1 Case 1 - Disappearance

Johnny walked down the stairs to greet his mom and dad a bye. They were going out of town for a job. Being the child of two working parents, Johnny had the habit of living alone for a long time and usually enjoyed himself. He watches TV, eats sweets and plays games. For an 11 year old, Johnny learned to enjoy himself on his own.

But this time it was different. His parents were going out for one day now. So it's not possible for him to stay at home alone. For this reason, his parents appointed a babysitter, Rebecca, a 16 year old girl.

"Please take good care of him. We will make sure to return as soon as possible." Johnny's mother said as she was standing on the doorway, ready to depart.

"And don't worry about your payment. You will get it as soon as we return haha." His dad said.

"You both can go without any tension. I will make sure this little guy doesn't gets too scared at night and will keep an eye on him!" Rebecca ensured both the parents.

Johnny's mother bent down to talk to her boy. "Listen Johnny. Don't trouble Rebecca. She is like your big sister. Think of her as me for tonight, okay?" Johnny nodded. "Yes mom."

He looked at his dad with teary eyes. "Don't worry champ. We will be back. I know you can stay tonight. You are a strong kid, right buddy?" Johnny nodded again.

They started walking towards their car. Johnny's mother was still restless.

"Go to bed early! Don't stay up late! Don't play too much games and don't forget to study! Do eat your food on time! And yes do-"

"Darling, just stop." Dad said. "He has grown. He is not that kid who used to cry when we left. And moreover, he had stayed alone many times. It's just this time it's night. But Rebecca is there to take care of him."

"Ummm.... Yes. I just hope he won't create any problems her."

"Don't worry." He closed the trunk of the car. They both seated themselves in the car.

*SKRRRR* The engine started and the car accelerated. They looked at the window of the house. Rebecca was standing with Johnny. They were waving goodbye. Mom and dad waved goodbye too, and the car drove off.

Johnny stepped back. Rebecca closed the curtains.

She turned to Johnny. "Alright little guy. It's.... *checks the clock* nearly 10 at night. I give you ten minutes. Go to sleep."

"Five minutes? Isn't that like... Too short?"

"No back answers. I ordered you. You should obey your elders."

Johnny made an annoyed face and started walking upstairs to his room with banging steps. Rebecca dives into the sofa. She was looking at the ceiling. Her hairs were spread out, and legs were crossed.

Rebecca sighs. "What should I do now... " She thought. "I don't really want to use my phone right now, but I don't wanna sleep too. I can't do any chores, Johnny's parents already did everything before leaving. Thinking of the little guy, he might be already trying to sleep.."

*Knock knock*

She hears a knock on the door. The complete silence broken by the sudden noise scared her for a moment. Her heart skipped a beat. She sat upright and stretched herself to check outside through the window beside the door. But she could see no one.

*Knock*

Another knock. And this time, a single one. "Who would be there this late at night? Is it someone for sir and madam (Johnny's dad and mom)? I guess they forgot to inform the guest that they were going out tonight. I might tell them."

She walked towards the door and grabbed the doorknob. But before opening it, she decided to take another look through the window, this time from up close so she can see right in the front.

She got down on her knee and pressed her face against the window. But to her surprise, she saw no one. Confused, she looked around to see if someone was playing a prank on her. Still, no one.

She got back up. "Did I just misheard the knock? I am not sure but this late..... Is it something spooky?" She looked upstairs. "I should check Johnny."

She hurried her steps to the room upstairs. "He should be asleep right now. Gosh this is frightening." She thought to herself.

She reached the floor and walked to Johnny's room. She opened it, and what she saw shocked her.

She saw Johnny playing video games under his blanket. The sound of the door opening startled him and he removed his blanket, only to find Rebecca angrily staring at him.

"Sis- sister?" He said an awkward smile.

She walked towards him and stretched out her hand. "Hand it over to me, young man."

"I promise, I won't play it again! Please don't take it I am just going to go beyond my own highest score!"

"Well if you don't get enough sleep then you would have baggy eyes and people won't like you. *Whispering* Also I need my payment in full."

"But-" "NO BUTS! This is an order from the jury!"

With a sad face, Johnny handed the video game to Rebecca.

"Now. Sleep." "Yes maaaaam"

Rebecca walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. After closing, she looked at the video game.

"Finally! I found something to kill time." She started walking down stairs while playing the game. She tried her level best to play the game, but just fifteen seconds into the game and she lost.

"Shoot. Might try it again."

She pressed the play again button while walking on the stairs. Just then....

*Knock Knock!*

Once again, there was a knock on the door. And this time Rebecca was sure that she didn't misheard it. It was really someone knocking.

She stepped down and went to attend the door again. She opened it. No one.

"Fuck.... This is starting to get annoying now...."

She closed the door and started walking back to the couch. But she stopped midway.

"Thinking about it..... I really feel creeped out right now... Johnny is upstairs, no one's home, and there is this knocking. Is someone stalking me....? I have not noticed any guy except the ones I know trying to approach me in any way....."

She sat down on the couch again and tried to divert her mind by playing video games. But she could not focus on the game. Even after losing many times, she played again without quitting, because she didn't paid even the slightest of her attention to what was happening in the game. All she was thinking was the possibility of who could knock the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

Someone knocked again. And this time, it was louder and felt more aggressive.

