When Darkness Falls

Chapter 9: A nightmare or reality?

I stood there, staring at the door for a moment, hoping it would open and Dani would be here to take me home. However, my hopes were nothing but wishful thinking when the door remained closed and locked.

Finally, I turned and glanced around the bedroom, taking everything in. The room was decently sized, not too big and not too small. It was simple, with gold marble flooring, pearly white walls, a queen-sized four-poster bed with soft pink blankets, and two white nightstands on either side. A high back tufted white chair sat in the corner, and there was also a fireplace protruding from the wall on my right; it was elegant yet not overly done, with smokey gray marble and gold trimming.

I walked towards a blue door on my left and gazed into the large closet. As my eyes wandered around, I noticed it was empty, except for some lonely hangers. Then, I saw another door inside the closet and cautiously walked into the adjacent room, realizing it was the bathroom.

The flooring was the same as the bedroom, but the walls were painted a warm cream colour. The bathroom was small and straightforward, with only a single off-white vanity and a stand-up shower, no tub, which was disappointing. I walked over to the sink and splashed some cold water on my face, hoping that all of this was just another bad dream. I dried my face off and left the bathroom, feeling more defeated with every passing second.

I laid on the bed, inhaling and exhaling heavily, trying to calm my erratic nerves, but it did little to help. So, finally, I closed my eyes, and to my surprise, I was asleep in minutes.

I walked into the house. "Mom, I'm home," I called out, but there was no response. She should be home; it's her day off from work. I put my things down and started to look around for her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Mom? Are you home?" I called out again, and still nothing.

As I walked down the hall, I noticed the bathroom light was glowing from under the door. So I continued towards the bathroom, the light from under the door illuminating the hallway.

I knocked on the door. "Mom? Are you in there?" I said aloud.

I turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly. The wood creaked and groaned as it opened further. I looked in the bathroom and noticed that the shower curtain was closed.

Hesitantly, I approached the tub, my steps faltering as I neared closer to the ominous scene. I gripped the curtain tightly and sucked in a deep breath before pulling it back. My eyes widened in horror as I looked down at my mother soaking in a tub of her own blood.

My body went numb, and I froze at the horrific scene displayed before my very eyes. "OMG! MOM!" I screamed before dropping to my knees and reaching into the tub to pull her to me.

Her body was cold, her skin having no pigment anymore, and that's when I noticed the two large gashes down each arm. "No, no, mom, please don't die." I started to cry uncontrollably at the thought of losing my mother.

I reared back, and Mom's eyes were open now, staring intently into my own. I let her go and jumped back, smacking my head on the vanity. My vision blurred from the impact, and I felt disoriented.

As I started to come to, I saw mom standing in the tub now, with her arms stuck out in front of her. "This is your fault! Everything is your fault!" She said in an eerie and unrecognizable tone.

She stepped out of the tub, and I tried to scurry away, but my body refused to move. Her eyes were now red. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She screamed before lunging toward me.

Suddenly, I was startled awake, and I leaped up from the bed, panting. I was soaked with sweat, feeling frantic and couldn't seem to catch my breath.

I swiped the hair from my face and ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to pull myself together. After a moment, my breathing started to slow, and I began to feel a little less anxious. Then, finally, I noticed who had woken me up, Darius.