Stygan Sunshine

2-Nyctophobia

nyc·to·pho·bi·a

ˌniktəˈfōbēə/

noun

extreme or irrational fear of the night or of darkness.
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Bend froze immediately, sky colored eyes going wide with fear. The room had cut to black, stormclouds outside blocking any means of light.

She turned her head side to side, rummaging through the kitchen drawers to find a flashlight.
C'mon.. C'mon..
She stopped, pulling a flashlight out of a drawer and trying to flip it on.
"Damn. Dead battery."

Bend swore audibly, her heart beginning to pound, and her breath quickening. She whimpered, stumbling into the living room where Cora was sitting on the couch.

She looked up, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Hey, Bend! Pancakes almost done?" She asked cheerfully, a smile on her face.

Bend paused, before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose to reply."No, the power's out. There's a st-"

The rest of her voice was drowned out by the roar of thunder and crash of lightning outside. The small girl yelped, scrambling across the room into Cora's arms.

Cora hugged her close, gently stroking her raven-black hair and whispering words of comfort. "Hey, you wanna watch some of those old cartoons after this storm is over?"

"Mmhm.." She answered quietly, her voice shaky with the wave of tears running down her face.

You see, Bend had nyctophobia. It means she was afraid of the dark. She never told Cora why, but deep down in that big heart of hers.. Guilt ate at it like a hungry being.

The year was 2015, the time 11:00 pm. Night covered their sleepy little town like a blanket, gentle and warm. Bend and her little brother, Jake, were on their way home from taking out the trash- the cans were surprisingly far from their little apartment in the city.
....
Jake never came home.

She had blamed herself for the incident ever since, and had been terrified of the dark. She would flash back constantly, remembering the terrified look in the little boy's eyes.. She visibly shuddered at the thought, hugging Cora close, as if the darkness would take her as well.

Just like the rest of the people she cared about.

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Wow, that chapter was depressing. So you learned a bit about Jake now, huh..? Remember him, hold him in the back of your mind- because I have a feeling Bend won't be mourning for long.