This short story is based on a nightmare I had tonight, Wednesday 28th November 2024 (Thursday 30th). My screams woke Julie and I up and the guy below is pretty much the guy I saw.
This, just now, is the nightmare that woke me tonight and the man below is pretty much what I saw.
The Truth
“I don’t know how I knew but I did. Nor did I even know the reason why, but none of that mattered. What mattered was the truth and the truth was a man was coming to kill us. A bad man.
Ma had long since left, taking with her my siblings and that left just me and my Pa. We didn’t exactly see eye to eye but that too didn’t matter now. I couldn’t just up and leave him.
Our house sat alone and mostly in the dark and three things were keeping me awake that night. Pa’s snoring as he slept in the room next door, the light in the hallway that shone in from under the door and the fear. Seems fear and this truth went hand in hand.
I sat at the small desk in the bedroom of my childhood and wondered many things. Things like how we had gotten here. Who we had pissed off so much that this particular man was coming to end our lives. How would he do it and could I stop him. And of course, when. When would he do it? And still my Pa snored and still the light shone from under the door. Still the fear ate away at me like a rat chewing my bones.
I kept my bedroom light off so nobody could see in my room, but the curtains open so I could see out. If it was going to be tonight, I wanted to be ready, just me and my baseball bat as it was clear from the noise from Pa’s room that he would be no help. That man and his conscience could sleep throught the biggest storm that could pass through this small town.
I’d sat like this night after night for many weeks, awake and afraid, my heart threatening to beat so hard it would just fall out of my chest, and of course aware. Aware of the baseball bat by my door. A boy has to have a fighting chance you know.
Same three things, the light under the door, Pa’s snoring and my fear. The fear that grew bigger as each night went on, the house empty except for the two of us, doors locked, windows nailed shut.
And then three other things happened at once. The light under the door went out, then the damn door slowly opened and there stood the man in the grotesque mask. It was then I realised the damn bat was out of reach and I thought, ‘Does my Pa ever stop snoring?’ I think it was my final screams that must have woken him up”
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