Thunder struck as I rode on my old bike. Each corner was an obstacle. Muddy puddles met me at each corner. A musty aroma filled my nostrils. The cold harsh wind blew my curly hair onto my freckled face.

Crash!

Thunder struck as I reached my front door. The rain pelted as I locked the door. My old rain boots left a trail of water as I leaped towards the couch. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the news forecast. “Tornado warning for Keaton county.” I knew that we were getting storms, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

I grabbed my emergency bag, and family portrait and headed towards the closet. Thunder shook my house violently. I breathed hastily and clung onto the photo. My parents were younger then. They bought this house with their hard earned money. I had promised them that I would take care of it, but now I wasn’t so sure.

Suddenly, there was silence. I felt as if I moved, the storm would worsen. The silence only lasted for a moment, but it seemed like minutes had gone by. I closed my weary eyes for a moment and embraced the silence. All of a sudden, the walls of my house began to shake, and the closet door flew open. A prayer escaped my lips as the wind broke down the door. I crawled into a fetal position and braced for impact.

Harsh howling winds flew through each room of my house. Crisp cold air blew onto my face. The breeze entranced every crevice on my face. After suffering for a moment, the razor sharp winds had finally seized. I opened my eyes to a new house. My bed was in my living room, and my new couch was nowhere to be found. It seemed like a train had crashed through my house.

“Do not go home tonight.”

The loud voices around Sara dwindled. Her ears began to ring harshly. Sara scanned the area for anyone suspicious, but no one stood out. She took a deep breath and showed the message to her sister.

“Look! I just got a weird text.” Sara’s hands shook as she handed Emma her phone. Emma’s eyes widened. She had never seen Sara so nervous before. Emma always stood up for her sister. She’s encountered bullies several times, but never a threat like this.

“Calm down. It’s not like they know where you live.” Emma replied. She pondered about what to do next. “Let’s just text them back,” Emma suggested. She quickly took the phone and replied.

“This prank is not funny. If you bother us again, then we’re going to report you.” Emma took a deep breath and sent the message.

“See, there you go. All you have to do is stand up for yourself and b-“ Emma was interrupted by another anonymous message.

“Don’t go home tonight.”

Typing…..

Emma continued: “I just blocked you. How are you still texting me?” “Stop being a creep or I’ll call the cops.”

“902 Huntsworth Ln” “Don’t worry, I’ve got the cops covered.” “Don’t go home tonight.”

The sender also sent audio of a creaking sound.

Emma’s palms began to sweat. She had never been in a situation like this before. The messenger knew exactly where they lived.

Sara’s body froze. She looked like she was in shock.

Typing…

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Emma was glued to the phone, waiting for an answer.

“I know something that others don’t.” “I’m trying to warn you. Don’t go home tonight.”

Sara cursed under her breath. “This is ridiculous. I’m calling the cops.”

According to the officer, prank calls have rapidly increased this week. He told them that there was nothing to worry about and suggested that he would escort them home.

The girls went into the officer's car and headed for home. Sara's legs rapidly shook, and her forehead began to sweat. Emma’s heartbeat thumped loud enough for everyone to hear. The kind officer noticed. “Nothing’s going to happen to you guys, I promise.” The drive was long and unnerving.

“Welcome home girls.”

The old house had two big oak trees in the front yard. An old tire swing hung from one of the trees. Sara reminisced about the great times on the swing.

Emma glanced at her vibrant red bike. It glistened in the weakening sunlight. It was next to the front door, just as she had left it.

Everything seemed to be normal, but something was off.

“Do you guys have a dog? Those footprints over there look pretty big.” The officer stated and began to ramble about his dog.

Emma cut him off. “No, our parents refused to adopt any animals.”

Emma felt a chill crawl down her spine. The only dog in the neighborhood lived four blocks down. There’s no way that he traveled this far.

Sara trembled once again. “I can’t take this anymore. Why is this happening to us?” She was now sobbing in the backseat.

“I’m going to check it out.” Officer Dean’s voice cracked as he exited the car. “I’ll be right back.” The sisters locked their doors as soon as he left the car.

The footprints were wide and deep. It didn’t look like anything that he’d seen before. Dean looked around for more clues. The old tire swing was torn in the back. There were ginormous claw prints covering the area. The officer hurriedly pulled out his pistol and walked to the car.

He ignited his car and buckled his seatbelt. “You guys aren’t safe here. I’ll take you back to the st-.” The officer looked back slowly. The girls were gone. The same claw marks were found on their seat alongside blood and their phones.

Dean left the vehicle panicking about his next steps. There was a loud screeching sound nearby. The rain fastened and thunderstruck.

Dean’s hair stood on his neck. He wanted to run, but his legs kept wobbling. His phone vibrated in his hand. The policeman was at a loss for words.

“Don’t go home tonight.”

“Are you kidding me!” “What’s up with this elevator?” The elevator had arrived at the third floor, but the doors would not open. Abigail rapidly paced around the elevator. “That’s not gonna help us get out of here.” Pete said sarcastically. “Well, then get us out of this dang elevator!” He rolled his eyes as Abigail finished her tantrum. “What are you so mad about anyway? At least we’re stuck in here together.” Pete watched Abigail intently to figure out her next move. “If I’m late to work, then I’ll lose my job.”

