The Terrors In The Night

Chapter One

Night time can be a terrible time. When you are all alone, or with no one awake with you. Alone in the darkness that most light cannot penetrate; it is a different place, a different world. Monsters lurk in the dark, just waiting to jump out and scare children and many an adult has stayed up late, sometimes accompanied by a bottle or drug, contemplating life and battling their thoughts. The worst of us comes out in that darkness. But some of us like that feeling we get when no one is around to see who we truly are, nobody to judge for the wicked and twisted thoughts we think, not a person to hear us cry away our sorrows and make the pain worse. Night time is a terrible time, but we like it just as it is.

I sat awake in my bed, letting my thoughts overpower me. It wasn't something I could afford during the light of day, with all my fellow students around, waiting for someone to slip up so they had something to occupy their little brains with. I thought of how one girl had picked on me because I had dark shadows under my eyes. If only she understood how liberating the feeling of the darkness was, she'd have bags under her eyes as well. Amy, my 'mother' kept telling me I had to sleep, even tried to slip sleeping pills into my dinner once. But I'd seen her do it and had refused to eat the food. I wanted my darkness, I wanted to be alone with only my thoughts to accompany me. I had learnt at a young age that I had to keep my thoughts from others, because they didn't think or feel the same as me. They didn't think of merciless murder of friends and family, or that knives were beautiful and should be used as decoration. I was a sadist, as the people who knew liked to put it. And I guess I was, in a non-sexual way. It made people wary of me, so much so that my own mother abandoned me with only a few words of advice.
"Never tell people your thoughts, never let them know. Hide them and everything will be alright."
She left me at the doorstep of the orphanage and they took me in, but I never forgot my mother's words of warning. I had tried for many years to find a time when I could let my thoughts free, but only the black veil of night was appropriate. People would say that it matched the colour of my soul and heart. I thought of how I'd have liked to kill the girl who picked on the bags under my eyes. I always preferred a knife, but strangling and beating her would both work just as well. I wondered how many people were awake right now, thinking about anything. Was anybody thinking about these things as well? Most likely the people who went through with their thoughts and killed people. I had always been told that that was wrong, murdering was bad. But sometimes the urge grew too great and I almost did it. I thought of those times and smiled. In all my 16 years, I'd never gone through with it. I'd never felt the thrilling sensation I wanted so badly. Never felt someone's blood on my hands. But I'd finally decided that was going to change, because I'd finally found someone that I couldn't control myself around. I looked at the clock and saw it was 11pm. Amy would be fast asleep by now. I got up and dressed in my hoodie and shorts. I needed to comfortable and moveable, in case I had to do a lot of running. I grabbed the biggest knife from the kitchen and put on my black runners. I grabbed my keys, anything I could possible need and walked out, locking the door behind me. I put my hood up, so I was now invisible to the naked eye. This is one of the other reasons I love night. I loved to hide in the shadows, invisible to the world.

