I

For years I've been afraid of the dark.

I know, that's pitiful, but ever since I watched 'Murder in Smalltown X' on the television when I was nine, every noise I heard in my creaky, old house had me curling up in my parents' bed.

Well, that problem was made harder, when my parents left for two days, and I had no bed to curl up in.

Of course at the age of 12, I'd abruptly ceased needing them, but the fear had still stayed. Instead of turning on all the lights, I simply stuck my iPod headphones in my ears, and turned up the volume on full blast.

But, then, one time, something really bad happened while my parents were in Canmore, and my sister was at work, and stayed at her friend's house overnight.

This is the story of that one fateful, horrific night that changed my life. The night I met Lachlain Sawyer, and his followers, Hunter, Logan and Kenneth. The night I discovered there was more to the world than I'd ever imagined. More than I'd ever dreamed, and suddenly, my nightmares became a reality.

This is my story.

Wednesday, August 13th 2008

My name is Abigail Cameron. My parents, Viktor and Susan left the house at 5:00 pm, heading for Canmore, Alberta. They'd already made arrangements, bringing home all the necessities that I'd need for the next two days. White cheddar Kraft Dinner, Fettecinni Alfredo Sidekicks, and plenty of Kraft Singles slices for grilled cheese. I'd also asked them to pick up some fuzzy peaches, as those were my favourite kind of candy. I usually left them out for a few hours if they were too soft, or froze them in the freezer. Candy just doesn't taste the same soft.

My sister, Jillian, although we just call her Jill, was at work. She works with her best friend, so usually she goes to stay with her. Unfortunately, this meant, I would have to stay at home, with only the company of our cute little miniature dashund, Beans. My hair was dark brown, almost auburn, and I had almost green eyes, although they had a bit of grey in them. I was wearing a pair of boxers that we'd gotten out of a 6 pack of beer that had hockey team logos on them, and a small white tank that said "save a horse, ride a cowboy".

My mom used to say, if someone was in the house, trying to steal something, I was to run downstairs, and go into the cold room and hide under the stairs. I'd always dreaded having to do that, not because there'd be a threat in the house, but because there are a ton of spider webs down there, and a mysterious hole, that I'd never worked up the courage to explore. The thing about hiding under the stairs is that to get there, you have to go past the front door, and that seemed like a rather foolish idea, to me. When she'd told me this of course, had been when I'd been living downstairs in my bedroom. But, now, since we were redecorating my downstairs room, I was stuck upstairs in the spare bedroom. So, at the moment, I was lying on the hard floor, watching tv. In our living room, we have two couches, well, one is a couch, and the other a 'loveseat'. The loveseat, unfortunately, is not long enough to be comfortable, and the couch would, in other circumstances be perfect, but unfortunately, I'd have my head towards the main part of the house, and that would just not do. If a killer did indeed get in, I think I would try pretending to be asleep, which included remaining absolutely still. Of course, I'd want to see where the killer is, because I could not die, facing away from my murderer. So I had to be looking in the direction of the door, or else, I would die terrified. Well, more scared than normal.

So, instead, I lay on the floor, facing the tv, where I was shielded by the loveseat. I have to admit, it was rather uncomfortable, and later I'd realize that my back was still hurting from it.

At the moment, our third dog, Beans was running around outside digging holes in the ground. For some stupid reason, he liked to bark as loud as he could whenever we put him out the door to go to the bathroom. And the same for when we let him back in. It was as if he was mocking the two other dogs because he got to stay in with the 'family', whereas they had to stay out in the cold, as they were too big to come inside. He was a little jerk.

Anyways, I could hear him barking outside as he promptly dug up our front lawn.

Something caught my eye out the front window. There was a movement. My eyes widened as I realized somebody was walking across our lawn. I turned off the lights, turning off the television, so it looked like I hadn't been there. The problem with our dogs was that they were complete cowards when it came to things that were bigger than them, and suddenly, I found myself caring more about their welfare than my own. What if the intruder shot them? My eyes widened as I hid behind the loveseat, encased tightly between the corner of the room and the dark brown leather of the sofa. Earlier that evening, mom had called to remind me to lock all the doors. I breathed a sigh of relief that I had, for once, obeyed what she said. But my fear, turned to dread as I heard the door bust open. On the other side of the door, I heard Beans yipping angrily. He was the only one of the three dogs that would actually stand up to the intruders, especially if they were men. Unfortunately, if the men approached him, he would run away, still barking angrily. I bent down even further, trying to flatten myself as much as I could against the ground. The lights were off so, hopefully, they wouldn't notice me. A voice drifted over to me. It was hushed, but I could still hear it, as they were simply down the hall.

