BANG!!! The front door of Max O’Neil’s large house slammed shut as he stalked down the long, winding, perfectly kept path, kicking up soil as he passed. Max O’Neil was a strong, well-built fourteen year old, with spiky black hair and very rich, multi-billionaire parents who spoilt him a lot. And I mean a LOT!!! You name it, he had it.

But ... he didn’t like it. He didn’t want all the toys, all the games, all the sweets, all the food, all the computer games or the Ferrari, the Lambughini, the Bugatti or the Bentley.
He just wanted a normal life.

As he jumped on to his custom-built, light-weight alminium bike, Max wished he could be somewhere exciting, somewhere on his own, where he could think things over.
How he would come to regret this later ...

River Exe sparkled as the sun beat down on the cool, calm water and small fish darted about. But as something black and shiny floated down the river, all sense of peace was lost. Max realised it was an old key. With this understanding, the feeling that he was being watched came too.

Quickly Max spun round, only to see that whoever was watching him had gone. Max knew that he had to get home. Fast.
As soon as he got home Max rushed up into his room and now sat, thinking, on his bed with the key behind him on a shelf. He picked it up ... and gasped. It was warm. Suddenly he heard splintering wood and two words entered his brain: the door! He grabbed the key and ran. He knew he had to hide. Max knew the perfect place. He jumped into his parent’s wardrobe and pushed himself to the back ... to find something jabbing into his back. A door handle. A door handle? The wardrobe door was flung open. Max had a full view of the room.

Men, no, things in black full length hooded cloaks started appearing from behind every object. And then one tried to speak.
“Tu gaiymz oopkidd!” Max interpreted it and didn’t like what he thought he heard. (“The game is up, kid.”) And then they all started to slowly float towards him,arms outstretched and straight.
Max screamed: “AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!”

Hurriedly, Max inserted the key into the keyhole on the door behind him. He didn’t know what was behind the door, but he did know that it would be better than what was in front of him. By now, the key was red hot. Max fumbled with it, but didn’t let go. Using all his strength, he wrenched open the door. Closing his eyes, Max stepped forwards into the unknown, intrigued by the door, but also amazingly terrified of what he would find behind it at the same time. Max opened his eyes ... but it didn’t make any difference. He could feel himself falling but could not see anything apart from darkness. Down he fell, beginning to hear scuttling sounds all around him. Max felt something hit the side of his head ... and blanked out.

Max awoke, lying on his back in the middle of what he supposed was a forest clearing. As he rolled over, he felt something underneath him. The Key!!! Max picked himself up, still wondering where he was and how the key had appeared beside him. That was when he saw it. A gargantuan cockroach-like creature, at least eight metres tall and twelve metres long. It seemed to be whispering a sentence repeatedly, gradually getting louder. When he understood it, Max froze.
“Ky ... gev ... ky .. key ... Give. Me. The. Key!!!” There was nothing Max could do as the bizarre creature scuttled towards him, revealing long, sharp, blood-covered fangs. Max screamed as the creature tore into him, ripping him apart easily.

AAAAAAARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!

Max woke up in bed.
“Phew!!!” he thought. What a horrid nightmare!