•E/C: Eye Color

A violent shiver runs through me as I look around my room in fear of what sort of creatures I might see hiding in the dark spaces. My small hands tightly grip my grey blanket, holding it up to my face to the point where all you can see is my wide, E/C eyes and the top of my head. Yesterday, that...thing I saw had frightened me half to death. I don't know what it is or what it wants, but now I'm too scared to go to sleep. The blanket covering me had been changed earlier, but something I didn't understand was how mom didn't see the thick, black liquid staining the blue and white sheets that had previously covered the bed.

It was like it was invisible to her. Thankfully, she changed them for me after my constant begging. Now though, I fear that beast might come out again to get me. The nightlight plugged into the wall beside my bed flickers, making me whine and hide under the covers. I grip my arms tightly and tremble while repeating,

'It can't get me. It can't get me. It can't get me,' over and over again in my mind. That's what dad told me to do whenever I feel scared like this. Usually, it helps, but when I see that the light in my room had completely shut off, that confidence I had in that saying dropped. I can hear the floorboards creak lightly as though someone were walking on them. The sound gets louder and louder as it approaches the bed, as does the sound of my frantic heart.

It's here.

I bite my bottom lip to stop it from quivering, but it didn't cease my shaking. I can't help but whimper when I feel a heavy weight climbing onto the bed. I feel caged when there's a dip in the mattress on both sides of my head and legs. It's hovering over me, trapping me between its arms and legs. I want to scream, throw off the blanket, and run as fast as I could out of the room, yet I can't. My body froze in place, unable to move. I'm paralyzed by fear.

'Breathe. Breathe!' I remind myself when I couldn't seem to inhale. I close my eyes and concentrate on breathing, but my breaths are slow and shaky. I don't want to faint again. I don't want to be asleep in the presence of this thing. Who knows what it'll do to me? Every now and then, the blanket would get heavier in certain spots when its black liquid drips onto my smaller form.

"Not real. Not real. Not real," I mutter repeatedly under my breath. I suck in a fearful gasp upon hearing a deep chuckle. The sound is nearly silent, but it's so close to me.

"What's not real, hmm? Me? Am I not real?" They ask, amused. According to that deep voice, I believe the creature might be male. That's not important right now, though. I cover my ears to block out the deep voice that rang in my ears as tears begin to leak from my sealed orbs.

"Mom says you're not real, so j-just g-go away!" What was meant to come out as a stern, demanding shout barely came out as a whisper. This causes the creature to laugh lightly.

"Is that so? Would you like me to show her the truth, that I am real?" With the way it spoke, I could imagine a smirk on it's grotesque features. My eyes open to reveal my wide frightened orbs at the very mention of it visiting my mother. I'm greeted by the sight of darkness beneath my blanket. Thankfully, it's still shielding me from the monster, but who knows how long that will last?

"N-no, p-please, don't," I beg softly with more tears clouding my vision. I don't want it hurting my parents. I don't want it even going near them. They laugh louder, finding my plea amusing. I gulp fearfully at the sound.

"Very well. Then, you'll have to be a good, little mouse and sleep for me. Otherwise, I might just pay her a quick visit. What room is she in? Is it the one close to yours?"

I don't answer him with a response, instead I'm dumbfounded by its request.

'Sleep? Sleep?! It wants me to sleep when I'm terrified like this?!'

'But, it might hurt mom and dad if I don't do what it says. What if it hurts me? Oh, what should I do?' I sniffle and whimper while trying to think of a solution. There must be something I can do.

'Pretend. I just have to pretend.' I shut my eyes tightly and try to settle my breathing. Hopefully, it'll think I've fallen asleep. I can't help but flinch when my blanket is ripped off of me, and I curl into a fetal position as if that would help me. My body vibrates, trembling violently in fear as I feel the creature's white eyes staring down at me. I hear the covers fall onto the floor beside my bed and feel its breath on my face. It doesn't appear to smell like anything, so I was a little thankful for that.

