A Real Nightmare

A Taste of Fear

Okay. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. She took in much needed oxygen and that's when she stilled...a malevolent chuckle drifted behind her, coming from her closet. It felt as if she was frozen with fear, unable to move her body. She eyed the closet out of her periphery vision and saw nothing. Was it coming from inside? She couldn't breathe. She felt a heavy pressure on her chest, her nerves were shot and it was taking every ounce of energy she could muster just to breathe properly. Her heart was racing, her lungs felt like they were collapsing in on her, she tried to swallow and take long deep breathes to clear away the fog of her sudden on-set panic and finally, turned to the closet. She could do it. Reach, pull, stab.

Shakily, Katerina swiftly pulled the closet open, and stabbed into her clothing. After all, life is more important then possessions. She frowned when nothing stood in front of her. Rubbing her face, she twisted back around, her eyes falling shut momentarily trying to force out the feeling of dread. Something was going to happen. She could feel it. She was always so intuitive when it came to certain things. This was no different.

Inching towards her bed, she looked around wary, uncertain of everything. She was beginning to think she was mad, but then another chuckle echoed around her. She couldn't take it any longer, she turned and did what her instincts told her to do.

Run.

Dashing out of her bedroom and down the stairs as fast as she could, she reach the front door and went to grab the door knob but paused as it began to twist on its own accord. It was late, too late for company. She knew it had to be her mystery stalker.

Uh oh. She began hyperventilating. She was going to pass out and just as the door creaked open ever-so-slowly, she hit the floor hard, her vision swam before darkening completely. Katerina was passed out cold on the floor. Moments after she hit, she was somehow looking down at her body. No one was around her, but the door was still cracked open. Was this some sort of outer-body experience? Frowning, she looked around baffled.

That's when she heard him. His voice was deep, dark and sent a chill down her back.

"Come."

She sprinted back up to her bedroom, not knowing what else to do. Who was coming? What was happening? She was so horrified and all she could do to keep from screaming was crawl under her king sized bed and wait it out. But that was where she was wrong. So very wrong.

A putrid stench hit her nostrils. Sulfur? Fire? Soot? It was like a combination of all three and that confused her all the more. Kat bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut tightly, praying to god that this would all end. This was all a horrible nightmare. If it was a nightmare, it was the most surreal one, she had ever had and if it wasn't a nightmare, then she was most definitely losing touch with reality.

She heard the boot steps on the stairs creeping closer. Closer. Closer. Her pulse was beating so hard in her ears she couldn't hear anything but the sound of her frantic heart. The foot falls faded, but a new sound in front of her is what her placing a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

A snort from what sounded like a dog came from directly in front of her, but there wasn't anything there she could see. It's rotten breath blew back in her face, causing a wave of nausea to roll over her. She felt sick. Where was that smell coming from? She couldn't see anything. That's when she felt another breath hit her feet causing her to quietly curl up in on herself.

She was trapped. And she didn't even know by what, but she felt it was evil. It felt dark and uncontrolling. She needed to crawl out and run. But with two invisible forces trapping her, what could she do? Was she losing touch with reality? Was there really something in front and behind her? She could risk it. She could try and kick out and make her way out. What consequences would follow if this were real?