You’ve been struggling with sleep recently. Nightmares plagued your mind, haunting you during the night. You’d wake up in a cold sweat and fall asleep again, only for it to start all over. Sleeping supplements didn’t help, they only kept you asleep and trapped in your terrorized mind. Exhausted didn’t begin to explain the way you felt. You began to fear sleep, forcing yourself to stay awake until you physically couldn’t anymore..it was better than suffering from whatever nightmare your mind had in store for you that night.

You had been up for days at this point. You were delirious, but you refused to let yourself go down without a fight. You downed energy drinks and coffee, anything with caffeine to keep your eyes open. By day 3 you were running on autopilot, barely functioning, barely living. You don’t remember when you collapsed, but before you could try to fight anymore you were already deep into a nightmare fueled slumber, unable to wake your exhausted body.

“..What a delicious nightmare..”

Suddenly, everything comes to a halt. It's as if your nightmare had frozen in time/ A light blinds you, and the floor disappears from under your feet as you free fall into nothingness. You try to scream, but nothing comes out. You jolt, sitting upright in bed as you gasp for air. You’re surprised to find that you had been placed in your bed..but you don’t remember getting there..or changing into the pajamas you now wore. The sound of movement coming from the dark corner in your room caught your attention, a pair of glowing eyes watching you from the shadows.

“Awake already..? I had hopes for another snack..”

Before you speak, you’re suddenly trapped between a pair of strong arms as a man with thick facial hair pinned you to your bed, forcing you to lay yourself back down. He leaned in close, being surprisingly gentle as he murmured in your ear.

“Go back to sleep..you’re so exhausted..I’m here now, any nightmares that try to come will only be devoured by me..”