The Worst Kind of Darkness

The Vision

As Grace walked she could feel the temperature shift from mild to below freezing in a matter of seconds. The sudden drop opened up her senses and sharpened her vision. What had been a brain stuffed with  cotton, now was as clear as glass.
A rustling sound appeared behind her and Grace's reflexes tightened. She had dealt with this before. She couldn't remember when, but somehow her instincts were wired this way. She gripped the silver knife at her waist. Once again, she had no memory of this knife, or how to use it. She turned swiftly and held back her fear as the creature from behind melted into a pool of shadow.
Finally, she could breathe again. She continued to walk in the freezing outside but it had only been seconds before pain flared up in her shoulder as another monster creeped up behind her and slashed as her. Blood dripped down, staining the ground as she collapsed. The creatures face was horrible. Something straight out of her nightmares.
A memory tugged at the back of her brain as this though came. Suddenly it disappeared, as if it was teasing her. The shadow creature had a long snout with horrible sharp teeth like needles. It breathed heavily as it crawled up to her face. Sharp claws digging into her skin until she was drenched in her own blood. She heard it whisper, like a voice in her mind.
I will kill you. That is inevitable. Once you become alone I will come for you. You will not know when or where. I will drive you insane with my mere willpower  sharp one. I can promise your death will be more gruesome than this. There will be more blood, and more pain.  It is not our time yet, but do remember. You cannot escape your future. Now I implore you, WAKE UP! With a final hiss, the monster slashed at Grace's unprotected throat, killing her instantly.

    Grace Kaliran woke up, obeying the monsters orders. She held her neck, making sure it was still intact and was pleased to feel that it was. She slumped down in her bunk, breathing heavily. There was no blood, there was no monster. At least, not yet. This nightmare had been appearing in her mind over and over again for the past few nights. It was high time she told someone, but who would believe the girl who jumped at her own reflection could be visited in her dreams by the king of shadows himself?
No one, that's who. She thought with a sigh and she turned over in her bed, pulling the covers to her chin.
If  my siblings didn't believe me back when we were young. Who's to say they would now? Grace shivered despite the blanket her had in her hands. The darkness wouldn't allow her sight to reach into the corners of the room, where all the monsters were said to lurk. She stared into the shadows and saw every single creature she had ever feared, staring right back at her. The menacing gleam in their eyes horrible to even think of.
Yet she shook her head. Sleep would not come easy. She would not go down again without a fight, but the sandman had other plans, and soon she was drifting off to another dream, another memory.