"Check it out," The voice had a hint of an accent. I guess either Irish or Scottish. "If there is any one in 'ere, bring 'em to me." His orders rolled out on a growl, causing me to shiver. He did sound rather sexy--

What are you thinking!? I scolded, curling my fist. I heard their thundering feet searching the house. I heard them turn left at the dining room, heading down to the spare room, and my parents' room. I was actually thankful my parents weren't here. This way, they wouldn't get hurt either. I heard a few pairs of feet.

How many were there? Five? Ten? I trembled at the thought.

Oh, I wish I had my blackberry. I whined inwardly. Another pair of feet travelled into the living room, looking around.

"Someone's been here." He said, sternly. It wasn't the leader, the one with the accent. This man sounded slightly...russian? Ukrainien? I couldn't place it.

"Aye," The leader said. "I can smell her."

I shivered again.

"Lachlain," A man said, coming out of the hallway. "There's a girl here," He said. I couldn't tell what he was holding. "Young."

All movement stopped for a moment. There was not a sound that could be heard. I tried to slow my breathing.

I controlled the urge to look above the sofa. I could tell they were still in the room, but none of them were making a sound.

I couldn't even tell if they were breathing.

I bent down my head, sniffing slightly. I practically smacked myself. The noise stood out among the silence.

I heard a chuckle, low. It was almost a growl.

Shit, shit, shit! My mind screamed, thinking of something in the vacinity I could use as a weapon.

Well, good luck finding a weapon behind the couch. My mind rumbled sarcastically. On the sidetable next to the bigger couch was an extremely heavy lamp, that might work. Grandma's urn--no, that would never work. Sure, Abby, spray them with ashes! I have some really heavy glasses in the dining ro--

A hand wrapped in my hair, pulling me up. Tears budded in my eyes as I was pulled up from behind the couch. Through my tears I could see a man. He was really tall, with long black hair and really dark eyes. His face was thin, hollow, angular. He had really broad shoulders, and from what she could see, he was ripped. His lips curled up in a grin as he lifted me above the couch and almost dragged me to the center of the room. Five other men came into the room, cirling around me. The leader placed me in the center.

"What do we have here?" A blonde haired man said, grinning. He placed his hands on his knees, and bent down, getting closer to me. "What's your name?" He asked, smiling dazzlingly. I swallowed hardly. My throat was already dry.

"Abigail," I whispered, staring at the ground.

He stood back up. I looked back up at him, then looking at the other men around me. One had dark brown hair that was cut short and spiked, he wore all black. I paled as I saw what was in his hand.

"Those are mine!" I said, pointing to the panties. He grinned, showing straight, white, teeth. I stood up, groaning at my shaky legs.

"And what are you going to do about it, kitten?" He said, sneering. I jumped at him, longing to wipe the grin off his face, but I was stopped abruptly by a strong arm that was wrapped around my waist.

"You don't want to do that, lass," The leader grumbled in my ear.

The other men chuckled at my fear. I glared again at the man holding my underwear.

"Please," I said, stiffening. "There's a computer in the room where you got my panties, my iPod's down on the floor by your feet, and i'm sorry, but we don't have a safe that you can steal from, at least not what I know of. Take what you want, just, please, leave." They were all smiling again.

"Alright!" The blonde one said, holding his hands up. He left the room. I could hear him taking the computer out of the room. "Thanks, girlie!" He said, heading towards the door. The other men left too, leaving me with the leader. Thankfully, he'd taken his hand off of me, and proceeded in lounging on the loveseat.

I sighed with relief. I looked back at the leader, trying to make eyecontact.

"I know what you're thinking." I said, biting my lip gently. He tilted his head to the side.

"Do you?"

