Night Terror: Darkest Days: The Awakening, #1

By Benjamin Clark

They say nightmares aren't real, but what happens when you wake up and they become a reality? Dealing with night terrors from the age of five, Paige Blackwood never imagined one of her nightmares would come true. Her father's death. As Paige begins to question everything she refuses to get close with anyone fearing they would suffer the same fate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjamin Clark
• Release date: Oct 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393009153

Book preview

Night Terror

Benjamin Clark

They say that nightmares aren't real, but what happens when you wake up and they become a reality? ­

Night Terror

––––––––

by

Benjamin Clark

1. Edition, 2020

© 2020  All rights reserved.

For My Wife

For always caring for me and supporting everything I do in life, and always standing by my side when I needed you most.

Table of Contents

Prologue......................8

PART I: 2012

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3.....................60

Chapter 4.....................78

Chapter 5.....................92

Chapter 6....................108

PART II: 2017

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12...................202

Chapter 13....................220

PART III: 2022

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18....................296

Chapter 19...................308

Chapter 20....................333

Epilogue

Prologue

Ms. Blackwood are you okay? a voice questioned from the front hallway.

Opening her eyes and looking towards the front door, Paige could see a man wearing black slacks, a white button-down shirt with a black tie, and beige trench coat, standing there, holding a gun with the barrel still smoking.

Please, get my mother. She’s in the kitchen! Paige cried out.

Quickly she called the paramedics into the house. Within seconds, they rushed in as fast as they could. Followed by the man who seemed to be a detective. As soon as they got into the kitchen, they could see the chaos that had ensued. Blood everywhere, glasses and plates shattered, and pots and pans covering the floor around the kitchen island.

Here, let me help you. My name is Mason Brooks. I am a detective with the FBI. Are you sure you’re okay? He asked, reaching out his hand to help Paige from the floor.

Before she could say a word, Paige spotted the paramedics covering her mother’s body with a blanket.

No! she cried, rushing over to her mother’s body and holding her tight.

I am so sorry, Ms. Blackwood, detective Brooks replied, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Looking at the paramedics, detective Brooks asked them to give Paige a minute with her mother. Agreeing with him, they walked out of the house, allowing Paige to grieve the loss of her mother. All Paige could do was cry as she had lost another. 

PART I:

2012

Chapter 1

I

December 19, 2012

It was bright and early, with seven days left until Christmas, and 11-year-old Paige Blackwood did as she always did. Waking up from a glorious night’s sleep, she jumped out of bed, put on her robe, and rushed downstairs to greet her parents. The smell of bacon, scrambled eggs and toast took over the entire first floor. With a smile on her face, she walked into the kitchen where her parents stood making breakfast as they did every morning, together. Something was different. Her parents seemed tense, and they weren’t speaking to each other. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Her mom was on one side of the kitchen, while her father had been on the other side. It was obvious they had been fighting again. For her age, Paige was a positive person and always put a smile on her face, even in the most difficult situations. She always seemed happy, but there was a lot she had to hide from her friends and teachers, because she didn’t want anyone to know what she had been dealing with behind closed doors. It was none of their business, and if anyone found out she was living in a household where there was constant fighting daily, they would try to step in and make things better, when in reality, they’d be making things worse. That was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

Good morning mommy, good morning daddy.

Good morning sweetie, are you hungry? Her mom answered with a soft tone in her voice.

Paige wanted a good morning from her father, but it didn’t seem like she was going to get one. He didn’t acknowledge she was in the room. Her mother looked back at her and shook her head. Obviously, it upset her mother. Paige walked right over to her and gave her a hug. She then walked over to her father and gave him a hug. Finally, acknowledging her presence, he bent down and kissed her on the top of her head, replacing the frown on her face with a smile. That was all she wanted. She didn’t want to cause any more problems. She went to the kitchen table and sat down, waiting patiently for her parents to bring her breakfast. As she was bringing Paige her breakfast, her mother tripped, and the plate fell to the kitchen floor, shattering into a million pieces.

Goddamnit Virginia! How hard is it to bring a plate of food to the kitchen table?! Dennis snapped.

Dropping the spatula, he rushed over to her, grabbed her arms and slammed her up against the counter, shaking her like a rag doll. Looking on, tears poured from Paige’s eyes. She sprang up from the table and went over to her dad, trying to pull him off her mother.

Daddy let go of her! she screamed.

Within a split-second, in a fit of rage, Dennis turned to Paige and backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the ground. The moment he realized what he had done, he let go of Virginia and rushed to Paige’s side.

Paige, sweetie, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that to you.

Get the fuck away from her, you piece of shit! her mother screamed as she pushed him away from her.

Crying in her mother’s arms, Paige couldn’t look at her father. Disgusted with his actions, he walked out of the kitchen and went directly into his office. The moment he closed the office door behind him, he let out a blood-curdling scream. Holding Paige tightly against her body, Virginia let out a loud cry of sadness. This was not the morning Paige was hoping to have. She wanted a quiet morning where she could enjoy breakfast with her parents, before having to rush to school, which now was an issue, because her face had swelled up and there was no way to hide a welt. It would not stop her mother from trying to cover it up. She’s had her fair share of welts and bruises to cover up in the past, but she never thought she would have to cover one up on her daughter.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, sweetie, her mother sobbed.

Paige wanted to believe her mother, but the shock of what happened left her silent, as the tears continued to slide down her face.

Go get ready for school, and once you’re done, I’ll help cover that up for you.

Wiping the tears from her face, Paige let go of her mother and walked up the stairs, leaving her alone on the kitchen floor to weep, as her father sat silently in his study.

––––––––

II

Paige had finished getting ready for school and then met her mother in her bedroom.

