The Nightmare at the End of the Bed

Hayley's nightmares have always haunted her. Are they real? What do they want with her?

Everything was motionless. The darkness around me was smothering; I could feel it wrapping itself around my chest and squeezing tightly. The heat was just as insufferable, sweat clung to every inch of my body and I knew that when I dared to get out of bed in the morning, I would once again be covered in rashes and cuts. But I couldn’t risk exposing anything to the darkness. Only my face was free from the duvet but that was purely down to the fact that I couldn’t breathe under the thick, heavy covers. My chest rose quickly, an overwhelming breathlessness that happened every night, my heart hammering in my chest. There was silence; even the slightest disturbance from outside made my whole body tense and I forgot to breathe. It was the same every night. The same dread as I crawled slowly into bed, the same fear as I turned the bedside lamp off. It wasn’t any easier with the light on, for if I ever did drift off, the shadows that waited for me when I awoke were worse than the darkness. I knew that they were waiting for me. Under the bed, they had been there my whole life, just waiting for the right day to strike. But I wouldn’t let them get me. I would die first.

 

I stood and watched the autumn leaves fall around me, brushing softly against my cheeks and settling in my hair and my hood. Beautiful hues of orange and brown, glimpses of green and yellow, a kaleidoscope of colours that swirled around me until I was tempted to fly off with them. I enjoyed the peaceful feeling that came with my evening walks, the crisp cold air on my cheeks made me huddle inside my coat and almost long for my bed. Almost. The wind caught my hair and for a moment I was lost in the tangles, the confusion was almost a release. Until I heard the footsteps approaching behind me. I span around, pulling my hair from out of my face and confronting the disturber of my peace. A businessman in a smart suit and phone to his ear glanced curiously at me as he hurried past, but it wasn’t until he had turned the corner at the end of the road that I relaxed. The knot in my stomach unravelled and I clutched at my chest, waiting for my heart rate to settle. You couldn’t trust anyone, as not everyone is as they seem. I stood in the park for a while longer, watching the sun set behind the tops of the distant buildings. The clanging of a nearby church clock made me realise the time and I gathered my coat even tighter around me before hurrying off into the gathering darkness. I had forgotten how quickly the sky turned dark this time of year and had almost let myself be at risk of exposure outside. Outside I wouldn’t have any protection at all; I wasn’t safe anywhere. I only lived a couple of streets away from the park where I ventured for my evening walks, but by the time I put my key into the lock, night had already fallen. I stood on the doorstep for a second, glancing into the streets behind me, checking that I was still alone. The streetlights shone brightly, illuminating the yellow eyes of alley cats that gathered in a nearby doorway but no other eyes watched me that evening; that I could see at least. I let myself silently into my flat and locked the door behind me. No-one was coming in; unless they were already inside.

 

The door was locked and the windows bolted but I could still feel the unease boiling in my stomach as I got ready for bed. What if they’d snuck inside while I was hesitating at the door, I wouldn’t have seen them sneak past, could they be here watching me now? I wanted to be able to just go to bed without constantly looking over my shoulder but once that thought had arisen, it was like a disease gnawing away. I ran to the front door and double checked the locks, before grabbing the flashlight from the cupboard in the hallway. Arming myself, I crept back to my bedroom, my ears on alert for the slightest noise but yet I was still greeted with stillness. My bed loomed at me from the darkness, the starting point for all of my fears. That was the most obvious place for them to hide, and hide well they did. For as long as I could remember, I knew that they were watching my every move. I would get no comfort from those covers tonight. Instead, I grabbed the blankets that hung on the back of my dresser and headed towards the sofa in the corner of my bedroom. Setting up the flashlight so I could see even the darkest corners, I snuggled against the cushions and tried to relax. But every time my eyes drifted shut I would sense something flitting across the room and I would awake suddenly. The shadows would constantly change shape and as my fear grew it was as if the shadows got bigger. Were they shadows, or the creatures themselves? I never knew. It was going to be a long night.

