The Anthology of Darkness

Mommy

Breathing heavily, she woke up in a cold sweat. Lilah had nightmares every once in a while, but her mother had told her not to wake her up whenever she had them. Most five-year-olds run to their parent's room, needing comfort after a scary dream, and Lilah was no exception. The only difference, however, was that she couldn't go to her mother; all she had at night was a handwritten note on the door that said "its just a dream. youre ok. go back 2 sleep."

This nightmare of her's was particularly scary, however. She needed a little more than a note on the door. It usually works for her, just seeing her mother's handwriting, but not tonight. Lilah slowly pushed on her door, the hinges squeaking quietly as it moved. Mommy's room was down the hall at the other end; she could barely see her door. The only problem was that the hallway was long, dark, and scary. Lilah went back into her room and found her little flashlight she had gotten as a birthday present one year. It was a small, plastic flashlight that took only a single battery. It wasn't really bright enough for Lilah's liking, but it'll do. 

Once more, she peeked out of the doorway of her room, still intimidated by the dark hall before her. With a small click, the flashlight came on, projecting a very small, orange ball of light wherever Lilah pointed it. She moved it around the hallway, looking at the walls and ceiling. The bathroom door was open, and she could see part of the counter in there, but not much else from where she was. With every ounce of bravery she could muster, she stepped out onto the cold, hard wooden floor of the hallway. It was deathly silent in this house at night, especially with just Lilah and her mother living there. 

She crept down the hall, gripping her little flashlight as tightly as she could as her bare feet patted against the floor. Her heart was racing. She was terrified of the dark, especially here. It was an older house, so most everything was darker colored, making the nighttime even more scary than it already is. She got to the bathroom, peering inside. The tiny ball of light moved as she pointed, checking every nook and cranny of the bathroom, being sure to check everywhere for anything that might pop out and eat her. 

Satisfied that the bathroom was empty, brave little Lilah continued, desperate for her mother's comfort. She was halfway down the hall now, but Mommy's door still seemed too far away. Everything looks huge when you're only three feet tall. She turned and looked behind her, seeing the door to her room wide open, just as she left it. The gentle, orange glow from her night light didn't go very far into the hallway, but she could see the reflection in the floor, and that was good enough for her.

She turned back and continued on her terrifying journey. Carefully stepping along, she finally made it to Mommy's room. She clicked off her flashlight and reached for the handle of the door. She turned it slowly and pushed, opening the door as quietly as she could. Lilah knew she'd probably get in trouble for waking Mommy up, but she was still scared of her nightmare. She stepped inside and said quietly "mommy? Are you awake?" Lilah could hear the heavy breathing coming from the bed in front of her, but it was a big bed, and she was too short to see her mother. She called out again. "Mommy?" Still no response. She took a step closer, her foot making the floor squeak a little.

The instant the floor squeaked, Mommy moved with inhuman speed, sitting straight up. Lilah jumped, but didn't scream like a good girl. "Mommy, I'm sorry. I had a very bad dream." Still sitting up, Mommy didn't say anything; she just continued to stare. "Mommy?" Lilah clicked her flashlight again and shone it up to her. Mommy's face was pale, and completely smooth, like the shell of an egg. Lilah barely had time to look at her, when her body twisted around quickly and her spine snapped with a loud crack. From the waist up, she was facing backwards as her arms cracked as well, distorting and bending where they shouldn't be. The blanket jumped on the bed as her legs quickly snapped themselves into pieces. 

Mommy started crawling up the wall on the other side of the room and Lilah followed her with the flashlight, eyes wide open, scared beyond belief. Once Mommy got to the ceiling, her neck cracked as it broke, allowing her to face Lilah as she scurried across the ceiling towards her. Where her mouth should've been appeared a black hole, slowly getting larger with every step, her hair dangling from her head. Lilah dropped her flashlight and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Once Mommy was right above her, she lunged, and the screaming stopped.