By Saranya Devaraj
When Sasha’s eyes fluttered open, she was engulfed by the sudden plunge of darkness. She racked her mind to remember how she got there, but her memories were hazy. Her stomach churned when she walked around. The thick, giant trees loomed above her. The faint moonlight cast an eerie glow, which made her stomach drop.
The soft chill breeze made the leaves rustle, and the shrill of insects inside the bushes creeped her out. She took every stride with the courage she mustered. A big house with creepers hanging around and an overgrown lawn was in her view. While she was hesitant to move further, she gasped at the sudden snap from behind. She sensed something lurking behind the bushes. She hurried towards the house. She wiped the veil of dust to take a peek through the window. The candles emanated a dim light, illuminating the room. It was a living room with old torn couches, a rusted chandelier at the focal point, and some shattered glass pieces on the floor. The centre table with tea cups gave her some hope. She gave the door a little nudge. The low screeching sound echoed in her ears. She was too scared to make a sound. “Is the-there anyone…” before finishing her words, she heard loud footsteps upstairs. Her heart raced in fear.
A shadow emerged from the darkness, sent icy shivers down her spine. It grew larger and darker. Sasha’s brain froze. But the uneasy feeling urged her to get out of that house. She banged the door over the wall and rushed out, tripped over a rock that was out of nowhere at the entrance. Pulling herself together, Sasha ran fast. An old car with dents on the doors and a broken window caught in her eye. With all hope, she ran towards the car. But she felt a knot in her stomach when she saw the keys dangling in the keyhole. Sasha entered the car reluctantly, as she had no options. She took a deep breath and drove off the car. She led the car straight to the road. She was not certain of the directions. She took the way that was before her. The path was more rugged than what she imagined. Every time the car took a steep turn at the deep curve of the hill, her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened when took a glimpse of a figure, its features indistinct, chased after her. She put her leg on the accelerator. Sasha’s will to live urges her to fight against what she was put. That’s when the car hit its breakdown point. Sasha slammed hard on the brakes when she saw a cliff ahead. While Sasha was struggling to stop the car from falling off a steep, man-eating cliff, a sudden thud on her head made her hiss in pain. She took a quick look for bruise in her rear mirror. The blood oozed out, made her vision blurry and sudden tinge of pain in the head made her scream. She wiped the chill droplets with the hem of the shirt.
She was bewildered to see a pair of unblinking eyes staring back. Its eyes were bulge with thick, clear veins underneath. Its figure was lanky, impossibly thin with pale skin that looked like a parchment. The creature gave off a faint, eerie aura. She clasped her hands to ease the fear gripping in her gut. She gasped when it tore its own pale skin making the bones prominent and a dark, vicious fluid seeped through its wounds. The air in the car grew colder, heavy with the scent of decay. Her eyes failed to blink wondering what her fight was against. When she tried to slip out of the car silently, her neck was wrapped by the long fingers with nails as sharp as a dagger with creases of human blood. She struggled to get away. But the grip tightened leaving no air for her to inhale. She thought she was on the brink of death while tears dripping down her eyes. Then everything went black. As Sasha was struggling to breath, drenched in sweat, murmuring with desperation, clutching her throat, woke up by her husband, Arjun’s voice. “Breathe, honey. You are safe. It’s just a nightmare”, he said while wiping her tears. Sasha glanced her dark bedroom.
Sasha said, “It felt too real”.
Teasingly Arjun said, “Shall we pick a horror movie for our movie night tomorrow”, while holding the terrified Sasha.
Sasha laid on her back staring at ceiling. Even though Sasha felt some tightness in her chest, she was reassured when Arjun held her hand. An uneasy feeling surrounded Sasha when the grip of icy cold hand of her husband grew tighter. She turned to face him. That was the moment, the real horror awaited her. Arjun’s shadow looked exactly like the creature in her dream. She covered her mouth not to let out a scream. She squeezed her eyes, with her heart racing against time, she covered herself with the blanket and prayed for the dawn to break. Her breath was too loud in that unspeakable terror filled the room. Was what Sasha had gone through just a nightmare? Or was it?
By Saranya Devaraj
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