The Encounter

“I can’t feel my limbs.”

Sarah’s voice was soft, her eyes squinting, trying to adjust to the darkness around her. Her room was unnaturally dark. Both her night light and the hall light that usually shone through beneath the cracks of her door were off. It was never supposed to be off.

“Momma,” her voice said, barely a whisper, she wasn’t even sure if she had spoken.

Something scraped up against the side of her window, sending shadows dancing along her walls in the faint moonlight. Her heart seemed to jump to her throat, beating incessantly before plunging down to her stomach as her body shuddered.

There was someone in her room. No, something.

She closed her eyes as a creak reverberated throughout the room, deep and drawn out. Whatever this thing was, she could feel it approaching crawling out from under her bed. It’s presence seemed to get stronger the closer it got as the foot of her bed sagged as something heavy climbed on.

Her skin prickled as she swallowed the lump of saliva coating her mouth like paint to a freshly finished drywall.

Dark shadows clustered together at the foot of her bed. The head of the beast, which looked like it was sprouting, gnarled, pointing antlers at her, while it clawed, falcon like hands dug into the small bed, pulling it’s long limbed body closer. 
It smiled, drool dripping out of its maw like water dripping from a drainage pipe. 

She couldn’t scream, nor could she breathe. She was helpless.
All she could do was wait as this chimera like creature drew itself closer to her. It’s rancid breath, that musty smell found in old books and foggy nights drew itself closer to her, making itself a home within her pores. Razor sharp teeth hung from its maw, gaping at her small, fragile body, as it tilted its long, giraffe like neck toward her.

Her heart was silent as she closed her eyes shut while hot tears threatened to spill from her closed eyelashes. 

The wind whistled like a tune, as branches scratching at the paned glass sent shadows into a hurried dance all across her room, travelling over the bed covered in pink sheets, her nightstand and even the empty doll that sat into the corner of the room, away from everything else. 

Breathing filled the room, as the rancid musk slithered its way through her nose and clawing through her lungs like poison gas through a soldier's lungs. Her cheeks puffed out as she continued to hold her breath, unwilling to give in.

Buzzing filled her ears as sound drifted away. With a loud gasp she inhaled as much air as she could, tears falling down her face as her narrow shoulders shook. She brushed her eyes as she dared to look around the room. 

The moonlight shone through the window, showing nothing but an empty room.