paranoia [slow-ish updates]

4 days

I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here. It's dark, and I can barely see anything. I try and turn around, make sense of where I am, but I am paralysed. My limbs do not respond to commands given, and my screams for help are silent, even though my mouth moves accordingly. A slight breeze runs over my skin, and I become aware that I am lacking clothing. Seeing as my eyes are beginning to adjust to the darkness, I squint to try and see at least what's in front of me. I can make out the thin, mottled trunks of trees lined unevenly as far as I can see, and crumpled leaves stir forlornly on the ground in front of me. I'm trying to recall where I've seen this place before when I feel it on the nape of my neck. The ragged, hot breath that is definitely not human, it's almost...animalistic. My own breath catches in my throat and I feel the hairs on every part of my body spike in fear. I try to seal my eyelids shut, but I can't do that, either, and the breathing is only getting heavier. I feel exposed, vulnerable, and when the laughter reaches my ears, my terror ascends all the more.

It's an awful laugh, a screeching one that rips through the thick fog and that one would liken to nails on a chalkboard. It goes right through my bones, leaving a chill in the pit of my stomach.

Then shadows begin to emerge from the trees, shadows that have no real shape or form, nothing recognisable anyway. They turn painfully slowly towards me, and I see their lifeless eyes sunken into their heads, their mouths open in silent screams. They make their way towards me, not walking, gliding, black tendrils hovering above the floor by a few metres...

My head flung itself off my pillow, my sheets tangled between my legs. Sweat coated the top of my lip and across my forehead, but I didn't feel uncomfortably warm. It was quite the opposite, rather; goosebumps rose up over the exposed parts of my skin, and as I tried to slow my breathing, I noticed it escaped my lips in a white vapour. I rubbed my upper arms, trying to get some feeling back into them, when my room suddenly warmed up again. I felt my eyebrows knit together in confusion, looking around the room as if expecting to see some kind of fire being lit.

My palms travelled up and outward across my face, wiping away the moisture, and I sighed. As you might've guessed, this wasn't the first time these night terrors had happened to me. Ever since the incident on Monday, every time I'd tried to fall asleep (which, given my sleepless nights, was a lot, even for a day). I'd experience this terror. Every time, the same scenario, the same place, the same goddamn breath on my neck. This was the third time it had happened (yes, if you were wondering, I had fallen asleep in class, and I woke up to a bunch of confused looks from both Mr Denver and the students around me).

"What's happening to me?" I whispered into the silence, hoping for some kind of answer, an explanation, anything. Instead I was met with exactly what I woke up to; nothing but the sound of my own shallow breathing.

Looking over at my bedside table, I read my clock. 3:11 a.m. My head hit the pillow, even though I knew it was pointless trying to go back to sleep. Besides, when coffee exists, who needs sleep?

*

"Oh, believe me, you've looked worse," I snarled as I piled my plate high with toast that same morning.

"Yeah, but I had good reason to," Miles retorted, taking a hearty bite of his bacon sandwich. "I don't remember you going out to popular parties and getting smashed on a school night."

"Hey, friendly reminder that I still haven't told Mum about that."

"Told me about what, dear?" my mother chose this moment to pop her head around the kitchen door (God knows how she heard me over the sound of the kettle brewing).

"Nothing, Mum," I smiled innocently, and she disappeared back into the kitchen.

I turned back to Miles. "Besides, what are you doing up? I thought you had like, two free periods today."

Miles shrugged. "I was thinking about going for a regular jog on a morning. You know, get some fresh air."

"Yeah, totally not to try and pick up more girlfriends," I grumbled under my breath, already aware of Miles' status with ninety-five percent of the females that attended our school (including Gem, I might add).

Abruptly, Miles pushed back his chair and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later, he returned with a steaming mug of coffee in his hand and placed it in front of me.

"What, did you poison it?"

"Ha-ha," Miles rolled his eyes. "No, I just thought you might need a little pick-me-up. After all, my baby sister can be terribly cranky after a bad night's sleep."

"I told you not to call me 'baby sister'." I quipped, and took a big gulp of coffee. "Jesus, that's strong as hell." I commented, feeling the energy beginning to zip through my veins, instantly perking me up. I muttered a quick, "Thanks," and headed back upstairs to get dressed.

When I got upstairs, I saw a piece of A3 paper on my bed. Peering over at it, I saw the title 'The Industrial Revolution' scrawled across the page. There was a sticky note taped to the side of it, saying 'If you just replace my name with yours, hopefully no-one'll notice anything. Thank God I didn't have the same History teacher as you. I'll be expecting payment for this, by the way. And I've had my eye on the new Playstation game for a while...

But hey, beats a pair of ugly socks, right?' in Miles' penmanship.

I sighed in relief. "Miles, you're an arsehole. But thank you so much," I whispered to the ceiling, glad at having one less thing to worry about.

*

I'm back in the forest, back to the place of nightmares, and still, I am unable to move. The breath is there in a few moments time, and the laughter and shadowed creatures follow soon afterwards. Except, this time, it feels...different. The breathing is heavier, somehow, the laughter harsher, the creatures moving a little faster towards me. I hold my breath, waiting to wake up covered in sweat in a cold room. But the creatures get closer and still I do not return to my bedroom. I had never been in the nightmare this long now, hadn't seen what would happen should the creatures get close enough. Seeing as I can't close my eyes, I will myself to wake up, to get myself out of this nightmare, damnit. The shadows are now inches from me, and they pause to study me, their eyes shifting slightly in their sunken sockets. It's then that I feel a weight shift behind me and something begins to tickle my back, but I can't crane my neck to identify it. I don't have to look, however, to know it's the thing that is breathing on me. And now I see the darkened shape of something leaning towards my ear, and whisper words that make bile rise in my throat.

"Welcome to the other side."