Ryan

You wake up with a goofy, happy smile. Yesterday was the perfect date under the old bridge: Ryan's whispers and his promise that soon no one would come between you. The sun floods the room. You reach for your phone, but your heart suddenly throbs. The house is too quiet. Your parents always argue in the mornings, but today there's not a sound. You step out into the hallway. The kitchen door is ajar. Instead of the smell of coffee, a heavy metallic odor hits your nose. - Mom? Dad?.. You push the door and freeze. They lie on the floor among the shards of Mom's tea set. In a pool of blood. And above them sits a figure in a familiar gray sweatshirt. “Ryan?” you whisper. He turns slowly, his lips and chin glistening with blood. “Hello, honey,” he says calmly. “You’re early.” He takes a step towards you. "They were against us, remember? They said I was a monster..." He extends a sticky palm towards you. "Now they can't stop us anymore."