9:00 p.m. I clocked off thankful for the short shift. My coat was nice and fluffy, on the floor beneath the now shadowy desk, sat my work bag full of snacks and the little knick knacks I liked to carry with me. While reaching down a soft laugh rung through the room. Immediately my skin crawled, every sense in my body went on high alert. ‘Nobody's supposed to be here I’m sure of it. Mrs. Knudsen left ten minutes ago’ one timid step forward after another revealed the whole office empty not to say there wasn’t any hiding spot. Fear tore through me, quickly I ran picked up my bag and left as fast as possible.

I made it home safely, and maybe it was paranoia, still I drove around for half an hour reluctant to immediately return to my apartment complex ‘what if someone followed me from work’ is all that ran through my mind. I was stressed due to nightmares that left me with a lack of sleep and this recent incident drove my nightmares to the edge.

“Cassiapeia, Cassi,” voices whispered through a dark fog.

“Wh-who are you!” She yelled through the dark space.

“ Caaassi” they hissed calling to her.

“ Where are you?!” I strained yelling as loud as I could. Drip….drip. My steps echoed through the watery floor surface as I searched for the voices source.

“You need to find him Cassi, you have to” they spoke in a horrible ghostly unison.

“WHO?!” I shrieked.

Suddenly, hundreds of mangled and gored people materialized from the fog. I didn’t know any of them, but somehow I felt as if I did. ‘Were they ghosts?’.

“ Who did this to you?” The question barely, came out through my strained vocal chords.

“ You already know” was the last thing they whispered before I looked down and realized the liquid floor I’d been standing on was actually a deep black sea of blood. Upon realizing this I fell directly into the thick liquid, sinking farther and farther.Hot puffs of air tickles my forehead, ‘someone is standing over me!’ I thought as I sank into the pure black depths of the sea of blood. Bugs crawled out of my skin swarming over my whole body until there wasn’t any part of me left.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Suddenly I shot up, breathing heavily. ‘ I swear I can still feel the breath on my face’ I thought, rubbing the warm spot on my forehead. My skin was wet with sweat, my hair matted and stuck to every part of my drenched body that it could possibly reach. ‘ I need to shower’, my limbs were heavy as if they hadn’t moved in a millenia.Every light turned on as I made my way around the small apartment. Creeeaak, the closet door moved just a few inches. ‘The heck?!’

“Okay is someone in here? Because if you are I will freaking murder you! Seriously I will go savage, so don’t even think of moving” swiftly,I grabbed a small ornament I hung on the wall, it wasn’t particularly dangerous but it would do. Furiously I swung the hall closet door open, ready to attack whatever creep might be hiding in there, however all I found was my normal dark closet with a few jackets hanging up and linens on the shelf above. ‘Great, just great. I am now going nuts, well that’s not that much different from my usual self, but still!’. Safely, I was able to pass through the hallway and into the cramped bathroom, where clothes were flung off and the shower started all the while chills crept up my arms as I felt a gaze upon me,but who or what? Or was I really just crazy?

After my shower I called Jaycee just to hear a familiar voice, this made me relax.

“ I still don’t know why you called me at 3:00 in the freaking morning, but whatever anytime’s a good time at least this gives me the opening to ask my question” Jaycee groggily spoke.

“What?” I was always a curious person by nature, I would probably be the first to die in a horror movie because I’d be like ‘ let’s investigate!’ and skip to my gruesome death.

“ Okay so I know you usually say no,but I’m going out tomorrow night and I could really use the companionship” Jaycee pleaded from the other side of the phone.

She was right any other time I would have said no, but I was sufficiently creeped out so maybe this would help me relax a bit; plus Jaycee was always there for me the least I could do was join her for a few drinks at an obnoxiously loud new club.

“Okay I’ll go” I said with a little sigh.

“Oh my God are you for real?!” Excited squeals and clapping could be heard.

“ No I’m fictional, but yes I will take my fake self with you to wherever you’re going” I was pretty much made out of sarcasm and a tiny pinch of insanity.

“Ugh finally. FINALLY”it almost sounded like her voice got lower it was a little scary to be honest.

“ Jeez you gonna be alright over there?” I asked concerned.

Yesss, it’s just you barely ever come out with me and even when you do you dress like an old woman, seriously are all those cardigans necessary? I swear I even saw you where a floral print pattern long sleeve dress once, who owns that?!” Her voice rose at the very thought of such a hideous dress.

“ Okay okay point taken, come over at like six and you can help me get ready if you’re so torn up about it” I was slightly offended.

“Good I’ll be there, but for now I needs my beauty sleep” she yawned.

“ Alright I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, good night”

“Night” she replied.

‘Now what am I supposed to do for the rest of the night?’ I turned on a cartoon to help settle down and before I realized it I was asleep once again.