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Somewhere in the backwoods, an owl hooted. The darkness permeating around Livinggood mansion silenced even the flying bats and crickets. Although the moon was half lit; it was blanketed in a thick gray fog, diminishing its brightness.

The eerie stillness was unnoticed by a very hurt, shamed, guilty Katie who ran through the garden into the stable, cursing and chastising herself for doing the most sinful thing according to her. That was not how she was raised and thinking about the hurt and surprise Patrick showed after receiving the blow made her sob stridently.

Katie was never a girl to cry and having to cry in such a situation, physically and emotionally drained her. She was shaking like a leaf in the darkness, fumbling at the bolt outside the stable door.

"Oh what did I do?" was chanted constantly by the restless girl whose guilt shook her body in every corner. After getting her hand on the first horse she could, she slapped herself hard and ran with the horse without a sense of direction.

Her cheeks stung and burned as salt water caressed her them. Yet, she wasn't consoled in any way. Her sobs crushed everything; muting Katie from her surroundings. If she had paid attention to her surrounding for once, she would have seen the dark silhouette standing by the corner even though it was moving at an alarming rate just as the horse did. If Katie turned to her side by any chance, she could have seen the tall, floating mass of black smoke standing there looking straight at her with black hollowed eyes.

Back home, it was a frenzy of activities. Even though Em ran behind Katie, she couldn't reach the athletic figure of Katie who excelled in football who won the state champion award in high school. Even though Lucy tried, she couldn't even spot which was Emily ran in search of Katie.

Patrick was still traumatized. He was rooted to the spot where Katie left him, looking at the distance, unable to utter a word.

Everyone misunderstood the shock to be from the slap; but in fact, Patrick was paralyzed with fear as he saw a tall, lean figure with many eyes staring at him as Katie raised her hands to slap Patrick. He, in fact, saw the hand supporting Katie's wrist to slap him. And now, he couldn't even mention what was happening and Lydia was crying for Patrick and Katie.

Emily searched the stables and realized one of the old horses was gone. She whistled for rocky and he came running from the kennel. He was directed to sniff the old girl's stable and he dashed into the distance with his tongue wagging out. He loved strolling at night.

Em and Lucy mounted on black and set off behind rocky to find Katie.

Katie, on the other hand, was astonished to have reached the bridge mansion once again without her will. The old horse stood in front of the gates as if he was being commanded to do so. Katie looked at the horse and then to the house. She wanted to be distracted and she decided that she will spend her time in here, this night.

Coming here in broad daylight was different but coming here at night is completely a different story. Her heart suddenly constricted in thick waves of terror. The overgrown plants and shrubs looked like limbs protruding out.

Even though the clouds hung on the moon; the moon was adamant to keep company for Katie.

Katie walked into the depth of bridge mansion keeping her vision down. She needn't do anything to be distracted; since the sound of the slap stung her conscience and she was crying again. Her grief crushed her and she fell into a crumbled mess onto the stone staircase leading to the arched entrance.

She sat there sobbing and saying 'I am sorry, dad,' over and over again as if that will cure her aching heart. Nothing did. She knew she had to go apologies to him, but her hurt heart didn't let her do that. Even if what she did was wrong, how dare he talk about her mother like that? She wiped her tears away and slapped herself to think rationally. 

Of course, she had seen her mother being ill and sad all these years. She wasn't a fool. And now, that he said he doubted Katie to be his own when she was sure her mother won't do something as unholy as that; she was angry. But father did tell that and she couldn't deny the hatred and disgust in his face at the moment.

Once again, her anger fueled the blood in her veins and she fisted her palms forcefully. 'Of course, I should have hit him hard enough to break his nose,' thought Katie. As suddenly as the anger coursed, the shock and hurt in her father's eyes made her worry with guilt. Hadn't he supported her, provided for her, even if he doubted Katie wasn't his? 'Oh dear, oh dear...' Katie started sobbing again.

The emotional battle continued for half an hour.

Emily, although, she left the stable half an hour ago, she couldn't find where Katie disappeared. Rocky seemed to be confused because he was going in circles, taking Emily to the same spot he took her before. Feeling frustrated, she called back rocky and went home.

