wasn't for me not able to feel anything, this would hurt like hell. I could do nothing, except watch the house and my feet drag in the mud as he pulled me to the shed. We made it inside and I heard the latch and then the hatch open. The shed was lit up by a single lightbulb, dangling from a long cord in the middle of the ceiling.

He's... he's taking me down there?!

He pulled me to the edge and pushed me in. My body rolled and bounced down the steps, ending up on my back in the dirt. I watched him through a cloud of dirt and dust as he stepped down the stairs. The last fully lit thing I saw was his face in the faint light from the shed before he closed the hatch.

There was a faint light from behind me, but I had no idea where it could be from. We were underground, under the shed. He began dragging me again, still I felt nothing. All I could do was see, hear and smell. The dark eliminated one sense, I was left with smell and hearing. The smell was powerful and gross. The smell of blood, dirt and musk filled my nose as I took unregistered inhales. If I had control of my muscles, I'd probably be gagging. The only sounds I heard were that of my body dragging across the floor and Henry's raspy, agitated breaths as he pulled me along.

The long, dirt hallway opened up to a room. He took me to the wall and sat me up. There was the rattling of metal; chains. He rose my hands above my head and the chains rattled some more. He stepped back to look at his masterpiece, my arms didn't come back down.

Henry walked over to the side, out of my line of sight and reappeared with a rag. He held it in his hand and knelt in front of me.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that?" He forcefully wrapped the rag over my mouth and tying it behind my head. "The paralysis will wear off in about an hour or so. No need to worry." He gave an evil chuckle.

He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. The light I saw before flashed from behind a curtain. I watched his grotesque shadow move to and fro, at one point looking human, but then suddenly stretching and morphing into so monster.

That's befitting of this situation. It's ironic, the shadow shows who he really is.

The light appeared again for a split second and I heard the sound of the curtain move back and forth, signalling he had left the other room. He came back into view, just a darker silhouette against the black room. I felt a slight prick in my arm. So faint, that it could've been my imagination.

"You'll feel sleepy soon. It's healthy to get enough sleep." He laughed insanely.

He got up, unmoving for a bit, then left. He walked towards the hatch. A few seconds later I heard the squeak of the hinge and then the sound of the hatch closing and being relocked.

Just as Henry said, my eyes started to drop by themselves. The faint light from the distant room illuminated through the curtain just enough for my eyes to get use to the dark. I started making out shapes, like tables and chairs. Maybe even other chains on the wall. In the far corner, I swear I saw movement. A bigger, darker shadow in a room of darkness. I tried to focus, but my vision blurred. I watched the light because it gave me a sense of relaxation. Slowly, the room I began to be familiar with, drifted into an abyss.

Then I saw nothing, but black.