I awoke, surrounded in darkness. The warm covers and sheets of my bed had been replaced. They were still there, I could feel them still wrapped around me, but the warmth, it was gone. It seemed that I had been transported to another world, one entirely populated by the cold, and the dark.

I sat up, peering into the abyss that enveloped me, perhaps if I grabbed my glasses, I could see. What was going on? I reached across to where my bedside table had been for 16 years, where it had been mere hours ago, only to find that missing as well.

It was then that I noticed the air around me. It was heavy, the heaviest I had ever felt. Not heavy like a somber moment, it actually weighed me down. It got heavier and heavier, eventually forcing me prone, all the while I was getting colder and colder. I was beginning to get scared, the hairs all over my body began to stand up like that of a Halloween cat’s, cold shivers making their way up and down my arms, legs, back and neck. The air pressed me down further into my bed as I shivered from the cold. It pressed down on me, crushing me, at least I wished it would. The pain felt; as the air rushed from my lungs, as they seemed to collapse in on themselves, was unimaginable. Just as I was about to give up, just as I was about to let the air crush me, it stopped, and the cold lost part of its icy edge. I breathed a ragged sigh of relief, my lungs gratefully refilling themselves. But where was I?

I closed my eyes, and that opened up the world to me. It became clear that I laid on my bed, that much I knew. Though I could see my surroundings, my eyes were drawn to the figure walking away from me. It was a humanoid, massive though, bigger than any person I had ever seen. Its back, arms, and leg muscles exploded out from its body, it was simply massive. I was still scared, terrified, what if the air attacked again? Perhaps, this being, so massive, could protect me? I called out to it.

It stopped mid-step, it slowly began to turn towards me. My eyes ran up its front, I watched as it’s mouth was drawn up into a wicked, toothy smile. I slowly moved my eyes more, and, meeting its eyes, I realized where I was.



I was in Hell.


In an instant it was upon me, and for an moment it was an inch from my face, it’s piercing yellow eyes maniacally peering into mine, seeing more than just their blue-green tint it seemed. A second later he was gone. I looked around, he had vanished. I started growing warmer. Where had he gone? Now I was too warm. A fire it seemed had engulfed me, burning every inch of my body. I gasped in pain, but that only drew the fire into my body. I screamed, and the pain made me lose control of my muscles, opening my eyes.

Everything disappeared. I was back in the abyss. The icy cold felt comforting on my skin, for a moment, but then began to freeze me again. I panted shallow, ragged breaths, I was still terrified, but I was safe it seemed. Surely the massive creature that had just tormented me could not hide, even in so dark a place?

“.....Sam” My heart skipped a beat at the sound of my name coming from the dark. No words could describe the voice that had just resonated, the only description that I could ever hope to bestow was “evil.” No other sound has, or will ever, come close.

“Sam.” My blood chilled, as I noticed the voice was louder, as if the speaker had gotten closer. “Sam.” Still moving closer, my name was repeated. The now inaudible whisper seemed next to me. Fear had paralyzed me long ago, and I laid waiting for whatever was to come next. The voice stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief, but then suddenly...

“....Sam, ” was said directly into my ear. I could feel the warm breath of air against the side of my face. Then a laugh echoed from the other side of me, just as awful as the voice. Whatever was doing this was clearly getting a thrill from tormenting me. How much longer would this go on? I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes again, ready to open them at the slightest sign of trouble.

I looked to my left, to where I had heard the laugh, nothing. I felt a presence behind me, and I turned my head quickly to the right, trying to catch whatever was stalking me, to no avail. I laid back down, and when I put my head against the pillow, I saw where he had been hiding, directly above me. His smile flickered menacingly across his face, his eyes locked into mine, and his huge body came lunging down on top of me. I tried to open my eyes, but they remained locked with this being’s. The weight was crushing, but my body would not give an inch, making the pain all the more severe. I tried desperately to open my eyes as the monster put more and more pressure onto me. The beast started laughing the same, twisted laugh I had heard in the darkness, how I longed for that now. I could not believe it had not crushed me yet, the pain was so intense. The brute seemed surprised as well. His laughter stopped, his smile disappeared, turning instead to a face of concentration, with a hint of worry. The pressure grew to a nearly unbearable point, I was breaking. He saw that, and that made him grow even more impatient, as he pressed harder and harder.

I was giving up, I couldn’t win, and even if I did survive this round, what next? I couldn’t breathe, but I slowly exhaled, preparing myself for whatever was to come next. As I slowly let go, darkness started to cloud my vision, the titan grew more distant it seemed. It appeared that I had never been fighting, but the monster had been trying to push me through the ground. He had succeeded in this task, and I fell. The pain was beginning to alleviate itself, and the beast let me open my eyes, to escape back to the abyss, he had won. Thank God, I thought.

At the thought of God, something miraculous happened. A blinding, yet comforting light pierced through the black, and a ground had caught me. I began to rise back from the dark, up into the light. I knew I was safe now, so I closed my eyes one last time. The demon was fleeing, screaming in anger, and pain, as the light seemed to burn it. I had been saved.

The light carried me, and eventually I could see my house again, it took me through the window of my bedroom and I could see my body, laying in bed, oblivious to all of the events that had transpired. It lowered me into my body. I instantly awoke, back in my body, back in my bed, back in my world.

I looked around and found the light was still there, and from the light carried the voice of a man.

I have saved you, and now you must save others. Guide others to the light as I have guided you. Do you understand what I am asking of you?

I pondered what I had just been told, and what I had experienced tonight, and finally said, “How do I help people, and how do I know who to help?”

Those who you see but no one else does, those who walk the earth that you have never noticed until now. They are there for a reason, help them fulfill their longings, and their spirits will be restless no more.

With those words, the light vanished completely, and I was alone in my room, once again.


The next day, my head still spinning, I walk the single hall of my school, set apart from all the other students and teachers. They see me how they always did, but the others, they know the difference. Whether it be an angel, or a demon, it does not matter.

I had been awakened, my eyes opened. I could now see what had previously hid in the shadows.

Most people are obsessed with the five senses, what they can put their hands on. They suppress that sixth, the cold chills, the moods on the air, the breathes no one else hears. They disregard the signs, no matter how obvious, their minds rationalize everything. We all do it, but now, I understand the feeling of being watched by something that may not be there.