Prologue

A woman shatters the silence in the night with a bloodcurdling scream that awakens Tre. At first, he shutters and pulls the covers over his head, praying that whatever he heard was a figment of his imagination. After a few moments of heavy breathing, he hears the sound of the woman again, shrieking as if she’s been torn apart piece by piece. Tre begins to breathe faster and harder as each second passes. Underneath his legs, he feels the wet sheets soak in urine; the putrid smell enters his nostrils. He waits, terrified, whimpering like a prey cornered by its predator. The woman lets out one more screech, but this time cut off, followed by a thud and an eerie silence.

Tre stayed hidden for a time, listening and hearing nothing. He doesn’t hear any movement, no creaks from the weight of an intruder on the floorboards, no more screaming or even the slightest hint of life on the other side of the door, absolutely nothing. He waits a little longer and then begins to lower the covers from over his head. All of a sudden, blue and red lights start flashing, getting brighter and brighter as each second passes. He takes the covers off and swings his legs over the side of the bed, trying to quietly place his right foot and then his left on the wooden floor. Tre begins to put all his weight on the wooden floor, and it starts to creak as he takes each step toward his bedroom door. 

Once he reaches the door, he leans in; his ear rests on the wooden surface and listens for anything, indicating life on the other side. Tre hears nothing, so he opens the door and pokes his head out before entering the hallway. He finds a bloody handprint to the right of his door that is smeared and leads around the corner to his parent’s bedroom. Before going around the corner, he waits a few moments before passing the hallway to the kitchen. He looks on both sides of the wall and sees a trail of blood leading into their bedroom.

As Tre passes the kitchen, he can see a police cruiser and its light flashing in his driveway. He wants to run out and get the police officer but instead decides against it. The boy makes his way into the vicinity outside of his parent’s bedroom and sees the door slightly ajar with blood smeared on the door handle. His instinct is to call for his parents, “Mom… Dad…” Neither of them answered. “Mom… Dad… Are you okay?” The gut feeling Tre had was gravitating toward the worst possible explanation imaginable. After not receiving a response again, he begins to cry as he steps closer and closer to their room. “Please, answer me.” He goes to push the door open and jumps as he hears the sound of hard knocking at his front door. “This is Officer James. We received a 911 call from this address. Is there anyone home?” Tre doesn’t answer, and he can’t answer. He’s stricken with fear. 

The officer knocks again, “If you don’t answer, I’ll be forced to enter the premises. Is there anyone…” Tre’s attention gets pulled away as he hears a snarling behind him. He becomes paralyzed, refusing to turn around and confront what lies behind him.