Rogue Halloween Edition ROGUEFINAL | Page 5

Nightmares By: Patrick I was running. Running as fast as possible, for behind me was a thing of nightmares. Her pale white face, like that of a corpse, was the scariest thing I’ve seen in my life. Her eyes- devoid, vacant spheres that were glowing white- made me shud- der. The lack of eyebrows just made her blank expression even worse. Speedily dodging trees and small animals, I sprinted to my only hope of survival- a small cabin 20 meters away. “You can’t escape me...” The sing-song voice came out from behind me, easily catching up to me. I doubled over and hastened my speed, flinging the wooden door open, and slamming it shut behind me. I locked it for good measure. Suddenly, a loud sound to my right appeared, startling me. It was a old grandfather clock, ringing. It was 3 am, I realised- the hour of the dead. A slow shiver ran up my spine, and just as slowly, the noise of a door opening reached my ears. I turned around, only to see her expressionless face and glowing eyes. A hand reached out to grab my throat, one without any skin… I woke up with a scream. My body, drenched in sweat, shivered thinking of the nightmare I just had. It felt so real. Forcing in some deep breaths, I reach over to the water bottle on my right- empty, I realise. Still pretty shaken, I get up and turn the light on. Wearing my slippers, I walk out of my room. Funnily enough, the second my foot touches the floor outside, the lights go out. “Damn power cuts,” I curse under my breath. Surprisingly, even for a person who watches so many horror movies, a strange fear wraps around me, while in my own home. I go get my phone, and use the torch feature. In the kitchen, I silently throw some light over to the fridge. There’s nothing there, but my heart starts beating loudly- This could be a horror movie cliche; what could I find when I open the door? Summoning my courage, I steel myself and wrap my fingers around the handle. Just before I open it, my phone gives out a shrill notification, making me jump. Quietly, i unlock the damn thing with shaky hands, and I see it’s just a Game notification. The next few things happen in a flash: I open the fridge, grab a bottle, and close the door. Next moment, I’m running out of the kitchen, up the stairs, back to my room, and jumping to my bed. I drink some water, the cool taste doing its magic, and calming me down. My phone beeps shrilly again. Annoyed at it, I get it out and am about to turn the thing off, when I realise something. It’s 2:57. Dread fills me again, and I shudder violently as my fear returns to me in all its glory. I quickly reach for the light switch, flipping it multiple times, but it still does nothing. Suddenly, the door moves, creaking open leisurely. A hand crawls in from outside the room, and I gasp. Although the door was creepy enough, I freeze, for the hand had no skin. A pale white face, expressionless, comes into sight. I shake dangerously as the thing in front of me comes to a stop. It’s floating off the floor, I realise, the thought making me cry inside. She tilts her vacant head, like a small girl curiously watching something. Then, in an instant, she smiles, lunging toward me and all goes black. 4