I walked into the party, I did not recognise anyone but they all knew me.

As I walked past each of them they whispered my name without moving their lips, their eyes were hollow and their skin pale white.

They all stared at me as I walked past them towards the present in the middle of the room. It was wrapped in brown paper with a red bow around it.

“Open it” they all said……. “open it now”

Trembling I started to remove the paper, it seemed to take an age, I felt their eyes burning a hole into the back of my skull as I clawed at the present.

Then it went deathly quiet, they all grouped around me, their hollow expression chilling me to the bone.

I removed the last of the paper and opened the cardboard box that had been wrapped up, a single red balloon floated out, as I backed away it followed me, the faster I moved the quicker it moved until I was backed into the corner. They all gathered around humming a ghastly version of Happy Birthday…as it finished the balloon burst and covered me in thick red blood.

I gasped as I awoke, sweat pouring down my face, it had been a dream, a horrible dream. My heart slowly began to beat properly and I sank into my bed, exhausted I looked around my room, to my horror I saw a red balloon in the corner, it started floating toward me, I screamed but no sound came out…….