text: The power was out. I groaned and slammed my phone into the couch I had been lounging on. It was summer and everyone blasting their ACs probably caused a power outage. I got up from the purple velvet couch and walked out of the living room. “Dad! Can you call the power company!” I yelled into what seemed like an empty house. My words echoed off the walls. The eerie silence sent a tingle through my back. “I’m doing it right now! Go check the electrical box first.” My dad replied. Also yelling. My dad had always said a man had to learn to take proper care of the house. You know. Manly stuff. I never had an interest in building things or sports. My dad always thought of it as a weakness. I just saw it as an unfair stereotype. I like video games and art. I don’t want to nail things together in the garage. Nonetheless, I was taught. I grabbed a flashlight from the drawer in the kitchen. It was still light out but the basement and electrical room were pitch black. I walked down the wooden stairs into the basement. It was a nice basement. It was furnished and well decorated. But something felt off. I could explain it. I told myself I was being crazy. I probably was. I went about my business and went into the electrical room. I turned on my flashlight with a little click. I shined my light on the gray wooden box in the corner. I gasped. The buttons had been scrapped out. I ran my fingers along the cut metal. What is this? And out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadowy figure. I screamed and turned around to shine my light at it with one quick swoop. My dad stood there laughing. I frowned. I'm surrounded by idiots. I thought. “Can you not?! It’s not funny.” I said in an agitated tone. “Lighten up.” He said patting my back. Well more like slamming all the air out of my lungs. He examined the board and frowned. “Isn’t it weird the buttons are missing like someone clawed it out?!” I practically screamed. “What do you mean? Quit joking around it is just a short circuit.” He said in his usual disappointed tone. That's when I looked over and it was as if the buttons were never gone. He was right, it was just a short circuit. I scratched my head in confusion. Am I losing my mind? “I thought I taught you better than that. Oh well. I don’t have the parts to fix it today. I will have to go tomorrow, your sister has the car.” I sighed. I was not looking forward to staying at home with this group of nut jobs. And especially now that our air conditioning didn’t work. “Hey you know what. Let’s go get your mom and have a camping night!” He said in an enthusiastic tone. I nodded. That was at least better than staying inside tonight. I sprinted up the stairs toward my moms room. When I knocked on the door she didn’t answer. I almost thought she wasn’t there. But when I knocked again she answered in her meek voice. “Come in!” She said. When I came in she was sifting through her closet with clothes all over the floor. This was unusual for her. She was always a neat freak. “What are you doing?” I asked She turned around and smiled at me. The smile calmed me. It sent happy waves down my spine. “Oh just looking for my flashlight honey.” She said in her usual voice. “Okay, dad says to tell you he was thinking about having a camping night in the backyard!” “Oh! That sounds great! I’ll make us lunches and start packing.” “Okay mom. I will go help dad get the camping stuff.” Once we were all packed and ready to go we set our stuff out in our backyard. We actually had a nice set up. We had our firepit tents and picnic table. It was starting to get dark out so we sprayed ourselves with bug spray and started to cover up. Mom and dad went in their tent to grab some food. So I sat on my chair and looked out at the house. I couldn’t explain it but this whole day after the power went out I felt watched. It was a chilling feeling. I hated it. I looked over at the house. I was probably just fooling myself. Dad always said I have an overactive imagination. Wait. No. A figure stood in the window. It caught my eye. The second I saw it my blood ran cold. I rubbed my eyes as hard as I could but it didn’t go away. The figure was barely visible in the light of the fire and the lanterns. It was pitch black now which didn’t help to relieve my stress. The figure turned from a shadow to a long droopy balck mass. It had a large gaping mouth with several rows of gapping teeth. A long tongue licked the clear and pristine glass. I turned around to alert my parents. They were feet away from me. Just standing there. “Guys?!!!!” I said in a trembling voice. My parents looked at me. Dead in the eyes. Their eyes were almost blank. Nothing there. Just cold, darkness, and fear. The people I loved. We're gone. That’s the second I knew it. Just like the figure in the window. They morphed. They both turned into the horrifying monster I had just seen. I fell out of my chair. Every muscle in my body vibrates with alarm. I reach for something. Anything. A thought radiates in my head. It is almost primal. RUN. I get myself up and run through my yard. My Converse slap against the damp lawn. My heart is beating out of my chest. I have to get out of here. I think. But where is that? Suddenly a bright light blinds me. I try to make out where it is coming from. The driveway. My sister. OH NO MY SISTER. I ran as fast as I could to the driveway on the other side of my house. I stood in the headlights with a look of sheer terror. Without thinking I climbed into the passenger seat. “GO!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. My sister looked at me, startled. She hesitated unsure of what to do. But she saw the look on my face and knew it was urgent. “What about mom and dad?” She said. “It’s not them! I swear they are going to kill us!” I yelled. She put her key in but before she could start the car she looked forward. I have never seen here so terrified. Because there it is in the headlights. Looking right at us. There was no use now. We are already dead.