The Sleepover

Note: This story contains mentions of mental health disorders (such as DID and insomnia) , death, gore, and a very mild fight scene

Amira awoke with a jolt, darkness swarming her eyes. For a second, she forgot where she was. But, she eventually recognized the feeling of her cold sleeping bag against her legs and the sound of someone snoring not far to her left.

She slowly pushed herself up, looking around the room. She couldn’t see much, just the shadows pressing against her eyes. Sadie must’ve turned out the lamp earlier, probably to help with her insomnia. Amira pulled the sleeping back off her legs, placing her feet on the carpet. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and her eyes wide in an effort to see her surroundings. Carefully, she got up and began walking across the room, trying not to step on anyone. If she remembered correctly, the door out of Sadie’s basement was behind her sleeping bag, a bit to the left.

Amira felt around the room until she touched the wall. Her fingers traced the bumps, looking for a door knob. Her other hand rubbed her shoulders. It was cold in the room. Her hair swept her shoulder, like a breeze blowing. Amira ignored it, thinking of the window on the wall.

Suddenly, her hand brushed a cold circle. Amira smiled, feeling the lock. She turned the doorknob and lamplight bathed her surroundings. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but she instantly saw someone in front of her. The lamp covered their features, but she knew who they were.

“Oh, hey-” Amira began, but stopped as the knife plunged into her chest.

;

Windy woke up early in the morning. She knew it was early because she checked her phone. Usually, Sadie doesn’t allow phones at sleepovers, but she allowed them this time. She had this kinda…scared look, a waver in her voice.

Whatever, Windy thought, looking at the time. 1 o’clock. Windy set her phone down, looking around. There wasn’t much light, but she had always been able to adjust her eyes quickly to darkness. She could see the outline of the five other girls in the room. Or was it four?

Windy felt her eyebrow rise on her forehead. Someone was missing. She looked at the heap of blankets and sleeping bags on the floor. Unicorn blanket: Jill, but it was her sisters. Gloria brought a green camping-style sleeping bag, complete with enough protection against the cold to melt a snowman. Sadie had a turtle blanket (with a matching pillow). Lastly, Amira. She had a black sleeping bag. But, it looked empty.

Windy crawled over. She felt around, poking the cushion a few times. Nothing. Windy sat back, looking around. Where did she go?

Suddenly, she sees the door to the basement. A light peeked through the cracks. A shadow seemed to loom over the door frame on the other side. Was someone there? Windy slowly started getting up, walking over to the door. She dodged the limbs of friends. The floorboards creaked as her feet bounced across the carpet.

She walked up the two steps and stood on the tiny landing. Windy touched the doorknob, feeling it cold in her hands. Something was wet on it, but she couldn’t see. It was too dark.

Slowly she turned it. It took a minute; her hand kept slipping. But, eventually it turned, and the door flung open.

First, Windy looked at her hand. It was red, slick. Sticky. Windy’s breath caught in her throat. Blood.

The lamp on the table to her left was bright, but a warm yellow. It made the blood on her hand look brown. Windy wiped her hand on her waist, leaving a smear of red on her white shirt.

“Amira? Where are you?”

She stepped fully into the hallway. The light fully illuminated her shirt, making it look yellow.

“Amira-”

Windy stopped. She saw Amira, laying on the floor, in the darkness, at the end of the hallway. A puddle of blood was around her, leading across the floor. And, standing with their back toward her, someone said, “Hey, Windmill. You next?”

;

Gloria awoke to a scream. She was always a sensitive sleeper, and she always woke up quickly. Gloria also had remarkable ears.

“Windy? Are you okay?”

Gloria got up, sliding off her thick sleeping bag and skipping over to the basement door. The screaming had stopped, but Gloria knew something was up. She touched the door, using her sweater sleeve to open it. She felt her sleeve get wet, but couldn’t see what it was.

She stepped back for a second. Windy probably just saw a spider, she thought. Gloria turned back to the other girls, only seeing the outline of Jill and Sadie. Okay, maybe Amira went to go help with the spider. But wouldn’t I have heard her?

Gloria breathed out, walking back to the sea of blankets. She knelt over Jill’s blanket, taking it off of her. Gloria shook her shoulders and whispered, “Jill. Hey, Jill!”

Jill slowly woke up, her eyes bleary in the dark. “What,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

“Did you see Windy and Amira leave?”

“No, I’ve been sleeping. Why’d you wake me up?”

“I heard screaming, Jill.”

Jill thought for a second, before looking back at Gloria. “Let’s be honest, Glor. Windy probably saw a spider and got scared. She screamed, Amira went to go help her, and they’ll be back soon. Just go back to bed.”

Jill laid back down, pulling the unicorns back over her body. Within a few minutes, she was back asleep. A low hum of a snore moved through the room.

Gloria thought it over. I mean, it’s possible. But I know I heard Windy scream, and I woke up pretty quickly. How would Amira get up so fast?

Gloria moved back to the door, looking at her sleeve in the dark. “Amira is tiny, and quick. They’re probably just talking.”

She turned the doorknob, again feeling the wet sensation on her hand. It opened, just in time for her to take in the scene:

Blood. Bodies. A person she knows. Knife.