I finally got to the address that would change my life. My victim would be the one girl that would not leave me alone. Found tiny reasons to hate me, like how I didn't put any makeup on, how I dressed, even how I ate. She was just an all-round bitch and she deserved to die. I walked up to the door and grabbed out some bobby pins. I'd been practicing my lock picking skills recently and I was certain I could do it. I knelt in front of the door handle and started picking the lock, but it instantly popped open. It hadn't been locked in the first place. I smiled at how easy this was and silently opened the door, walking into the lounge room, with all the furniture in it. I didn't know where she slept, so I just had to investigate and find it. I went down the first hallway and found a bathroom, a cupboard full of towels and sheets and a bedroom that I assumed was her brother's, because it had a boy's name on the front. If she has that too, then it will make this so much easier. I walk into the kitchen and right next to it is her bedroom. There was a very girly sign on the door reading 'Agalia'. It was pink and glittery and that made me want to do this more. I quietly opened the door and stepped in. I used my hands to feel around for a bed and quickly found it, moving along it until I was where I presumed her stomach would be. I listened to make sure she was sleeping, but I didn't hear anything. I stopped and got out my phone, pointing it at Agalia. She was sliced open from her neck to the bottom of her stomach and her arms and legs were in a similar state. I looked at her face and there as a gag there to stop her from screaming out, but her eyes were closed and I knew they would never open again. I suddenly realized that I was not the only one in this household who came here with intention to kill. I turned off my phone and quickly made my way out of Agalia's room. I held my knife tighter to my side as I moved quickly through the house. I was back in the lounge room, almost free, when I heard something on my left. I stopped and waited, listening for any other sounds. I could hear breathing and someone slowly walking towards me, trying but failing to be stealthy. I got very angry at whoever this person was, for they robbed me of my kill, of the feeling I wanted so badly. So I was going to substitute them for Agalia. I waited till I thought they were close enough, then lashed out with my knife hand, hitting something. They made a sound of shock, obviously not prepared for my attack. I didn't waste a second, I jumped towards where I had heard the sound and tackled someone to the ground. I quickly grabbed a knife from their hand and flung it out of their reach, then pinned them down and held my knife to their throat.
"I'm going to enjoy this, after you robbed me of my kill," I hissed and pressed into their skin.
"Do you like the dark?" the person, a female, whispered and I stopped.
"Yes," I stated, not wanting to get distracted from my task.
"What if I told you there's a group of us? Who thrive for the dark?" she told me and I lifted the knife off her neck.
"What do you mean by thrive?" I questioned.
"We like the dark. The peace and aloneness it brings. All the horrors that can happen in it too," she explained and I stop breathing. There were people like me out there? I'd hoped but I'd never believed it was true.
"How do I know I can trust you?" I said, trying not to get my hopes up.
"That's the thing, you can't. It's like darkness, you just have to know," she argued and I understood what she was saying. I jumped off her and heard her stand up.
"What's your name?" I asked. I saw a small light and knew she had her phone one and was looking for her knife.
"Avyanna," she answered.
"Cool name," I commented and I hear her make a noise of appreciation.
"Thanks," she mumbled as she found her knife and picked it up.
"Sorry about before," I added, referring to the cut I made on her.
"It's all good. I just wasn't expecting it," she shrugged. "What about you? What's your name?" Avyanna added. I didn't want to tell her my lame name, after hearing how cool and unique her name is.
"I'd rather not," I stated.
"I told you mine. It's only fair you tell me yours," she demanded.
"Fine. Maisie," I sighed.
"What's wrong with that?" she inquired.
"It's too girly and too normal, compared with something like yours," I grumble, crossing my arms.
"If it makes you feel any better, my actual name isn't Avyanna," she reveals.
"Then why?" I start.
"Because it's the name I choose when I joined the group and I prefer it much more," she interrupts.
"You mean, I can change my name?" I gasp. I would give anything to join this group and change my name. It's almost a dream come true.
"Only if you officially join the group," she told me.
"Where do I sign?" I asked.
"Before we continue this talk any further, we'd better get out of here," she replied. There was sense in that, so we both headed out and walked down the streets.
"So when do I join?" I asked, wanting to do it soon.
"Are you sure you want to?" she questioned, stopping in a certain spot.
"Positive," I insisted. She sighed, then smiled and pulled out a phone.
"Nikos, I've got another. Prepare the initiation," she instructed, then hung up and put her phone away.
"What are the conditions of me joining the group?" I questioned, wanting to know everything.
"You have to leave anything behind and start a new life. New name, new everything," she explained.
"Done," I nodded and she doesn't say anything.
"You'd leave your family that quickly?" she whispered.
"I never knew my real father, my real mother abandoned me because of this and I don't like my adopted mother," I revealed.
"Fair enough then," she agreed. A car pulled up right beside us and Avyanna moved towards it. A male got out and walked around, standing in front of me.
"This a new one?" he asked in a really strong Italian accent.
"Yep, I think she's going to do well in the gang," Avyanna answered.
"What's ye name?" he asked me.
"Wait till she's got her new one, Pietro. How did you feel when everyone was asking for your name?" Avyanna argued and Pietro looks at her.
"Do your names have meanings?" I asked and they both looked at me.
"Mine means 'rock' cause I'm so strong," Pietro answered.
"And mine means 'strong, powerful, beautiful woman'. Felt it summed me up," Avyanna added.
"I think it does," Pietro agreed and Avyanna slapped him on the arm as she climbed in the car. I think there's something going on between those two. I quickly got in the back as Pietro walked around and sat in the front.
"Hold on tight," Avyanna warned me. I was about to ask what that meant, when Pietro started driving. I clung onto anything I could, he drove so fast and swerved so much, I almost felt I was going to be sick.

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A/N: I'm not saying that all people who like darkness are murderers. It's just for the story. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone.