Sleep Paralysis - Josh Franchesci, You Me At Six AU (COMPLETED)

0.6

R O S E ' S  P O V

I woke up the next day with a headache, but that was the last thing on my mind. Josh killed a man for me. The thought didn't leave my head, and I couldn't sleep all night. Every time I closed my eyes I could see the image of him covered in blood and holding the switchblade, taunting me. I rubbed my eyes, stepping out of bed. I walked into the kitchen and made myself a coffee. I sat on the couch and turned on the TV, a news channel reporting a story.

'Dean Cunnington was last seen at roughly 11:20pm last night at the Zedd Bar in Weybridge, Surrey. His friends said he had a small chat with them before leaving, appearing intoxicated. Security footage did show Cunnington go through the backdoor of the bar around ten minutes prior to his final sighting, but the alleyway's footage wasn't able to be recovered and no DNA was found. The situation isn't being treated as suspicious,' the reporter revealed as pictures of Dean appeared on the screen. I bit back tears, not wanting to think about his blood on Josh. I turned off my TV, unable to see the image of Dean anymore. I picked up my phone and clicked Dan's contact.

'Hello?'

"Can you take me somewhere tonight?"

---

"I'm so glad you're doing this, Rose. I'm so proud," Kelly smiled, hugging me softly. I told her that I planned on visiting a support group tonight, where I could meet other people who experienced sleep paralysis. It was the only thing I hadn't tried, and I was hoping I could get something out of it.

"Dan's gonna drop me there and pick me up later," I mentioned, making her smirk a little.

"Oh stop it you. Come on - a customer might walk in," I giggled, calming myself down. Coincidentally enough, a woman entered the store, giving us soft a smile.

"Afternoon, ma'am," Kelly greeted. She walked over to the lady, discussing with her what she was looking for. I looked out the window, admiring the trees and surrounding stores. Although near the city, the small plaza gave off a cosy aesthetic which I adored. The orange brick and beautiful plants added on to it. I smiled softly, but my smile dropped at the sight of Josh standing outside the shop window. I jumped slightly at his presence, but closed my eyes and breathed in. When I opened my eyes, he was gone.

I'm not gonna let him ruin my day.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit off..." Kelly questioned as the woman left the store. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, just zoned out a little," I lied, making my way to another customer that had walked in.

---

"Alright, I'll see you later," I called out to Kelly.

"Bye, Rose," she replied as I pushed open the door. Dan was parked just outside, his attention fixated on the sunset. I knocked on his window, opening the door and sliding in.

"You ready?" he asked, pride in his eyes. I nodded, and with that, he turned the ignition on and began to drive.

---

I entered the room, a few minutes before the meeting was suppose to begin. I inhaled softly, making my way towards the refreshments. I didn't touch anything, simply scanning the people around me. I felt a tap on my shoulder, making me turn towards the culprit. I saw a man standing next to me. He had brunette hair and a stubble covering his face.

"Hey, I'm Max," he smiled, extending his hand towards me. I took it gently and shook it, feeling comfort and warmth.

"I'm Rose, nice to meet you," I replied as we finished our greet. He had a boyish look to his face, but had a mature and strong aura to him.

"So how long have you been coming to this support group?" he asked, motioning to the seats and members chatting amongst themselves.

"This is my first visit. What about you?" I answered, sipping the water.

"First time as well. Wanna stick together?" he grinned, a hopeful yet playful glint in his eye. I giggled softly, nodding.

"I would love to." We chatted a bit before the meeting began, getting to know each other. Max worked as an engineer in a shop near the one I worked at. A woman called us over and we sat down together as a group. Introductions went quickly, and we soon began to tell our stories.

"I turned to drugs, mainly alcohol, to cope with it. It ruined my life and I wasn't on my feet for about two years. This is my third year of being sober and I finally reconnected with my family a few months ago," Dave cried, wiping his tears away. We all clapped, giving him empathetic smiles and making small comments of support.

"Inspirational, Dave. We're so glad you've got your life back on track. Now how about we move onto the next few people, if they'd like to share?" our organiser, Daisy, offered, motioning towards Max and I.

"My name is Rose, and I've been experiencing sleep paralysis for about two months now, almost every single night. I- uh, sorry. I'm visited by a man who calls himself Josh. At first glance, he seems like a nice looking guy, but he's been the cause and centre of my fear. He torments me, like describing how he'll kill my loved ones, or how he can hurt me. And it's gotten worse. I've started seeing him outside of my usual episodes. I'll be walking home at night and he'll appear, do whatever, then vanish into thin air. No medication or form of therapy has helped - he doesn't go away," I whispered, my eyes forming tears.

"Thank you for opening up like that, Rose. You've been through a bit, and we're all here to support you." I quietly thanked them, my gaze turning towards Max.

"Hi, my name is Max. I've experienced sleep paralysis for almost a year now. At least once a week, I'll see this... creature. It's entirely black, but it's skin... drips from it, like a black sludge. It has no face apart from a mouth. All it does is stare... nothing has gotten rid of it. No meds, doctors or therapy," he explained, fiddling with his thumbs. Daisy thanked Max for opening up. Our eyes met and something within his begged.

They begged for something. Anything.