;

Jill doesn’t like being woken up from her sleep. Especially over something as trivial as a spider. Personally, she thought, if there was a spider, I’d just walk away.

But, she knew that Windy wouldn’t. She’d go on screaming her lungs away over an ant, and Amira would need to swoop in like a superhero. Gloria would go on worrying and Sadie would try and comfort Windy, because that’s what she was; a comforter.

Despite herself, Jill found her sister’s blanket very comfy. It was soft, and it was great for sleeping. So, when Jill got up after she heard Gloria leave, she kept it slung over her shoulders.

“Glor? Where’d you go?”

Sadie kept on sleeping. What could she be dreaming about? How was she even sleeping, if she had such bad ‘insomnia’. From what Jill knew, Sadie was an even lighter sleeper than Gloria, so how has she slept through screams and annoying, early morning chatter?

Jill walked toward the basement door, noticing that it wasn’t closed all the way. A little light peeked through the crack, just enough for her to see the lamp. She could hear rustling, the sound of a blanket or something moving. “Sadie, go back to bed,” Jill said, hoping it was Sadie stirring.

Cautiously, with a rising feeling of dread, Jill pushed open the door. The hallway was empty. The tile was clean, shiny, bright. Jill laughed, pulling her blanket closer on her shoulders.

“This isn't funny, guys,” she called, walking slowly forward. Jill felt her hands shaking the more steps she took, afraid of what awaited at the end of the hall.

She walked to the end and touched the wall, curving her arm around, searching for a light switch. “Guys?”

Click.

Scream.

;

Sadie finally woke up. The sun wasn’t rising, it was too early. But, she could see the tendrils of sunlight escaping from the horizon, just outside of the window.

With those small dots of light, she managed to notice that she was alone.

The unicorns were gone. The industrial-strength bag was crumpled. Windy’s purple blanket was discarded. And, the black sleeping bag was lonely. Where were they?

Sadie got up, noting that they were going to get it for waking her up. Surely they knew how hard it was for her to sleep? She had only told them, what, a million times?

Sadie moved quietly toward the basement door, the path familiar under her feet. This was her house after all, but something seemed…unfamiliar. The world seemed warped, ever so slightly. Sadie shook it off as she opened the door.

The lamp was on in the hallway. Sadie thought it was strange, since she swore she had seen her mom turn it out. The big light at the end of the hall was also on, which she had actually turned off herself. Why were they on?

Sadie marched down the hall, ignoring the worry pressing the back of her head. Surely, they were all going to jump out from behind the wall, purely to scare her. Nothing was wrong, nothing was wrong, nothing-

But that notion left her brain as soon as she stepped into the illuminated room. To her left was the dining room; her right, the living room. Something seemed to pull her into the living room.

“Sadieee…Sadieeeeeee…”

Sadie reached for the light switch, clicking it on.

On her moms couch were all of her friends. Amira sat with her legs crossed. Windy had her head on Amira’s shoulder. Gloria had her head on Jill’s lap. Jill’s head was laying back.

Each had a knife sticking out of their chest.

“Care to join the party, Sadie?”

Sadie felt her blood run cold, turning around slowly.

There, twirling a knife, was herself.

“I-why are you here?” Sadie crossed her arms, trying to look fierce.

“Simple, Sadie. You just aren’t cutting it, babe. Too sweet, too restless. I bet your friends appreciate someone more strong-willed,” Other Sadie declared, looking at her reflection in the knife.

“But-but they’re dead,” Sadie said, her voice cracking.

“Even better,” Other Sadie explained, “A whole new you. Or, should I say, me.”

Her smile widened, sickeningly showing a row of sharp teeth.

“You aren’t going to get the best of me,” Sadie said. She stepped forward, grabbing a candlestick from the table.

“You can’t run from your demons, Sadie. You have to eventually fall into them,” Other Sadie cackled.

“Or, you can face them,” Sadie fired back, holding back the candlestick.

“Finally, a real fight.”

Sadie ran at Other Sadie. The candlestick struck her shoulder, the knife pierced skin. Both of them fell to the ground, wrestling around.

Finally, Sadie sat back. Sadie was on the floor, gasping for air. A clean stab entered at the heart. Sadie wiped her hand across her face, dripping the knife on the ground.

“Take that.”

Other Sadie laughed, softly, as blood flowed. “I knew you could do it.”

Suddenly, the world warbled, and the lamp in the hall flickered. Sadie gasped, looking around. “I-I don’t understand.”

“You will,” Other Sadie replied, the last bit of life leaving her eyes.

;

Sadie jolted awake to the feeling of water splashing on her face.

“Damn, you were right, Windmill. When she’s out, she’s OUT.”

Windy laughed, hugging her purple blanket around her body.

Suddenly, a face popped up in front of Sadie’s face.

“Wake up, sleepyhead! It’s 10 in the morning!”

Gloria socked Sadie in the shoulder, and Amira pulled the blanket up.

“Get up,” Jill yelled, holding up another cup of water. “I will!”

Sadie laughed, sitting up. “Fine!”

“You slept IN, ma’am,” Windy complained.

“Yeah, what happened to your stinkin’, what’s it called, insomnia,” Amira asked, putting the blanket over her head.

Sadie shrugged, laughing again. “But I’m not tired anymore. Y’all want some coffee?”

“Yes please!”