Abigail began to fidget with her hands. The walls felt as if they were moving closer. “I’m starting to get really claustrophobic.” She expressed as she frantically ran her hand throughout her golden hair. “That’s hilarious!” Pete chuckled loudly and then quickly apologized when he noticed Abigail’s antagonizing gaze. “That’s not funny, Pete!” Pete had a knack for making jokes at the wrong time.

Abigail decided to get her revenge by smacking Pete’s arm. As she reached for his arm, the lights began to flicker. “Ouch, I promise I was just kidding Abby.” Pete winced in pain, while Abby smiled proudly. The lights shut off.

Creek! The lift made a loud screeching sound. Frightened, Abigail leaped into Pete’s arms. “Sorry, I’ll move.” Abigail prepared to move to the other side of the elevator. Pete refused to let her go. “What are you doing?” “Let me out!” She demanded. “We need to find a way out of here!” “Abby, chill. There’s no where to go right now.” A tear rolled down her face. “Would you like me to hug you? Pete turned red. “It might help you feel better.” “Sure.” Abigail shrugged her shoulders. After a few minutes of silence, she began to relax.

The pair snuggled in each other’s embrace. It was something that they had desired for a while.

Abigail often felt alone and undervalued with others. Yet, she never felt that way with Pete. He appreciated all of her efforts, listened to all her stories, and often helped dry her tears.

Pete was popular, but was also lonely. He never got invited to parties like the other students. People only paid attention to him when he made a touchdown. Abigail was the first person to invite him to a party. Both students went to the party and became best friends.

Abigail noticed Pete’s long gaze and glanced down. Her tense expression was now calm. “Nice shoes you’re wearing, when’d you get those?” “Don’t try to change the subject Abby.” Pete pulled Abigail into a deeper hug. The elevator was extremely quiet. The previously hectic atmosphere, was now peaceful and loving.

The pair shared an extensive glance and slowly leaned into each other’s embrace. “Wow, you’re a really good kisser.” Abigail smirked. “You want another one?” Pete giggled and kissed her once again. The lights turned back on. An electrician opened up the compressed doors. “Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt but you’re good to go now.” The couple blushed and hurried out the door.

Pete sighed, “Sorry about your job.” “Today didn’t turn out the way that you expected.” Pete turned his face away from her. He was still flustered from the kiss. “It’s okay, I’ll figure something out.” There was a long pause between the two. “I couldn’t have asked for a better day.” She whispered. He smiled. She nervously ruffled his hair and pecked him on the lips.

Today is my first day on the job. After years of training and hard work, I’d finally reached my goal; I was accepted as a secret agent into the Alliant task force. Today is the day to prove that I’m truly worthy of my title. My task is to infiltrate an enemy task force, Teno. Teno is planning to release a bomb on a nearby city. I entered the warehouse in a very discrete disguise; it was very different from my usual attire. My auburn hair was now platinum blonde and placed into a low ponytail. And my grungy attire was now entirely business casual, as commanded by Alliant.

As I entered the warehouse, I noticed three henchmen. They were all very tall and brawny. They also wore long suit jackets as an attempt to hide the guns that were sticking out of their pockets. Their brooding demeanor was felt heavily in the atmosphere. All eyes were suddenly on me. They knew exactly what I had come to do.

“So are we gonna do this the easy way or the hard way?” I said sarcastically as I braced myself for combat. Two henchmen swung at me as I lunged for the control panel. They punched me left and right as I attempted to reach the panel. I suddenly dropped to the floor as I thought about my last move. All I had to do was stop the men from entering the password into the computer, and I would accomplish my mission. Problem is, I haven’t figured out the password yet.

Now I have two objectives, find the password and stop the bomb. I searched the room for clues but couldn’t find anything. “There has to be some clue around here.” I murmured to myself as I thought of a way out. I stood up and dodged the oncoming attacks. Then I noticed something out of the blue. A fish tank with one goldfish and pebbles with letters on each one. It was discreet, but brilliant.

As I made my way toward the tank, I was pushed down by the third henchmen. He tackled me from behind and pinned me to the ground. I was unable to get up due to our weight imbalance. However, I came up with a brilliant idea. I took a nearby book and swung it at the fish tank. Water spilled out onto the floor, causing two henchman to trip and fall. The other henchman shrieked in horror as the goldfish fell onto the ground, “That’s my goldfish!” He lunged at the goldfish in an attempt to save it. “Sorry bud!” I said maliciously. With the henchmen out of the way, I quickly scanned the pebbles. Each letter came out to spell “D E A C T I V A T E 1 0 1 0 $.” “Well that’s a dumb password.” I giggled as I entered the code. Now this is the moment of truth, all I have to do is deactivate the bomb. At last, I have completed my mission! The three henchmen were sent to jail and Teno was shut down. In the end, I ended up with a promotion and decided to raise the goldfish from the warehouse.