It's dark. The only source of light is the pale stream of moonlight filtering through the window in my room, shining through the slats in my closet door, shining on me.

I'm huddled on the floor of my closet, knees pulled tightly to my chest. I strain my ears, listening for any sounds in the silent house, listening for Her.
The only sound I hear is the ringing of my own ears. I pray that She won't come for me tonight, that She will leave me alone. Why did dad leave me here by myself? Why did he leave me here with Her? Of course, he didn't know. Nobody but me knew what She was. What She did.

I sit for what seems like an eternity, seeing things that aren't really there, hearing things that are only in my imagination. Midnight arrives. I relax a bit despite the cold sweat that runs down my neck and along my spine. Maybe She won't come. Maybe She had forgotten about me. Maybe She had gone to sleep. Even then I knew I was fooling myself. I wait a few more minutes, trying to calm myself, Trying to settle my scrambled nerves, and still nothing happens. The house remains dead silent. I decide to go out. I gather my courage and reach for the doorknob of my closet.

I freeze.

The sound of a single light switch being flipped echoes through the empty house.

Sitting as still as stone, I listen. My hands begin to shake uncontrollably as tears sting in the corner of my eyes. Suddenly, I hear the sound that haunts my nightmares: A loud, unbearingly slow scratching noise, like fingernails scraping a chalkboard.
It's Her.

My whole body trembles. Sweat beads on my brow and I try to muffle my heavy, panicked breathing with the back of my hand. The scratching becomes louder and louder, coming up the stairs, moving steadily towards my bedroom. Then I hear Her grating, snake-like voice.

"Where are youuuu..." She drawls. I hear a smile behind her evil tone. "You know I will find you! You can't hide from me."

She let's out a deafening screech. She is so close. I hear Her footsteps falling just outside my bedroom door and Her nails scratching the wall, when suddenly, all falls silent.
Still shaking, I listen. I hear nothing, but I know She is still here, somewhere, in this house, maybe only feet away, creeping silently up to my closet door.

Minutes go by slowly, but without any noise. Maybe She has gone, I think desperately. Maybe She is going to leave me alone. I peek through the cracks in my closet door. The moonlight still shines down onto the floor of my bedroom, coating everything in a ghostly, irridesent light. Nothing moves in my room. She has to be gone.

I am wrong.

Right before my eyes, I see Her bony form emerge from the shadows and creep towards me like an ape. Her thin, stringy hair stands out from Her liver-spotted scalp, and Her glassy eyes bulge as She stares at me, smiling like a lunatic.

I scream, though no one is there to hear me. She grins, flashing rotting pointed teeth and scuttles across my rug like a spider. She rips the closet door open as I crush myself against the wall and screams, "I found you!"