The Nightmare

Billy can’t sleep, for he knows what could happen to him during the dozing hours if he succumbs. He tries everything, like opening the large window, but that just lets the sound of the night and the hypnotic beat of the rain to lull him into a trance. He tries to read his comic by torch light but the batteries are soon empty, and the colorful pages tell of a plot that’s pants. He lies there listening to downstairs, where muffled voices sing. His Dad barley able to stand from drink; his mother giving him one more chance.

He glances at his clock, the superhero hands nearly reaching twelve. For awhile he watches the landing light play tricks with the shadows. Then the heavy beat of his Dad, mum behind as they climb the threadbare carpet to bed and oblivion. Bed springs creak and then a groan and a loud snoring soon ensures.

The darkness has a life of its own; thick swirls of dusts shadows dancing on the ceiling .

Laying there he remembers what his cousin said only weeks ago when he laughed at Billy’s fear of spiders. ‘They only come out at night, at the darkest part of the night. And that’s not all. Apparently you eat so many spiders with your mouth open while you sleep. Lying there he goes rigid as hes sure there’s a thin gossamer of fine web circulating downwards. But he can’t be sure, its the shadows that make the pupil of the eye dilate as it tries hard to focus. Twisting the covers he turns away to look in the other direction.

Squinting he makes out a gaudy clown smiling, his neck hanging at a grotesque angle. Spider man tussles with the Hulk amid a explosion of white brick Lego. Then he hears it, a low murmuring just out of reach.

A stack of book falls over causing him to jump, his eyes wide as dinner plates as he pulls the covers around his head.

He knows that tonight hes out there and his more hungry then before. Closing his eyes he recites a prayer a mantra to protect himself.

He pictures it slithering through the deserted alleyways and side streets always on the hunt for boys and girls just like him.

Cautiously he climbs out from the bed, pulling the curtains open to reveal the inky beyond. In the distance a train rumbles, a car door slams and a couple of cats fight over scraps. Pools of street light fights hard to illuminate the gloom of the night.

‘Go to sleep Billy!’ he hears his mum shout.

Not for the first time he wonders how his mum knows his still awake.

Shutting the window he senses him, he’s not far away he just needs to wait til Billy gives in and sleeps. He pictures him standing. a statue amonst the shadows, the early hours drizzle running down his hideous face. He knows no compassion, no remorse; all he knows is the hunt and that he must be fed. The nights are getting longer now they’ve moved to the early stages of winter and while the city sleeps he is fed.

Billy knows all this, don’t know how but he does. Because he has seen him when he has the nightmares of the man with the black hood.

Last time he saw him he wasn’t alone; his best friend Harry was with him and the pair had got trapped by the mini-mart and the tower heights estate where they both lived. He kept on shouting in his head ‘Don’t be scared,this is just a dream he can’t hurt me. '

‘Billy!! He’s got me in some kind of mental grip, i can’t escape, run!!’

For a moment his transfixed by his friends plight. Harry is stock still, a mauve halo of light surrounding him. Torn he is just about to run when he wakes up in bed, cold sweat running down his face in the early morning sunlight playing across his face.

Thank god that was just a dream he thinks getting dressed and bolting round to see Harry to tell him about the dream.

Arriving his stopped by the huge figure of Harry’s Dad.

‘Whoa there cowboy not so fast. Harry’s gone missing, he’s gone.

For the first time Billy sees a grown man cry.

‘Sorry Mr Martin, i haven’’t since yesterday at school,’ is all he can utter before saying . ‘What do you mean he’s gone?’

‘He left left this message behind.’, he said, passing over with trembling hands.

Taking the piece of paper he reads, ‘Can’t live this life anymore, love you all and extra love to Pam Stock for believing my dream.

With shaking hands he holds the message and doesn’t understand what the hell is going on. For once he has totally lost the plot.

Then he’s lying back in bed listening to the heavy beat of his heart. Looking at the clock - ten past one. He must have drifted off momentarily.

Then the house shakes as someone thuds the front doors four times. Loud confident knocks that sends chills up Billy’s spine.

The noise of the house is absolute quiet Surely that would have woken his parents that knocking? He climbs out of bed as slowly as possible and in his Batman pajamas creeps around and puts a eyeball to the crack in the door.

Jumping, he starts to cross the landing when he four loud knocks reverberate again.

Reaching his Mum and Dads room he runs into the room and launches himself onto the bed to their safety. But instead of his parents two molted skeletons lie under a blanket of glossy fine web.

‘Oh Billy boy, come out and lets play.,’’ the voice says from the bottom of the stairs. The voice is almost childlike and sweet as syrup. He’s in the house at the bottom of the stairs looking up..

‘BILLY GIVE YOURSELF UP AND LET ME EAT YOUR SOUL IN FEAR,’ the voice booms up to Billy.

‘What have you done to my Mum and Dad?’ Billy asks.

‘They are merely sleeping.;’ the voice replies.

Billy lets out a sigh of relief. Then he hears the slow steady thud as the hooded figure climbs the stairs. Trembling Billy inches his way across the landing and puts his head over the banister to look down. What he sees makes him gasp before falling backward.

An apparition of horror is creeping almost in slow motion upwards.

‘Your fear is my ecstasy,’ it cries, the voice screeching in delight. ‘Your dread is my foretelling to come,’.

With all his strength Billy drags himself on his knees to the top of the stairs as he faces a face from hell itself, and just for a moment he has to laugh because the thing has brought a trail of muddy footprints in his wake. Mum won’t be too pleased when she sees, then he remembers his family are all dead. His blood runs cold as he realizes that he cannot move, he is frozen as the creature makes its way forward, its blood sucking …………….

With a jolt he wakes up, warm sunshine invading the room. In the distance he can hear the early morning song of birds and the steady noise of the city coming to life. Thank god he’s alright he thinks as tries hard to cling to the dying fragments of his nightmare. It was only a bad dream wasn’t it he asks himself.

Then the door flies open and mum is there, ‘Come on sleepy head, rise and shine. Don’’t want to sleep too much or your won’t sleep tonight.’’ she said as pulling the covers off the bed.

‘I had a bad dream, a nightmare,’ is all he can say..

‘Don’t worry your awake now,’’ she says ruffling his hair before telling him, ‘And once you get dressed you can go and clean them stairs, going out late at night bringing mud footprints into the house, whatever next,’.

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