The sun had long dipped below the horizon by the time she completed her evening routine. The apartment, shrouded in stillness, felt unnervingly quiet. She sat in bed, scrolling aimlessly through her phone, hoping the constant buzz of social media would ease her unsettled mind. But the weight from earlier clung to her like a heavy fog, refusing to lift.
Her phone landed with a soft thud on the nightstand as she lay back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Shadows danced across the walls, cast by the dim glow of streetlights outside. It was the only movement in the room.
"It's just stress," she muttered to herself, pulling the blanket closer, as if its warmth could shield her from the gnawing tension building inside.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. But peace didn't come. The strange, fleeting shadows, the chill from her walk—everything replayed in her mind like a broken record. It felt too real to be brushed off as simple fatigue. She shivered, convincing herself it was just the cold air seeping in.
"Stop thinking about it," she whispered harshly, squeezing her eyes shut. "You're making it worse."
After what felt like an eternity, her body finally gave in to exhaustion, and she slipped into sleep. But the night offered no escape.
***
The dream hit like a storm—swift, disorienting, and inescapable. She found herself in a vast, dark hall, its ceiling lost to the shadows above. Towering, weathered pillars lined the walls, their surfaces cracked and broken as if the place had been abandoned for centuries. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of decay, and something darker. Something... ancient.
She took a cautious step forward, her breath catching in the suffocating silence. The stone floor beneath her feet felt cold, lifeless, yet there was a strange familiarity to this place. As if she had been here before.
"Where am I?" Her voice trembled, swallowed by the darkness.
In the distance, a faint light flickered. A throne stood at the far end of the hall, its jagged silhouette barely visible in the dim glow. It looked ancient, ominous, as though it had been waiting for centuries for someone—someone like her.
She took a hesitant step forward, drawn toward the eerie light and the strange pull it had on her. Her heart pounded in her chest, the sense of dread growing with each step.
Don't go. The thought echoed in her mind, but her legs kept moving, as if they had a will of their own. Closer and closer.
Then she saw it. A shadowy figure sat upon the throne, shrouded in darkness. It was motionless, but she could feel its eyes—cold, piercing, watching her every move. Though its face was obscured, the weight of its gaze sent a chill down her spine.
"What is this?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Her feet refused to stop. Closer still, she moved, the dread twisting tighter in her chest. The figure raised a hand, beckoning her forward, though no words were spoken. She felt the pull grow stronger.
"No," she breathed, trying to stop, trying to turn back, but her body betrayed her.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her gave way. She let out a scream as she fell into the void, the hall above vanishing into darkness. Her stomach lurched as she plummeted, arms flailing in the emptiness, desperate to find something—anything—to hold on to.
And then, just as suddenly, it stopped.
She hit the ground with a jarring thud, pain shooting through her limbs as she struggled to push herself up. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she looked around. The hall was gone. In its place stood a twisted forest, the gnarled branches of ancient trees stretching high into the black sky. There were no stars, no moon—just endless, oppressive darkness.
In the distance, beyond the shadowy trees, the figure watched her still.
"No," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Not again."
The figure moved now, gliding silently between the trees, closing the distance with unsettling grace. Her pulse quickened, panic surging through her veins. She stumbled backward, her feet slipping on the damp earth.
The figure kept coming. Closer. Relentless.
It was nearly upon her when—without warning—it vanished, dissolving into the shadows like smoke.
***
She bolted upright in bed, her heart racing, her breath coming in ragged bursts. Her hands trembled as she clutched the blankets, her body drenched in cold sweat. For a moment, she didn't know where she was—her mind still trapped in the dream. The dark forest, the crumbling hall, the shadowy figure—it all felt so real.
Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something familiar, anything to ground her. The faint hum of the fridge, the soft glow of the streetlights outside—they should have been comforting. But the feeling of being watched, of something lurking just out of sight, refused to fade.
It was just a nightmare, she told herself, though her voice barely rose above a whisper. Her throat was dry, her heart still racing. A dream. Nothing more.
But the lie tasted bitter. She knew it wasn't just a dream. She had felt it—felt the figure's cold gaze, the pull of something ancient and relentless. This was more than her mind playing tricks on her.
"It's just a bad dream," she said again, this time louder.
But even as she said the words, she knew she didn't believe them. The dream had felt too real. The shadowy figure, the crumbling throne… it was like a piece of a puzzle she didn't know she was trying to solve.
She lay back down, staring at the ceiling, too wired to fall back asleep. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it all, but there were no answers. Just fragments. Pieces that didn't fit together.
After what felt like hours, she pushed herself out of bed, her legs shaky as she walked to the window. She stared at the empty street below, the world outside unchanged. Everything was as it should be. Yet something in the air felt... off. Like eyes watching from the shadows.
With a shiver, she turned away, rubbing her arms in an attempt to shake the lingering chill. It was just a nightmare. That's all.
But as she slipped back under the covers, she knew—deep down—that whatever had haunted her dreams wasn't gone. It was waiting.
And it was getting closer.