In the dark I am nothing. There is one sound, the sound of my own heart beating rapidly as it echoes off the invisible walls. I can not see. There isn’t a light to show me the way out, or a voice to tell me where to go. I am lost. Suddenly a light is shined down upon me like a spotlight on a stage. I can see someone, or something lurking in the shadows. Its eyes are red, watching my every move. It grunts and growls like a hound from hell and sways from one side to another. I ask ,“ What are you?” and the sound of my voice seems to anger it. I ask, “What do you want with me?!” and then the creature steps forward into the light, however I wish it hadn’t…

The foul creature slouched over with its head tilting left to right, its bones were showing through its skin and as it stretched out the beast looked about 10 feet tall . Small spikes were exposed from its head to its back. It leaned in closer to me and breathed its horrible breath on my face, and as it did it tilted its head once more and smiled. Its teeth were the size of daggers, yellowed and sharp as a cutting blade. I stood there paralyzed. Unable to blink, unable to move, unable to breathe. It began to speak to me, “ I bet you feel dead. I bet you wish you could be.” Its voice was low and demonic. It raised its large bony claws to my face and wrapped it around my neck, the creature raised me off the floor and began to choke me. He shouted “Do you fear me?!” and he stared into my eyes.

I barely managed to answer but I whispered, “ No, I don’t fear you”.

He grasped my throat tighter.  “I intend to change that.” Then he threw me at the floor and laughed a wicked laugh. I quickly stood up and began to run for my life. I ran through the darkness, searching for a light or a way to escape. The demon chased closely behind me. While I ran the steps of the creature faded away and  I noticed there wasn’t anything behind me anymore. I figured that the evil thing decided to leave me alone. I stood there in the dark and tried to catch my breath, but as I looked up I saw the same distinctive red eyes. I would have ran but I figured now was too late.

The demon inched forward and swung its arm at me. Luckily I dodged the hit and fell to the floor. But that didn’t stop the creature from capturing me. I crawled along the floor but knew I could not escape this fate. The demon dragged me along the ground and began kicked me to turn me over. The kick was so hard my vision became blurry. Now the demon kneeled over me, my face in its cold dead claw looking up at it. It began to cut the side of my face with its sharp nail and spoke once more, “Do you fear me?!” Blood trickled down my cheek and I knew that these were the last moments of my life. I stared into its eyes and spoke the last words I thought i’d ever speak “ I am stronger than any fear.”

The beast raised its claws to slaughter me but as it did I heard a voice. The creature paused to listen and seemed almost frightened by the sound. The voice got louder and louder and the noise seemed to hurt the demon’s ears. Slowly the creature backed off and crouched over in agony from the sound of the voice. I sat in the dark and listened closely. Suddenly the voice got louder and I could hear who it belonged to. The voice I was hearing was…me.

I wondered what was happening. How could I be in this place but also in another? When the voice spoke, it shouted, “Get out! Leave! You can’t control me!”With each word the demon began to shrivel up until finally it became nothing but dust and ashes. I felt relief, but still heard the voice shouting. I soon had to cover my own ears to block it out. But it never stopped; it got louder and louder and louder! I shut my eyes tight and began to scream, but then I heard my screams. I opened my eyes and looked around to see myself in my bedroom. No one was there and there wasn’t a demon in sight.

I sat in bed and tried to recover from my nightmare, however I began to feel panic racing over me. I knew that at one point or another I would have to dream once more, and that demon within my nightmare will arise from the depths of my imagination again. But will I be able to escape the beast alive? The truth of the matter is: fear will never die.