Incubus

Chapter 15

Monsters live inside us, and sometimes, they win 

~Unknown

The television was turned on the highest volume possible as it blared at me from six feet away. It was exactly midnight, and the nightmares had returned last night. I had woken up with a chill, dazed, disoriented, and confused. I thought about calling Emmalyn and asking her to come over but remembered about the way I had snapped at her the other day. We weren't exactly on speaking terms right now, and it was my fault. 

I had gone downstairs and flung the bottle of pills against the wall, furious that they hadn't prevented my nightmares for very long. I didn't want to have to handle the constant fear, and now that I knew it would come back... I remembered what my mother had once told me as we first got the medicine, how medicine wasn't the answer to all of our problems and that we had to remember that once we've learned to live them, we'd have to learn to live without them.

"Haaaaaave you met Ted?" was the infamous line that blared from the TV. I smiled as I watched Barney Stinson's failed attempts at trying to set up Ted with another random woman.

I decided to pop myself some popcorn, and settled down on the couch again with the bowl in my lap. I happily chewed as three more episodes went by, along with two more bowls of popcorn. I glanced at the clock and saw that by now it was two in the morning. I sighed, afraid to go to bed, but also fearful of staying up and being tired for work tomorrow morning. Maybe I could call in sick. I couldn't afford to miss another days' pay, but I also couldn't afford to fall asleep on the job. 

My thoughts were interrupted by a heavy pounding on the door. I looked up, wondering who would stop by at two in the morning. Trying to play it safe, I turned off the television and waited for whoever it was to go away. It grew eerily quiet, and I listened intently, trying to decipher any other sound. The pounding continued and didn't stop. I became anxious; I didn't want my neighbors to start complaining at the noise. 

I slowly stood up and grabbed the fire poker from the corner of the living room. I cautiously approached the door, listening for any noise and ready to swing. I pressed my ear up against the door, heart pounding in my chest. I heard labored breathing on the other side and cursed under my breath. I held up the fire poker as I looked out the side window, only to see Hayden leaning against my door, head down. Something didn't seem right. 

I quickly raced to open the door. He staggered through the door, right onto me, and I dropped the fire poker and caught him in my arms. He wasn't very light, either. His arms flopped to his sides, and I saw the amount of blood on them.

"Hayden?" 

He looked awful, and by awful, I meant terrible. He had cuts all over his arms, he had a broken nose, and there were peppering bruises all over his face. I saw something glint in his hair under the street light and saw shards of glass. I wondered if any of the pieces had cut his scalp open. 

"Hayden. Hayden, stand up! I can't hold you!" I panted. He was so heavy. I was only a little over five feet tall; I couldn't support a man who was a whole foot taller than I was.