✧Hidden Crystals ✧

Chapter 20

Every creak and groan of the house sent my head reeling with the possibilities of what the cause of the noise was. My eyes frantically darted from side to side to make sure that a known creature wouldn't pluck me from the bed I was in. My hands were numb, not from the cold but from me clenching them together tightly in an effort to ground myself.

The lack of light present casted shadows everywhere. These shadows seemed to morph into little figures but as soon as I would glance at them they would flee back to wherever they came from. I couldn't bring myself to get out of the bed. The fear of something lurking outside of the safety zone I had created nailed me to the bed.

I could feel my heart beating in its chest, it was thumping wildly. At one point I had mistaken it for footsteps; it was so loud. My eyes started to ache with how long I would go without blinking, I feared that if I blinked it would give whatever was out there just enough time to kill me in whatever gruesome way it had planned.

It felt like I was in a living hell, the constant feeling of not knowing what lurking in the darkness made me want to scream until my throat ached. My body's need for sleep would tug on my eyelids trying to get them to close but I wouldn't allow it. Every time I felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open I would squeeze my fingernails into the palm of my hand, the slight pain of it would allow me to stay awake for a little while longer until I would have to repeat the process.

The room was starting to lighten up, but only slightly. The sun must have been starting to climb up into the sky. I still couldn't make out anything in the room but I knew if I just hung on just a little longer I could finally relax. Suddenly I was ripped out of my thoughts when a figure appeared in the hallway. My body went rigid and my breathing stopped. This time even when I looked directly at it the figure didn't go away.

It paused for a second then turned its head towards my direction. My limbs turned into ice, what do I do, what do I do, I thought frantically. It walked towards me and stopped right as it reached the bed. My breathing stopped completely.

It reached its hand to me, all of the sudden my brain began to work again and I flung up from the bed and slapped away at the hand.

"Calm down!" The figure grunted, but I paid no mind to it, I was too busy trying to scramble away from it.

It grabbed my shoulder with a harsh grip. I started punching and hitting at it blindly, "Let me go!" I screeched at it.

"It's me, Masky!" It semi yelled.

I stopped struggling for a second and actually focused on who was standing in front of me. And it was who he said he was, it was Masky. I let my shoulders relax from the tense state I had them in. A mumbly "Oh," was all I said to him.

"Why the hell are you so jumpy, you..." His voice stopped, I glanced up at him. He was staring at me still, shit is he about to spaz on me again.

I shook him slightly, "Masky?" I called out.

"Have you been up all night like this,"

My eyebrows knitted together, what an odd question, I nodded my head.

"You didn't see anything did you?" He asked, a little fear seeped out from his voice.

"Kinda, I mean I don't think they were real. I think it was just my mind messing with me,"

"Shit," He mumbled, "Shit, shit shit," he got progressively louder. I was so confused with what he was so angry about. He ran his hands through his hair, bubbling something I couldn't hear. Then it hit me, the logs of the patients symptoms. This was one of the first symptoms they showed.

My stomach felt hollow with fear. No, this can't actually be happening, it couldn't. I was pulled out of my thoughts with a strong hand on my shoulders. I glanced up and met Masky's gaze, "Let's go to the kitchen and discuss this. I can brew us some coffee to drink as well," He said softly. He held out his hand and helped me climb out of bed.