The boy''s heart pounded in his chest as he reached the front door of his home, his adrenaline pumping from a night out with friends turned sour. The darkness seemed to close in around him as he fumbled with the lock, desperate to enter without alerting his family.


    But his efforts were pointless. As he stepped inside, his eyes fell upon a torn yellow paper on the kitchen counter. Panic coursed through him as he picked it up and read the words scrawled haphazardly across it, each one like a knife twisting in his gut. Fear soon began to discard the facade that was the normally calm and collected boy.


    Time stood still as his mind raced, unable to comprehend the devastating truth before him. With trembling hands, he began to check every room in the house, praying for some sign that this was all just a cruel joke.


    In his parents'' room, chaos reigned. The bed was visibly torn up, and broken glass littered the floor, with it all drenched in a sickening mix of red and pink. His chest constricted with grief at the sight of what used to be his loving parents. And when he entered his older brother’s room, it was no different. Only this time, instead of shattered glass, there was the sight of his old beloved teddy bear torn apart, its insides spilling onto the floor.


    With a combination of rage and fear, he stalked towards his little sisters’ bedroom. Each step felt like he was dragging heavy weights, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. With trembling hands, he grasped the doorknob and twisted it with all his might. His heart hammering in his chest, he flung open the door and braced himself for the worst.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    He looked around for a moment. There was no blood… no broken belongings… nothing. They were alive, sleeping peacefully without any pause or hesitation To the boy’s immense relief, it appeared nothing had happened to them.


    As he shut their bedroom door behind him, the boy collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by shock and sorrow. He felt like he was going to be sick. In an instant, his once peaceful home had become a scene of unspeakable horror. How could this have happened?


    “W-Why me…”


    Eventually, the boy slowly rose, exiting the home in order to escape all of its mayhem. As he waited for help to arrive, in the dark shadows of the empty streets, he noticed the tall silhouette of what looked like a machine. It turned around to face the boy, its face remaining covered in the shadow of the late night.


    “H-HEY!” The boy yelled towards it.


    “...”


    “H-HELLO!?” He yelled once again.


    “…”


    The figure never responded.


    After having stared at each other for what had felt like hours, the mechanical figure finally dissipated into the darkness, leaving the boy alone to listen as the blaring sound of sirens from emergency vehicles turned onto his street.


    “WHY ME!?”


    BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP