It's midnight. The moon hangs high in a sky speckled with stars, overseeing a world in slumber, safeguarding it through the night. Yet, not everyone finds solace and rest when they close their eyes. Some are tormented by the shadows that dwell in their minds. This is precisely what is happening to one girl, the protagonist of this story.
Claire, a 15-year-old, cannot sleep. This has been her reality for about a month. But why? Is it anticipation? Is she preoccupied with thoughts of school, friends, or a crush? If only it were something so innocent. Instead, her mind is consumed by something far more sinister.
As Claire settles into bed each night, desperately hoping for a reprieve, a familiar, ominous voice speaks to her—a voice she knows all too well, as do many others before her.
"Here it is again," Claire sighs, surrendering herself to another sleepless night. Is there any reason to expect a different fate?
The voice addresses Claire as it usually does. "Come to me, little lamb. Let's paint this world in shades of red! Don't be afraid; no harm will come to you as long as you're with me."
"Little lamb," it calls her—a nickname that might be endearing under less dangerous circumstances.
Claire has no idea how this all began. One night, just as sleep was about to claim her, she heard a strange noise outside her window. She dismissed it as a dream, an oversight that proved to be a grave mistake.
Soon after, the voice began speaking to her while she lay awake at night, preparing for bed.
Initially, it was just a voice Claire heard sporadically, never finding anything unusual in her room despite her searches. Deep down, Claire knew it would never reveal itself in daylight. She refers to the voice as "it," suspecting that her tormentor is something beyond a mere human.
"Who are you?" Claire asked at first, attempting to unravel the mystery.
"I'm your worst nightmare, but it doesn't have to be that way. Be a good little girl and join me. Your life would be much easier," the voice eventually replied.
"Join you? And do what?" Claire had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer, and she feared her situation might worsen depending on her response.
"Become like me. Terrorize people at night with me. I'm rather lonely, you see, and I'm looking for a... partner in crime, so to speak. What do you say, little lamb?"
"No! I don't want to! What you're doing is wrong; I want no part of it! Now leave and never return!" Claire retorted angrily, turning on her side, hoping to find some sleep.
Unbeknownst to Claire, this marked the beginning of her descent into darkness. By refusing its demands, she had made a powerful and deadly adversary.
After that, the voice haunted Claire's dreams every night, calling to her, tempting her. It frightened her and had no intention of stopping until it achieved its goal.
Her only escape from this personal hell came in the mornings, when she attended school and during the day. But as the sun set, Claire sensed a change in the atmosphere. She shivered, her breath quickened, and her heart raced.
She had attempted reasoning with the voice. "What do you want from me? Why are you doing this? Why can't you leave me alone?" Claire desperately pleaded.
"You know what I want, my sweet little lamb. Be my partner in crime. Let's kill tonight! Ignoring me is futile; I'll never leave you alone. You're my new toy to play with! We'll have so much fun, you'll see."
Claire could sense the bloodlust, as the voice never tried to conceal it. She could almost smell it in the air, the metallic scent of blood suffocating her. Terrified, Claire tried to block out the voice, to not listen to its gruesome words, but she hadn't been very successful.
Her nights were sleepless, fear creeping in. There was no escape; she was ensnared. She couldn't ignore it, just as it had told her.
She was losing sleep. The dark circles under her eyes resembled bruises, which she tried to conceal with makeup, but some things couldn't be covered. Claire wasn't sure she could endure this torment much longer.
Sometimes, Claire saw red eyes watching her from the darkness of her room, a sinister smile accompanying them. If she so much as blinked, they vanished, leaving her to question her sanity. Slowly, madness and terror began to take hold of her.
What could Claire do? Give in? Beg for it to leave her alone? Scream for help? At this point, what options did she have? If she told her parents, they probably wouldn't believe her, dismissing it as something trivial. Or worse, something might happen to them, and she couldn't allow that.
Her friends would likely think she was imagining things and tease her mercilessly.
If only she could find someone to help her—an exorcist or a medium, anyone with the knowledge or power to rid her of this... whatever it was!
But that wouldn't do. Claire's mind was no longer her own. Her thoughts weren't private. Whenever she considered asking for help, the voice would taunt, "No one would believe you! They'd think you just had a bad dream! What will you do, I wonder? I could just kill them. Kill everyone you love and make you watch! Oh, how delightful your expression would be!"
The voice threatened Claire, speaking of murder as though it were commonplace. She believed it would follow through, so she stayed silent, for everyone's sake.
The voice mostly spoke, detailing its past victims' tragic ends in nauseating detail, with a sickening pride.
"Aww, do you feel sorry for them? That's adorable! You're one of my favorites so far, helpless and unable to defend yourself! They were too, but something about your fear, your desperation, is irresistible! So hard to resist! I think I know what'll make it even more so!"
The shrill laughter hurt Claire's ears, making her head throb.
"Please, someone... anyone. Help me, or let me die!" Claire pleaded for a miracle or salvation. Unfortunately, nothing happened.
Her nightmare persisted; every night was the same. She'd go to bed, knowing what to expect by now, and sweet oblivion was not part of it.
It continued relentlessly. Night after miserable, dreamless night...
Until one night, Claire finally broke.
It was inevitable. No one could endure it for long and remain sane.
The final blow came with the visions—visions of red, unending red. Crimson flooding Claire's sight, screams of pain and agony composing a terrifying symphony.
Claire had never experienced these visions before. This was a new tactic, one aimed at breaking her beyond repair.
Claire's eyes flew open, a crazed look in them. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she slowly sat up in bed.
Claire started mumbling to herself, her words inaudible.
"... I'll, haha, yes, I'll... I'll d-do it... Hahaha," Claire raised her head slowly. The light streaming through the window illuminated her face, revealing a completely altered expression.
A menacing one. The person sitting there was no longer Claire. Physically, she was still Claire, but her personality had taken a sinister turn.
Her eyes now glowed a deep red, shining in the dark. Blood trailed from her eyes down her face, staining her clothes. Yet, Claire was unfazed. In fact, she licked it off, closing her eyes in satisfaction.
"Hmm, tasty. I want more, so much more. Must have it," Claire spoke, her words slightly slurred, as if intoxicated.
Standing up, Claire began to walk towards the door. Her steps were quiet and light; not a single floorboard creaked beneath her weight. Her parents lay asleep in a room across the hall, unaware of the danger lurking within their home. Unaware of their fate.
What was happening to Claire? Why were her eyes red and bleeding? She had started behaving strangely all of a sudden.
Turning left, Claire found herself in the kitchen, rummaging through a drawer of silverware. She pulled out a sharp kitchen knife, the blade glinting in the moonlight. She raised it, gazing at her reflection, her wild eyes staring back. Grinning with delight, she began moving towards her parents' room.
The game was about to begin. May there be more bloodshed.
An eerie silence enveloped the house. Outside, clouds gathered, obscuring the moon. Heavy rain began to pour suddenly, an odd turn given the clear sky an hour earlier.
It's convenient, don't you think? The downpour drowned out the screams and shouts from within Claire's house, along with her maniacal laughter that could make your skin crawl.
Afterwards, silence reigned inside. Outside, the rain continued unabated, indifferent to the events that transpired. The rain seemed like a bad omen, and it proved to be true.
No one would ever know exactly what happened to Claire and her parents.
The police would find two mutilated bodies on the bedroom floor. They would find no trace of Claire, no clue to her whereabouts.
Well, that's not entirely true, for someone did know what happened. The sole witness to the tragic end of Claire's parents' lives.
It was the same entity that had started it all, pushing Claire past the point of no return. The one who watched it all unfold from the shadows, amused.
This being feeds on stolen dreams, invading the victim's mind by communicating with them or creating nightmares that keep them awake until they, too, become like it...
The insomnia demon.
A black cloud of smoke could be seen on the roof of Claire's house. Red eyes looked up at the dark sky with a deranged smile.
"I better go look for my little lamb. Or should I say, my little beast?"
And with that, it vanished, leaving no trace of its existence behind.