Your Worst Nightmare Come True

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. No one was there to see it, but that made no difference. That same night Sam startled awake violently panting.

As she wiped the hair off her sweaty face and tried to calm her breathing, she looked around the room and was once again happy that she never slept in the dark anymore. The night light in the corner of the room emanated a soft glow and comforted her. After a heartbeat or two, she recognized there was no one there, no danger. It was just her, alone, in her own bed in her own house.

Just as she was getting ready to lie back down, she felt it—a chill running up her spine. It felt like frozen fingers were running up her sweat-soaked back. As she held her breath, completely immobile and frozen in fear, the light surged and exploded, engulfing the room in darkness. Sam was frantically looking around the room, too terrified to move, when the chill disappeared from her back. Sam closed her eyes, and tears began falling down her cheek. The frozen fingers moved to wipe her right cheek just as she heard it, a voice barely above a whisper: ‘Did you miss me?’

That seemed to give Sam the strength she needed to move. She jumped off the bed and sprinted out of the room, not bothering to look around. Though her eyes were open, the tears were so strong, she couldn’t see a thing.

She moved through the hallway, down the stairs and towards the front door. She heard a chuckle behind her in the distance but didn’t dare to stop and look. She reached the front door, opened it, and ran through it, away from that laugh she now recognized and, sadly, knew all too well.

It took her more time than it should to realize something was wrong, so very wrong.

Sam wasn’t in her front yard, close to the busy, very well-lit street. She was in that cabin from the woods she tried so hard to forget for years. But it was unmistakable.

The scent of pine and must was heavy in the air. There was dust everywhere, and the back door window was still broken, just as she’d left it the last time she was in this horrid place. She could see the stains from her blood in front of the fireplace and around the kitchen area. Nothing had changed here. And that meant one thing—he was still here, too. But if he was still here, how did she just hear him laughing? And why now? After all these years?

As she was stuck terrifyingly into place, still holding the doorknob of what she thought was her front door, she was pushed to the floor. Just as she turned around to look at the door wide-eyed, she saw it swing closed. Her tears returned, and she heard him again. ‘Now then. Where were we?’

Sam got into survival mode again, as she did only once before in her life. She pushed off the ground and sprinted towards the back door, hoping it would offer salvation once more. As she reached it, he appeared in front of it, blocking her exit. Sam slammed right into him. He embraced her and smiled. She tried pulling away, but he was strong, stronger than before. No matter how she pulled, pushed, and tugged, he only tightened his grip, smiling at her.

She looked up at him with wide, teary eyes and opened her mouth, not knowing what to say. He lunged and kissed her. Then he moved his lips to her ear and whispered: ‘It won’t work this time, pet. Do you know why?’

Sam began pulling again, but he shook her until she looked up at his eyes.

‘We were always meant to be together.’

He lifted her on his shoulder and started toward the basement. No, not there. That was the only thought in Sam’s mind: Just not there. Not there, please... She started screaming as loud as she could, and his smile deepened as he said: ‘Yes, sing to me, love.’

As he reached the bottom step, he got her down, turned her around and held her head in the direction he wanted her to see. Right at him. The old him.

His body was exactly where she left it. The pool of blood around it had dried off and surrounded him like a halo. You could still see the rusty screwdriver sticking out from what was left of his neck. There wasn’t much left of him, and the smell was so bad it hurt her.

‘Not as nice as I hoped you were. But this time will be different, right?’

As Sam’s tears returned and her jaw started to ache from his grip, he moved to squeeze her neck. ‘Right?’

Sam couldn’t really move to nod, but she tried, and he felt it. He tightened his grip, and as the pressure built, she passed out. ‘Good girl. Now let’s begin.’