Dark In My Imagination

A Story by HermioneFrost

I wrote this for English class. Our assignment was to write a short story, so this is what I came up with. I don't write many scary stories, but I love reading them. Please tell me what you think!

“Goodnight, Aleena. Sweet dreams.” Mrs. Blake leans down to lay a soft kiss upon her daughter’s forehead. She walks to the dark oak door frame and places her index finger on the light switch. “Watch out for the Boogeyman.”

Aleena rolls her periwinkle eyes. “Mom, I’m 16. I don’t believe in the Boogeyman anymore. That’s kid stuff.”

Mrs. Blake shrugs and turns the light off. “Whatever you say, sweetie.”

The door shuts quietly and the room is immersed in darkness. The only hint of any light comes from a thin line under the wooden portal. The window is cracked open ever so slightly, so much that only a malnourished mouse would be able to wedge itself through. A ghastly wail of wind slithers past the chilled shutters and into the bedroom, causing the temperature to plummet. There is no moon in the sky. It is undergoing its monthly rebirth on this black, October night.

Aleena lays her head down on her fluffy pillow. Her long, blonde hair spreads over the cushion like frail, lifeless serpents. Feeling a sudden nip from the breeze, she tugs her blanket up to her chin. The blue fleece tickles her goosebumped skin, but it doesn’t matter. It brings instant warmth and comfort in the brisk evening. She rolls onto her side so that her back is to the windowpane. She tries to close her eyes, but she is unable to sleep. Watch out for the Boogeyman. What had her mother meant by that? She hasn’t believed in the Boogeyman since she was eight. He wasn’t real. It was impossible. Her mom knew that; Aleena knew that. Then why did she warn her about him?

She repositions herself so that she is turned toward the window. She watches a spider spinning a cobweb in the upper corner. Its slender dance on the silky lacework mesmerizes her in no time at all. Bit by bit, her eyelids grow remarkably weighty, and they are soon shut tight.

Within minutes, Aleena is carried away into a land of dreams. She is standing in a cemetery with nothing but smoky fog to accompany her. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying flesh. Skyscraping trees branch out into the heavens’ murky glow, attempting to flee the eerie graveyard. A cryptic forest surrounds the area like a broken picket fence. The air is as silent as death itself, no breath to whisper its secrets.

She looks down and finds herself clothed in a lace nightgown. It fits loosely on her slim body. The sleeves flare out about midway down her arms, and the dress extends to her bare feet. A few layers of frilly material rest upon the neckline. Her hair flows down her back in long, blonde waves. Her fair, floral ensemble is in complete contrast with the grim night.

There are countless tombstones encircling one another, all brittle and gray. One, by chance, draws Aleena closer. She wanders over to the crumbling rock, absent of any words. Her feet, tinted purple from the chilly atmosphere, carefully tread on the frosted earth. A small bouquet of roses leans on the stone, wilting with the rest of the world. Its deep burgundy is distinct against the black and white realm. She reaches out to retrieve the blossoms but pricks her finger on a thorn. “Ow!” she cries, folding her hand around her wound. A single drop of blood trickles off of the gash and splatters onto her ivory nightgown. She regards the gravestone. The surface, once a blank, level slab, now has a name etched into it.

Aleena Blake.

A sharp sting enters her slit finger and she winces in agony. Blood seeps off her nail and onto her dress once again, this time a prolonged trail rather than a single drop. The red fluid bends and spirals down the cloth, the pain intensifying with every centimeter. The liquid diminishes in its path and unveils a bloody signature soaked in the stitching.

Aleena Blake.

Her bottom lip trembles and her breathing gets shallow. She hears a crescendo of screeches charging towards her. Glancing up, she detects a colony of bats approaching at an impelling pace. She makes a fist to stop her bleeding and starts to sprint. The bats collide with her like a violent wave in a stormy sea. Aleena shakes her arms above her head in a mad frenzy, frantically shooing the creatures away. Their skeletal wings thrash against her body, slicing her legs and entangling her hair. The bristly beasts pulsate against her ears. Bam! Thwack! Wham! Her feet trample over twigs and stones. However, she bites her lip, ignoring the pain of nature’s knifelike edges, and pleads her strained legs to hasten.

The fog begins to disperse, revealing an entrance to the labyrinthine forest. Aleena’s eyes shine a hopeful glimmer beneath her fresh tears. Come on, Aleena. Faster! She lunges her scarred legs forward, crushing a pointed twig in half. You’re getting closer! Her heart pounds against her chest and in her throat. She struggles to maintain her breathing, short and faltered. Almost there! The cloud of bats converts to a tornado, circling around in a fluttering swarm. In her peripheral vision, she notices a bat unlike any other. It has demonic red eyes and is twice the size of the others. For a while, it remains still, staring at its prey. Suddenly, it dives, bearing its hideous fangs. She lets out a yelp and runs faster. Just a few more feet! The creature is a couple of yards away, its hissing growing louder. Come on! The scarlet glare from the beast’s orbs strengthens. Aleena holds her breath, certain it is the end, and stretches her legs one more time.

Without warning, the shrills cease. She looks behind her, the demon bat’s hot exhale lingering on the back of her grated neck. The army of bats are still there, screeching and clawing the air. But, they aren’t advancing past the forest. It’s as though they can’t, like they’re suspended by some invisible barricade. Daring not to question this strange miracle, she pivots and enters her arboraceous escape.

The forest smells of moist leaves and moss. The elegant trim of Aleena’s nightgown, now laced with blood, tangles in the firm pine branches periodically. A cold wind whistles through her raw incisions with a terrible sting. Her numb feet cling to clammy leaves, using the sodden foliage as bandages. She blinks a few times, struggling to see past the thick fog. Cautiously, she tiptoes through the opaque haze. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Out of nowhere, the pattern is broken. Her foot stumbles on a tree root, wriggling itself out of the ground. She trips, expecting to land on her face; for her knees to attain even more scrapes and bruises and her teeth to be burrowed in the soil.

Instead, she finds herself falling into an everlasting blackness.

Down, down Aleena tumbles, cascading further and further into the dark abyss. The bloodstained fabric flaps against her legs. Her hair flows opposite gravity in a twisted rush. She lets out a perilous scream with no echo. The darkness increases with depth, each inch blacker than the former. Suddenly, there is a rectangle, materializing in the distance. It is getting closer at a very swift pace. She elevates her arms, bracing herself for impact with the sapphire figure.

Aleena wakes up gasping for air. She sits straight in her bed, white knuckles strangling her soft blanket. A dream, she tells herself. It was just a nightmare. But something is off. She places a hand on her chest, assuming to distinguish a hammering heartbeat. There is nothing. Not a single throb in her rib cage. Her bosom is hollow, empty. How is this happening? How am I still alive? She inhales and exhales, feeling the air expand her lungs. Yet there still isn’t a heartbeat. Aleena examines the ominous room with wide eyes. Something definitely isn’t right.

The room darkens, sinister shadows swelling in her sanctuary. The window, still ajar to some degree, slams shut with the wind’s moaning. Aleena directs her attention to her closet. It creaks as it opens bit by bit. An eerie silence fills the room as she stares into the darkness. Two eyes surface, both shining like golden eclipses. They glare menacingly into her eyes, her soul. The monster smiles, revealing a sharp tooth with each passing second. Aleena tenses, unable to escape the phantom’s cheshire grin. All of the sudden, it surges towards her. She barely has time to scream before it takes the last of her breath.