A night of such great importance would never go as smoothly as this. You wondered why you ignored the gut feeling of creeping chaos. It was better to ease the thought than write it off as irrational thinking.
~~~
A creature of dark creation slithered against the wall through the cracks between floorboards and under carpets. Precautions were made to avoid the cloak who passed by from time to time, eventually settling to watch Clueless.
Small snickers left Nightmare's minion, as well as scorch marks from its talons. Each one dug into the old wood, giving enough momentum with each step to eventually leap into the quiet air.
~~~
The night soon turned to a close, hands around cold drinks within the exhibition. No one but the team was wandering about. They delve into each other's rooms, learning little details they hadn't ever thought to ask about.
You and Stephen decided to stay in Steve's room, the soft jazz giving the perfect atmosphere to dance. Swaying a little from side to side, his head rested against yours while his hands ran along your waist. He took you into a small spin, away from him, before a small tug towards his chest.
~~~
Its cackle caused the cloak to pause the movie and glide to the ruckus. Unbeknownst to said cloak, the creature had planted itself on the ceiling. It waited for the relic to float in confusion before letting go, claws digging into the fabric, ripping seams in delight.
The cloak's silent screams of agony failed to alert anyone or anything. All alone.
~~~
"I'm guessing you're enjoying tonight?" You whisper, eyes closed as your head now leaned against his shoulder.
"How could I not?" He kisses your cheek, eyes cast down to admire the look of peace on your face, "thank you for doing all of this... Donna would have loved to meet you," he says truthfully, "I would have loved for you to meet her,"
"Really? She would like to meet the person who despised her brother?" You raise a brow in confusion, a small smile playing on your lips.
"You know what I mean, L/n," he kisses the smile, matching it with his own, "I do need to tell you something, though,"
~~~
Once the cloak was nothing but shredded cotton, bunched up in the corner and hardly moving, the shadow creature continued along its mission.
From aisle to aisle, it eventually found its master's relic. A saddle made of onyx leather, doused in the dark magic of the dream dimension, practically oozing malicious intent. The closer the creature got, the more the saddle started to glow a bright green.
It started to thump like a beating heart had come to life within its binding. Rattling, shaking, causing a rumble in the ground, the moment the creature touched the hung saddle, it came crashing down with it.
Black liquid started to ooze out, like blood from a fresh victim, the smell of rotting flesh filling the hallway. Then, a spark. A single spark caused it to thump again, some sort of dark mist latching to the blood until bubbles formed a solid, building form.
~~~
You could tell his serious voice made this no joking matter. "What is it?"
"If this isn't the place or time, then tell me, because I've never been good at any of this," he took your hand as a safety measure, squeezing it. "And I don't think I ever will be good at it if I don't just... say it,"
"You're scaring me a little, Stephen,"
"Oh god, no, don't be scared," he runs a hand over his face, "I just... whenever I tell people this, they tend not to take it seriously,"
"Oh my god," you finally realise what he's trying to say, "are you telling me you're actually a party magician on the side??"
His heart swelled up with butterflies at your dramatic gasp; he truly did fall head over heels for the right person. "Will you be quiet?"
Your lips trembled before a laugh let loose, "I'm so sorry! I couldn't help myself," both hands clasped over your mouth as he rolled his eyes and walked away. "Wait, Mr Clown, come back!" You hug him from behind, "can you make me a balloon animal?"
Seeing those puppy dog eyes made him stop, reluctantly conjuring one. "Can I say what I want now?"
"Hm," you eye to balloon before nodding in satisfaction, "wait... are you pregnant?"
"Y/n!" He groans.
"Okay, okay, I'm done," you pull him down for a quick kiss, "what did you want to tell me?"
"I just... the amount of time we've spent together, I knew there would be a slight chance that I'd-" Was this the wrong moment to confess? Was it possible that-
The music suddenly stopped. Scratchy sounds exited the speakers, both crackling and disconnecting until all that was left was white noise. After a moment of confusion, staring at it, an eerie tune slowly leaves. It took a second until the lyrics were sung, and the song was recognised.
Mr. Sandman...
Bring me a dream...
It continued until a frightening scream broke out, lights shattering from above. Stephen wrapped his arms around you, protecting you from raining shards.
"Why bring a dream when one could have a nightmare?" That haunting voice seemed to appear from each corner of the dark room. Silence followed, heads turning to locate the next surprise. There was nothing... even the creak of wood beneath you both could be heard, the small rustling of cars driving outside and the uneasy breath from yourself.
Stephen held out his hand, a ball of eldritch magic illuminating the vast sea of darkness. The light glowed against both your faces, and you waved about to find a wall in hopes of locating the exit.
The further you both walked, each click of your shoes, the further you walked into nothingness. Soon, a corner was seen, a figure curled up in fear, shivering and drenched in water.
Stephen let curiosity get the better of him, stepping forward, "Nightmare...? I know this is your doing,"
"Please," The closer you both stepped, the more obvious it was that this was a little girl. "I want my momma," her voice sounded like a recording as if the voice came from old speakers. "I want my momma,"
"If he wants to play games, then I'll play along," you tell Stephen, "where's your momma then?"
Slowly, the girl's finger stretched out, greying with bloodied cuticles. Bit by bit, she pointed up at the ceiling, blood slowly dripping from where she directed. Both of you looked up, Stephen's hand reaching upwards. How you wished you hadn't asked.
A woman dressed in all white, her abdomen bloodied and neck broken, had clung to the ceiling above. Her black hair swayed back and forth as each crack of bones adjusted her neck properly, mouth-watering. She screamed like a banshee, tackling you into the ground where a hole appeared.
"Y/n!" Stephen yelled, trying to grasp out for your hand, only for the woman to cut three deep wounds into his palm. He fell back with a hiss of pain, cradling it against his chest.
"You're not going anywhere," a voice whispers into his ear. It blew out the magic from his other palm, dragging him into the darkness while doing so.
~~~
I recommend reading the scary part while listening to Mr. Sandman (Broken Mall speaker version) on YouTube at 0.75 speed because I am TERRIFIED in my bf's room rn waiting for him to get back from work- help-
ALSO, YES HELLO I'M BACK- SORRY FOR GOING MIA
- Anna ❤️