It was a dark and stormy night. The kind of night where the wind howled and the rain pounded against the windows as if trying to find a way inside.

Laura was home alone, sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her, trying to stay warm. She had always been afraid of storms, and this one seemed particularly intense.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. Laura's heart raced as she got up to see who it was. She looked through the peephole, but all she saw was darkness.

She hesitated for a moment but then decided to open the door. As soon as she did, a figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light. It was a man, tall and thin, with a twisted smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Laura asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"I'm just a traveler," the man said. "I got caught in the storm and I was hoping I could take shelter here for a while."