Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
The man above me, the man I know is my father, has his boot on my stomach, pressing down hard and I’m squirming, trying to escape but I can’t. I try to control him, to get him to take his boot off, to change the game that I often can when I’m lucid dreaming, and yet he won’t move.
The look in his eyes is pure hatred. It crushes me to think, to know that this man is my father and yet he hates me so much that he would rather have me dead than give birth to a bastard child, a child that belongs to one of his serfs.
And he’s over there, I tell myself. Your lover is over there.
I turn my head to see the scene that always follows these moments. The one where there is a man that I can’t see covered by soldiers that are holding him back, fighting him. I hear his cries now, and they’re so painfully familiar, they kick me in the gut. He cries for me, he’s screaming for me, he wants to save me.
I know my father is going to bring his sword down, slice my head clean off, and there’s nothing I can do to stop my fate. But I keep my eyes focused on the man I love, because I love him, I feel it deep in the marrow of my bones, a feeling that seems go beyond this dream, into the universe.
Because is this even a dream?
I watch as the man fights and I start to see more of him, the top of his head, his black, thick wavy long hair and just from that, just from that little glimpse, I know who it is.
It makes me scream.
But the scream dies in my throat.
And the world goes still as the blade slices me in two.
Instead of going black as it always does, the world glows white.
Brighter and brighter than I’ve ever seen it and then I’m hurtling through space, flung amongst the stars, in the most beautiful light show, and then I’m falling, falling back down.
I wake up.
Eyes open.
Staring at my ceiling in the apartment.
It’s pitch black. There’s only a faint light coming in through the window and I can barely see.
I push myself up so that I’m on my elbows, my head feeling like it’s full of lead. My eyes adjust enough for me to make out some shapes in the dimness. I’m lying on the floor in the middle of the chalk circle. All the candles have completely melted down, which would take longer than twelve hours to do, and it’s night time so…have I been out for twenty-four hours?
I wince and lay my head back on the floor, trying to think. This happened the last time I used astral projection, all the energy was sucked from me and I slept for a day straight. Which means that right now it’s the next night, and fuck, I don’t know what time it is, but not only did I miss a full day of school, including organ practice with Valtu, I’m supposed to meet Livia for drinks.
I sigh and reach into the pocket of my jeans for my phone. I pull it out and tap the screen. It says it’s nine, which means Livia is already on her way here to meet me. I also see a few texts from Livia as well as several missed calls but when it attempts to face ID me, the phone goes dead.
Fuck.
I put the phone back down and stare up at the ceiling, trying to gather the strength to get up since I have to piss like a race horse. Then I have to charge my phone, quickly get changed and—
Oh my god.
Something just moved.
On the ceiling.
Something just moved on my ceiling.
I stare at it, trying to focus, my heart stuttering in my chest. My eyes still see the white impression the phone’s light left behind but I blink it away until, until…
I see it.
I see all of it.
A creature, black as sin, the size of a crocodile, on the ceiling. Long spindly limbs with crooked narrow fingers and claws hooked into the drywall, a leathery black tail at one end, a bulbous head at the other. Teeth. Open gnashing teeth and red dots for eyes.
The bad thing, a voice whispers in my ear.
Then it yells in my head: It’s the bad thing!
The bad thing on the ceiling twitches, hisses like a broken machine, ruby red eyes focusing on me.
I scream.
I scream bloody murder and get up, running to the door. At first it won’t open, then I remember I locked it, and I can hear the thing on the ceiling moving.
And then I hear a thump, the floor shaking beneath my feet and I know it’s right behind me, reaching for me with its claws and the door it won’t open fast enough, I can’t get out fast enough, it’s going to drag me to hell with it and—