"You're thinking that you have to kill me," I started. "Because if you leave me alive, I'll call the cops." By now he was smiling, a peculiar light in his eyes. "But I swear I won't."

He chuckled loudly, causing my eyes to narrow.

"And what will your family think about all the missing things?" He asked, causing me to bite my lip again. I tend to do that when I'm thinking hard.

"Well," I hesistated, not really knowing what to say. "I could say that I did get robbed, but when the robbers came in, I was getting a jar of pickles from the basement. When I heard the door open, I hid under the stairs, and after they took what they want, they left. I didn't catch a glimpse of their faces, so I don't know who they were."

I stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Well, you've got it figured out, then, haven't you?" He said, a small smile playing on his lips. "But, I was never planning on killing you, kitten."

I frowned, swallowing the lump that rose in my throat. For a moment, I thought he was going to just let me go, but then I noticed the tone in his voice and I felt otherwise. My eyes widened as it sank in.

"Oh, no, no." I said, shaking my head, and backing up towards the tv. All the men had left the house, probably to load the stuff.

The leader smiled, and pushed himself up off the sofa.

"Don't worry, kitten," He mumbled, coming closer towards me. I closed my eyes, when I bumped into the tv. Now, he had me cornered. "I don't bite." He smiled again, revealing straight, white teeth.

Was it just me, or did all these men look like the models for proactiv solution? He put his hands on my waist, moving in closer to me.

"Please, just leave me alone." I pleaded, tears beginning to run down my cheeks. This cannot be happening. "Take whatever you want! You can take my debit card! It's in my purse! My password is 3254! There's a check that I got for my birthday on the buffet! I can sign it for you, if you'll just leave!" His nose was almost touching my forehead, he was so close. His thumbs moved up and down on the silk of my boxer shorts, sending tremors down my legs.

"I'm taking what I want, lass." His voice rumbled out in a growl. Husky, and low. I shook my head, sniffling.

"I'm not pretty! I have hemocromatosis, and I have to go in for bloodlettings or i'll die! I'm really stubborn and annoying, and I talk too much! Please, you don't want me! I'll annoy you beyond your mind, and then you'll just end up killing me! Please, I won't tell anybody who you are, not that I really know. I won't tell the police what really happened, or what you look like, I promise!" I was breathing hard now. "I look horrible in dresses, and even worse naked! I'm totally useless at everything, including cleaning! I can't make food, and I totally fail when it comes to making that prepackaged orange juice. Hell, I don't even know how to make kraft dinner! I curse too much, I call everybody a cuntface, and I cry a lot. I'm totally emotional and I'd probably cry all over you. I'd drown you in my tears! I have an addiction to chick flicks, and I always say stupid punch lines like "ay carumba!" or "oh my lanta", and I say that all the time, it's unbearable, or so my friends say. I'm totally immature and useless, and you wouldn't want to be around me for even like five seconds! I failed grade one I was so dumb, and I almost failed grade ten math! I spend all my time whining and complaining about how much I hate the world. How could you possibly want to be around somebody like that? I'm totally retarded, and annoying, and ugly. Like seriously, I have this weird sist, or whatever you call it on my pinky toe on my right foot. I have an obsession with romance novels, and I'm one of the weirdest, random people in the world." By now i'd started to get a little hysterical, and I know he could tell because he was smiling delightedly. "I sing too much, that people have started to tell me to shut up. I spend all my time reading and being a total social loser. I never go to parties and I blush too much. I have horribly pale skin that almost looks sickly. My hair is so dull and lifeless and frizzy, you should see me in the morning. It's horrible! I have to wear makeup all over my face just to look at least acceptable. My thighs are too fat, and I eat way too much candy. Even tonight I ate an entire pack of fuzzy peaches. I'm such a lazy ass that I can't even get up to do my laundry! My parents hate me for it, and I even know it. I'm an outcast at school! Nobody likes me, and you want to know why? It's because I'm annoying, fat, ugly, and did I mention annoying? I talk like a parrot on ecstasy. I grind my teeth in my sleep, and I snore when I'm sick. And I get sick often, it's really gross and my nose runs like non-stop. Everything that you can think of that you hate, that's me. I listen to my music way too loud, and I make everybody mad at me. And, oh, did I mention I have hemocromatosis. What do you expect to do? The only way to cure it right now is to go into the doctor every week and get them to take like a kagillion litres of my blood! And, guess what, if they see a missing person go in to the doctor, obviously they're going to be suspicious and then the cops will come and where will you be then? You'll get sent to prison, or shot, and I'll be dying slowly. Jee, thanks a lot for that by the way. And dude, he was holding my freaking panties! Those are mine, and they're private and you have no right to touch my things! I don't care who you guys think you are, you are totally breaking the rules of the real world! I mean, do you believe in God? Stealing, is a sin, douchebag! Oh, and rape? Yeah, that too. And if you shoot me, you're still going to hell! Now, get out of my house!" I pushed him as hard as I could, but he didn't move. "Who the fuck are you?" I asked, pushing once again. "The Rock?" I screamed irritably. My hysteria soon turned to anger as I lashed out at him.

