The Last Sprite (ManxMan)

Chapter 8

Dedication: nglrocks, you get the dedication because REASONS that will become more apparent in following chapters! :D:D You're rad!

Chapter 8

A soft peck on my forehead stirred me from slumber's sticky grasp. Jake spoke in gentle words that brushed against my ears like a soft breeze, yet I refused to wake. Mumbling something incoherently under my breath, I yanked the blanket over my head and sank back into sleep's murky depths.

Before I completely lost consciousness, I remembered hearing one of Jake's warm chuckles as his weight shifted from the bed. Sleep overtook me quickly as I sank into a black, dreamless void.

When I finally opened my eyes, the sun sat high in the sky as warm, golden light poured through the window. Exhaustion still haunted my achy limbs, as I tossed in the sheets, covered my head with the pillow, and let out an exasperated groan.

I wasn't ready to wake up.

Easily, I could have slept another few hours, but as I pressed my eyes closed tightly and outstretched my arms to welcome sleep's embrace, a rather heavy weight padded across my legs before settling between my ankles. When I uncovered my face and peered from under the pillow, I found the giant lump of orange fur curled into a ball with its head tucked under a paw. Despite its position, the cat stared directly into my eyes. A long, silent moment passed between us as the cat's eyes bore through me; an odd awareness flashed across its gaze as I shifted my weight and propped myself up on an elbow. It almost felt as though the cat dared me to move and disturb its presence.

"Oh yeah," I mumbled as morning's gravel deepened my voice, "I forgot you were here."

The cat blinked and lowered its head, tucking its face under its bushy tail.

Returning my gaze to the bed, a blue flashing light on my phone caught my attention. Stretching, I wrapped my fingers around my phone and unlocked the screen. I had an unread text message from Jake. Tapping the screen, I opened the message, and it read, "The cat's sweet. New pet?"

Glancing over my shoulder at the sweet animal nestled between my legs, I wondered who in their right mind would think that creature to be sweet. Tapping the glass screen lazily, I typed out my response: "Something like that." Returning the phone back onto the nightstand, I buried my head under the pillow and mumbled, "You may have fooled Jake, but I see right through you, Grumpy Lump." Yawning, I closed my eyes and allowed the cat to win this battle; though, I didn't mind grabbing an extra hour of sleep.

Slumber embraced me warmly and without coaxing; however, fragmented dreams played behind my eyelids. Even in slumber, my subconscious lacked the ability to decipher the shards as they danced their nonsensical ballet.

"Eyes," a voice resembling a echoing, tepid breeze whispered inside my mind, "Eyes are watching."

I reached for words, yet none were found as I hovered in the flashes. Gradually, red, piercing eyes formed in the flashes. At first, there were only a handful, but in a heartbeat, they spread until they completely surrounded me. I felt my heart quicken as fear flooded my senses; I yearned to move, to run, to close my eyes, but I remained.

I felt like a brain in a jar, completely disconnected from my body and simply sloshing around in a gelatinous nightmare.

The voice spoke again, and as the words formed in my mind, the eyes blinked away into nonexistence. One by one, they faded until I floated in solitude. "Always watching; always waiting." A hesitation filled my senses like a single drop of ice water sliding down my back. "Do not let them in; do not let them."