Short Stories and Poems

Sleepwalker

Horror
574 Words

    I'm hastily walking through the night, the street dimly lit by my phone flashlight. I'm frightened by every noise I hear. They all seem to be coming for me. I begin to hear slow footsteps behind me. I quicken my pace and keep my head forward. I've learned from countless terrible horror movies that the blonde that looks back always gets killed first. I was not going to be that girl. My heart stutters as I listen for the footsteps, they stop for a second and start again. They seem to be moving faster now.

    I look up to see the eerie sky, the moon covered by clouds. I'm disconnected from my enchanted gaze by my phone beeping, 5%. My heart races, I need to get out of here. I begin to pay more attention to the footsteps. They sound steady and agile. Another beep echos, 4%. I can hear my shallow breaths. My footsteps echo along with my stalker. A panting noise is also heard in the distance. Beeping, 2%. Wait, what happened to 3%? Who cares, I need to hurry. My footsteps quicken. 1%, powering off. Isn't that just lovely, I'm being followed and my only means of seeing dies.

    The crunching of leaves beneath my feet begin to echo throughout the surreal environment. My eyes seem to have adjusted to the darkness, allowing me to see the faint silhouettes of trees. I'm in the forest now? I let out a small shrill shriek as something quickly flies past my head. I place my hand on my chest and stop to catch my breath only realizing the footsteps sped up. I begin to jog slowly leading into a full-on sprint. My breathing became shallow and my heart heavy.

    My foot collides with something hard, throwing me to the ground. There is an audible crack followed by the collision. As I fall I listen to graceful footsteps run towards my being. This is it; I'm the blonde from the movies.

    A bed of moist leaves surround me. I try to lift myself quickly but inevitably fail and collide with the earth. My stalker is close, the crunching of twigs and leaves growing louder by the second. This is it; this is how I end.

    I look back for the first time only to see an unrecognizable silhouette. It's large and seems to be walking on all fours. It slows to a crawl. I'm not ready; this can't be the end. I turn away and close my eyes, tears escaping the corners. A noticeable hot breath is evident on my cheek and neck. I hold my breath.

    “Wake up.”

    I rise awake in a cold sweat, my breath heavy. It was a dream, only a dream. With a heavy sigh, I plop back on my bed. I stare at my ceiling, relieved. I smile and close my eyes. My heart is pounding but I can still feel myself drifting.

    My cheek feels warm and wet like in the dream but I just brush it off. I'm too tired to worry. I hear a creak from the other side of the room but the exhaustion keeps me from opening my eyes. I notice a heavyweight appear next to me, the warmth growing on my cheek. My breath catches in my throat, I slowly open my eyes to the beast before me. The creature looked at me with an ear to ear smile.

    “Good night.”