Silent. Soundless. That was the volume of noise in the house. Despite the rustling motions of the oak trees and the silhouette of a howling dog visible through my open windows, from my perspective it was as if I had lost my hearing entirely. Slowly but surely, my hearing returned as my body woke from its sleepy state. I could clearly hear the thudding sound of my heartbeat in my ears, yet I still couldn’t hear a single sound from the outside world.
I was lying on my bed, scared beyond imagination while I focused my eyes on the chipped plaster above my head, trying to make sense of what was happening. I could feel the heavy pressure on my abdomen from my ginger cat, Phoenix. Although I could not see him in the darkness of my bedroom, I was still reassured to know that his rather large, fluffy frame and sharp grey eyes kept watch and protected me from harm.
I could faintly hear the ticking of the old rosewood grandfather clock down the hall. Tick tick tick. I lay back gently into the comfort of my pillows and pulled up my duck-down duvet to my chin. Beside my body, held tightly against my flannelette-covered torso, was my favourite childhood toy, Maxwell, a small stuffed bear, one ear and an eye missing from his threadbare body. I had brought him with me when I moved out as a source of comfort and a reminder of my family.
I snuggled into him, revelling in the heat that he brought and sighed deeply, closing my eyes and bringing him closer. I heard him purring quietly, the sound reverberating throughout my body.
I snapped my eyes open as a chill ran down my spine.
Purring.
It wasn’t Phoenix that was on top of the blankets.
The pressure on my stomach shifted.
I lay in the bed, frozen in shock. I heard the rattling, deep breaths of what I had now concluded was some kind of creature. My own breathing soon became rapid and panicked and I let out a silent scream.
The creature paused in its breathing.
I felt it lift one massive, heavy leg and place it upon my ribcage, my bones creaking under the weight. It then lifted the other and dragged it across the blanket to rest it directly above my heart.
My chest felt horribly constricted, as the creature seemed to have suddenly grown in both weight and size. Shaking, I turned my head to face the monstrous animal. But what I saw was no animal. No, what I saw was something too terrible, too horrifying to ever have walked this earth. Flaky scales were scattered over the dead, rotting skin. Chunks of flesh were missing throughout its body, allowing its swollen, stinking organs to hang out of its side. I stared into its blood-red eyes, sunken into the horned skull, glaring at me. It opened its great jaws to reveal rows and rows of needle-like teeth, glinting in the moonlight. The scent hit me immediately, the sickly, ominous scent of death. I finally regained control of my voice and screamed, a high, blood-curdling shriek that filled the night. The monster roared in response, sending spittle and chunks of something I didn’t want to think about flying out across my face and the room. It raised its left hand, littered with scars, and, as I looked into its murderous eyes, slashed across my face.
A searing pain shot through my head. I was blinded as blood pooled into my eyes. All I could think of was the intense agony I was in. I knew, then, that I could not win. This was the end. I sensed it raise its head over my crumbled form, and, with a final cry, it attacked with great force, sending me spiralling into darkness.