 

Sometime in the night however, I must have drifted off. I dreamt of a ship, a lone ship that somehow managed to stay afloat, regardless of the endless crashing waves. It was a relentless pounding that continued its tireless onslaught against the ship, the waves fuelled by the ferocious whipping of the wind and the torrential downpour from the menacing clouds above. I was alone aboard the ship, frozen to the deck, unable to move or steer it to safety. Just allowing myself to be continuously drenched, without any power or control over my fate. But somehow I still felt a sense of peace; I would rather that my life was held in the hands of the tempestuous weather than in the control of my nightmares. I closed my eyes and held my arms wide, embracing the harsh biting of the rain against my face and the deep chill of the wind that coursed through me. I felt alive, more alive than I had done in years, no longer was I looking over my shoulder, I was free. I opened my eyes in time to see a wall of water rushing towards me, higher than I could see but somehow it felt as if it was suspended in mid-air. A swirling mass of water hovered within my reach and I could see deep within it, noticing all the different shades of blue and green before it hit me.

 

I woke up on the sofa, the blankets thrown on the floor and my body drenched in sweat. But I still felt peaceful; I had been allowed to sleep. Sleep had become such a rarity to me that for the first time in years, I wanted to stay cuddled up within the blankets. I looked around the room and mentally scolded myself for not making the bedroom more homely. No wonder I didn’t feel safe in my apartment, it wasn’t my own home at all. Since I had moved in two years ago, the flat had only been used as somewhere to hide from the nightmares outside but yet over time they still managed to haunt me within the four walls. Other than a family photo frame sitting on my desk, I had no treasures or possessions from my childhood. Fear had made me leave everything behind and it was now that same all-consuming fear that was keeping me trapped. Trapped in a cycle of lack of sleep and nightmares that continued to plague me; even in the daylight hours so that I was never free. My parents had always tried to help me, encourage me to make the place more homely but I kept them at an arms distance, the same I did the rest of the world and as time had gone by we had drifted apart. I was constantly alone, striving for human contact but not trusting anyone enough to let them close.  But today felt different, I felt so refreshed that I decided to head outside and try and go further than the usual park walk that played host to my evening rambles.

 

The sky was lit up with the last golden rays of the fading sun and I automatically tilted my head to feel the last traces of warmth before the light was sucked from the sky and darkness descended. I had been walking all day, fatigue not affecting me because I was still driven by the peacefulness that had been the consequence of my good night sleep. My feet were sore and I had stopped feeling my hands a long time ago but I was still walking, determined to make the most of this beautiful day. I had allowed myself to be surrounded by strangers for the first time since I could remember. The jostling of people on the street had made me flinch but I was able to control my fear and carry on without the usual feelings of panic and nausea. I was no longer looking for the shadows that flitted behind me; instead I was only looking forward. I had found myself walking down a high street and I was amazed by the different colours and fashions that filled the windows. It had been so long since I had been in a shop, too long since I had bought anything new that I automatically dashed in and spent what felt like hours running my hands over the fabrics. I was a child again, everything new fascinated me and before I knew it, I was leaving the shop burdened with bags. Beautiful dresses in so many colours that I never knew existed. So caught up in my amazement at my recent purchases, I didn’t hear the shout of a man behind me until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Without thinking I yanked my arm free and ran as fast as I could down the street and through an alley.

 

I could hear the crunch of the gravel beneath my boots as I tried to creep behind the wall. I tried to calm down but the panic had already kicked in. My heart was hammering in my ears and I could feel the hysteria rising up inside me. I glanced quickly behind me and automatically my legs jerked forward of their own accord, pushing me onwards. The alley was narrow and I was reluctant to go somewhere with no guarantee of an exit but I was trapped. I could hear his footsteps behind me on the gravel and the harsh raggedness of his breath as he tried to catch me. I surged forward as fast as I possibly could, scraping my right arm along the brick wall and nearly crying out but I managed to keep going. The exit of the alley was so close now but I could feel him almost on my heels, his arm grabbing out to reach mine.

“Hey, Lady!”

I span round as I felt his strong hands grab my arms and I tried to struggle against his tight grip but the floor was rushing up towards me and the walls were closing in on me. I tried to focus on my assailants face but red dots swam in front of my face.

“Get off me!” I managed to cry out, feebly trying to pull away but his hold only got stronger. I could hear him trying to say something but it was as if his words were being spoken through a dream, I could see his lips moving but I couldn’t focus long enough to understand him.

“Hey, lady, lady! Are you okay? Stay upright now, I’ve got you.”

 

“I don’t understand what happened, I was just running after her to tell her she forgot her purse from the shop and next thing I know she was running away from me, it’s like she thought I was after her or something. And when I managed to get hold of her, she had a panic attack and fainted, never seen anything like it.”

