*Rrring!!!Rrring!!!Rrrring!!!*
Richard groaned, rolled over in his bed and started to pick up the phone.
Midway he stopped.
'Now, this could mean one or two things', he thought to himself. 'Either it's a wrong number, which I hope to God it is..or else someone's died. Oh God when was the last time I called my folks?! I should have- STOP!' he thought urgently.'Answer the phone, maybe it's just Rachel'. Rachel was his wife, she was visiting a friend in Ireland.
Richard picked up the phone.
'Hello?', he asked.
'Hello!', a cheerful female voice answered. 'Are you the official occupant of 24 Red Street?!'
'Eh, yes I am. Sorry, but who is this calling?' Richard asked, puzzled.
'My name is Shirley!' she chirruped.
Wrong number, Richard thought.
'Sorry Shirley', he said, 'But I think you have the wrong number'.
'Oh,I don't think so!', Shirley said, this time her voice sounded sinister.
'I think-' Richard began, but was stopped by a loud piercing noise from the phone. It soared through his skull and made him collapse on the bed in severe pain.
The phone line went dead.
The pain left.In its place came a numb feeling.Richard couldn't move.
He couldn't open his eyes or move any of his limbs.
A slow understanding horror dawned on him. He was paralyzed!
Richard tried to open his mouth to scream for help, but couldn't. Whatever that was on the phone made him completely helpless.
He tried to move one of his fingers. Impossible.
After about 10 minutes of trying to find sensation in his body, it felt like 10 hours to an exhausted Richard, he fell into a deep slumber.


******
When Richard awoke, he heard noises downstairs.
Someone was in the house!
Terror gripped him and he tried to calm down and see if he could move any part of his body, he tested his fingers. His index finger moved.
The paralysis was wearing off!
He still couldn't open his eyes but he could sense feeling coming back into his toes.
Richard paused sharply.
Someone was coming up the stairs.
They were trying not to make noise but Richard could hear them as if they were banging pots and pans together. Whoever was coming up the stairs was snickering silently.
Richard's eyelid flickered.
'Oh dear God, if you're up there, please help me!' He thought desperately. He started to cry.
What was going to happen to him?
Would he ever see Rachel again?
Who was this Shirley?
Whoever was on the stairs was now right outside his door.
The doorknob turned easily, noiselessly.
Richard was panicking, praying for his body to move. Both his eyelids flickered this time. His fingers twitched.
The thing in Richard's room was moving ever closer to the bed.
He thought he heard it say 'I finally have you!'
Richard could now open his mouth.
He must have been asleep for a good while because no sound would come out, only a shrieking wheeze.
The person, man Richard assumed, voiced a booming laugh and Richard felt his breath at his neck, taking in his scent.
Richard opened his eyes.
And when he saw what was there, he wished he'd never been born.