The Nightmare

Here's a story that's been on my mind for the past couple of days. My first attempt at a horror story, inspired by a real-life experience with sleep paralysis.

It’s late. Very late. I'm walking down a hallway in my house, the floorboards creaking in the night. Shadows dance along the walls, but I think nothing of them. I hear somebody muttering, and I focus on my objective – find that voice, and figure out what is going on.

I peer into rooms as I pass, but they're all silent. Until I get to the bathroom, that is. Suddenly, I can hear the voice clearly, and I begin to feel very uneasy. There's something extremely unnerving about the voice.

"I know what you did... cheating on the math test, sneaking out at night, stealing from your siblings... I know. You haven't been a good person lately..."

I try to stammer out a response, an explanation, anything; but my voice fails me. And suddenly I realize... the voice in the bathroom IS my voice. My heart begins to pound faster.

"What would people say if they knew? How would people feel? And more importantly..." the voice begins to change, becoming deeper, raspier, "what if you were to die tonight? If you never wake up, what will happen to your sinning soul? What will happen to you..."

The shadows on the wall begin to move – something in there is coming for me! Adrenaline combines with panic, and I sprint down the hallway, back to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. But why I've done this, I don't really know – that door won't stop whatever was in there.

Pulling the covers tight against me, I stare intently at the door, listening... I hear creaks of the floorboards, and know that it's coming. I can hear the raspy voice just beyond my door, and the sound of claws scratching at the handle.

Panicked, heart racing, I pray for help, for protection, for anything! The door begins to open, and suddenly...

I'm awake. Shaking, sweating, and breathing short, panicked breaths, but awake. 'It was just a nightmare,' I tell myself, and try to sit up. But I can't move. My body is paralyzed – only my eyes can move, darting from side to side, trying to find an answer... But there’s nothing.

It feels like a weight on my chest, like I'm being pulled downward into the mattress... and then I hear it. The raspy voice has started up again, muttering from under my bed as the sheets are pulled down and to the side, taking me with them... And there's nothing I can do.

Word Count: 411