Nightmare

As much as he tried to, Lukas couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept wandering off to 'that day'. The day when everything changed. When everything he used to love so much disappeared.

'Forget it.'

His eyelids soon grew heavy and the soft snores from Tingting tempted him to enter the dreamworld. After an intense battle with his brain to keep awake, he gave in at last.

He finally drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, his form was of a five year old. His younger self.

...

The night was cool and and the curtains rustled in the refreshing breeze. The boy stood still in the room, watching something. A body. The body shook and slowly picked itself up. When it stood upright at last, its lifeless eyes stared at the boy rendering him silent. It walked shakily, swaying with the wind. It reached him. It smiled gently. Then its mouth opened. Its head grew in proportions and its body grew taller until it towered over the little boy. It smiled again. It smiled and smiled until the smile grew grotesque. The boy couldn't take it any longer. With a frightened shriek, he shoved the body aside and ran to the other side of the room. The thing paused. Then it ambled towards him angrily. Just before it could reach him, its body shrivelled up and its hair turned white and dull. It fell in a heap in front of the boy.

A pool of red formed at the soles of his shoes and his shirt was splattered in a warm, sticky substance.

Blood.

He screamed, his voice high-pitched and clear, and stumbled backwards whereupon he bumped into something. He instinctively looked behind him and came face to face with a monster.

Its blood shot eyes glowered behind wisps of smoke. Its mouth stretched from ear to ear and the boy screamed once more. The monster growled, blood thirsty, and lunged for him with its claws outstretched. The boy could only think of one thing as he saw the thing's arm moving closer towards him.

'Are you going to kill me?'

Its rough, gnarled hands closed around his throat. The boy struggled violently at first but, after realising its futility, gave up.

'I'm sorry'

His airway was blocked off and breathing became an arduous task.

'I'm sorry'

The monster wouldn't let go. The claws tightened around his throat and squeezed it.

'I'm sorry'

His vision blurred and his heart beat erratically.

'I'm sorry'

The claws only released itself around his neck when he was on the verge of fainting.

"Forgive me."

After those final words, everything went silent and he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

...

As Lukas tossed and turned on the couch, his back covered in cold sweat, Tingting's eyes blinked open as she was awoken by the sounds of moaning.

She crept out of bed and snuck towards him. Seeing him writhe around with unseen pain and his face contorting painfully, she grew worried and held his hands.

...

He awoke in a white room. His neck shrieked in agony when he moved it even the slightest bit. He wanted to get out. He made way to the door. As his hand finally twisted the handle, he froze. It was locked. He banged at the door, kicked it, pushed it, pulled it, nobody came. He screamed, shouted, shrieked at the top of his voice. It was as if nobody was home. He couldn't take it. His neck, bruised and swollen, felt unbearably painful bringing tears to his eyes. He gave up and slid down, his back against the door and rested. Until he saw it.

...

Lukas was now crying out and tears ran down the sides of his face. Tingting grew increasingly alarmed and tears welled up in her eyes too. Her pleas for him to wake up fell upon deaf ears.

...

There it stood, in the middle of the room, staring at him. Its eyes were two empty sockets and its skin took on a yellowish tint. Clumps of grey moss grew on its head and its teeth were rotten and jagged. Smoke followed its every movement, filling the whole room with an intoxicating stench. Two figures hovered behind it, their faces twisted and green. One female, one male. The female's head was a serpent, its pink tongue hissing from time to time. The other had the face of a rat, constantly twitching at every movement the boy made.

The boy couldn't take it anymore.

He pounded at the door, begging for somebody to let him out. He couldn't stay there. The pain in his neck became insignificant as he shrieked for his life. The figures just stood there, watching him. The boy screamed until he could scream no more and fainted from over-exerting himself.

Repeat.

As if time rewound, the boy found himself stuck in that room with the demons again . He had screamed until his vocal chords tore. His neck made his toes curl in agony and his eyes were sore from all the tears he had shed.

His mind collapsed.

He gave up.

Seeing this, the monsters glided over to him, their tongues hanging out and their teeth gnashing together. They cornered him and stooped to his eye level. The boy's swollen eyes widened when he saw them up close but he had no more energy to move. He could only follow with his eyes as they tore at his flesh, shredded his skin and chewed at his bones. Then, the demons reached out a claw and stabbed into his eye. They clutched at the eyeball with two long nails and slowly, extruciatingly, extracted it from its socket, watching as it clung on with but a few sinews of flesh. Just as the boy felt his world darken once more, the door opened.

With sheer willpower, the boy turned his head in relief only to find himself gazing into the unblinking stares of blood-thirsty creatures. Among them, was the familiar golden haired corpse. It smiled as it caught his gaze. It opened its mouth to speak and in a grating voice, it stuttered,

"I lo-"

...

Lukas woke up. Tears streamed down his eyes and he choked on the bottled up fear inside of him. He gasped for air and felt around his neck.

Nothing.

His shirt clung to his back uncomfortably and his forehead glistened with moisture. He sat upright for a while, calming himself, until he heard the soft sobbing beside him.

Tingting's finger nails dug painfully into his flesh as she stuttered for him to wake up, unaware that he had long risen.

Lukas's gaze widened. He got off the couch and sat beside her on the floor, stroking her hair soothingly.

"Silly, there's no need to cry."

Feeling her body trembling, he placed her head into his chest and patted her, calming her down. After her sniffling had ceased, she fell asleep. Lukas fiddled with her short hair and his heart filled with warmth.

It was the second time someone had cried for him.

Comforted by this knowledge, Lukas fell asleep.