Patrick was made to sit on the couch with the help of his two brothers who were in a conflict to go in search of Katie or help Patrick. Upon seeing Em and Lucy back; they were worried even more. Where could have Katie ran off to?

Patrick had started to say incoherent things with saliva dripping out from his opened mouth. He was pointing to a specific spot where he had seen the thing and was trying to say something but it didn't mean anything. Patrick's eyes watered and he was made to sit as he forcefully stood up to prove his point. Unfortunately, no one was clear what he was mumbling.

The elders were talking about bringing the family doctor home and sedating him.

Meanwhile, Katie was back to her senses and she decided she will say sorry to her father and got up, dusted herself to leave when she noticed something very peculiar. The main double doors were slightly ajar.

Confused, curious and very much interested, Katie walked to the door and opened it slightly. It indeed was open. She wondered if she should check it out without the others or if she should wait for the others.

Deciding she would try it out now while she was here, Katie walked in and fumbled for a light switch. After a while, she touched something in the wall that felt like a light switch and tried it on. It didn't work. Sighing hard, she was about to leave the place since it wasn't brave to tour this place without light. The house was abandoned, so it might house dangerous animals or something, Katie thought and turned to leave when she saw a light passing through the stair landing.

It felt like a flickering candlelight. She was so curious that she walked to the place where she thought must be the staircase and looked up. Indeed the place was as big as it seemed, thought Katie.

Suddenly the light materialized into the second stairs up above and she saw a small girl, about four or five years old with golden locks and piercing blue eyes staring at her.

"Who are you, what are you doing at my house?" she asked with a sweet sleepy voice that Katie felt sad for the girl to live in such a bad shape.

"Do you live here? Please tell me where your parents are? Or come with me." Katie said.

The light grew nearer and she saw the girl sported very pale skin that could be mistaken for transparent paper. She stood few feet away from Katie.

"Do you see me?" the child asked innocently.

"Of course, I can see you. Now, please come with me. It's not safe here."

"People cannot see me and this is my house. Please leave. You have angered my nanny." She said in a much-tensed voice.

"Where is your nanny? What do you mean by people cannot see you?" Katie asked suddenly anxious and sweating with a shiver moving up and down her spine like a cold serpent.

"You should leave. You mustn't make nanny angry. She can kill you. She killed my father." The child whispered.

This time, Katie felt herself tremble in the gaze of this five-year-old child. She opened her mouth to take this kid with her but she sensed someone was standing behind her back. Katie tensed for a moment and was about to turn around to take a look when the kid tugged at her wrists and said in a very sweet, scared voice; "DO not turn back. Please, close your eyes and run. Do not come here. Do not turn back."

But Katie was being too curious. She wanted to know what was behind her back. She ignored the child's pleas and turned around when the child yelled impatiently, "I said don't turn back. Please..."

It was too late by then, Katie turned around holding her breath to see a reddish black face looking back at her with hollowed fiery eyes and snarling smile with thousands of teeth- long sharp and ugly, looking back at her.

The child's scream resonated through the house as Katie got paralyzed in fear with her eyes wide as saucers and mouth opened big enough to swallow a hen. Her hands were on her chest and stood still looking at the cracked charred skin of the creature with two wild horns that sparked electricity from the tip.

"You will regret this." this thing growled to her face and once again she heard the child screaming, with a ring in her ears, and acute pain in her right cheeks.

Katie didn't realize she had fallen down with the slap she got on her left cheeks and the ringing was, in fact, the impact of the slap she got. The screaming child was trying to save Katie from the creature but didn't survive since she was crying in agony, feeling fire eating her transparent skin.

Katie's world was a total blackness where a creature with too many eyes stared at her, repeatedly saying, "You will regret this."

While Katie was unconscious on the grim floor, Patrick was on the bed mumbling and shouting incoherent words. Emily tried hard to understand what he said but she couldn't mix the two most important words he said; Brighton forest and bridge mansion.

She just heart, blah pansion and Bri gorest.

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The drama begins... Drum Roolll people....