Rebecca was now truly scared. She kept the video game down and searched for something on the couch with her hands while her eyes were affixed on the door. Her breath was getting heavier, and her throat was drying up.

She found nothing on the cushion. So she decided to take a look around. But she couldn't gather enough courage to look away from the door.

"What should I do....? I... I don't want to open the door without anything to guard me.... Okay.... Okay... Calm down... First I should peep through the window again."

She very slowly got up, and walked towards the closest wall first. She stuck her back to the wall because she felt uneasy to keep her back open. Sticking to the wall, she made her way to the door window. The curtains were down, so she had to peek through the curtain in a way which whatever the thing standing out doesn't notices that she is peeping.

Rebecca reaches the bathroom door which was beside the entry door, and slowly reaches the door window. She kneels down to open the curtain and peek from the bottom. She shifts the curtains a bit to see what was outside. But again, she saw no one.

While she was relieved it was no one, she was still scared that if it was no one, who was it. She ran to the kitchen beside the stairs and grabbed a knife. Then she hurried back to the door. She placed her hands on the door knob to open it.

*Knock. Knock.*

It was heard again. Two knocks heard after a short break between one another. And Rebecca was horrified. Horrified not only for the fact that the knock was heard. But for the fact that the knock was NOT on the main door.

It was beside the main door, the bathroom door.

She looked towards her left, where the bathroom was located. Her legs froze, and the knife nearly fell from her leg. But then she stopped thinking. She didn't moved for a whole minute.

"I... I must check it.... In the bathroom...."

She gathered the whole courage of her lifetime and stepped towards the bathroom. When she confronted the door, she was not sure enough if she should really do it. She closed her eyes and bashed inside. She swinged the knife around a few times and hit some boxes, hurting her own hands.

Standing still for a while, she slowly opened her eyes. As the vision cleared, she saw.... No one. She switched on the lights of the bathroom. She checked behind the curtains, inside the lid. But no one to be found. She stood besides a mirror, her heart beating so fast she felt it might burst out.

She looked around and at the mirror, and was horrified.

For a split second, she saw the reflection of herseld already looking at her before she looked in the mirror. As soon as he looked, the reflection adjusted to match her movements. She threw the knife at spot and made a run upstairs, leaving the bathroom lights and door open.

She went to the parent's room, which was given to her to sleep. But before going, Johnny crossed her mind. She's got to insure the Johnny is safe.

In an instant, she made a run towards Johnny's room and opened it. To her relief, Johnny was safely asleep.

She first thought if sleeping in Johnny's room, but his bed was too small to adjust two people. Still, she thought that she sleep on the floor rather than sleeping alone. She stepped inside the room, and then she saw a mirror, right parallel to Johnny's bed. She could not gather the courage to enter the room, and went to the parent's room instead.

There was a mirror too, but Rebecca covered with with a cloth, without looking at her reflection, as she was scared enough of the split second, it doesn't matters if it was her imagination. It was scary enough to force her to bed.

She lied on the bed and covered herself entirely with the blanket. Not even a single opening. And with that, after a while, she fell asleep.

But it was far from over.

3.30 A.M

Rebecca's sleep broke. She got up and looked around her. Soon she remembered all that happened just before she slept and lied back again. She extended her arm to check the clock. 3.30 A.M, it says.

It's the witching hour. And she knew it's not the best idea to stay awake. She closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.

*Knock Knock*

Once again. The knock was heard. She squeezed the pillows around her head to reduce the sound as much as possible. Rebecca was now sweating with horror. Another knock was heard. And another. And it was not long before she realised that the knock are not from downstairs.

It's from the room.

*Krrrrr*

Rebecca heard a door open. She was literally crying right now. Her heart could not take it anymore. It was enough. She decided death is much, MUCH better than the situation she is in.

But she didn't hear anything after the opening of the door. There was just... Silence.

Then the lamp beside the bed was switched on.

"Sister...?" The voice said.

It was Johnny's voice. Rebecca felt relieved. At least she could now have someone to accompany her, which is much better than being alone.

She uncovered the blanket, only to see no one there. Or was it.

There was a hand, extending from a small part of the mirror that opened when the closet door was opened a little. That caused the cloth to reflect Rebecca's body a little, and that's where the hand was coming from.

Rebecca screamed at the top of her voice. The hand started pulling her. Then more hands came and pulled her towards, and then inside the mirror.

And then Rebecca woke up, covered in sweat.

She was in her own house. So... It was all a dream? She looked around to confirm it was her house. She also pinched herself. Yes.... She was really okay... It was just.... A nightmare.

She checked the clock. It said 3.30 A.M.

But then she realised something. Her hand. The wound when she swinged the knife in the bathroom was.... Still there.

*Krrrrr*

She slowly turned her head, as she saw the closet door open.

***

Name - Rebecca Morrison

Age - 15

Disappeared inside her own home on 21st January, 1999.

It had been three months since her disappearance, and nothing is known about her.

If found dead or alive, please report to the North Woods Police Department.

Thank You.