Monsters don’t exist. Not real. Not real. Come on, Killian, stop hallucinating. Stop!
I scurried back and across the bed, then jumped off to run the four steps to the door. I unlocked it, but it didn’t open because it was locked from the outside. I banged against the door and screamed, “Help! Somebody help me!” I didn’t want to turn around or stop hitting the door. All I could hear was my racing heart and breaths. Sweat covered my body, and I didn’t even notice when tears started pouring out of me. The trapped sensation flustered me and shrank my room.
Don’t look. Don’t look back, Killian.
Don’t you dare look.
But I felt like I had no other choice.
Mommmmmyyyyy!
This can’t be happening,I thought, peeking back, then closed my eyes again and slowly turned around with my back against the door.Not real. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. Please, don’t let this be real. Please, God. Please. I reopened my eyes, slowly accepting my reality.At least he hadn’t moved, but still, that did nothing to calm my terror.It’s just another hallucination. Not real. Not real. Come on, Killian, stop hallucinating.The panic worsened when more appeared, all wearing the same outfit with the same heads.
They filled the corner diagonal from me, close to the window, and stared at me while I screeched again. I didn’t stop until my voice faltered, leaving my throat dry and sore. Big, fat tears trailed down my face as I slid down with my back against the door. From the corner of my eye, I caught the door to the bathroom. With all the fear, I’d forgotten it was there.
I ran in, turning the lights on after locking the door, then rested my back against it, using my body to keep it closed. Myreflection stared back at me while I tried to catch my breath. The first knock caused me to jump, but I stayed there even after they continued knocking.It isn’t real. Not real. It can’t be real.I swallowed hard. “Please stop! Go away,” I wailed. My plea was ignored, and the banging only got more aggressive, louder, ’til I could feel the door shaking with every punch.
My eyebrows were wrinkled with terror, my eyes swollen and red. I watched my own chest rising and collapsing too fast as more tears escaped my eyes. The door banging got more aggressive, forcing it to hit my back. The fear kept me from thinking straight, so I scanned the bathroom, trying to look for something, anything I could use on them if they managed to break in. I punched the mirror.
The pain thundered through the bones and joints of my knuckles. I hissed and shook my hand, only able to alleviate some of it. Meanwhile, the mirror remained intact. With each strike, I hit the mirror harder until it cracked. By then, my blood had dirtied it and trailed down to the counter.
I made the mistake of peeking over my shoulder, seeing a piece of wood had been punched in. It was too narrow of a piece for them to open, but they’d broken it, so I panicked and hit the mirror harder. It shattered, slicing me open and pulling a painful scream out of me. With blood dripping everywhere, I grabbed a piece of the mirror. When a hand finally broke through the long, broken slit, I stabbed them again and again. Blood splattered and wetted my face. They protested the attack, yet another arm came through. I stabbed them too, but they still managed to turn the knob and open the door. I backed into the farthest corner of the tub as they filled the bathroom.
“Killian! Drop it!”
My eyes bulged as I shrank into the corner while shaking my head. “No… No.”
“Killian, you are hallucinating again. Drop it.”
“But…” It looked so real. How could it look so real? God, please let him be right. “W-why do you look like that? Who are all these men? Why are they… naked?” I asked, with ragged breaths. “Make it stop! Please, make it stop!”
His deep, evil laughter didn’t belong in my living nightmare. What could possibly amuse him while I was stuck here trying to differentiate reality from a hellish hallucination.
“Muuuuuuuuummmmm!” I screamed.
He gripped the collar of my shirt and shook me. “Shut the fuck up already!”
The mirror dropped from my hand when my head hit the tile of the wall. The pain shook my brain. Dizziness and nausea overwhelmed me. Although my body became limp, I was awake. I had to stay awake; what were they going to do to me?
Barely conscious, I whispered,“Mommy, please come help me. Mommy!” over and over again. I was already so tired of fighting.
They’dsurroundedthebedwhere I lay as my uncle contained the bleeding from my hand, cleaning the wound and wrapping it tight. I’d lost time here and there. I looked up at the canopy, and the world swirled. The headache reverberated. My upper body lifted as I gagged hard, but nothing came up.
“Help… me,” I whispered, not sure of my actions, unable to differentiate my thoughts from what’d I’d voiced. Something was very wrong with me. Had I toldhimI needed a doctor? “I need help.” It was a very light whisper.
“You’re fine. Your hand is going to be fine. Just relax,” Uncle said to me.
The mattress dipped on my left because of the monster who’d climbed onto the bed.It’s not real.He unbuttoned my shirt and pulled down my jeans and underwear.Not real. Not real. Not real. Not real. Not real. Not real,I thought, trying to calm the panic taking over me.
“That’s right, Killian, it’s not real,” my uncle said, with a smile, and pushed my hair back. “You’re safe.”
I hadn’t known I’d voiced my thoughts.
A cold breeze swept over my naked body, once again proving to me I wasn’t hallucinating. I didn’t want this to be real. I didn’t want to be exposed for them to see. With my other hand, I felt around my chest then on my private parts to see if I was really naked … Laughter from several of them replaced the silence. Embarrassment overwhelmed me before the prick at my neck made my eyes flutter closed. My body and mind had already been through too much stress.
When I woke, I found the monster over me, touching me, but no matter how much I fought, I could not move.
Tears trailed from my eyes down my temples. I couldn’t take the body-shattering pain.