My eyes flickered open and I realised I was still lying on the ground. I could see the flashing blue lights of the police car and hear the low muttering of two men behind me. I slowly wiggled my fingers and toes, investigating the damage before trying to make a run for it; everything seemed in working order other than a general feeling of stiffness. Before I could even think about moving however, I could hear the men approaching me. Composing my face, I forced a smile and looked up into the stern face of the police officer.

“You alright Miss? You took a nasty fall there.”

“I don’t really know what happened, I’ve been feeling unwell all day, I think the best thing for me to do is go home and rest.”

“Are you sure? Do you need me to give you a lift anywhere?”

“NO! I mean, don’t worry, I live around the corner don’t go to any more trouble.”

I allowed myself to be helped up and I quickly dusted down my coat and collected my bags, trying not to catch the eye of either of the men still standing there awkwardly, unsure whether I was actually fit to leave.

“Thank you for everything, enjoy your evening,” I mumbled as I quickly hurried down the alleyway, not looking back or slowing down until I had reached the corner and was sure they weren’t following. That had been a close one.

 

The enjoyment of the day had quickly vanished and I was left outside in the rapidly falling darkness in an area that I was quick to realise I did not recognise. I had been so wrapped up in my feeling of serenity this morning that I had no idea where it was that my feet had carried me. Looking around at the strange buildings, I tried to fend off the rising panic that was building inside. It was like the strange tide in my dream that night, the wave was threatening to hit me and once it did, no-one would be able to help me. I set off back into the bustling streets, hoping that I would be able to find my way home. I had never realised that the night time brought a whole different crowd of people onto the streets, loud and crude with cigarette smoke and boozy breath filling every street corner and clouding my vision. Music from pub doors spilled out onto the streets but I wasn’t able to identify a single song, the heavy bass pounded in my chest. Every step was a struggle, as if I was walking through quicksand, every instinct was telling me to run and hide. I tried to keep my focus ahead but I couldn’t help but glance nervously side to side, searching for the glowing green eyes that followed my every move. Every flash of light from cars turning the corner made me flinch horrifically and I was aware of the strange looks that passers-by were giving me. But I no longer cared; all I wanted was to get home.

 

There was a time when I was younger that I had been separated from my mum, I must have been only four or five but I could remember the day as if it was yesterday. She’d taken us to the zoo for my birthday and I’d spent the whole day clinging tightly onto my mum’s hand and craning to see the animals over the top of the bigger kid’s heads. She would always ask me if I wanted to squeeze in the front of the crowd but I would never let go of that reassuring comfort; until I saw the tiger. A beautiful creature whose orange fur rippled in the sunlight and I longed to run my little fingers through it. The black stripes looked like scars across its majestic back and it’s dark, solemn eyes stared at me solidly through the glass wall. Without realising, I found myself letting go of my mother’s hand and wandering through the crowd until I had reached the giant glass wall that was the tiger’s home. I placed my fingers against the grubby barrier and stared at the tiger. And it stared back. I don’t know how long I was standing there, it could only have been five minutes, but in that moment it was as if all of time and space had come to a halt. And then the tiger roared. A roar that seemed to explode into the entire zoo and I was left reeling, the moment broken and I was once again only a little girl, lost in a zoo and scared to my very core. I ran from the encounter as fast as I could, crying my mum’s name and searching frantically for her red hair. She found me first, scooping me up and holding me tight until my sobs subsided and I was able to breathe through my tears. It was a long time until I was able to let go of her hand.

 

It was as if I was back in that zoo again, staring into the opening chasm and feeling the roar echo around me. Every nerve ending was on fire and I was trying to fight my way through the crowds, people pushing and shoving everywhere, my bags getting caught up in the tangle. I was getting dizzy, the fight in me almost spent, the word mum forming on my lips before I remembered. I stopped suddenly, ignoring the grumble as people were forced to step around my frozen body. I was back on the ship, unable to move or think but forced to confront the swirling, menacing wave in front of me. The wall of people that was headed towards me no longer mattered, all I could see was water. It was threatening to drown me, to sweep me away and lose me deep in its dark depths. I could see no reason why not to let it carry me away on the crest of the wave, the white foam crashing around me until I was dragged down to the perilous depths of the ocean. I closed my eyes and waited. But death did not come. I was still frozen in the middle of a busy street, a pebble in a rushing river. When I opened my eyes, it was not water that was rushing down upon me. It was fire; burning flames that made the air dance before me and my eyes water with its intensity. I knew that this fire would not give me the peaceful ending I craved for, it was designed to make me fight for my life and if I failed, I would pay with the worst pain imaginable. So I ran. I span on my heel and dashed back the way I came, not daring to look behind me but I could feel the fire closing in on my every step. I pushed myself even harder, I was determined that the fiery wall would not destroy me. It was this inner strength that I didn’t realise I had that made me hurtle the last couple of metres before flinging myself around the corner. Everything was quiet and still, the air back to being freezing; the fire had gone. I had survived. I looked at the world through new eyes; my survival had changed something within me. I peered through the darkness and noticed the sign hanging on the wall at the end of the road. ‘Friar Street’. I was closer to home than I had realised and without further hesitation I took one last look around me before hurrying down the path and along the familiar roads that awaited me.

