Laying in bed on a lazy and seemingly never-ending Friday afternoon, you scroll aimlessly through your phone. Your school uniform lay strewn across the room on various objects, the mess a physical representation of your state of mind.

Caught in the familiar trance of doom scrolling, you failed to notice the rapid passing of time.

3: 49 pm

6: 31 pm

1: 00 am

Just as you were dozing off, the soothing and rhythmic sound of rain and wind pushing against old window pains filling your ears, you suddenly shot up at the sound of the front door opening and closing. It couldn't be your parents since they were away for the weekend, and by the way, the door slid subtly across the wooden floor and cautiously hissed to a close it was painfully obvious whoever it was was trying to stay hidden.

Heart pounding in your chest, you held your breath and pulled yourself out of bed. Widened eyes travel across the dark landing as you peer out from your bedroom. However, all you could hear was the storm outside your heartbeat and every single tiny breath you took. Everything seemed to be too loud in your panicked state, yet you still couldn't hear anyone else.

Painfully, your throat tightened, and you found yourself unable to breathe properly while staring into the darkness as if you expected it to jump out at you.

creak

It was subtle, barely noticeable, but you caught it. The sound of the staircase creaking was all you could focus on as your face drained itself of colour. You couldn't see anyone, but you could hear them, practically feel their presence coming up the unstable staircase.