Startled

A story I've carried with me for years...

     I woke up, head heavy and body aching. The bed underneath me was old and hard, covered with almost an inch of dust. I sat up to observe the room around me in curiosity, ignoring the fact that my neck and head were throbbing.

     Red curtains, bed canopy, hardwood floors, all illuminated by candlelight from antique beige candles in rusty candelabras. I swallowed before standing up, but that dust made me slip. I slid off of the bed and onto the creaky floorboards by the dresser next to the bed and the wall. My gaze darted right under the bed, and I screamed. A skull with a cracked head and detached jaw lay under, gathering dust like the comforter.

     As fast as I could, I got up, and ran out of the room, my heavy gasping and my pounding heart were the only things I could hear. I came to a staircase, and bolted down as fast as I could. Suddenly, something snagged my arm and yanked me bank. I stumbled a bit, and caught myself on a sturdy arm.

     The eyes gazing back at me were red, crimson red with black pupils. I could hear my heart pound in my ears as I cried, and he laughed....