I walk through my empty house humming to myself. I head towards my kitchen to grab snack.

As I rummage through the cupboards looking for a decent snack that isn’t to fattening, I hear the floor creak. I freeze and look towards the hallway that leads to my kitchen; the direction the noise came from. A few minutes later, my dog patters into the room. I smile at her and rub her ears as she rubs her head on my leg.

I find a granola bar and take the empty box to the trash. The can is pretty full, so I pull the bag out and take my time tying the top into a knot. I pour myself some water, and munch on my granola bar. I finish the bar and my water and clean up my mess.

I take the trash out to my garage and don’t bother to flip the light on, walking the few feet to my trash bin in the dark. As I throw the bag into the larger bin, the little light from the door disapears.

I whip around and try desperatly to see through the thick darkness. I don’t see or hear anything for a few tense minutes. Then there is a scream.