 

I twisted the key in the lock and held my breath as the door swung open, the hallway was dark and gloomy; it was as if what little life my apartment held had been sucked out of it. I flicked the light switch before firmly shutting the door behind me but the darkness did not shift. I tried again but the switch just flicked uselessly under my fingers. I tried to peer through the gloom but it was as impenetrable as the fog that crept down on a cold November morning. Slowly and steadily, with my palm flat on the wall for support and guidance, I made my way down the hallway and into the kitchen, my fingers constantly searching for the doorway. Without warning, the lights flashed on and I was momentarily blinded by the harsh lighting. Although it was only for a second, it was long enough for me to notice the shadow flitting across the kitchen ceiling before I was once again plunged into darkness. They were here. Could they have slipped in behind me as I returned from my nightmare day or had they been here all along waiting for me to arrive home? I would never know; the secret to my fears was always kept from me. All I knew is that the more fear I revealed, the stronger they became. But I didn’t feel scared, anger that I had never felt before surged through me and I felt a fire in my soul that I thought had died years ago. Today would be the last day that my nightmares ruled my life.

 

My finger found the kitchen light switch and the room was filled with light, eliminating all of the shadows and rebounding off the bright white surfaces. I blinked uncertainly, my resolve fading as quickly as the darkness had. The nightmares couldn’t be here surely. I strode over to the cupboards and flung them wide open, they banged against each other and I knew they would be marked and damaged but I no longer cared, I would find them before they found me. Jars of sauce and bags of pasta were cast carelessly aside as I searched every crevice, no corner went unchecked and my fingers were soon raw with the intensity with which I attacked everything. I searched everywhere until I was satisfied that the nightmares were not hiding in my kitchen. I stood in the middle of my destruction, breathing heavily and trying to rub life back into my aching hands. If they weren’t in here then where were they? I was already heading over to my bedroom when I first heard it, the rustling of wings. I span round expecting to come face to face with them, but again there was nothing. Frustrated I lashed out and threw my chair across the room; it hit my mirror and sent shards of glass flying everywhere. It was as if time had slowed down just for this moment, I watched in a daze as the pieces span through the air, reflecting the light and sending rainbows up my walls. My eyes followed the largest piece as it came spiralling towards me, I could see the entire room in this shard of glass, every corner, the ceiling, the bed, the chair lying broken on the floor, the nightmares. And there they were, watching me.

 

The first time I saw them, I thought I was dreaming. My mother told me I had been, the doctors told me I was. But I knew that they were real. What else could explain the scars that covered my body as they attacked me in my sleep, even though when I checked again they would have disappeared, no sign of blood or freshly healed skin? Something in me knew that by admitting to these attacks and even seeing these monsters in the first place, I was subjecting myself to scrutiny. I caught the looks my parents exchanged as I told them about the latest scratch that covered my arm and what the monsters had done to me that night, and so I stopped telling them. I pretended that it was just a phase, that my nightmares that haunted me were just nightmares; they only plagued me while I slept. But I couldn’t have been further from the truth. My parents were no longer people I could go to and trust; instead I distanced myself from them and dealt with it all myself. The nightmares haunted my waking hours more intensely than when I was asleep; for a while at least. By the time I was twelve, I could no longer distinguish between when I was awake and when I was asleep, they were always there, waiting for me to show fear.

