The wind hammered and the rain screamed, and the whole night seemed to screech hoarsely at the world. I stood shivering at the window in my bedroom, unable to go to sleep amid the howls of noise coming from outside. My hands shook slightly - a pale and feeble image amid the darkness of the oppressing walls. My skin burned - an unseen presence was watching. I turned, but there was nothing there.
My parents were staying over at some friend’s house and I felt isolated and very on my own. Our old house was situated in the middle of the woods, and there were no houses nearby until the next village, a few miles down the road.
A creaking sound emanated from the stairs outside my bedroom and I jumped and almost shouted with alarm. After a few seconds, I calmed down and laughed; it would have been embarrassing if anyone had been able to hear me.
After all, it was only an old floorboard creaking - I wouldn't have been scared if it was the middle of the day!
But the throaty keening of the wind was everywhere. It was alive.
I crept back into bed and pulled the duvet around me, relishing the warmth it gave and the sense of security. For a while longer I just curled up under the sheets, breathing in the cold, somewhat musky scent of the house, and feeling the rough touch of the blanket on my bare flesh. I thought about how safe I was in my warm bed and thought about all the gloomy pine trees and the mist at night, which didn’t feel so scary under my duvet.
A scream rent the night in half like a knife cutting through flesh as easily as if it was butter.
I panicked and sat straight up in bed, panting hard, my breath steaming in the cold air. It was the most horrible sound; a scream of pure agony and hatred, devoid of hope, a hoarse screech like that of nails down a blackboard, an agonised roar of the tortured. It could have come from either human or beast, I did not know. It was not just a sound but a feeling as well. I could see blood red and dark black and dead bodies and rotting flesh and people being shot, and drowned, and knifed and screaming and blood…….
In my mind I could see an animal: its bloated body was swollen, its skin burnt, its flesh raw, its clothes ripped to shreds. Skin on its stomach parted and a small dark insect crawled out of the wound, covered in slime and bits of steaming flesh. Its face was horribly disfigured and covered in dark gashes, pus seeping out of the wound and its eyes were wide and red and rotten. A smell of rotting flesh and the foul odours of the unwashed and dirty choked me.
I felt a hand on the naked flesh of my arm, a horrible stroke of a pervert - someone you desperately don’t want to touch you, with almost perfectly formed nails except for a stain of blood and an unnatural sharpness. I could feel a punch; and a gentle touch of someone who you know will kill or harm you, breaking your bones one by one….
The floorboard outside my bedroom creaked.
The night exploded and was burnt by another scream of agony. It kept rising. And rising. And rising.
Shrieking hoarsely, I scrambled out of my bed, instinctively getting as far away as possible from the door, falling over objects scattered on the floor and smashing my head against a cupboard but not caring. Sobbing profusely, tears covered my vision and I whimpered in agony as I tried to get away from the door, which could be opening now, and the screamer could be coming inside…..
My leg bashed into a box on the floor and my body fell down with a thud - my chest heaved as I managed to control my breathing. The door did not open.
I cried again with relief and then instantly felt foolish, what the hell was I doing? It had probably been a wild animal in the woods getting eaten or something.
But I remembered the visions and the sense of a hand on my skin and knew that sound did not belong to an innocent animal. I felt sick at the thought and was sick all over my clothes and belongings now scattered and broken on the floorboards. Moaning, I looked up.
Straight into the pale face of a nightmare monster.
This time I felt a hot wetness crawl down my legs from my pants and I sat frozen to the spot, unable to move and just stood gaping at the blood and fangs protruding from the mouth, leering from the darkness of my bedroom.
Two seconds later my brain caught up with me and I realised what it was, just one of my old toys. This time I stood straight up, still slightly disorientated and quickly ran to the light switch by my bed. Flicking it on I surveyed the room and saw all the mess and objects strewn about the place. Assured that there was no phantom lurking in the darkness and the murk of the room I slowly got into bed and lay there.
I did not go to sleep.
I did not turn the light off.
The door opened.
I did not see anyone ever again.