He gripped my wrists tightly, pushing me roughly up against the wall.

"You are mine now, so whatever you own, is now my property. It doesn't matter if you're annoying and stubborn, because, well, you won't be doing much talking." He said, grinning. "And with the hemocromatosis thing," His grin widened. "I don't think that will be a problem."

I winced as his grip tightened. He then, bent down and threw me over his shoulder.

"Now, shut up, or i'll have to use the chloroform on you."

I screamed as loud as I could, and grabbed onto anything I could reach. The walls and doors made good anchors. But he simply walked a little faster, tearing my hands from the doors.

"You can't do this!" I screamed, grappling for other things. "This is fucking insane! You're a fucking maniac!" The blonde one walked past me as I grabbed the fridge door.

"Ooh, steak!" He said, opening the door forward and peeking inside.

"I need my medecin! I have azthma and pneumonia! This is insane! This is illegal!" I reached back towards the buffet where my inhaler sat. "Well, if you're going to let me die, at least shoot me, so I don't have to die of suffocation, or cough my lungs out!" I screamed, grabbing his hair, and pulling his head back. He growled viciously, reaching back and grabbing my wrist. He squeezed it painfully, causing me to cry out. "No!" I screamed once again, pulling my hand out of his. I reached out again when we passed the kitchen table. I grabbed the vase of flowers, only to have it taken out of my hands by the blonde man, carrying a container of steak. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Sorry, girlie," He said, shrugging. "I've been workin' for this guy for longer than you've been alive. I'm automatically on his side." He smiled, cheekily.

I groaned, irritated beyond my mind. Suddenly, I was taken off the leader's shoulder, and flung to the floor.

"Get up." He said, his voice cold steel. I promptly did as he asked. "Now," He started, leading me out the front door. "Go nicely into the car, or there will be serious consequences." He followed behind me, letting go of my wrists to open the door for me. All the other men had already driven away it seemed. Peering behind me at the leader, I noticed he was leaning into the car, and pushing the front seat back so I could get in the back. I bolted in the direction of the forest, deciding go through the field. The forest had way too many obstacles. I checked behind me, to see if he was following. He was nowhere in sight. Frowning, I pushed forward, making my way to the nearest house. Maybe they'd have a gun or something.

Before I could even get out of the field, I was thrown to the ground. The air flew out of my lungs as I was crushed by what felt like an elephant. I was roughly flipped over, my legs spread, and my arms held above my head.

The leader was there, his dark gaze, now black.

"Don't you ever run from me again, do you understand me?" His voice was dark, and it came out as a growl. I nodded stiffly, tears once again collecting in my eyes. He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a bottle, I noticed. And then he pulled out an old white rag. My eyes widened as I realized what it was.

Chloroform.

"No!" I screamed, squirming. I would not be taken without a fight. My hands grabbed his, trying to pry the bottle from his strong fingers. He poured the contents of the bottle on the rag, pushing my hands out of the way as he placed the rag over my nose and mouth. My scream was muffled by the rag, as my hands went for his face, trying my best to gouge out his eyes.

Darkness clouded my vision and I felt myself being pulled other.

"No." I mumbled under the rag. He smiled evilly as my eyes began to close.

Then the darkness consumed me.