 

That fear returned to me now, more intensely than I could remember. Their green eyes flashed menacingly at me and I caught the flash of a talon before it quickly retracted. Every nerve in my body was telling me to run but I was frozen, my body breaking out in a sweat and my stomach convulsing, I felt sick. They hung there on the ceiling, watching me, the largest one in front cocking its head to the side as if to gage my reaction. I stood there staring at it for what felt like a lifetime. Before I could help it, my arm twitched and it was as if it was a trigger, they descended and I had nowhere to run. Their long leathery wings unfurled and they took to the air, circling me, I could not distinguish one from the other. I felt the sting of their claws before I saw that one had got close. The sticky wetness of the blood running down my arm made me gasp and suddenly they were gone. I craned my head behind me but they had disappeared. I closed my eyes and counted to three before slowly opening them again. There was no glass on the floor, my chair was under the dresser as it always was, I glanced at my arm but there was no blood, no scratch, no sign at all that I had been harmed. I shook my head frantically as I tried to figure out what had happened, I could feel the bile rising in my throat and I knew I wouldn’t make it to the bathroom. I sank to my knees and coughed and spluttered until tears streamed down my face and my stomach was empty.

 

I drifted in and out, starting suddenly when the fear became too intense before drifting back off into an uneasy and restless sleep. My dreams were vivid, the colours too harsh and the sound roaring in my ears. When I stirred, I could feel the wetness in my hair as I was laying in my own sick but I was past caring. I drifted back off, floating away from reality on a raft that bobbed along the waves of the ocean, the sun shining down on me and my fingers trailing in the water. I could sense a gathering storm but it seemed far away on the horizon, the bleak rolling clouds held no terror for me.  Until I realised that they were not clouds that were now rapidly flying towards me, they were my nightmares. I sat upright but the sudden motion dislodged me and I was sent hurling into ocean, the sun had done nothing to warm the water and my teeth were chattering within seconds. Waves crashed over my head and time and time again I was dragged under the water by the current, I tried to kick my way to the top but every time I was able to swallow a mouthful of air I was sent crashing back under again. The ocean was merciless, I knew that I would run out of time soon and I would sink beneath the waves, maybe a better ending for me than to confront the terrors that awaited me above the tide. My head broke free of the water one last time and as I opened my mouth to take my last breath, so that at least I died fighting, I awoke back in my bedroom with a wrenching sob.

 

I turned the shower on full blast and didn’t wait for it to warm up before tearing off my ruined clothes and stepping in, letting the water pound into my head and body as mercilessly as the waves in my night terror had. Steam soon filled my tiny bathroom as the temperature increased and I could feel the water scalding my back but I no longer cared. Grabbing my loafer, I scrubbed and scrubbed until my skin was raw and I could no longer feel anything. I opened my mouth and let the water fill me up, washing away all traces of the bile and sweat that clung to me. When I felt remotely human again, I turned the shower off, grabbed a towel and sat on the edge of the bath, staring into the mirror as the steam cleared. It was the same old Hayley that stared back at me. My long brown hair that I was never able to style the same way twice sat past my shoulders, bright green eyes that were the same as my mothers, dimples that were always there whether I was smiling or not and the same slightly crooked nose that I had despised since I could remember. I still looked like the same old me, so why did I feel so different? Why did I feel like I was falling apart at the seams? I had always been so determined that what I was seeing was real, that the nightmares that haunted me were real, so what had happened this afternoon? In the space that I had closed my eyes, they had managed to clear up the mess, fix my mirror and erase a bleeding wound from my arm; that wasn’t even possible. Was it?

 

Refusing to be proven wrong, I was determined to find out if the monsters that haunted me were real. I pulled on my pyjamas and crawled into bed, switching off my bedside lamp and pulling the covers up to my neck. A soft light fell through my curtains from the outside lamppost and I could just about see the end of my bed through the darkness. I strained to hear anything but all was still. Exhausted, I closed my eyes and dozed off into an uneasy and fitful sleep but there were no vivid dreams waiting for me. What felt like only moments later, I felt a soft caress on my cheek and I stirred, hitting the intruder away and pulling the covers tighter around me. It was only after hearing the leathery cracking of wings did my eyes fly open. Sitting on the bars at the end of my bed sat the largest of the nightmares. Its large green eyes stared at me and I could see its claws tightening around the rails as I shifted slightly. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed another one come out of nowhere and swoop down to join it at the end of the bed. It seemed to have just grown out of the darkness, its form changing the closer it got until it was the terror I recognised. They both stared at me, the eeriness of the green eyes was what disturbed me the most but I found myself unable to look away. And then without any warning, or shift of position, they both opened their mouths and whispered one word.

