The Sleeping People

Don't wake up the Sleeping People, unless you want to sleep yourself.

I’m Greg. And I have one hell of a week ahead of me. For some reason, our supervisor had placed me on the night shift for five days in a row. Well, initially that was fine. I’m a security guard in a compound down south. And usually the day shift security guard, but since one of the night shifts’ gone sick, I replaced him for the time being.

            On the first night, things were quiet. The sky was clear and stars filled the sky. The air was cold and only the sounds of crickets filled the guard house I was in. The small screens that filled my desk all emulated a quiet scene. The black and white features showed no movement. I yawned and checked my clock. It was five minutes to two o’clock. I stretched my arms and straightened my cap. I walked to our cupboard and made myself some coffee.

            The camera screens all remained calm and motionless. But as I filled my cup, I saw flicker from one of the screens. I approached my desk and stared at the screens. No flicker. I swore I saw something there. I turned around and from the side of my eyes, I saw a flicker on the left uppermost screen.

            My eyes locked on it. It was a view of the back of the compound. Nothing. What was that? I shook my head, dismissed the incident and blamed it on my sleepy head. I drank my coffee after. The night went uneventfully.

            The second night was pretty much the same. I was kinda drowsy during this night because my brother had a part for his daughter and I had to come, although I really needed the sleep. I yawned and rubbed my eyes after a long while watching the screens and decided to get myself some coffee.

            The moment I drank my coffee, I saw it again. This time, the flickering happened longer. Long enough for me to register it even with my drooping eyes. It was the same camera, from the back of the compound. After a few seconds the flickering happened again, and this time at the center of the screen I could make out a figure. At first, it was a smudge, then it formed into a sort of shadow, then it sharpened into a form of what looked like a child sitting on the grass, leaning on the wall, with his head on his hands and knees up on his chest.

            “What the hell?”

            Without thinking about it, I took a swig from my cup, pulled out my flashlight and made my way to the back of the compound. I followed the grass outline and the building wall, with the grass at my left and the wall on my right. If I followed it accordingly, I would reach the back in no time. The air was cold, but I was used to it. My flashlight beamed the concrete in front of me, trying to reach the intruder. Then as I turned the last corner to the back, it hit me like an airgun.

            The air shifted from zero degrees to negative fifty degrees in a second. The hair behind my head stood up and I felt my feet froze. It was impossible. There should have been snow, but there wasn’t. There should’ve been ice, but there was not a single ice flake. I breathe, and a soft mist came from my mouth. What the hell is going on? I beamed my flashlight forward where the intruder was supposed to be, but I saw nothing.

            I made cautious steps to the camera’s range. I saw the camera, and from where I was standing, I was exactly where I saw the kid. I flashed my light to the wall. No windows opened. No footsteps. The intruder must’ve been left or…

            He must’ve circulated the compound.

            The cold crept through my feet and arms. Another mist came as I exhaled. I shook my head and then made my night rounds around the compound. So far no signs of the intruder. I glanced at my watch and it was five minutes to two o’clock. I felt an even colder chill run up my spine. I swallowed hard and forced myself to make one round around the compound.

            I found no one.

            The third night, I was vigilant. I stared at all my screens. I didn’t know what to think. I wanted to catch the intruder, at the same time I want to prove to myself that the sudden change in temperature was nothing but a drowsy dream.

            My clock showed ten minutes to two o’clock. The night sky was dark and the clouds covered the stars, making it an even darker night. Then as expected. The flickering in the camera started. This time, all the screens started flickering, as if an electronic interference occurred in the guard house. I stood, eyes wide. Then without warning the camera screens all stopped flickering as if a switch was turned off.

            Then a black blot appeared on one screen, then the screen next to it, then the next. And the next. I took a step backward. The blots, formed and sharpened to figures of people. Each screen had a person, either a girl or a boy, or a man or a woman, all sitting with their backs against the wall. All had their hands on their heads, and knees up against their chest. For some reason, the screen showed more detail of the people. They all appear to be naked. Their black hair covering their eyes and ears.

            “What the?”

            All the figures remained motionless. I grabbed my radio, but it was dead. I grabbed my phone and it was dead. I stood frozen for a moment, wondering what in the world is happening. As if resting. I pulled out my flashlight and had my gun ready.  According to my screens, the closest sitting person is just behind my guard house. I swallowed and opened the door. Then suddenly I felt the coldest chill I ever had. The sort of chill that ran through your bones and raises every hair in your body. The cold set in, and I felt my knees shake. I wasn’t sure if it was from the weird display or from the cold itself.

            I willed myself to circulate the guard house. I walked carefully. Shivering as I took an advancing step. My flashlight beaming in front, ready to stop the sitting person. As I moved closer and closer, I could feel my heart pound harder and faster against my chest. My hands shivering, unable to keep my light steady.

