I had just come back from a long day of lab experiments. My other housemates were away, so that left me all alone in the house yet again. Heading up the stairs, I noticed a strange flickering light emanating from under my door—nothing peculiar, the TV must have turned back on from the usual power surge that happens every week. However, as I walked into my room, I felt a slow, heavy draft surround me. It was as if I left the windows open. Still, nothing bizarre strikes me.

I turned off the TV...I was right, another power surge. The security of being in my own space—no co-workers, no housemates, no one—made the bed look so inviting. I was drawn to its mesmerizing comfort. Each night I've been getting less and less sleep. "Nothing wrong with a nap before dinner", I reasoned. And so, I let my enchanted thoughts take me away as they bring me into a realm of surrender.

I laid there in tranquility until a subtle presence stirred me. Paralyzed in bed and half-asleep, I was still conscious enough to know that my arms and legs were uncomfortably outstretched. Moving them required so much mental effort—I swear dumb-bells were bound to my limbs. Raising my eyebrows, I could feel the magnified weight of my eyelids as I struggled to open my eyes. I finally succeeded in doing so and to my horror, as my vision adjusted to the light and refocused, I saw it.

Black. Watching. Waiting.

My heart raced as I tried to logically explain what I had just seen. “Is there one, or are there two??? No, that’s just my lamp”, I reassured myself. However, the overriding fear was too intense, and I could not disprove the reality of what I had actually seen. Its eyes were menacing, and its presence ominous. I could feel its brooding aura surround me. In the same instance, my body was unconsciously straining to bring my arms over my face; trying to shield myself from this entity. This whole time I could see the black being out of the corner of my eye—its attention fixed on my fear. My body succumbs.

Hours must have passed before awakening. In actuality, it was morning the next day and my housemates were still not home. Despite last night’s episode, I wasn’t really perturbed by it, and wrote it off as another bad dream. The last thought I remembered was finally managing to cross my arms over my face. Still, regardless of my nightmares and the diminishing quality of sleep over the months, I still carried on with my usual duties before heading for work.

After brushing my teeth, I decided to take a crap before showering. It was at this moment when the fiber of my soul was shaken. Bending over to wipe myself clean with a handful of toilet paper, I was perplexed to find bright-red blood covering the entire wad. However, this was not the first time. Ever since my sleep pattern changed, I have been experiencing heavy rectal bleeding. I would stay up late just so that I can sleep throughout the night without awaking, but perhaps in reality I was just delaying my slumber to avoid an encounter. Disconcerting thoughts. Ambiguous perceptions. Paralyzing fear.