The scream pierced through the still night air, and I jolted awake, just as the sound tapered into silence. The sudden quiet echoed in my ears as I sat upright in bed, the blankets laying tangled around me at the abrupt disturbance.

I stared into the darkness of my room, eyes wide, trying to convince myself that what I heard was just a figment of my imagination. I could hear my heart pounding, and my hand shook every so slightly as I reached to turn the lamp on. I strained my ears, but couldn’t hear anything from downstairs, and in my dimly lit bedroom, I told myself that it had just been a nightmare.

And that’s when I heard it. The wooden stairs leading to room creaked under the weight of the footsteps. I jumped out from under the blankets, with my feet landing on the soft carpeted floor. I attempted to control my breathing as panic rippled through me. My heart was beating loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear, as I scrambled to think I what to do.

As the footsteps came closer up the stairs, I unplugged the lamp and clutched it in my shaking arms. As the light gradually emptied out of my room, I silently backed into the corner. Thoughts rushed through my mind. Who was that coming up the stairs? Why were they even here? What am I going to do when they reach my door? I still couldn’t believe what was happening, and I noticed that I was holding onto my breath. I let out an exhale and tried to prepare myself, just as the footsteps came to their destination.

The intruder was standing just outside my bedroom door. The handle slowly ticked as it turned over, and the door creaked open slightly, allowing light to filter into the dark room. It swung open, and I blinked as my eyes adjusted.

The open doorway cast light into the corner in which I was standing, illuminating my fear. There, standing motionless in the doorway, was a silhouette of figure. It’s features where shrouded in shadow from the light shining behind it, making it unrecognisable.

It stood there in silence, before taking a step toward where I stood, and then another. I pressed myself up against the wall, grasping the lamp in preparation to swing, as the figure advanced toward me, slivering like a snake. My voice caught in my throat in an attempt to scream. And that’s when I saw them. Those eyes. I will never forget those eyes. Dark and cold just like that very night.

*

“And that’s when everything around me disappeared from view.” My Nana told me blankly, as if far away. That was the end of the story.