The Incubus

Chapter 2, Scene 8

Something was wrong. Justin didn't know what yet, but he could sense it in the darkness. He looked around the apartment, scanning his eyes over the dark shapes in the living room to see if he could spot anything out of place. He saw a man standing in the corner and then realized that it was merely a chair. As his eyes adjusted to the overwhelming darkness, he could see more shapes more clearly.

'What's wrong?' Rebecca asked next to him and he jumped.

'Don't scare me like that,' he said with a mild irritation in his voice.

'I'm sorry,' she said, then lowered her voice to a whisper. 'What are we looking for?'

'I don't know,' Justin whispered back. 'But something feels...wrong.'

A tingle ran down Rebecca's spine. 'What is it?'

'I just told you, I-don't-know!' Justin snapped. 'What the hell do you think I'm doing?' He looked away from her and clenched his teeth. He wasn't intentionally rude to her, but for some reason, he couldn't help it. It just exploded without his control.

Both jumped when they heard someone knocking on a neighbour's door somewhere down the passage outside.

'Who would be out there at two in the morning?' Rebecca asked softly.

'Keep quiet!' Justin snapped again.

Someone knocked again, but this time it was louder and closer, almost as if whomever it was moved from door to door.

Rebecca clutched Justin's arm. Through the stained window pane next to their door they could see the silhouette of a man, illuminated by the dim light outside.

'Who's that?' Rebecca asked and tightened her grip around Justin's arm.

Justin didn't answer. He was nervous himself and didn't want to make it obvious to her. He was supposed to be her protector, and if he displayed fear, how could he ever make her feel safe again? Justin swallowed hard; his heart pounded heavily in his chest.

The knock on their door was unexpectedly loud; more of a threatening bang that echoed out loud through their apartment.

Justin had a bad feeling in his gut and held his breath. Each heartbeat exploded loudly in his own ears and he was afraid that the unwanted visitor outside would be able to hear it and thus know that they weren't asleep. The silhouette at the glass pane moved again, and then moved closer. Justin suddenly realized that the person was inside their apartment, advancing toward them with a long knife raised in the air, ready to slash down.

'No!' Justin screamed as he woke up.

'Justin?' Rebecca asked through the darkness. 'Are you all right?'

Justin sat up and waited for his eyes to adjust. His body was drenched in sweat and his heart beat furiously in his chest.

Light flooded the room as Rebecca switched on the bed lamp. 'What's wrong?'

'Bad dream,' Justin said and took a few deep breaths to regulate his breathing.

'What was it about?'

'What's the time?' Justin asked.

Rebecca took her cell phone from the bed stand and pressed a button. 'It's ten past two,' she said.

Justin swallowed hard. 'I was rude to you,' he said. His throat was dry and his voice coarse. 'Someone came into our apartment...attacked us with a knife...'

'And then?'

Justin swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed his face. He took another deep breath. 'And then I woke up.'

Rebecca just looked at him as he walked from the room to drink some water. She heard him mumble something about keeping the study door closed before she slumbered off again.