“Hayley.”

 

“What are you?” The words had barely left my mouth before there were another three creatures sitting on the end of my bed. I closed my eyes and counted to three once again, praying that it was just another vivid dream. But when I opened them, the monsters were not only still there, but there were more of them. More than I had ever seen, they were all just sitting staring at me with the same glowing green eyes. In the darkness I couldn’t distinguish the bodies, all I could see was the glint of the talons in the pale moonlight and hear the rustling of wings as they jostled for position on the bed. This took me less than a second to consider before I was focused back on the first nightmare, he seemed slightly bigger than the others and he was the one who spoke to me.

“What do you want from me?” I tried asking, my voice stronger now. The sound that erupted from all around me was something that I had never heard before and something I hoped I would never have to hear again. It was as if the nightmares were mocking me, their howls bordered on hysterical laughter although I could hear hissing and growls from some of them.

“Enough.”

At his command, the howling stopped and all eyes turned back to look at their leader as he grew before our very eyes. It was as if he was drawing power from the others, they seemed to shrink beneath him as he swelled, darkness drifting around him before becoming him. His wings stretched out beside him and suddenly the light from outside was gone, it was as if he swallowed the moonlight and turned it into power.

 

The voice that came from the creature was not what I expected, it sounded human, very old and wise and almost reassuring.

 “I believe the question is Hayley, what do you want from us?”

“I don’t want anything from you; I don’t understand why you’re here?”

“Do you not? Come now Hayley, do not lie to us; we are present in your dreams so you have no secrets from us.”

“I don’t understand! Where did you come from? What are you? What do you want from me?” I was starting to panic, the mania was threatening to choke me but I didn’t dare to make a single move, I was more than outnumbered, they could kill me in seconds.

“You created us Hayley; you tell us what we are? We were grown from the darkness in your dreams and we fed off your fear when you were young and vulnerable, and we still feed now as you continue to be scared of us. We take the form of what will scare you the most. You say the words and we’ll be gone.”

“You mean you’re in my head?” As soon as these words were uttered, I was left alone in my bedroom that suddenly seemed so much smaller and darker. Even without the creatures at the end of the bed, the moonlight failed to shine inside my room. I leaned over and switched my bedside lamp on but the dim lamp failed to put my mind at ease. Throwing my dressing gown on, I trod carefully as I checked the bathroom and lounge but there was no sign of anything. I pushed open the door to the kitchen but couldn’t get past the doorway. I pushed as hard as I could but I kept hitting something that was in the way before suddenly remembering the mess that I’d left in the kitchen before I was sick and had a shower. But was that real? The mess in my bedroom and been part of a crazy dream so who knew what was going on in the kitchen. I closed my eyes and counted to three, hoping that my mind was just playing tricks on me.

 

This time when I tried to open the door it swung open easily and I looked around my kitchen in wonder, the destruction was exactly how I’d left it. So how was I able to get in? I stepped gently over the scattered tins and jars to the light switch but as soon as I got there, the door to my bedroom slammed shut and I span round, expecting the creatures to have come back. But instead I was faced with a figure that slumped on the floor in front of the door. It was a woman with long brown hair that covered her face but other than that she was completely naked. How did she get in here? As I edged closer, I noticed the red scratches and welts that covered her back and arms. They looked just like the ones I used to get from my nightmares. Cautiously, I crouched down and swept the hair back from her face before dropping it again in shock. It was me. The long brown hair was mine; she had my eyes, my dimples and my crooked nose. The woman lying on my kitchen floor, unconscious and covered in cuts was me. I clutched my own hair in despair and tried to think rationally as I backed away, I was dreaming, the whole thing was a bad dream, it had to be. I closed my eyes, even after three seconds the body was still there, I tried ten seconds but she was still there, her vacant green eyes just staring at me across the room. I shut my eyes and clamped my hands over my ears, singing as loud as I could in the effort to wake myself up but nothing. I pinched my flesh as hard as I could, the bruises appearing almost instantly on my skinny arms. I ran back over to the body, almost tripping on the cupboard doors still laying abandoned on the floor and covered her face back over with her hair, my hair. But curiosity won over and I found myself looking at her face again, trying desperately to find the chink in this obvious elaborate hoax. But all I found was two green eyes staring at me, two glowing green eyes. 

