Tempetation Of Shadows |18+

CHAPTER 1: Nightmare

The darkness closed in around me, suffocating and oppressive. I could feel the weight of it pressing down on my chest, crushing the air from my lungs. Sweat beads traced icy paths down my forehead, the cool droplets a stark contrast to the searing heat that engulfed me.

A loud bang shattered the silence, jolting me awake with a start. My heart raced in my chest, pounding like a drumbeat in my ears. Panic clawed at the edges of my consciousness as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. Where was I? What was happening?

Slowly, the fog of sleep lifted, and I realized with a sinking heart that I was in my own bed, safe and sound. It had only been a nightmare, a cruel trick of my subconscious mind. But the terror lingered, wrapping around me like a vice, refusing to let go.

I sat up in bed, trembling from head to toe as I tried to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. The room was cloaked in darkness, the only light filtering in through the cracks in the curtains. Outside, the world slept on, oblivious to the turmoil raging within me.

I reached up to wipe the cold sweat from my forehead, my hand trembling with the effort. The nightmare replayed itself in my mind, each moment more vivid and terrifying than the last. The image of my parents' car exploding haunted me, filling me with a sense of dread that I couldn't shake.

But as terrifying as the nightmare was, it was nothing compared to the reality of what had happened. The memory of that fateful night, when my parents had come home only to be torn away from me in an instant, was seared into my mind with agonizing clarity.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I relived the horror of that night, the flames licking at the sky as metal shrieked and twisted in the inferno. I could still hear their screams echoing in my ears, still feel the heat of the flames as they consumed everything in their path.

With a shudder, I pushed myself out of bed, my legs unsteady beneath me. I stumbled across the room to the window, drawing back the curtains to reveal the moonlit landscape outside. The night was still and silent, but inside, a storm raged on, tearing me apart from the inside out.

As I sank to my knees beside the window, tears streaming down my face, I whispered a silent prayer for peace. But deep down, I knew that peace would never come, not while the nightmares still haunted my every waking moment.

I took a deep breath, the crisp night air sending a shiver down my spine as I stepped onto the balcony. The city lay before me, silent and still in the moonlight, a tranquil oasis amidst the chaos of my thoughts.

For a moment, I relished in the quiet solitude, allowing the cool breeze to wash over me, calming my racing heart. But as I stood there, lost in my own thoughts, I felt it again - that inexplicable sense of being watched.

I scanned the darkness, searching for any sign of movement, but the streets below were deserted, the buildings shrouded in shadows. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was out there, lurking just beyond my line of sight.

It had been over a month since I first felt the sensation - the unmistakable feeling of being followed, of someone's gaze burning into the back of my skull. At first, I had brushed it off as paranoia, a trick of my overactive imagination. But as the days passed, the feeling only grew stronger, more persistent.

I tried to shake off the unease, telling myself it was just my mind playing tricks on me. But deep down, I knew it was more than that. There was something out there, something lurking in the darkness, watching, waiting.

With a shiver, I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable in the moonlit night. I retreated back inside, casting one last glance over my shoulder before closing the balcony door behind me. The feeling of being watched lingered, a silent reminder that I was not alone, not truly.