Bogleech.com's 2017 Horror Write-off:

Nighttime Visitor

Submitted by Boneless Skeleton (email)




I still hear it. That breathing, that horrid breathing.




I lay in my bed, trying my best to go to sleep, and yet, I can't. I am far too terrified to sleep, there is... something in the room with me -  and I think it knows I know it's there. I roll around and try to close my eyes, but I feel it's eyes piercing into me. It watches from my closet and hasn't moved from that spot, so that's why I'm laying here. Petrified. I couldn't see it, I just knew it was staring at me. I could just feel it. I grew tired. I needed sleep, I wanted so desperately to go to sleep. But no, I can't. This thing that lurked in my closet definitely enjoyed watching me; A sort of twisted pleasure. I mustered up most of my courage and managed to weakly squeak out:

"G-Go..... A-A-Away.."

I stared at the closet. Feeling a bit braver now, I repeated, "Go away!"

An thin, bony arm covered in shaggy hair slammed down onto my hardwood floor, followed by another. Fingers tipped in yellowed, sharp nails stroked at the floor. Then it stepped forward. I only saw the eyes of the thing, but that's when I ducked under the covers and closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. I could hear the thing shuffle across my floor and to my bed. I knew it was at the side of my bed, because it's breathing got louder. It was getting excited for god knows what reason. I pulled the sheets against me, hoping it would just walk away and back into the closet.

But it didn't.

Instead, it got closer. I felt a weight press down on my bed and the sound of the bedsprings creaking. I was shaking like a leaf at this point, I opened my eyes for a split second to see how close it was to me. It was looming over me, and seemed to be leaning towards me. I saw the shaggy, long, black hair dangling off of its head. In that instant I closed my eyes and shut them tighter than ever. It's breathing was louder than ever, more like the excited panting of a starved dog that caught whiff of fresh roadkill.




The thing's breath was foul, like the scent of soured perfume and tooth decay. I tried my best not to cry, not to scream, and not to soil the bed. I felt a large bony hand caressing the side of my face, and then eventually, it moved along to my face. Whatever sick pleasure it was getting out of this, it terrified me. I didn't know if it was going to tear me apart and eat me, kidnap me and take me away to wherever it lived, I didn't know what to think at this point.

Then I saw a light. Faint, but still, it was light nonetheless. I heard the thing hiss and crawl off my bed and scramble away into my closet. I lay there for what felt like hours, until the morning light filled my room. I came out from under the covers and looked around my room. It was normal, save for a crumpled up piece of paper on my nightstand. I reached out with a shaky hand and unfurled the note. In a scrawled, black ink, the note read: "SEE YOU AGAIN"