'Sleep. I need to sleep for mom, for dad.' Tears roll down my cheeks, my heart racing as I try to fall asleep. That's a little hard to do when something as terrifying as that thing is staring down at you. I gasp sharply, my body tensing, when a clawed hand is placed upon my cheek.

"Don't hurt me, please, don't hurt me," I whimper as tears slide down my cheek onto his wet hand.

"Shh. Sleep, child. Sleep," it whispers near my ear. Oddly enough, exhaustion washes over me, and my tears suddenly stop. My body weakens, my mind shutting down like a switch had been flicked.

Before I know it, I'm asleep.

I groan softly as I wake up, my E/C eyes fluttering open. Everything is blurred for a moment, but eventually clears. I look around and find that I'm no longer in my bedroom; instead I'm seated at a wooden table in a room with white walls and a white tiled floor. On the wall in front of me is a large window that looks into a dark room with theater-like chairs that face the white room. I'm alone in here, but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Suddenly, lights illuminate the dark room, and two, familiar figures take their seats in the front row. It's my parents. My brows scrunch together in confusion as they smile and wave to me from behind the glass.

"Mom, dad?" When I try to stand up from the wooden chair, I find myself stuck. I look down to find my wrists bound to the armrests and my ankles attached to the front, two legs of the chair by leather straps. My eyes widen as I struggle against the restraints. The happy smiles on my parents' faces twist into sadistic smirk as they watch my pitiful attempts at escape, and a familiar chuckle echoes throughout the room.

I pause and look around to find the source. In the corner of the room, I spot a speaker on the ceiling. That's where the sound is coming from. Water begins to spill into the room from the small vents on the top of all four walls at a steady pace. The liquid reaches my ankles by the time I realize it isn't going to stop anytime soon.

In a panic, I struggle harder against the restraints, screaming for my mother and father to help me, while they watch with a bowl of popcorn on their lap and wine glasses in hand. All they did was laugh. The sound bounces off the walls, becoming louder and louder until it was deafening. It was like they were watching their favorite show. I cry heavily as I scream for help over and over again. The water is now at my fingertips.

It won't be long before I drown. By some miracle, I get one of my hands out of the bindings and use it to undo the rest. Once I'm free, I trudge through the water to reach the window. Since there's no door and the vents are too small, it's my only hope of escape. The water is so cold. I think I might freeze to death before even getting the chance to drown. I clench both fists and pound the window persistently as the liquid reaches my chin.

"Let me out! Please, let me out!" I demand while crying hysterically. My parents continue to laugh, their grins matching that of the creature who had likely brought me here. No matter how many times I punched or threw myself at the window, I could barely make a crack. I'm only nine-years-old, after all. I'm not that strong. I never stopped, though, even as I took my final breath of fresh air before the water had fully risen. My body grew numb as I continued to punch the glass, my lungs burning from the lack of oxygen entering my lungs.

I'm so scared.

I want to go home.

I want to live.

My mind feels heavy, and my mouth opens. Water rushes in to fill the space, causing me to choke on the cold liquid. The last thing I see before the darkness is the blurred outline of my laughing parents. I gasp loudly and shoot up from my bed before coughing roughly. Saliva shoots out from my mouth as I hack up what I thought was going to be tons of water.

I stumble out of bed, tripping over my feet as I try to run out of the room. I could barely see. My vision is greatly blurred. I end up falling onto my stomach after a few, small steps and land with a loud thud. I breathe heavily and turn my head.

My eyes widen upon making out the outline of the creature beneath my bed. He greets me with a wide grin, causing me to scream loudly as I crawl away from the figure. The next thing I know, mom and dad rush into the room, still dressed in pajamas, to see what all the commotion is about. My gaze remains on the creature, though. I can't find it in me to look away from those white eyes.

It presses a thin finger to its curled lips and sends me a wink. The action makes my stomach twist. I only look away when dad shakes my shoulders to snap me out of it. I look up and am met with the concerned faces of my parents. I wrap my arms around my father's neck and burry my face against him as I cry heavily.

Thankfully, he carries me out of the room, away from that thing.