            And as I turned the corner, there on the ground with his back on the wall, sitting was one of the people I saw. His build was a middle aged man. He was squatting against the wall, with his hands over his face and his knees touching his chest. His long sleek and shiny black hair covered most of his face. He sat naked on the ground. But what got me was his skin. It was impossibly pale. Paperwhite in every manner, with streaks of blue, webbed veins extending at random parts of his body. From his slouched shoulders I could make out that he was breathing in an impossibly slow pace. I forced some words out.

            “Sir…you…you are trespassing!” I said in between shivers. “I’m going to ask you come with me.”

            There was no response.

            “SIR”, I raised my voice.

            No response still. I advanced closer to the man. He remained motionless in the unusually cold atmosphere.

            “Sir,” I called out as I extended an arm to shove him. Then without warning, his pale arm grabbed my extended hand. The blue veins pulsating. My heart skipped a bit as I tried to step back. But his grip was surprisingly strong. He was still sitting with one hand on his face, but his other arm flexed holding me tightly like a vice grip. I dropped the flashlight and reached for my gun. And then I heard him talk.

            It was a high pitched squeal that sent shivers down my spine.

            “Don’t wake the Sleeping People”, he said in a broken squeal that made me want to scream.

            From this point on, reflex took over. I used my free hand to grab my pistol and fired at the man.

            BAAAANNNNG!

            I closed my eyes. The first thing I felt was the grip dramatically loosened. And then I felt his hand finally let go of me. I stepped back and opened my eyes. And to my shock, I shot the man square in the forehead. His other hand still remained over his face, but his outstretched arm became limp. His curled body dropped sideways to the ground.

            I noticed myself breathing heavily. I saw green ooze come out of the man’s forehead. I took a step backward. I felt a cold sweat drip down my temple. My mouth was dry and the cold gripped me tighter.

            What have I done?

            I swallowed and as I turned around. I froze. Just in front of me where dozens of the pale people. They were kneeling in front of me, with two hands over their faces, were completely naked. Their long black sleek hair covered their faces, their ears, and most part of their exposed chest. What frightened me the most was that the kneeling people were slowly advancing towards me. They slowly shuffled their knees advancing in a haunting procession towards me.

            “Stay away!” I yelled and pointed my gun.

            “Don’t disturb the Sleeping People”, they all said in unison.

            “Stay away!” I said as I turned the other way to run, but just a few feet, I saw another group advancing towards me. They had me surrounded.

            I stepped back. Their pace was slow, but they had me surrounded. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I cocked my pistol and started firing.

            BAAANNGGG!

            BANNNG!

            BAAANNNNG!

            Three fell. More came. I fired again.

            BAAANNG!

            BAAAANNNG!

            Two more headshots, but more still advance. One was so close I was at arm’s length. I clenched my fist and jabbed the closest one. The man fell down. Another came from my back. I kicked her and she fell back. Two more advanced with one arm reaching for me. I parried both arms and fired. They fell motionless. I punched three advancing people, but as I winded my arms again, I felt skinny hand wrapped around my wrist. Damn, one of them got close enough. I tried to aim my pistol, but two arms grabbed my other arm. Then two more grabbed my legs. I tried struggling but their grips were very iron-like.

            “Get away from me!” I yelled and struggled. The other people started stripping me. They undid my belt, pulled down my pants and my socks. Another group unbuttoned my shirt and didn’t bother about the arms. They ripped my uniform apart.

            “What the hell are you doing!”, I started kicking  them and punching but it was no use. They had me. These people worked in unison. They all covered their faces with one hand and used the other one to strip or restraint me. They all were still kneeling as if praising a deity.

            Another group took the last of my garments and I was naked, surrounded by these monsters. They were restraining me tightly, with hands holding me up to my shoulders and thighs. I was spread-eagled on the ground, naked with dozens of these monsters restraining me. Then…

            Then it happened.

            I was screaming and yelling, and I felt a cold skinny hand caress my forehead. It made me stop shouting for a second, but as my eyes adjust to see who it was. I saw an old woman, with one hand over her face and her skin was more blue than white. The veins had expanded to an extent that it seemed that it turned her skin blue. Her hair was white compared to the black sleek hair of her companions, but from my angle seeing up from her chin, I knew why they always had one hand over their faces.

            I screamed in horror again as I saw that whichever hand was left on their faces, the fingers of that hand had been shoved through both eye sockets, up to the knuckles. Green ooze dripped from the eyelids as the fingers pulsated. Then the old monster ran her skinny hand over my eyes, her blue fingers covering my view, and blocking the light from my eyes.

            Those were the last images I saw.

------------------------------------------------

            The supervisor rubbed his forehead staring at the roster of security guards on his desk. He was on it for hours, juggling the schedules. He needed another night shift guard.

            Because you see, this had been the third disappearance of one of his security guards in six months. And it had been the thirtieth disappearance in their city in two years. All last seen five minutes to two in the morning.

Author's Note

Grammar edited. :-)