A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 101

He was coming for her.

"LUNA!! COME TO ME!! LUNA!!"

Angry footsteps marched up the stairs, and Luna, at her best guess the age of three, curled into a tighter ball, trying to sob quieter.

"Where are you?! It will be better if you come to me!" he barked. "We need to go!"

He entered her room.

"Come here," he ordered as he began to dismantle her hiding place, first removing the blankets and then the pillows.

As the light fell into her dark, warm, but not safe, world, she saw who had come for her.

What was once the face of her father was now twisted, his skin was a ghastly pale, eyes red, and a forked tongue flicked out between his fangs.

Luna screamed as he roughly grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her the rest of the way out of her nest.

She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he was much bigger and stronger.

"HELP!!"

"No one's coming to help," he said before laughing maniacally as he seemed to grow in size, from an already tall man to a true giant. "It's just you and me."

"HELP ME!!" Luna screamed, hoping someone would hear. Someone would save her. "SOMEONE HELP!!!"

***

Luna bolted into a sitting position and out of the nightmare in a cold sweat, a scream still on her lips. Her eyes darted around the dark room, trying to figure out where she was.

It was alien to her.

Luna's heart rate began to increase even more as she began to hyperventilate while tears streamed down her cheeks.

She didn't know where she was, why she was there, or anything.

And worse, what if that monster was near her?

Luna's vision was blurry from just waking up, not to mention the tears, so when the door to her room swished open, all she could see was dark images and silhouettes swimming around. Luna didn't even know what had make the sound.

She struggled to get away from whatever had made the noise, but her sheets were wrapped around her, acting as chains and keeping her in place.

Then voices in the dark, telling her she was safe.

Arms brought Luna into a loving embrace as she felt something touch her mind and hands untangle her chains.

Luna buried herself into the embrace as she felt the two people pull her close, muttering words along the lines of You're safe and It was only a dream.

If it had been at any other time, Luna would have questioned who these people were and why they were even there, let alone comforting her, but she didn't.

Luna was terrified, and here they were, comforting her.

For the first time in years she actually felt safe.

She felt loved.