Nothing Good Happens After Midnight

The clock struck midnight. Madison had just finished reading the ghost story her sister wrote. Earlier in the week, her younger sister Erin came running into her house all jittery about her finished work. She eagerly asked Madison to read it and give feedback for she planned on sending it to her editor the next day.
Madison gently smile and said, "I'll read it."
Erin shrieked as grabbed her sister and gave her a big bear hug, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Without a chance to reply to Erin, she was already out the door.

Madison laughed to herself. She looked down at the story that rested in her hands and read the title out loud, "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight. Well, it's a working title, right?"

It was now midnight and only a small lamp lit the chair that Maddy was sitting in reading her sister's story. She let out a sigh as she tightly gripped the stack of papers in her hands. Her heart was racing and she quickly looked around the living room feeling on edge.

"That was one scary story. I should be careful not to let my mind get carried away." She laughed nervously.

She stood from her chair, placed Erin's story on the coffee table, and went to go get ready for bed. As she climbed up the stairs to the bathroom there was a light creaking coming from behind her, and she hurriedly went up the stairs. She flipped on the lights and turned to face the staircase. There was no one there. Her breathing quickened.

"It's just the story. The stairs always creak like that. It's just an old house." She said repeatedly to calm her nerves.

She walked into the bathroom. After brushing her teeth she lathered up the soap in her hands and began messaging her face. She tried not to think too much on scary things. She wanted to sleep tonight, but if that story her sister wrote spooked her so much that she couldn't even sleep, she was going to have to talk with her. She thoroughly rinse and dried her face with a wash cloth. For just a moment she looked at herself in the mirror thinking about how sometimes there will be a mysterious figure in the mirror, but when you turn around nobody is there. It must be one of the freakiest things to experience.

Someone was standing in her bedroom staring at her. She quickly turned to see who was the invader, and saw no one was there. Stepping outside of her bathroom and into the bedroom she looked around. No one was to be seen or heard. She slowly walked over to her bed and knelt down to pick up the bat that lay underneath the bed. She walked cautiously around the house looking for the intruder, but there was no one.

"Geez, there I go again. Getting freaked out for no reason." She said as she lowered her bat and walked back to her bedroom.

She shut the door and switched off the main light. The lamp next to her double size bed was still on for her to turn off after she was comfortably in bed. The wind outside blew vigorously. There was a light whistling coming from the wind giving it an eerie feeling. Maddie tensed up a bit as she pulled the covers over. She was about to fall asleep when she saw that the closet door was still open.

"Oh! I better close that." She exclaimed as she got up from bed and walked over to the closet door. She shut the door quietly. She sighed tiredly. Being on her toes since she began reading Erin's story had really worn her out. Once she was finally in bed once again, she relaxed and turned off the light. It was pitch black and completely silent.

Sleep was about to overtake her when she hears a scratching at the door. She was wide awake now. Turning on her side away from the door, she gripped her covers in hoping she just imagined the scratching. It came again. This time louder and longer. Maddie's heart was pounding. There was something at the door, she just knew it! She feared to turn around. There might be claws coming from under the door trying to get in. Whatever it was it wanted to come in her room to kill her. She decided that she would not let it in!

"Meow!"

Maddie turned around immediately and turned on the lamp.

"Mee-ow!"

She sat up when she realized that it was her cat that wanted in her room.

"Meow! Meow!"

"I'm coming. I'm coming." Maddie said as she got up from bed and headed over to the door. She opened it up for her cat to come in. The calico came inside purring and rubbing against Madison's leg.

"Man, out of all the times I have gone to bed, how come every scary thing is happening tonight?" She asked looking down at her cat, "It couldn't be because I read Erin's story?"

"Meow!"

"Yeah, you're right. It's just my imagination running away with me." She laughed to herself as she climbed back into bed.

Her cat jump up and curled next to her falling asleep immediately. Maddie gently pet her cat and rested back down on her bed. She turned off the light and took one more deep breath before she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

However, not two minutes later, there was a small creaking coming from outside her door and then some more scratching.

Madison's eyes went wide.