I turn over, pulling my blanket with me.

“Nmm, you cozy?” Dem murmurs from her side of the bed.

“Yeah…” 

“You’re not gonna try to stay up, right?”

“U-uh… I mean.. are you?”

Dem paused. “Please, just try to get some sleep. I’m worried about you.”

I tighten further into a ball wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Is it really that bad? “Please don’t worry about me. I’m just… working through some things. Okay?” 

I sigh heavily, forgetting the conversation and relaxing my eyes. I’m so tired.

“Goonight I guess.” Dem wished defeatedly.

I’m just so tired…

But I can’t fall asleep. Only bad things happen when I fall asleep, this ghost thing looms heavy over me like I’m buried alive in a coffin, so confined to the wooden prison I can barely breathe. My eyes fight for consciousness, in a dim room. The street lamp light passes through the curtain and paints itself on the wall, creating jagged dark shadows that flash and crawl against the blank walls. I bundle myself as tight as I can and open my eyes so wide, my eyelashes touch my eyebrows. The air is so dry, I just want to blink, but the dark is too dark and the lights are too bright. I can't fathom what could be waiting for me to blink. To crawl out from the darkness and stare so deeply into my soul… and eat it like a little candy. 

It’s irrational, stop worrying!!! 

Maybe just a little rest, a little bliss from this nightmare beyond my mind could ease the stress, make it all better.

My eyes fall together, almost locking shut. Just a little rest.

I don’t feel anything lay upon my chest or whisper into my skull.

Just silence.

And peace.

Maybe it’s all in my head.

“You really think you’re safe?” A sweet shadowy voice quietly begs in my ear. “Please rethink what I’ve said! It’s almost too late! Get up!!” 

Is this even real? Probably just a stress dream.

Dem burst up with “FUCK! What was that?? Did you hear it?? It said something freaky!”

My eyes steadily open from the startle. I look back at Demy’s wide eyes, panning across the room in search of the source of the voice. She looked at my half awake body, then touched my shoulder to make sure I was alive.

I’m not dead, I’m just tired. Too tired to deal with this and too tired to make sense of it. Just let me rest. 

I grown, as confirmation to her welfare check. 

“Em?” She shakes me more.

“Bitch.” 

“Dude, just get up and tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Okay, a better question, did you hear the creepy voice talking to us!?”

“Mmmm” Still faced away from her, I tap my finger to my chin sarcastically.

“Em. This is serious.” She desperately said.

She just cares about you. Stop shoving her away.

I gather my thoughts to work up the courage to admit that I too heard it. I wish I didn’t. I wish it would disappear.