From the Game's Introduction:
The world of Against the Darkness is very similar to the world we all know. However, bogey men, ghosts, pucks, and other malicious spirits haunt the landscape. The monsters flit through the shadows, striking from closets, laundry chutes, under the bed, and behind trees. Children are their primary food, drawing their sustenance from the hopes, dreams, and creativity of the youngest among us. To make matters worse, adults, most of who were drained by the creatures of darkness years ago, can’t see them. To skeptical parents and others, the haunters are only figments of a child's imagination. They have no idea how serious the threat is.
There are only a few that bravely stand against the growing darkness. For centuries people have commented on their cats staring into corners, dogs barking at nothing in the darkness, birds fleeing right before a disaster strikes, and other strange behavior. Most people would be surprised that the animals aren't insane or merely reacting to bugs or changes in magnetism. In truth, the animals are waging a violent, brutal war against the forces of the Darkness. The future of mankind hangs in the balance.