Night Terrors

Night Terrors

The dry and harsh wind swept my hair in front of my face and I pushed it behind my ears. Breathing in I tasted the rusty air and my mouth felt like sandpaper.
The aged red stone wobbled under my bare feet. We were on separate pillars that went from a large base to a thin middle to a stone just big enough to hold us. It was amazing it could stand by itself. We ourselves could not see the base because of the red swirling mist that covered it, but I knew the base was wider at the bottom.
We meant my family and me. All of us had just finished the deadly tasks that had been set for us. We had all amazingly survived so far, it seemed like a miracle to me. We were facing the huge monster. It was taking up the whole room, shadows covered it nearly entirely so we were never really sure how big it was, but what we saw was already enough. Horns came out of its head and pale white eyes with no pupils stared at us with glee. It was a creature so fearsome and so cruel, it was the one who had started this all. It spoke with a voice that put shivers down my spine and when he spoke four plain doors erupted from the shadows and came to face us. "There are four doors, you shall go down them and three of you shall live and one of you shall die."

I looked at my family as they slowly entered knowing there was no other way. I slowly put my hand to the handle and twisted it so the door would swing backwards into the foreshadowing darkness. I knew there was a possibility I would never see them again and I closed my eyes and stepped through as I prayed, whispered and cried, please let me die. Please let me die instead of them. Please let them live. Please...

I woke up with a start. My breathing was quick and hard, I had cold sweat on my palms and tears falling from my cheek. Looking wildly around my room there were shadows everywhere, with a high pitched squeak I grabbed my teddy and quickly unwrapped myself from the bed covers which were encasing me. As soon as I was out of bed, I ran quickly looking panicky over my shoulder and into the shadows. They seemed to follow me as I ran through the dark corridor, ready to leap on me when I wasn't looking. My footsteps were amazingly loud and my breathing was unforgiving to my ears. I hugged my teddy even closer to me. I ran to my parent's bedroom and as soon as I got there I slowed down and wished I was better at being quiet.

"What is it?" A voice moaned from the bed, it sounded like Mum. I quickly looked at the clock which glared at me with its fierce green light. It was way too early and I wished for nothing more than just to be asleep.
"....I ...I had a nightmare" I spoke softly, in a near whisper

There was another moan from the bed and a figure rolled over, "Come in then"

I felt so happy; I jumped up into the warm bed of my parents making the mattress bounce. I lay between them, wrapping the warm covers around me. Then I heard my dad say, "What was it about?" I looked at him remembering the dream and nearly started crying again, "...There was a monster and.... And... you all died"

"None of us are going anywhere" My mother reassured me, "Now get some sleep. You have school tomorrow"

I snuggled into the covers again and wished the dream out of my head which proved very hard because the monster's voice shattered my dreams as soon as I closed my eyes. But slowly, very slowly I closed my eyes without fear because my parents were there and they were not going anywhere. They would protect me from any monster. I felt the warmth of my parents on either side of me, their breathing, their heartbeats and to my childish humor their snoring. I closed my eyes to peaceful dreams.