The Nightmare

I was surrounded by darkness in a drafty hallway. The only sound was the tapping of my feet against the wood floor, steady and pulsing like a heartbeat. Ahead, a ray of light spilled from a cracked door. There was a faint murmur coming from the other side. I continued forward, nothing else around me except this one door. I angled myself away from the opening and craned my neck to peer inside.

It was a normal bedroom. In the center was a small bed with a man in the center, facing away from me. There was a crackling fire in the corner providing flickering light. He was talking to someone but was blocking my view of their face. I stood in the doorway, entranced by the scene.

“It will be alright. I’ll protect you,” he cooed as he ran his thumb across the back of the person’s hand. His movements and voice seemed tender and comforting.

He had the woman’s delicate hand in both of his own and was staring down at it as he spoke. “You'll be perfect. Exactly what I need.” His kneading was methodical. I grew puzzled as he seemed to be pressing down hard on her hand. I quietly stepped a bit closer, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I frowned as I noticed he was leaving indents where his thumbs kneaded on her hand. As I looked closer, I noticed her ring finger was bent at an odd angle. 

I hardly noticed that I had moved inside the room, the scene sucking me in closer. The man still paid me no mind as he worked his hand over her wrist, still pressing down. I finally peered over his shoulder and had to stifle a scream as I stumbled back. Where her face should have been, was a blank smooth surface. Her skin was an ashy color, sunken and uncanny. Her brown hair came in threads from perforations in her scalp. He finally dropped her hand and it fell limply to the bed beside her. 

“Hmm, I suppose you need eyes too,” The man said thoughtfully as he poked his thumbs into her face, gauging out empty sockets. He rounded them with his knuckles and scooped the excess clay into a pile at his feet. He pinched and scraped at her face to form a nose and ears on either side. She remained silent and unmoving. Goosebumps raised across my arms. I swallowed the rising panic in my throat as I tried to back up to the door.

“There now, practically finished,” the man said gleefully. He scooped up the monstrous creation and set it down on the floor, holding her upright underneath her shoulders. "A spitting image, wouldn't you agree?"

I nodded. Even without her mouth, it was like looking in a mirror.