The Night Mare - Lost In Darkness

Chapter 1: Keola

Sleep paralysis is a horrible thing.

It's not so much the being awake while you can't move that's horrible - even though it's scary, I'm not going to lie - but it's the monsters lurking in the shadows, the creatures crawling from under your bed and the demons coming out of your closet that are the worst.

But no matter how terrifying they are, they're nothing compared to the Night Mare.

☆*:😱:*☆

It was a somber moonless night. The world was vast asleep under its sapphire blanket, but through one small window still burned a copper light.

Keola sat behind his computer. The thing was ancient just like the apartment he lived in, but just like the apartment, his computer still held together just barely and just like all the things packed in his apartment, it still did its work... just barely.

Keola pushed his glasses up his nose as he read about the latest reddit sensation: the night mare, a succubus like creature visiting people at night, closely followed by the man with the hat.

All accounts mentioned the same terrifying woman, just like all accounts mentioned the same soothing man visiting them days later.

Wherever the woman went, the man with the hat followed. It was as if he hunted the succubus down and made sure her victims were alright.

Keola sighed.

Succubus or no succubus, he really could use some soothing company right now.

The pandemic had hit again and had hit hard. The city was in lock down once more and he couldn't remember his last actual contact with another living being.

He saw a lot of faces online - thank goodness he had held onto his salvaged computer - but none of them could see him. It was as if he didn't exist, other than through chat.

Oh, the pains he'd go through if only someone would see him, if only someone would acknowledge his existence and make him feel alive once more!

Keola adjusted his glasses.

Maybe...

His fingers tip tapped on the keyboard. His mouse bounced from webpage to webpage and his eyes scanned every word he could find.

He gulped down his cold excuse of a coffee and tip tapped click clacked some more.

Webpage after webpage reflected in his glasses.

He rubbed his eyes. A smile crossed his lips.

Satisfied he leaned back.