Story One

It was a quiet night on William Street as a car drove past row of houses on both sides.
The driver, Jack, looked all around as he found a place to park along all the cars that lined the streets.
He found a spot right in front of a yellow house about halfway down the road. A house he had come to know all too well over the last two weeks.
“Let’s see where she’s at now” he said to himself out loud.
Pulling out a journal and pen, he flipped through several pages of well-kept notes, along with the occasional doodle. He had to figure out something to do in his downtime.
He turns to a page with a checklist on it. On it read what seemed like a nighttime routine. Dishes, making tea, reading a book, those sorts of things.
Reaching across the seat, he pulls out a set of binoculars, adjusting them and focusing on the inhabitants of the yellow home.
“Ah, hello there” he whispered with an icy tone.
In his view was a woman with brunette hair up in a high ponytail. She was folding laundry in her room with her back to the door.
“Nightly laundry, almost done for the evening aren’t ya?” Jack said.
He made a check with his pen in his notebook.
“Not long now and I’ll be home all warm” Jack said as he shivered.
It was a cold evening, and he’d rather be at home than on a job. But money is money and he needed it badly.
Bringing his binoculars back up to his eyes, his subject now pulling the sheets over her as she shuts off her lights to lay down to sleep.
“And now, we wait.”
It would stupid to run in so early after she laid down. He needed to wait for her to fall asleep before he even dared to enter the house.
After years in this profession, he’s come to learn some things about sleeping patterns.
Checking his watch, he waited an hour before finally slipping out of his car into the cold air.
He swiftly made his way to the side of the house, careful not to make any noise. Pulling a pocket knife from his pocket, he slid it along the inseam of the window, waiting for the
CLICK
There it was, the sweet noise of entry.
Slowly pulling the window up, he pulled his body up and into the home as quietly as he could.
The home looked a bit different on the inside than the outside. After all, the only real look he had was what he saw from his weeks of recon.
Paintings of fields and sunsets lined the walls, with the occasional picture frame here and there.
He walked close to one, inspecting the image of the brunette woman and what seemed to be her mother.
They were smiling with several other ladies, all wearing red shirts and necklace on their chest.
“Some kind of sorority” Jack thought to himself.
He knew he didn’t have all night, and he needed to move fast.
Walking through the house, he came upon the stairs. He looked up, his victim just a floor away from him.
But he wasn’t here for her.
Instead, he walked to the bookshelf, inspect each of the books one by one.
It had to be here somewhere, where else would she keep such a prized possession.
Several minutes go by, and it wasn’t there.
“Fuck,” he whispered.
He looked around, checking every side table and drawer he could while making as little noise as possible.
After a few more minutes of searching, he came across a door with a lock on it.
“Bingo” he said. Pulling out a bobby pin, he fiddled with the lock for a moment before it popped open.
He slowly pulled the door open, sliding into the descending stairs.
Grabbing his phone, he turned his flashlight on for a better view of the area.
Around him were boxes of items, thinking he’d have to go through them all he groaned.
But before he could open a single one, he heard a faint sound coming from the other side of the room.
Turning around, he flashing his phone and saw an open area, with nothing but a stand and a book sitting in the middle.
“No fucking way” he whispered.
With a slight smile on his face, he walked toward the book and stand.
Reaching down and grabbing the bright red book, he sighed with relief.
“You’re coming with me” he said as he turned to leave.
But his body didn’t move. His eyes could move but his body stood frozen in place.
“I’ll admit, you’ve done better than the last three” a voice said from behind him.
Struggling to turn around, the brunette woman came into view.
“How much did he pay you? Five thousand? Or has he finally upped his prices?” she said with a cruel smile across her face.
Panicking, the man attempted to run away, but again his body would not listen to his mind.
“And I’m guessing he didn’t even tell you what this was?” she asked him.
The fear in his eyes was all she needed as an answer.
“The Book of Blood. An ancient scripture passed down from female to female in my family. Gives us all the power from the underworld and more.”
She ripped the book from his grip, opening it halfway while she whistled a creepy tune.
He continued to struggle to move his body, fear and anxiety setting in.
Looking up, the woman laughed at the man.
“Oh, you’re not going anywhere” she said coolly.
Walking towards the man, she set the book back on the stand.
“Tell Acosta if he wants the book, he’ll have to come get it him.” She said with an evil grin plastered on her face.
His eyes now bulging, he watched as the woman pulled a dagger from her pocket.
Pulling his arms towards the book, she cut his arms with the dagger, blood now pouring from both of his arms.
The searing pain causing his eyes to water, as his blood fell onto the book.
But instead of staining it, the blood dissolved into it.
Screams of agony rang through the basement as the man begins to feel whoozy, more blood pouring from his arms and onto the book.
Stomping on his phone, the only light in the room had extinguished.
“Now if you don’t mind me, I have some sleep to get” she said walking away.
Slamming the door behind her, only darkness filled the room as the man continued to scream.
The woman walked to her room the screams filled her house.
Smiling, she again pulled the covers over her as she looks up to the upside-down cross that hangs above her bed.
“Goodnight sweetheart.”