Inner Demons

CHAPTER I

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." -The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe

I'm trapped in a maze with no way out. The ivy-covered walls are crumbling around me. I fear climbing over them would prove to get me even more lost than I already am. I can hear screaming in the distance.

It started a few hours ago, but has gotten closer and louder as time has gone by. It sounded like a woman. Frantically, I run, trying to find the exit even though it seems almost futile now; I don't think I'll ever escape. 

There is no noise here other than my own footsteps, my heavy breathing, and the woman's screams. They're getting closer and closer still. I run faster; turn right, turn left, dead end, turn back. It's endless. I'm going to die here. 

The screaming stops, creating a dead silence in its wake. I stop in my tracks; maybe she found me. My heart is beating against my chest. I'm breathing heavily from running, looking around for the mysterious woman. 

So soft that I almost couldn't hear it, there was growling around the corner from me. My heartbeat picked up and I backed away. Why would there be growling? What could be growling? Was it still the woman, or was it a different creature altogether? The growling continued and I felt a scream bubbling up my throat, threatening to erupt. I reached back behind me, my fingers hitting the cold stone wall and moved away from the direction of the growling. 

I slid along the wall, keeping my eyes trained in the direction of the growling. My hand rested behind me on the broken stone wall. I couldn't find a break that should lead to a different corridor. Wasn't there a turn back there? I felt a hole in the ivy and my hand went into it, causing me to gasp. What the-? There was metal in the hole; a cold, solid piece of metal that almost felt like a handle. As I grasped the handle, I saw a dark hand stretch from where the growling sound originated.

It had long, thin fingers with cat-like nails. It's skin was like a corpse, dark and sunken. I screamed, high and at the top of my lungs. In my terror, I pulled on the handle behind me. 

My screaming continued as I felt the ground beneath me give way. Everything around me went black as I fell, and I became completely weightless. Air rushed around me, twisting me backwards and forwards as I fell. Where the hell did this hole go? What was that creature? 

I looked below me as the ground came into focus. I felt like Alice falling through the rabbit hole, though I didn't think I would end up in Wonderland. It was like experiencing death in slow motion.  I saw it rushing towards me and I sucked in a large gulp of air, closing my eyes. What was about to happen was going to be painful. 

*****

I woke up screaming, as I usually did. The nightmares kept coming back. I sighed, leaning off the bed to grab a pair of pants. Putting them on, I reached for my phone off the nightstand, checking the time.

6:57am.

Damn, three hours of sleep. That's a pretty good night for me actually. I twisted my head left and right, cracking my neck. Stretching, I walked out of the bedroom into the kitchen, heading toward the coffee maker. 

"Ah yes, you beautiful beast." I stroked the  machine, getting almost physically aroused. "Bring me life. Bring me sustenance. I love you." 

Turning it on, I walked into the bathroom to start getting ready for the day. Brushing my teeth, fixing what I could of my hair - you know the drill. 

"Hey!" I called, walking quickly out of the bathroom. "Yo! You want some breakfast?" 

A small groan came from the bedroom down the hallway, the door opening and my roommate stepping out. Her hair was disheveled, sticking every which way out of the bun on the top of her head. She wore an oversized sweatshirt, hanging off one shoulder. 

Groaning, she scratched her head, her eyes barely opening. "Do you...have any idea...what time it is?" 

I laughed. "Yeah, man. Time for coffee, duh." Motioning toward the kitchen, she nodded, shuffling her feet.

"I need supplies today," she mumbled, looking up at me quickly.

Sighing, I nodded. "I'll pick them up when I'm out. Anything out of the usual?"

She shook her head. "No. Well... No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

I looked over at her, sitting on the island, her legs swinging. She looked so small. Grabbing two mugs and pouring the coffee in, I handed one to her. "Sure, man. Whatever you want." I'd pick her up something extra tonight, she needed it. 

Finishing my coffee, I walked back into my bedroom, grabbing my almost empty backpack and putting my shoes on. I checked my phone again, before shoving it back into my pocket.

8:04am. 

Leaving later than usual today, I waved a quick goodbye and headed out the door, into the bright light of the day. Luckily, I didn't have to go far for what I needed. After walking a few blocks, I turned right, into an alleyway. A hooded figure stood towards the end of the alley, leaning against a grime covered wall. Upon hearing my footsteps, they looked up and pushed themselves off the wall. 

I raised my hands, calling out, "Hey, man. I come in peace. It's just me."

They nodded, looking up and down the alley. "Yo, you want the usual stuff?" They sniffed, scratching their nose. 

"Yeah, just the regular." I handed them a bundle of cash from my back pocket, setting my backpack on the ground and unzipping it. They handed me packages from the large coat they were wearing as I stuffed them into the bag, counting each one. 

"We good?" 

"We're good on this account, man. But I've been thinking," I say, reaching at the bottom of my bag, my fingers closing around the knife I had hidden. "I may be needing a little extra today." 

*************

A BIG THANK YOU to anyone reading this! I've been debating about putting this up since it's just a project I've been toying with. But hey, can't hurt.. and who knows if anyone will read it anyway. I'll try to put up another chapter soon. If you do read it, let me know what you think! 

*Helpful tip, in case anyone hadn't noticed: every time there is "*****" the POV has changed. *

Thanks again,

E