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Sleep Paralysis

Horror Story

By S.N. EvansPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
3
Sleep Paralysis
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

The dim light of the night washes the room gray; deep shadows twist and pool in the corners of the room—silhouettes of toys and furniture cast ghoulish shadows upon the papered walls. Your wide eyes rove the room, seeking whatever woke you. The house is silent, except for the fevered thump of your heart. Nothing appears out of place; the closet is closed, and your bedroom door stands slightly ajar allowing in the comforting glow of yellow light.

Suddenly, you hear a grinding noise, then a thump. Whimpering, you pull the blanket over your head and stuff your hands over your ears, and you reassure yourself it is only the sound of the ice machine downstairs. Then, heaving a sigh of relief, you attempt to calm down. You are safe, “there is nothing in the dark that isn’t there in the light.” You hear your mother’s words inside your head. You attempt to go back to sleep.

Sleep evades you as you snuggle your pillow tight. Swimming in and out of dozing, you find yourself jolted awake again every time you make it to sleep. Some unseen force will not let you rest. Rolling onto your back, you scold yourself for remaining awake. Your eyes are closed, and your body feels heavy. Tingling creeps up your fingers and legs until you feel your body humming.

A sound as loud as a gunshot or a car backfiring snaps your eyes open. You see the closet door slam open; the shadows deepen, and hundreds of bulbous yellow eyes glare at you from all angles. They look through you as if examining your very soul. You struggle against your immobile body, but you still cannot move. You feel hands, claws grasping at your feet from beneath the bed. A tall shade glides toward you from your open closet. Something is familiar about him, but you know you have never seen him before.

Your thundering heart becomes all you can hear as the shadowy figure approaches, gliding on tendrils of darkness that served as its legs. It lifts its unnaturally large fingers, flexing them before it plunges them into your chest. Only the odd vibrating remains as if it rattles your skull. Your heart has stopped beating. You cannot breathe. This thing is killing you; there is nothing you can do.

As you die, you see flames, a foot tall, surround your bed. The shadow creature stands holding your heart in its hand. You feel hot, your vibrating body melting within the heat. You can hear the sizzle, as if you are meat on a grill, your fat dripping into the flames. You’re burning in hell. You don’t want to be here. You’re a good person, or at least you thought you were. You never lie, you never cheat, and you’ve never hurt anyone intentionally. Finally, the bed falls away, and the shadowed figure laughs a booming mirthless laugh. You’re falling. You’re falling, down, down into the pit. You scream.

As abruptly as this started, it stopped. You fell back into your bed, back into your body. Blinking a few times, you are confused; you are alive? That wasn’t real? Was it only a dream? Daylight floods into your room five minutes before your alarm clock will chime. Sighing, you lay there, processing it all. You hear your mother call your name from downstairs. Everything is as it should be. You get up and prepare yourself for the morning. Instinctively, you avoid the closet. It is closed again, just in case that shade still dwells there.

psychological
3

About the Creator

S.N. Evans

Christian, Writer of Fiction and Fantasy; human. I have been turning Caffeine into Words since 2007. If you enjoy my work, please consider liking, following, reposting on Social Media, or tipping. <3

God Bless!

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

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Comments (1)

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  • Anna 13 days ago

    Love it!😍

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