Here, come sit next to me on the bed.

Why did daddy do that to me mommy? Paige questioned as she walked over to her mother.

Virginia didn’t know how to answer, but she told her it was an accident.

All I was trying to do was stop him from hurting you, Paige sobbed.

I know, sweetie, your father just has some anger issues that he’s been trying to overcome for quite some time now, and he’s struggling a little, that’s all. He loves us both and would do nothing to hurt us on purpose.

As she continued covering up the welt on Paige’s face, Virginia looked into the mirror concerned. She knew her husband had problems, and there was nothing she could do to control them, but she needed her daughter to know that her father wasn’t a monster, though he was.

Alright sweetie we’re almost done.

As she finished, she looked at Paige and told her they will ask her questions in school.

Whatever you do, just tell them you fell, okay? We don’t want to get daddy in trouble for something that was just an accident.

Paige looked at her mother and nodded with a soft smile across her face.

Can I go give daddy a hug before I leave for school and tell him that everything is okay? Paige asked innocently.

Hesitant to let her go, her mother nodded her head, allowing her to do as she asked. As Paige walked out of the room, Virginia grabbed her pillow and held it against her face, letting out a loud scream, hoping her daughter wouldn’t hear it. She was not happy, but for Paige’s sake, she needed to let things be and deal with it until it was the proper time to get out of this unhealthy relationship she had been in, no matter how long it took. After a few minutes of letting out her frustrations on her bedroom pillow, Virginia left her room and went downstairs. The minute she got down there she looked over at the office, where the door was now open. Everything had been silent. She walked over to the office door and peered in to see if Paige had been in there with her father, but the room was empty. Now worried, Virginia began searching the whole first floor. Nobody was around. Frantically searching, she began screaming for Paige, but there was no answer. Where did the two of them go? She rushed out the front door to see if Dennis had brought her to the bus. Still, they were nowhere to be found.

Now, in a complete panic, Virginia rushed back inside and ran throughout the entire house searching for them.

Virginia! Dennis yelled, in a tone Virginia’s never heard him yell before.

Dennis! she screamed back.

I’m sorry, Virginia, I had to do it!

She followed his voice and rushed over to him. Pale as a ghost, he stood there, his hands covered in blood.

What did you do to her, Dennis! She screamed in agony.

He pointed towards the downstairs bathroom where the trail of blood led to. She rushed over and opened the door. Lying there on the floor in a pool of blood was Paige, with her throat slit from one side to the other. Letting out a loud scream, everything went dark.

Mommy, wake up. Virginia heard a soft voice.

Jumping up in a frantic state, breathing heavily, Virginia looked down to see her daughter with a look of concern across her face. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Paige and squeezed her body tightly up against hers.

Thank god you’re okay, she yelled as tears of happiness drained from her eyes.

Now, let’s get you to school.

Trying to release herself from her mother’s grip, Paige told her that school was over. In a state of disbelief, Virginia looked at her watch, it was 3:30 in the afternoon. Everything she saw was a dream. What seemed like mere minutes to Virginia was hours. She couldn’t believe she had slept the entire day away. The stress with everything going on must’ve gotten to her, but she was happy nothing bad happened to her daughter. If anything happened to her, she would be devastated.

How was school?

It was fine, a few people asked about my face, but I told them exactly what you told me to tell them. Paige answered.

Virginia looked at her and smiled. She then grabbed her one last time and wrapped her arms around her. Letting Paige go, Virginia sat there without saying a word, watching her daughter walk out of her room with a smile on her face, as she did every day, no matter what the case would be. She was the light in her mother’s eyes, and the reason she got up every morning. If Paige wasn’t around, Virginia would be dead, and that’s always been her mindset.

III

The day had been ending, and things were finally quiet in the house. Paige’s parents were talking like nothing happened earlier that morning, and Paige took everything in. The three of them were sitting in the living room watching a holiday movie together, like a normal family. That was what she wanted in the first place, for everything to be calm and peaceful and for everyone to get along. With the Christmas holiday right around the corner, she wanted no bad blood between anybody. It should be the happiest time of the year, and that’s all that she wanted in her household. There were almost six days left until Christmas,  and all she hoped for was that things stayed the way they were right at that moment.

Letting out an enormous yawn, Paige’s eyes slowly closed. It was a long day for an 11-year-old, especially one who’s been dealing with what she has, for who knows how long. Dennis could see that she was ready for bed. He looked at her, asking if she wanted him to put her to sleep.

Can you and mommy both put me to sleep, please? She asked innocently.

Looking back at one another, they both smiled and shook their heads in agreement. Dennis lifted Paige from the couch and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom, as Virginia followed close behind. After making it into Paige’s room, Dennis places her down on her bed and covers her with a lavender down comforter. Looking on from the doorway, Virginia smiled. Seeing her husband not throwing a fit or getting angry about something, and caring for his daughter like a good father should, melted her heart. While he can be aggressive, she will always love him. He was her first love, and they’ve been together ever since high school. They’ve had their ups, and they’ve had their downs, but they pushed through it. They were going to pull through the incident that occurred this morning, and everything will be fine. At least that’s what she hoped.

Dennis has never laid a hand on Paige before. No matter how bad she had been, she was sure that would never happen again. She then slowly walked up behind Dennis and kissed his ear.

Finish putting her to sleep and then let’s go to bed. She whispered sensually.

After that, she bent down and kissed Paige on her forehead and said goodnight. As she walked out of Paige’s room, Dennis’ eyes quickly followed, looking her body up and down as her hips swayed left and right. He knew what she wanted to do, and he would not hesitate. Quickly bending down, he kissed Paige on her forehead as well and said goodnight. Quietly,