•Y/N: Your Name
•L/N: Last Name
•E/C: Eye Color
•M/N: Mother's Name
•F/N: Father's Name
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Author's POV:
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"Ring around the rosies~" sang a deep, velvety voice that sent shivers down Y/N's spine. She spins around, hoping to pinpoint the source of the sound within the surrounding darkness, but she can see nothing. The noise bounces around, echoing creepily in all directions.
"A pocket full of posies~"
Heavy thuds come from Y/N's chest like a pounding drum as she gulps fearfully. She was unsure of what would happen this time around, so she was left incredibly jumpy. Anything can jump out at her from the darkness, and not knowing what that anything is, caused fear to gnaw at her insides.
"Ashes~"
Suddenly, there's a loud thud that makes the teenager jump before the ground begins to shake violently. A small yelp slips past her slightly chapped lips upon falling on her hands and knees from the rough vibrations.
"Ashes~"
When attempting to get back on her feet, Y/N topples over again after the ground shakes harder than before. Grunting, she props herself up with her elbows before getting into a pushup position. Her E/C eyes grow wide when a red, jagged line forms between her hands, causing the ground to crack and split. While hurrying to find her feet, Y/N could hear the Boogeyman laugh at her misfortune. The ground splits apart more as she tries to outrun it.
Fire and lava pools at the bottom of the deep trench that's forming. The unbearable heat nips at the teen's skin as sweat begins to leak down her face. She fights past the tiredness and soreness in her legs to continue running at a fast pace to escape the splitting ground. The poor limbs practically beg the girl to stop, but her mind urges her to continue running. Soon, her body can't take anymore, and she stumbles.
In this moment, the crack in the floor catches up with her, and the rock crumbles beneath her feet. A scream escapes her as she falls into the trench. Luckily, she managed to grab the ledge with both hands, so she desperately clings to it while mentally hoping that the rock will hold. Another scream escapes her in pain when the flames flick against the bottoms of her bare feet. A bubble in the boiling lava pops, spitting up the burning substance onto Y/N's arm.
A sharp gasp escapes her as her hand instinctively releases the ledge after being burned. The tears on her face evaporate due to the excruciating heat as she tries to pull herself out of the trench. She stops herself, however, when a familiar figure approaches her distressed form. Those haunting, white eyes stare down at her with a gleam of amusement in them. With a wide grin, he places a foot over her remaining hand. The female winces in pain when his clawed toenails dig into the flesh, and she softly whimpers when blood spills from the puncture marks. The red liquid leaks down her arm as she trembles. Her arm hurts badly from the strain of supporting her body weight, and he was only making the feeling worse. She sends the monster a pleading look, catching him off guard.
"P-Please, d-d-don't," she begs in a barely audible voice over the crackling flames. Her words make him laugh, causing Y/N's heart to drop as he gets on one knee and leans close to her face.
"We all fall down~"
Y/N's eyes widen in fear as he stands up and pushes her hand off the cliff with his foot. She screams as she falls backwards into the fire, her body burning to ash before she could even hit the lava. The moment she dies in the dream, the teenager shoots up from the bed with a loud scream before scratching violently at the skin on her upper arms in a state of hysterics. Upon hearing the sound of their daughter in distress, M/N and F/N jump out of bed and rush to Y/N's room to restrain her arms and flailing legs as she screams nonsense. This was becoming a common occurrence.
More and more, her parents would have to stop their child from hurting herself after waking up from one of her terrifying dreams. The two still held hope that one day she'd get past these horrid dreams. They know, though, that it was only wishful thinking. They know that one day they'll have no choice but to admit Y/N into a mental facility if this continued. She's becoming a danger to herself. When Y/N finally came back to her senses, she clung to to her mother's hand while lying flat on her back. Sobs break free from her lips as she stares at the white ceiling in her bedroom with tears in her eyes.
"Let's see if Mrs. Williams has an opening today," F/N suggests with a forced smile upon his lips as he gently pets his daughter's hair to calm her. The girl gives the man a weak nod, feeling that she needs to speak to the therapists about a stronger meditation. "Get ready, then, okay?"
Again, Y/N nods, and her parents leave the room with the door wide open. Slowly, the female sits up and curls her body so that her knees reach her chest. She wraps her arms around them tightly while staring at the opening that looks out into the hall. A shiver runs through her as her eyes begin to flick around the room, regardless of her already knowing where the beast is. Right now, the creature lies beneath her bed.
