A long day at school had left me tired, I could hear the sandman calling me from all the way downstairs. I throw my backpack down beside the door and kick my shoes off. The stairs feel like mount Everest, each step felt like it could send me hurdling back downstairs or make the stairs collapse under me. My mom shouted something from the kitchen, but I was too tired to make it out. Sights and sounds seemed to blur as I finally made it to my room and collapsed on my bed. I don’t know how much time passed before I awoke, but everything was caked in an almost inky black darkness. I try to get my eyes to adjust, but there is nothing but shapeless void. It's almost peaceful, nothing and no one but me. No more doctor visits, no more meds, mom doesn’t need to worry anymore. Endless tranquility in the unknowable night. Then the floorboards began to creak. I wasn’t alone in my home. The creaking got closer and closer. Until it was right in front of me. Out of the void forms a face whiter than white with hair as black as night. A smile began to split its face, its flesh tearing in a bloody mess. It reached for my face with its rotting hand. I screamed and pushed the creature away. It fell to my bedroom floor with a mighty thud. Suddenly I heard a rush of footsteps before light returned to the world. My dad stood in my bedroom door, horror painting his face, and my mother laid on the floor.
