As I lay in bed, unable to move or speak, I knew that the beast of sleep paralysis had come to visit me again. I could feel its cold, clammy hands on my chest, holding me down as it whispered dark, terrifying secrets into my ear. Things that nobody other than myself would know. Things that shake me to my core. Things that give me crippling anxiety just thinking of. I tried to scream, but no sound would come out. I knew my fate was in its hands for the night. All I could do was hope for some mercy.
The monstrous shadow knew my deepest fears, and it began to play them out in the dream world taking place in my own bedroom. It was turning my thoughts into reality; a visual hallucination. My walls were transforming from plain white, to landscapes I remembered all too well. It dragged me into a dark, endless abyss where I was chased by a faceless figure that represented all my insecurities and regrets. The time I lost my baby brother, because I was too careless to hold his hand as we crossed the road. The friend that committed suicide over a fight we had. A friend that I could’ve saved. Its presence forced those memories into my vision. Blinding me with regret. The figure seemed to take pleasure in my terror as it made the beast grow larger and more menacing with each passing moment. Every regret I relived, it became stronger, more controlling, allowing it to drill further into the depths of my brain. Finding those thoughts that even I had buried too far away to remember.
That bone chilling breath. I could feel the figure’s hot breath on my neck as it whispered in my ear, “You can never escape me. I will always be here, waiting for you in the darkness. I can come and go as I please. You will always fear me. Wondering if tonight is the night I take you away again. You will never know peace again. And it’s exactly what you deserve..”
I begged, and I pleaded for it to let me go. I was unable to speak, but it knew exactly what I was trying to communicate. However, it only cackled in response. It seemed to thoroughly enjoy my suffering, and wanted to prolong it as long as possible. My fear was its nourishment. The more I lost, the more it gained.
Trapped. I was trapped in this nightmare for what felt like an eternity. Hell, maybe it was. All time is lost when you’re in the back seat of your own mind. Finally, the soul-sucking demon released its grip on me. I woke up gasping for air, my heart racing and my mind still filled with the images of the terrifying, ruthless events it made me relive.
I knew that it would be back again, lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to fall asleep so it could once again drag me into the dream world it created, all for the sole purpose of draining my will to live. It will continue to torture me with my deepest fears. And I knew that I would never be able to escape it, for it was a part of me and would always be there. A constant reminder of the terror that lurks in the darkness of my mind.
May luck be on my side tonight. May I sleep peacefully.. just this once.