15 Candles.

15 candles sit around my dark room, all the flames flickering. I sigh loudly as I write my English paper about a horror story. Once upon a dark December? No that sounds corny. Oh! Three summers ago. Mm, nah. How do you start a horror story? Ugh! I sit back in my chair, tapping my chewed up pencil on the wooden desk. I turn to see one of my candles went out. What a bummer. My mom said those candles lasted at least 2 hours, it’s been 20 minutes. I go over to the smoking candle and set it on my dresser with the rest of the burnt candles. I jump on my bed and start reading Frankenstein. It’s a good book in my opinion, but I’m not so sure about this “creature.” Suddenly there was a tap on my window. I turned to the glass pane. I didn’t see anything. I turned back to the word filled pages. Tap tap tap. There it was again. I turned once more, nothing there. I got up and threw my book on my covers. I approached the window and looked out. It was just the snowy road outside. I pursed my lips and turned back to my bed. Another candle blew out. I blinked a few times to make sure I didn’t imagine it. I walked over and the smoke started rising. I scoffed and put that candle next to the recently burnt candle on my dresser. I slipped under my green colored covers and stuffed in my ear buds that were connected to my iPod. I put it on full volume and started drawing a rose. A second later, there was a big thump that came from downstairs. I took out my earphones and got out of bed. I pushed the door open and looked down the hall. There was nothing but darkness. “Hello?!” I yelled out into the darkness. No response. I sighed and closed the door. I turned to go back to bed when I heard the thump again, but it was louder. My heart started racing. I opened the door quickly and walked down the hallway. I stood at the top of the staircase, ready to scream out. I bit my lip and kept quiet. I ran downstairs, but quiet with each step. I heard a boom and then a groan. I gasped lightly and wanted to run back. But my legs weren’t moving. I started to panic. I clenched my fists and was about ready to scream when I felt a cool breeze down my neck. I shivered and turned. I ran up the stairs and quickly barged into my bedroom. My window was wide open and 3 candles went out. I ran to the window and closed it shut with force. I turned around to see my room flicker in the darkness. 9 candles left untouched. I put a single hand on my chest and took a deep breath. I closed the door to my room and went under my covers. If I didn’t think about the noises, I wouldn’t be as scared. I picked up my book and started reading immediately. I bit my nails out of habit, and to calm my nerves. A few minutes went by and I was already drowsy. Suddenly, another candle went out. That was eight. I got out of bed and looked at myself in the mirror. My mirror was a little foggy around the edges. I cleared the glass with my sleeve. In the reflection I could see a dark cloaked figure standing behind me. I turned quickly, but no one was there. I looked back to the mirror, but didn’t see anything. I just saw my candles flickering. I frowned and got up. I heard a crunch under my foot and I looked down. I stepped on the drawing of my rose. I picked it up and observed it. It had more than I had drawn earlier. It had added sharp thorns and a drop of blood seeping out of the stem. I dropped the paper and looked around the room. One more candle went out. I dropped to the floor, wanting it to end. A single tear shed from my eyelid. I pressed my ear against the wood of my floor and I listened for any sign of movement downstairs. There was nothing but silence. I heard my heart beat louder in my chest. Or was it someone coming up the stairs? I got up and opened the door once again. I looked out to see a figure in the distance of the hallway. I could see the cloak. My lips went dry and my eyes widened. I spun around to get the bat from behind my bed. Another candle went out. One by one, the beats got louder down the hall. I panicked and sat in my bed, waiting for him to come. I closed my eyes and counted to 15. One went out, two went out, and three went out. Sweat poured down my forehead. I suddenly opened my eyes to my room being quiet and the hallway still dark. The heartbeats stopped. Nothing was outside my door. There was no tapping on my window. 14 candles burnt out, but one still lit. I licked my lips and sighed softly. It’s all just your imagination girl. Fear is just something to work your cardiac muscles. I let go of my bat and relieved my tense body. I sat there in silence for 15 seconds. Then there was a light tap on the window, a single heartbeat, one last candle going out, and the scream of a girl who let fear overcome her.