Snippet #1218144

Riley’s eyes moved every few seconds under closed lids, her steady breathing the only sound, as she dreamed of things average people would consider mundane. When Riley slept she didn’t see the extraordinary, she never flew, or found herself in some distant land. What she experienced were scenes from normal life, she saw brightly lit city streets at dusk, felt her hands on the steering wheel of some cheap car she’d diligently saved up for, or watched the summer wind gently lift the pages of a worn book. She loved these images so much, that waking up was the worst part of her day.

A smile played over Riley’s chapped lips as she dreamt of singing with her brother Liam in some locally owned café, her voice rising in time with his, the smell of coffee surrounding them. The melody was cut off abruptly by the harsh screaming of a neighboring patient. Riley woke with a start, she had been sleeping precariously close to the bed’s edge, and the sudden jerk was enough to throw off her balance. She landed painfully on the white tile, luckily on her back rather than face first, but it was still enough to make her wince.

It sounded like everyone on her floor was having the same nightmare, a chorus of terrified screams rang out from every direction. Riley sat up slowly, rubbing her shoulder, and froze. Her room was completely covered in shadow, the ceiling crawled with dark creatures of all size and shape, the walls were full of red eyes, many staring intently at her. A Skol with spikes running down its back leaped off of the dresser and landed in Riley’s lap, a scream caught in her throat as it moved so close their faces were inches apart, its breath smelled of dried blood and rot. Time seemed to slow as the creature opened its mouth and howled shrilly, a string of saliva hanging from its pointed teeth.

A feeling of both revulsion and horror came over Riley as more and more Skol began to touch her, in a matter of moments she was submerged in living shadow. It felt as if she were drowning in a pool of ice water, and her previously silent scream escaped, despite her best effort to avoid giving into fear. For every Skol she managed to throw off, three more weighed her down, until she could do nothing but sit and cover her head with her hands. Even her own screaming was muffled by the hideous howl all the Skol had taken up. Claws scraped and teeth grazed, but for some reason none sunk in. Why was this happening?

A pair of familiar yellow eyes broke through the sea of black, and an amused voice ripped into Riley’s terrified mind. “Do you remember when I convinced you to throw yourself out a window?” It paused, reveling in the fearful sobs Riley hadn’t been able to hold back any longer. It felt like every inch of exposed skin had been scratched, warm blood dripped down her arms and legs.

“You really should have tried harder.”