 

I ran out into the street, my bare feet catching on the gravel and cutting my skin but I didn’t care, I needed to get as far away from the house as possible. My dressing gown trailed behind me and my pyjamas did little to protect me from the biting chill of the night air but my fear protected me. I ran across the park where I walked every evening but the setting looked so different in the darkness. Trees twisted down across the path and more than once I found myself caught up in the tangles of the branches, each time yanking my hair free. I kept running, faster than I had ever ran before but came to a sudden halt when I realised that the exit to the park on the other side was blocked. Brambles from the surrounding hedges had overgrown and were draped menacingly across the path, making it impossible to pass. Green eyes glowed at me from the shadowy depths. I whirled round, cutting across the wet grass and nearly falling but momentum kept me travelling forwards, surely I would be able to get out the way I got in? But even through the darkness I could see that the path came to an abrupt halt ahead of me and the briars seemed even more threatening. Determined not to let them beat me, I tried to push the branches aside but the thorns cut my arms and hands, I was fighting a battle that I couldn’t possibly win. I screamed as I felt a claw scratch across the back of my leg and I span round but the creature had already swooped off, its cackling screams echoing in the night. I was covered in blood, from the cuts on my arms and now the scratch on my leg.

“What do you want from me?” I screamed into the gloom, waiting for the onslaught of green glowing eyes that was sure to find me, but nothing. I was alone, cold and injured and no way of getting out.

 

The sun crept over the top of the buildings and shone wanly on my face; I stirred and opened my eyes blearily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My hands brushed against something soft and I was surprised to find them pulling out tufts of grass. I slowly sat up and was aware of the soreness that seemed to spread over my entire body like wildfire. I looked around in confusion, I was in the middle of the park, and after quickly looking down I realised that I was only dressed in my dressing gown and pyjamas. My feet and arms, although cold and aching, they no longer bore any signs of scratches or cuts. My hair was tangled and entwined with twigs as if I’d been dragged through a hedge; last night was such a blur that I couldn’t explain what had happened. I could see people on their way to work cutting through the park and giving me strange looks and I was vaguely aware of what I must look like. Probably think I’m drunk I thought wryly to myself. With a lot of effort, I unsteadily got to my feet and made my way back through the park and towards my flat. I’d locked myself out in my hurry to leave the house so after making sure no one was looking; I pulled the spare key out from under the stone and let myself in. I stood in the hallway and watched the sun stream in through the kitchen window. The kitchen was tidy and everything was in its rightful place. Before I even checked I knew that there would be no body lying on the kitchen floor, my bedroom was the same as it always was. Everything that had happened was just in my head, I understood that now. I crawled into bed gratefully, wrapping the covers around me and closing my eyes. If the nightmares were real then they’d find me whether I tried to hide from them or not, I was no longer scared of them. I had won.

“Goodnight,” I whispered before falling into a long and dreamless sleep.

 

They watched her as she slept, whether they were at the end of her bed, perched on her dresser or just simply hanging from the ceiling. Instead of the fretfulness that Hayley usually experienced, she didn’t stir once and as the hours went on, the creatures disappeared, unable to feed off the fear that usually kept them so strong. One by one they disappeared, leaving Hayley alone asleep in the bed until only two remained. They balanced on the end of the bed, their claws wrapped round the rails. When they spoke to each other, their voices were no more than a whisper.

“What went wrong?”

“You tell me, I left you in charge and you decided to clean up the kitchen? We were so close to breaking her and you ruined everything.”

“I thought it would break her, you saw her after the bedroom incident, and she was so close to being ours completely.”

“Well you were wrong.”

The smaller of the two creatures knew when he was dismissed and without another word or glance back at the figure in the bed, he unfurled his wings and flew in a wide arc around the room before disappearing into the darkness. There was only one left now, he was a lot smaller and weaker that Hayley would have remembered but he was the oldest and the strongest of all the creatures. He was Hayley’s very first nightmare and had been with her for her entire life. He would never disappear. He crawled under the bed and wrapped his wings around himself as he too fell asleep, the monster under the bed.

 

Reviews

[Zahra]

nice story. nicely done.

[Prince Kenny Jr]

I could not read all but I bet u that, the bit I read caught my suspence....

Great write up !

[EmilyMay91]

Thank you! I hope you get a chance to read it all at some point :)

[Prince Kenny Jr]

yh sure