Noises In The Night

Megan woke with a start. Disorientated, she lay still trying to work out what had woken her. She looked at the clock, it was one am and as it should be at that time of night, he house was peaceful. Her husband’s heavy breathing next to her was the only sound to be heard. Assuming the cause was a dream she’d been having, Megan relaxed and settled back down to sleep. But within seconds her eyes snapped open as she heard a strange sound coming from somewhere on the floor below her. She knew now this is what had pulled her out of her sleep. 

It wasn’t loud but it was something that definitely shouldn’t have been there.  A whirring noise like a motor running, it stopped as suddenly as it started. Megan was puzzled. There was no reason for anything to be running at that time of night. Everyone in the house was in bed. She frowned, trying to think of possible causes. Maybe it was coming from the house next door. But as the noise started up again she could tell it was closer than that. Maybe she had left the dryer running. She had done that before and she knew if that was the case, the backdoor would be open too. She always opened it if she was running the dryer so condensation didn’t build up in the laundry. The trouble is, she didn’t remember having the dryer on. Her frown deepened. 

She turned on the light and waited hoping whatever it was had stopped. But within a few minutes it came again. Looking over at her slumbering husband she contemplated waking him, but then decided against it. He would only get mad and she would be left feeling stupid when he no doubt would find it was her fault for forgetting to turn off the dryer. It wasn’t as if the noise sounded menacing or anything, it was just annoying because she didn’t know what it was. 

So pushing aside the covers Megan sat up. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, thinking the back door was open, so she would have a look downstairs herself. Never a particularly courageous person, she took a deep breath as she opened the bedroom door. The house was in darkness. Turning on the lights as she went, she made her way to the staircase, telling herself with every step that she had nothing to worry about. But with all the scenes out of every horror movie she’d ever seen playing through her head, when everyone screams “don’t go out there” her heart was hammering as she started down the stairs.