His hiding spot used to be in the closet until the day Y/N demanded that the door be taken off so that she'd be able to see inside. That leaves the Boogeyman with only one spot to hide in, and she was thankful for that, since she knows where he is. After taking a quick shower to wash off the sweat she was covered in, she dressed simply in a grey sweatshirt with a black and white striped turtleneck under it and jean shorts.
After sliding on black and white, striped, ankle socks and black sneakers, she goes outside with her parents and gets inside their black SUV. The drive to the therapist office seemed much too long for the girl. She kept fidgeting in her seat and tugged at the seatbelt nervously as she looked around the vehicle. She nearly jumps out of her skin upon seeing the monster in the very back of the car through the rearview mirror. She kept her eyes on him the entire ride until it was time to enter the building.
Y/N had to close her eyes when passing the janitor, who was mopping the floor, on their way to the elevator. She wasn't any better in the tight space, but she kept her head low and held onto her parents' hands tightly to assure her that this is real, not a dream. The monster can't do anything to her here... At least, that's what she believes. The Boogeyman hasn't tried harming her in the real world yet, especially in broad daylight, when he tends to keep his distance. Soon enough, the three enter the waiting room, where Y/N sits next to the familiar face of Keith Briggs, who has become a regular at the office as well. The boy's eyes would flick to the girl's form every now and again, noticing how her frightened eyes would dart around the room like she was prey being hunted by a skillful predator. As Y/N searched for where the monster had hid, her foot tapped rapidly against the floor. The girl jumps upon hearing two phones ring simultaneously, but keeps herself from screaming from the noise.
"Oh, sorry, sweetie." F/N apologizes to the girl while answering his phone. M/N answers the call she received as well before heading out into the hall with Y/N's father. The teen lightly rubs her arms, wincing upon touching the scratches she left on the skin this morning. It wasn't long before her parents came back in with worried faces. Y/N tilts her head in confusion at the look, and they explain with hesitance clear in their voice.
"Y/N, I know we don't usually do this, and you know that we wouldn't unless it was a real emergency, but your mother and I just got called into work. I'm afraid we have to leave."
Y/N's eyes widen in horror. Her parents work at the same place, so it wasn't surprising that the two were both called to leave, but they couldn't possibly leave her like this.
"B-B-But-" her hand is grabbed by her father's, and he gives the girl a comforting smile.
"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll try to make it quick. Incase we can't make it back before your session is over," F/N reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He takes out some cash and hands it to the girl, who accepts it shakily. "I want you to take the bus home. There's a bus stop a few blocks away from here. It goes right by the house."
"B-B-B-Bus?"
"Sweetie, I promise it'll be okay," M/N assures softly while rubbing the girl's shoulder to comfort her. "Everything will be fine. We promise. We'll see you later, sweetheart."
The woman places a gentle kiss upon the female's forehead before the two turn to leave. Whimpering, Y/N brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them tightly. Keith clears his throat and takes a deep breath to build confidence before turning to the girl beside him.
"H-H-Hey," he says in a friendly way. Y/N turns to him with eyes wide in disbelief. She gives a quick look around to make sure it was her that the boy was referring to and sure enough it had to be her. People rarely ever speak to her, especially strangers. Most would avoid her due to her... odd behavioral habits. She wasn't quite sure how to react.
"H-Hi," she mutters softly. The two then fall into a small, awkward silence, looking away from each other.
"S-So, why are you here?" Keith asks in a soft voice. It somehow puts her at ease, making it comfortable to talk to him.
"D-Dr-Dreams. R-Really b-bad dreams." Y/N shudders upon recalling the monster's expression from last night's dream. "W-What about you?"
"W-Well, um... I- I hear these v-voices t-talking to me sometimes. Mrs. Williams s-said I s-should try m-making some friends, so..."
"I-I've n-never had a friend before," she mentions, unsure how to even be a friend. The boy chuckles lightly, finding her meekness kinda cute. Normally, the sound of a chuckle would frighten her, but Keith's was okay. The sound actually put her at ease.
"M-Me neither. W-Would you mind?"
"W-We can be f-friends." Y/N feels a twitch in the corners of her lips, but the faint smile disappears quickly. Smiling is a hard thing to do after being traumatized nightly by a terrifying creature for many years.
"Y/N L/N."
Y/N's head shoots up upon hearing her name being called and shakily stands from her seat. It's time for another therapy session.
However, Y/N hadn't noticed that the monster didn't followed her into the room.