It was nighttime and I was asleep, but a tiny wave of consciousness made me aware of the discomfort in my right leg. I tried to turn on my side, but I realized that I would roll off the bed. I was too late to catch myself, and gravity pulled my body to the floor; however, the falling sensation jolted me awake and I found myself directly in the middle of the bed. I had only dreamt that I fell.
I tried taking a deep breath, but I discovered that there was a disconnection between my brain and my body because my lungs were burning from the strain of not inhaling any air. Moments passed, but I still could not take a breath. I laid there fighting my nostrils to take in air, and just before my chest was about to burst, my lungs filled with oxygen. I panted in bed, reminding myself to breathe in and out, in and out, in and out. I opened my eyes to check the time on my phone, but my eyes wouldn’t open, nor would my head turn.
I was trapped inside my body, and it would not move, sending a wave of terror through my soul. “Okay, this is fine,” I coached myself. “You’re just not fully awake yet.” I waited for my body to catch up to my mind, and an eerie noise made me aware that I wasn’t alone in my room.
I could hear heavy breathing coming from the corner to my left. It was a sinister rhythm of uneven exhaling that made me shrink. My body finally granted me control, and the moment it did I made myself completely still. Slowly, very slowly, I opened my eyes. I looked straight at the ceiling. This was not a dream. I could look the ceiling up and down and I was fully conscious. “Don’t move,” I warned myself.
The exhaling softened, as if its source was aware that I was awake. Though it was dark, and though my gaze was concentrated at the ceiling, I could see in my far peripheral a dark shadow lurking, leering in my direction. A mere four feet from my bed, the shrouded figure towered in the darkness. Its presence was utterly foul. I could sense danger, as one would at the sight of a cobra. I was frozen in fear, and the panic sped up my heartbeat, making my pulse nearly audible with booming throbs. I was worried the shrouded presence could feel my terror, so I tried coaching myself into calm thoughts.
Even though I wasn’t religious, I prayed to God. The shadow remained. I could still feel its presence and I could sense its thoughts. It was daring me to look at it directly, but I absolutely would not. The exhaling stopped. There was absolutely no sound.
I waited yet another few moments, and still no sound.
I waited for an eternity more. Enough time had passed without hearing the breathing, and I felt safe. I thought to myself how foolish it was to let my mind play tricks on me, especially in the dark. Out of an abundance of caution, I waited yet another minute before I glanced at the corner, and sure enough there only stood a pile of neglected laundry. My heart lifted and I was filled with the joy of safety, and an involuntary giggle slipped from my mouth.
The giggle triggered the evil to stir, and the relief I felt quickly turned to terror as the exhaling resumed. My face was pointed to my left in the direction of the laundry, but the exhaling sound was now coming from the foot of the bed, and in my peripheral vision stood the shadow. This time the danger and panic that the figure exuded were accompanied by a feral rage, as if my presence were offensive to the creature. I could feel its eyes on me, ready to tear me to shreds should I glance at it. I could feel its gaze move ever so slowly from my right cheek to my neck, to my collarbone, then to my heart, where it's stare intensified. Tears fell from my eyes as I looked at that pile of laundry, too frightened to look at anything else. I wanted so badly to pull my feet away from the shadow. I could sense its mere inches from my toes and shuddered at the thought that he could touch me at any moment.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to close my eyes. All I could do was remain completely still and listen to the raspy breathing of the demon at my feet. Inside my head I begged for angels, calling out to them for protection, which seemed to cause the shadow to take a step back. I prayed harder and closed my eyes shut. The sting of my dried eyes begged for my hands to rub them, but I laid utterly motionless. I kept my prayers going and for a moment the shadow had faded.
My head was blank, my body was numb, and I refused to move an inch. My head remained pointed left, which meant that I could now hear the breathing behind me on my right, and I could feel the bed mattress sink as the presence leaned on the edge of my bed, merely centimeters from my right shoulder. My heart was beating faster. I could feel the throbs of my pulse in my teeth and behind my eyes. The breathing intensified from behind me, and I knew the creature was going to make its move at any moment. I could feel the chill of its breath reach my neck, like an icy draft freezing my collarbone in waves.
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?” I screamed and bolted from the bed to the other side of the room. There was no one there. I scanned the room, but no presence was there. The sensation of danger had dissipated. I rushed to the light switch and felt the rush of safety the light provided. I sat back down on the bed and leaned against the headboard. I didn’t sleep the rest of that night.
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