Warnings: Graphic details of blood, established character death, nightmares.
Ever since he was a little kid Kaden has hated the dark. He doesn't understand why. He decided a long time ago to stop questioning it. Although, some nights, staring up at his apartment ceiling when the insomnia decides to kick in, he just has to wonder why? Why with just one quick glance inside a dark room or down a seemingly-going-on-forever alleyway made him want to curl up in a ball and cry? Why did the creepy feeling of something watching him follow him, why did it never leave him alone?
'Leave me alone! Please just leave me alone! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sor-'
Of course, these questions always, and probably will always, go unanswered. Lingering in the back of his mind and bothering him everywhere: at school, at home, hell even at his older sister's and his parents' houses. When he consults with anyone professional (i.e therapists) about his (very serious) troubles they merely shake their heads and tell him it's all in his head, over time he'll get over it, move on. They give him a list of false reasons of explanation, recommend some medication, and kick him out with the excuse of "wasting their time" or "time is up, you're not my only patient you know."
Even at his 27 years of age the things he's feared has deciding him as their latest, and apparently most amusing, victim. His large list of problems trail behind him like a lovesick puppy. Stupid figurative tail wagging playfully in joy as the 'puppy' happily shatters pieces, bit by bit, of his already frayed mental state.
'Im already worn down and broken, what more do you want form me?! Answer me!'
The constant paranoia got in the way of him living a semi normal life. Making him a silent reclusive, paranoid mess everyone knows and loves (hates).
'Please help me! Don't hate me, I'm sorry! What about me do you hate?! Tell me so I could fix myself! Please, I did nothing wrong! Don't you see the pain, the pain I go through...'
There wasn't a day he wasn't stuck looking over his shoulder, hazel eyes narrowed, just waiting for something to hurt him, kill him, to do anything really
'No one will save you, I mean who would want to save you? Think about it, you're to ugly, annoying, to useless. Soon you'll be forgotten, don't act anyone like people care. They left you behind, don't make me leave out to.'
He's already accepted the fact that insomnia was forever a part of life, but when he finally gets the opportunity to sleep, haha well... it never ends well for him. At all.
Nightmares always terrorize him every night he gets even a wink of sleep. There is one ever recurring nightmare he's had ever since he first developed his fear, he quickly lost count of how many times he's had it over the years. It always ends with the same pair of glowing red eyes. Eyes which intently stare at him, unblinking, holding no emotion. Sometimes a twisted, mocking smirk full of bloody, sharp teeth pop out of thin air, completing the forever bone chilling image burned into his brain. That's usually where the nightmare ends, well that one at least.
When he 'wakes up' he can barely breathe, leaving him gasping for air, as a pair of hands wrap around his throat. Never, not once, has he noticed the hands killing him were his.
When he awakens again he either is still asleep, just transitioning into the third and final nightmare, or finally aware and whole (sort of.)
That nightmare is always the worst.
His skin is a ghostly pale, all color drained out of his body. His blood feels cold, bones tired which scares the fuck out of him. His usually wandering, tortured eyes go cold and dead gazing at the walls. His face feels completely numb, forced into a blank expression.
The walls start to close on him, trapping him further and further onto his small, battered bed. The disgusting yellow color of the wallpaper makes him want to vomit. The blood oozing out of the cracks of the wooden foundation leaves him weirdly transfixed. Eyes glazing over as he gradually loses himself.
He feels paralyzed. Completely vulnerable. He feels dead, empty, broken.
Crazy.
Suddenly, she appears. Those familiar energetic blue eyes, that cheeky but warm smile, everything he loved about her is there, right there, right in front of him. Even the white dress she's wearing, the one he bought her for her birthday, is positively breathtaking.
She's beautiful.
She's gone, dead. Not Real, a figment of your imagination. The darkness is trying to mess with you, trying to make you go insane, don't believe what you see or you'll regret it. You've come this far, don't lose your mind now.
Sounds of sniffling meet his ears. Was that him? He couldn't tell anymore. The girl's silky, wavy black hair is tied up into a loose bun, one untimed movement would unravel it. A few strands escaped the fuzzy, white ponytail holder to frame her round face, highlighting her more delicate features.
He lifted his shaking hand up to cup her cheek. She leant into the touch, turning her head to press a small kiss to his wrist. Gently she cups his hand with unfixable broken fingers, eyes sparkling with adoration. He watches in shocked fascination as the bone slowly popped out of the skin of his hand, resembling something close to claws. Alyssa touched the torn flesh in wonder, frowning at his hiss of pain.
Bruises, oh my god there's so much bruises appears on her skin the next second. Her chestnut skin was covered with them, some a nauseating blue color accompanied with angry red hand prints purple outlining the edges, and others a sickly looking yellow, clearly infected. Her right eye was ripped clear out of the socket, blood drying inside the empty hole. Bald spots caked with blode exposed her bruised scalp from where her hair was violently ripped out. The clothes, the ones he last saw her in, were stained with blood and dirt, torn to pieces.
"You killed me."
Kaden's eyes grew wide at those whispered words. Heart hammering violently in his chest. He didn't kill her, no that psychotic bastard did. He didn't, he didn't...
'Did he?'
His vision slowly went black, the world deteriorating around his skinny form as he lost consciousness. "Alyssia," he sobs, heart wrenching in mind numbing pain before the darkness took him.
"Wake up."
And he does.
Screaming.
VOUS LISEZ
Lost
Horreur"Do you remember? Don't be scared. I need you to remember. Tell me everything you saw that day. Who was that man you saw? Where was the house? Where is the body? Where did she go? I need you to remember Kaden. All you need to do is remember." TW: I...
