THE WHISPERERS

2

The combination of extreme stress and lack of sleep had left me exhausted on a new level. I didn't need any external inducer to fall asleep.Apart from the occasional nightmares, everything else was quite peaceful for the past few days.

When I returned home that day , it was almost midnight , I quickly changed and fell into a deep slumber.

'Thud!!!!'
I jolted up in bed. I could feel the dampness of my shirt against the skin . Beads of perspiration were evident in the dark . My body felt hot,  as if on fire. I tried to analyse the situation, paying attention to every little  activity inside the room.
I was brought back to reality,when my phone buzzed to live. The caller ID was not saved so I didn't respond to it . I glanced at the bedside clock, 3 a.m. in the morning . Something felt wrong , my dogs were going nuts, never once coming near my periphery . I could hear footsteps downstairs, usually the dogs are fuzzy when they hear sounds at night . So, I decided to ignore the incident  and  get a good night's sleep. 

When I woke up, the previous night's incidents flashed before me. I grabbed my phone to search for that unknown caller but in vain. The call log recorded the last call at 11 p.m. 'It was probably a dream', I brushed off the idea and got out of bed to start the day.

The following day was quite uneventful . It became troublesome when the nightmares resurfaced again the following week. One day when i woke up , I could tell that something was wrong. Had things been normal I would have gotten out of bed. But things weren't normal. I immediately sensed that I wasn't alone. There was someone else , rather something in the room. An ominous presence that I couldn't identify, moving about like a shape shifting shadow. And I knew it had come for me.What was equally terrifying was the fact that I couldn't do anything about it. I tried to move but my muscles wouldn't obey me. I couldn't get up and run. Nor could I turn my head to see what was going on. I couldn't lift so much as a finger to defend myself. I couldn't even scream because I had no voice. I could only lie there and do nothing as the specter moved in for the kill.

The night terrors were never ending. They were different versions of the same dream.

Next day:
I flinched at the sound of creaking wooden floor. I could only guess from the amount of light that entered through the window that it was around midnight . I stared at the other part of the room which was pitch black .An immense pressure was holding me in down . I was paralyzed again but my senses were intact, I could feel each and every part of my body .
Then i heard it, a voice behind my bed , closer than ever before. The words were still incomprehensible , but it grew louder inside my head. I could feel someone's presence behind me.

I contacted my psychiatrist the next day . As much as I was afraid, I couldn't rule out the probability of me going crazy. The doctor however diagnosed the condition as sleep paralysis.So,I changed my lifestyle, improved my sleep hygiene. I did everything possible to maintain a healthy life. 

But fate had different plans.The final incident was yet to occur, which unfortunately didn't  take long to occur  before the New year's eve. I woke up to my dogs howling. They were far away from me but it didn't take long enough for me to identify the cause of their anger. The whisperers was right behind me, I was desperate to turn and locate the source but in vain . Another sound drew my attention . I could hear footsteps outside my room . It was faint but loud enough for me to hear.I shut my eyes as tight as posible . Neither could i scream nor could i move.

 I let my powerlessness roll down my eyes. The sensations were overwhelming , I could feel the sheets against my skin, the deafening whispers and the blinding darkness.I lay paralysed in my bed. The same incidents played in a loop . But the whispers now formed words, the shadows formed figures and the footsteps were closer than ever before. But my curiosity overpowered my fear that day. The hunger to identify the unknown behind the door, the thrist to understand the words behind those whispers kept me from dozing off. I stared at the window with a kind of drugged avidity, the upper body seemed to twitch and jiggle behind the blanket. The whisperers seemed to call my name tunelessly.The curiosity was like a fishhook in my brain. I tried my best to stay awake.

 "Whyte, dont you miss mama?" , I was startled at that. My mother's voice was faint , insectile and raspy . I opened my eyes to locate the source , I could only identify a petite creature beside the window. I thought that I was hallucinating since it was humanly imposible to climb  fifteen floors, especially with the December's snow on top of it . As it approached, i could see the bright red flaming eyes . It was faceless , the dark forming its body. 

It sat on my chest, poking my ribs. I shivered at the touch , my mind completely blank. The creature kept calling my name . He brought his face  right beside my ear. My dogs were going crazy by that time . The dogs approached that creature with  their  head slightly raised; tail held erect and rigid; the hairs bristled, especially along the neck and back; the pricked ears were directed forwards, and the eyes had a fixed stare. 

It was real, the actions of my dogs laid the whole story out to me. But it also  meant that my life was in  danger and that  I was at the mercy of  my dogs . I anyways could  do nothing, but to watch my babies fight for my life. Mocha stretched, shook himself and circled several times before dropping to the ground, with pricked ears,he searched  for the right  moment to attack. Bobo's eyes were wide, ears flat, a vibrating growl deep in his chest. 

The creature  on the other hand increased its pressure. I could  feel the sting on my chest.  Macha trotted gravely with high steps, head much raised, moderately erected ears, and tail carried aloft and stiffly. He didnt wait longer, without  much warning  he jumped.
At this point, Bobo attacked from the other side, aiming blow after blow with his paw  at his head and shoulders. Macha used his body to protect me during the fight, while also feigning attack.

I was terrified, but I was also very aware that if this fight continues any longer,it could cost my dogs' lives. The problem was, I didn't know how far the creature was going to go.

The fight went on, with the devil ducking and blocking these flailing blows, moving forwards all the time to get him away from the house.

I was gasping for air, the pressure on my chest made it really difficult to breathe. The dogs on the other hand,never gave up. They continuously attacked the creature.

The colour of his eyes were clearly visible , changing from red to orange.
He couldn't hold his position much longer .He slipped and fell on the ground . This clearly aggravated his anger.
With his one hand on his naval and the other over his chest, he started chanting some words. They sounded similar to the whispers .
I couldn't follow the events after that. Everything was blurry, black dots appeared everywhere. It might be due to the lack of oxygen, but my eyelids suddenly felt heavy. I was fighting to stay awake by that time.

I couldn't tell if I was hallucinating, but a black dot appeared in the middle of the room and everything went silent.

Everything was really normal the next morning. It took some time for me to comprehend the situation . Not a single item moved from its place. The window was closed and curtains drawn. I didn't have a single scratch on my body .

I really doubted my sanity by then. I called my aunt and told her the entire story. I needed a break which I couldn't get in this house , alone.
I got up from bed , performed my daily routine . After preparing my breakfast, I called my dogs to feed them .

That's when I realised, they were nowhere to be seen.  I located Bobo easily who was hiding under the bed and Macha was missing , not a single trace could be found . I searched in  the neighborhood and even filled a missing complaint . But no-one could find him.

The night terrors never happened again.