It was 1am.
I had stirred relentlessly in my bed, battling my thoughts.
This happens every night. Insomnia yes, I do have that. But there’s something else far more sinister than I could ever imagine. My sister, she comes on in every night, but she sleeps like a demon.
“Gracc, gracc, gracc”, I hear those noises below me again and again as she and I stirred in our beds. I slept above her on our bunk beds, and I could hear the sounds of her grinding her teeth, sounding like machinery, like a velociraptor.
Sometimes it wasn’t just the sound of her teeth grinding. Sometimes there’s voices, intangible yet haunting ones.
Voices that do not belong to her, or anyone in our home.
I always just kept to myself in bed till the day breaks, so I could get out of our house and go to school or now, work. But that night, I just couldn’t take it any longer. I decided to confront the demon. Seconds pass by, 1am stretched on to 2am, I was still kept awake by the groans, the creaks, the “graccs” beneath me.
Why do I have to do this to myself? I begged to the gods to let me sleep, but here I was. Still awake and alert to the sounds brought on by that monster. I sat upright and descended the ladder that connected our beds.
That’s it! I’ve got to teach her a lesson, I thought to myself.
However, as I peered into her bed, I was met with an alarming sight. I was startled and speechless. Lurking on my sister’s bedsheets was a winged creature. It had gnarly limbs and talons that scraped the bottom of my bed as she moved about. It’s hairless, had a pair of dark bat wings, and a wrinkly, weathered face that resembled nothing of my sister’s. Though it’s eyes were closed, it’s purplish lips were curled up into a tight smile that flashed sharp yellow teeth, as if it’s mocking me for my inability to rest as well as it did.
I was flabbergasted, choking back tears and a scream.
WHAT IS THAT THING?
Feeling light-headed and dizzy, I headed back to bed and lay there awake for the rest of the night. The next day at work, I could barely concentrate on my assignments. My bosses and colleagues saw how pale I looked, and told me to get some rest.
But there’s no way I’m going home. Not back to that THING.
That night as I got back from work and saw my sister at the desk doing her schoolwork, I couldn’t help myself and blurted out, “What were you doing last night?” She looked at me as if I had grown a second head. “Sleeping?” “NO! There’s NO WAY you were sleeping! What was that THING on your bed!” I broke down, hollering at her, as she stared at me alarmed.
“What’s going on?” Mom came in from the kitchen. There’s no point in explaining to her, she wouldn’t believe me. “I- er it’s just. Never mind, I’m going to bed.” I left her standing there, as she and my sister watched me as I sulked into my bedroom.
Sure enough, about half an hour later. My sister had joined me to go to sleep in our room. I heard her footsteps and the creaking sounds of her bed. This time, I’ll have to kill that thing. I read about it in books. That night, that wasn’t my sister. It was a gargoyle. Gargoyle were mythical winged creatures that were known to occasionally visit our world and wreck havoc on mankind. It can only be killed by stabbing a knife through its heart.
I was prepared that night. It will be the end game to my sleepless nights. An hour passed by. The grating sounds started again. “Gracc, gracc, gracc.” This is it! I seized my chance and brought out a knife that I had been hiding under my pillow. As I stood over that creature, I could hear my heart thumping loudly, banging against me chest. Tonight it slept closer to the edge of the bed, and the sight of its grotesque features was clearer than ever.
The leathery skin, cracked purple lips, flaring hairy nostrils as it let out hot breaths of air. I did not hesitate. I plunged down the kitchen knife deep into its chest as it let out a blood curdling scream. The noise it emitted sent chills down my spine. It sounded like the scream of an adolescent. High-pitched and unnerving. I backed away as I see it writhe and struggle as it choked on its own blood. I felt numb and heavy. I slumped down and kneeled there by the bedside, watching it. Sirens were heard. The next thing I knew, I was whisked off by some people. Their faces were blurry. My head hurts. I can’t recall exactly what had happened and when did I pass out.
I found myself awake in a white room. I tried to move but I can’t. I just can’t. I tried to speak but no words came out. I found myself gagged, wearing a headgear of some sorts. Arms and limbs bound tightly together on a chair.
News headlines playing:
A 14 year old girl has been brutally murdered by her sister who had stabbed a knife through her heart. The assailant was found kneeling on the floor to the horror of their parents and displayed no signs of remorse for her actions. She has since been kept away at Townhill Psychiatry Wards for further inspection. Sources say the detained had displayed signs of spiralling insanity, combined with sleep deprivation and hallucinations from her undiagnosed insomnia and schizophrenia, it had all contributed to her paranoia and subsequent fatal attack on her sister that night.