Nightmares - Short and Sweet before you Sleep Read online

the floor to try and hide despite there being nothing to hide behind or under.

  Bruce had had enough of the continued banging, stomping and screaming and so put his coffee on the table that sat beside his chair, put his recliner down and started up the stairs. Why couldn’t they just go to bed when they are told. Why could he not watch his show in peace without these kids causing trouble.

  He reached the top of the stairs and immediately walked towards Amanda’s room, he knew from the banging and where it correlated with the lounge room he had just come from that it was her room that all of the noise had come from.

  Reaching the door of his oldest daughter he reached out to the handle and turned it, there was no sound, no movement what-so-ever.

  They must be taking the piss, Bruce thought to himself as he reached out his hand for the light switch and flicked the button that fired the light into action – he was ready to find at least one of the children in there hiding out, or Amanda pretending to be asleep.

  But the sight that confronted him shocked him and made him buckle at the knees. With the light on the scene in front of him was not what he was expecting, there were no kids hiding, no one pretending to be asleep it was much worse.

  In the middle of the room were his oldest daughter, and only son, dead. Blood covered the roo, they had been cut open but Bruce was suddenly aware that it had only been about thirty seconds since he heard the screaming which meant that whoever had done this to his children must still be in the room, or at least the house.

  Bruce checked through the room, trying hard not to look at the bodies of his children on the floor and not to mess up any of the evidence that blanketed the room. There was no-one else in the room.

  Bruce quietly checked the whole house but once again he couldn’t find anyone, or any entry or exit point for that matter. He quickly woke the remaining two children and raced out of the house to wait for the police.

  While he stood outside, trying to put on a strong façade in front of his remaining children who, he could hear the sirens coming a sense of relief that help was on its way, it was then that Old Man Cook walked up the street towards his house carrying his bag from the local butcher. He gave Bruce a wave who returned the gesture.

  With everything going on, and desperate for the police to arrive it didn’t cross Bruce’ mind that it was ten o’clock at night and had been five hours since the local butchery had closed its doors for the night.

  The Filter

  Angela had been a single mother to her eleven year old son Connor for the last six years, ever since her husband had left after running off with his secretary at work to have what he called a ‘fresh start’.

  Angela and her son Connor had moved across town, into a new two bedroom apartment. Where over the last six years, as any parent does, Angela had gone without many of the luxuries in life to ensure that her only child had everything that he needed.

  She had a full time job, and when being able to find a babysitter or family member to look after Connor allowed, she would pick up all of the overtime that she could, especially around this time of year as the Festive Season started to build in momentum and Connor had become accustomed to the fact that this was the only time of year that he got a little something extra, above and beyond what his mother could and would usually spend on him that altered from the budget they stuck to as if it was a spending bible.

  Angela was very surprised after arriving home late from a double shift at work, as she wandered up the stairs to the front door of her apartment digging into her handbag retrieving her house keys from her bag, however stopping short from putting the keys in the lock when she noticed a parcel sitting at her front door.

  She picked up the box, inspecting the label and seeing that it was addressed to her, she unlatched the lock on her door and entered, apologizing for being late to her babysitter before sitting the box on her kitchen bench and retrieving the payment to give to the babysitter as she departed for the night.

  Saying goodbye to the babysitter Angela closed and locked the door behind her, before making her way to the doorway that led to her sons bedroom, standing there peering in on her little man as he slept peacefully.

  Angela smiled to herself, despite all the set backs in her life having Connor and seeing the little man he had turned into was something for her to be proud off.

  She quickly changes into her pyjamas and returned to the loungeroom where she poured herself a glass or red wine, something Angela thought she deserved after such a long day at work to help her wind down, and sat back on her couch scrolling through Netflix to find something to watch.

  After finding something she hadn’t seen before she clicked for it to play and sat back downing the glass of wine in her hand and as her mind began to relax so did her body and she soon drifted off to sleep.

  She awoke the next morning with her son Connor stroking her hair.

  “You’re so beautiful mummy,” he said a smile on his face, the excitement of the Christmas season clearly beaming on his face.

  “Thank your darling,” Angela said, a smile spreading across her face as she stretched and continued the usual battle with her eyes and mind screaming at her that she hadn’t had enough sleep but knowing she had to wake up and make breakfast.

  Pancakes made and Connor happily eating the short stack that she had placed on his plate, dripping with maple syrup just the way the eleven-year-old bottomless pit liked it. Angela threw cartoons on the television and jumped in for a quick shower to help wake her up properly.

  It wasn’t long before Angela was once again getting ready to work, Cynthia the babysitter was once again entering the apartment and Connor was preparing to continue work on his assignment that was due to be handed in at school in just a couple days time.

  Angela felt lucky, as a few hours later she found out that she wasn’t required to work the double shift that she had been expecting and would be home early enough to see Connor before he went to bed – she wasn’t sure how long it had been but it had been a few weeks since she could remember actually kissing him goodnight.

  Eight O’Clock came and Angela signed off from work and walked the block and a half home, excitedly she put her key in the door and made her way inside, Connor was very excited to see her and after saying goodnight and paying Cynthia for her work Angela and Connor began to share stories from their day.

  “Mum what’s this?” Connor asked picking up the package Angela had brought inside the previous night. Angela had completely forgotten about it and told Connor that he could open it for her.

  Connor couldn’t believe his luck and quickly ripped open the parcel that Angela had brought in the night before and placed on the counter. It was a brand new iPhone. Angela was just as excited as Connor when she saw what the parcel contained, she hadn’t had anything that was really ‘for her’ since her husband had left.

  “Mum can I set it all up for you?” Connor asked filled with excitement. Seem he had completed his assignment, and had done all of the chores that are constantly on his list, she nodded – after all she wasn’t sure how to set it all up technology wasn’t really her strong point.

  Angela could only smile as Connor ran off excited, she continued her nightly routine by grabbing a glass of wine, settling down in front of Netflix and pressing play on yet something else she doubted that she would actually see the end off.

  After predictably falling asleep Angela bolted awake an hour or so later she jumped up to send Connor to bed, but first glanced at the time and saw with the time zone differences now was the best time to give her mum a call.

  The phone rang just a few times before the familiar motherly voice answered the phone. After making small talk about work, and Christmas, Angela’s mother brought up about Connor which reminded Angela the reason for her call.

  “Oh Mum forgot to say thanks for the present I absolutely love it,” Angela said thinking of her son upstairs playing around on her new iPhone.

  “What present?” Angela’s mum replied
sounding confused.

  “The Christmas present you sent, it arrived yesterday I have just been so busy I didn’t get the opportunity to call earlier,” Angela said almost laughing off her mum’s confusing tone.

  “Angela, I have both you present and Connors present here, I was going to send them off tomorrow,” Angela’s mum replied still confused about what her daughter was talking about.

  “Mum, I will call you back,” Angela said, this time her turn to sound confused as she hung the phone up and ran upstairs. Her mind beginning to race. If her mother didn’t send the phone then who did?

  She ran into Connors room but the light was off, she flicked the switch as she entered and found that his room was completely empty. Angela began to panic and called our Connors’ name a couple of times but there was no response.

  She could see that both the toilet and bathroom lights were also off, meaning that he wasn’t in either of them, still calling his name she ran into her room and once again turn on the light as she entered.

  A brief of relief escaped her as she saw her son Connor fast asleep on her bed, the phone laying next to him. He must have fallen asleep while setting it all up for her. She walked over to where he lay, and picked up the phone.

  She glanced through to see how far he had actually gotten in the set up process and was surprised to see that the phone was completely set up, he