Just Imagine...

Frozen

Ianto awoke in the guest room at Sam's house to discover, to his horror, that he couldn't move. He could look around the room, but he couldn't turn his head, and it felt like something was pressing down on his chest. He tried to scream, to call out to Sam for help, but he couldn't even open his mouth, or even seem to get his vocal cords to work.
Panic overwhelmed Ianto as he realized there was something in the room with him. He couldn't see it; he just knew it was there. Hiding outside the bedroom door. It wanted to do him harm, he could tell. But it was going to play with him first.
There was a creaking in the floorboards as the thing moved, and threw something into the room. It landed on Ianto's chest.
It was Lisa's severed head.
Ianto couldn't look away from her dead, staring eyes. That thing outside had taken Lisa's head off her body and now it was going to do the same thing to him, but while he was still alive.
Ianto tried desperately to get up, to run away, to move at all, but it seemed like the harder he fought against whatever trance he was in, the harder it got to move or breathe. What was happening to him?
The thing in the hallway began to creep into the room, a dark shadow oozing along the walls. It was coming for him.
Ianto sat bolt upright in bed, cold sweat coating his body and his breath coming in rapid gasps.
"Whoa, hey!" Sam's voice laughed from the doorway, "calm down, Ianto, it's just me."
She stepped into the room, housecoat flowing around her matching boxer shorts and crop top - both purple with little unicorns and rainbows on them.
Ianto glanced around. He couldn't see Lisa's head anymore, even though it had been right in front of him only a second ago.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed, "bad dream?"
"I don't know," Ianto replied, hearing his voice tremble, "it... felt so real. I thought I was awake, but I couldn't move, and there was something out there in the hallway..." he peeked out into the hall just to be sure nothing was there.
It was vacant.
"I couldn't move," Ianto repeated, "I thought I was gonna die."
"Sounds like sleep paralysis," Sam murmured gently, rubbing his shoulder to soothe him, "have you had that before?"
Ianto shook his head.
"I have," Sam said, "it's scary. You think you're fully awake but it feels like something's holding you down, crushing you. I had it so often when I was younger Zephyr slept with me every night and woke me up if I had it."
"Why did I have it now?" Ianto whimpered.
"Well, most people experience it at least once in their lifetime," Sam explained, "I think it might also have something to do with stress, though. And anxiety. You think that might've been it?"
Ianto nodded, scooting closer to her.
"You want me to sleep here for the rest of the night?" Sam offered.
"No," Ianto sighed, "I think I'm okay."
Sam blinked slowly, green eyes glimmering sadly in the half light. She kissed his forehead.
"Try to relax and get a little more sleep, okay?"
"I will."
Ianto watched her walk back down the hall to her and Jay's bedroom as he laid back down, listening to the noises of this big house. There was a soft thumping sound from outside and Ianto sat back up to see Zephyr padding into the room. She chuffed quietly, flicking her whiskers, before getting onto the bed to press herself against her.
The tiger was soft and warm, and Ianto snuggled against her fur for comfort. Zephyr placed one of her big paws on his arm, almost like she was hugging him, and gently licked his hair.
Ianto soon went back to sleep.