[Ireland]

Darkness filled my vision, but my eyes weren't closed. My ceiling was what, instead, obscured my sight and wrapped me in the black peace of night. Only it wasn't peaceful. I was warm, I was comfortable, but I just found myself unable to drift to sleep. Because that face returned to my mind every time I tried. Beady red eyes that cut through the dark as my limbs locked in place, that mouth that sliced its head in half and revealed the disgusting needle teeth that filled its skull. And all in the form of a small cub, a wolf cub, a small, frail body.

I felt a chill run down my spine. God, I hope that thing doesn't come back. I could almost  still feel its needle-sharp teeth digging into my neck as it clamped its cold jaws around my skull.

I tried again to force myself asleep. Failure. I glanced at the alarm clock next to my bed. Twelve o' one. Had it really been that long?

Guess today has been a bit... hectic, I sighed.

I decided to get up and walk around, just to possibly relax my brain a little. Maybe it'd do something, but maybe it wouldn't. I had no clue.

...I couldn't move.

Every inch of my limbs were frozen, as if ice encased my body and forced me to remain in the bed. At first I was just confused, thinking maybe I was more asleep than I thought, but quickly panic began to settle in. Were my eyes open? Were they closed? Was I even awake? My expression remained unchanging even as I silently struggled and willed my body to move.

No luck.

A chill settled into the room, a frigid breeze shifting the air. Did I leave my window open? I don't think I did.

I couldn't open my eyes, but I felt like I could... see. I could see my room through my eyelids somehow. Or I could imagine it there perfectly - shelf in the corner, lamp on the nightstand, just out of sight next to me, random few pictures hanging on the walls, curtains over the window. Everything was as it should be, even in the dark, when I could barely see.

A shadowy figure began to creep across my vision. A mere fleck of darkness that burst like a flame and danced around until it landed on my paralyzed body. Black turned to fluffy grey, and bright blood red eyes shot through the dark and pierced me.

"Have you missed me?" It said, its small grey head tilting to the side innocently. Its voice was much deeper than it should be for such a small body, and had a growling tone to it like tires rolling across loose gravel.

I wanted to yell at it to get away from me, but I couldn't utter a sound. Its cold paws seemed to cut through my blanket, slicing deep into my skin as it stood over me. I was helpless. I was helpless and I hated it.

Get the hell away from me, I thought, as if talking to it telepathically would work.

It seemed to laugh coldly at that. Maybe it worked. Could it hear my thoughts? That wouldn't be a pleasant thing.

"Soft, young one." It flicked its tail. "You never know who hath be listening in."

Why is this thing talking in Shakespearean?

"Shake-spear? What is that, a torture device?"

...uh...

"Never mind that," It said, its beady eyes unblinking as it stared. "Surely thou hath not dreamt that I had left thou?"

Thou could only desire you hath. I mustered the best mocking tone that I could using only my thoughts.

It chuckled. "Aye, a jest, you are. But a mockery of me is not at thy greatest discretion, friend."

What do you want?

"My drift is only to be here in the moment," it said. "I have no motivational intent to harm. However, it brings me great joy, so I'll inflict what I wish upon thou."

Its claws dug into my abdomen. Had I not been frozen in ice, I would've grimaced in pain.

Leave me the hell alone.

"To hell I shan't leave on." It flicked an ear. "On my own accord, I shall depart, but not in the present. In the future... perhaps."

Its ears pinned as it placed an icy paw on my throat. Suddenly my breath was cut short. And it just... stared at me. Stared at me, no smile, no mouth at all, just those bright red dots that shot through the dark and stuck like needles into my brain.

Get off me!

I could sense a smile on its toothless, lipless face. It truly enjoyed this.

GET OFF!

"Scared, art thou?" Its tail wagged slightly. "Try to scream, cry, beseech for aid... but none shall return to thee. Because you are alone."

Its claws began to dig, dig, dig into soft flesh. I internally cried out, unable to look away from those malicious eyes. It felt like it was trying to rip me apart from the inside, merely by digging its claws into my neck.

I could do nothing.

Its face began to split horizontally. Dead grey skin underneath lighter grey fur stretched over needle teeth that covered every inch of its gums. It had a tongue, but it was also sharp and looked like sandpaper. I could almost feel the tiny needles covering it embedded in my skin.

They were. Its mouth closed over me, some torturous, acupuncture-like maw that stabbed me, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, until there was nothing left but shreds of my face.

-

I screamed as I sat up.

It was dark still. My hands found my face, thankfully still intact. I was cold, but not ice-cold. There was no breeze, no shadows.

I turned on my lamp. Warm light washed the walls with a pale orange-yellow, like peaceful fire that filled the room without smoke or scorching heat. The light gave me a sense of calming. Peace.

I exhaled. My hands shook. I sat there for a second, unable to process what just happened. But I just shook my head.

Okay. I don't think that was a dream. I need to tell someone about this, right? Yeah. Yeah. Probably a good idea.

But who?

I stood up. It was then that I noticed the blood red glow that cut the dark like daggers. At first I mistook it for that thing again, and I stumbled back in fear. But these eyes were different, more like slits in a dark sheet.

Before I could process what I was seeing, it was gone. Just like that. Had it turned? Was my mind playing tricks on me? What was that?

...maybe I should stay in bed for now.

Keeping the light on, I sat back on my bed. It was three forty-seven in the morning. I was tired, but dreaded going back to sleep.

I'll just stay the hell awake then, screw this.

-

I succeeded in not sleeping.

Being a teenager, I was used to a lack of true rest, so I just downed a Coke from the fridge for a caffeine boost before going out. I decided it best to leave the house for a bit so I wouldn't be caught alone in a small space with that thing. Something told me I wasn't gonna get much sleep from here on out.

Still I contemplated telling someone about this thing that haunted my nightmares. It'd probably be better than keeping it to myself, right? I mean, they're my friends, I'm sure someone can help me, right?

Who should I tell? Hm. Addie's into paranormal stuff. Maybe I should ask her.

I walked around the village until I found Addie. She was standing near the remains of what used to be Grace's house, a distant gleam in her storm-blue eyes. The wind just barely brushed her light brown hair.

I cleared my throat. "Hey, Addie?"

"Yeah, Ireland?" Her tone dragged slightly despite the smile she painted on her face as she turned to face me. Were her teeth sharper than usual? Huh. Weird.

"I, uh... wanted to ask you something," I said.

Addie smiled at me. "Sure. Hit me."

"If there was... theoretically... a demon haunting me in my sleep and causing me to have weird half-awake dreams while frozen in place as it eats me alive, what would I do about it and what would it be?"

Addie blinked. "That's an oddly specific question, but I'll answer it as a theoretical one... that, I believe, would be a sleep paralysis demon. I'm... not sure how you'd get rid of one, per se, but I know they're creations of the brain usually caused by mixed factors of stress and anxiety." She shrugged. "Or something like that. I watched a video about it once, but that's all I know."

"Oh... cool." That was a lot more helpful than I'd honestly expected. "...thanks."

"No problem!" She smiled brightly. "Glad to help!"

How does she act like that all the damn time? I thought to myself, walking away.

Addie stared after me for a moment before turning back to Grace's house.

Something in her eyes caught me for a moment, but when I turned to look at her she was facing the opposite direction, face hidden entirely to me.

-

1566 words

I was feeling a bit down so I wrote some of this, sorry for keeping it on hold for so long :(