Nightly Routine

A terrifying... Was it a dream?

I slowly, safely, softly drift away on my cool pillow

I have no reason to fear, for few know

How to find me in slumber.

There’s not a sleek, sinuous, swiftly moving shadow;

Is there?

The eyes of something, an innately terrifying something

Do I feel them on me, following, waiting?

I start to weave through the halls, wishing, wanting it to disappear.

My pulse quickens, I walk faster, blood pounding in my ears

Is it behind me; what’s that sound?

Breathing, not my own, behind me…

My terror rises; I feel a scream trying to escape my throat-

No sound comes.

I’m running now.

I clearly hear it, no longer trying to hide its presence

I can’t breathe, my lungs are on fire, my legs pleading for relief

Must stop…

Just for a second-

It finds me.

I wake.

Engulfed in a cold sweat, blankets strewn across the bed

Heart threatening to leave the confines of my chest.

Just a dream, only a dream I tell myself…

But, a voice whispers in my mind...

Why do I still feel eyes on me?