Scared

Chapter 2

Is anyone else's notifications on wattpad being weird. Like when I click on a notification it won't take me anywhere🤷🏻‍♀️

And this was gonna be dedicated to some of you guys but I can't see my comments to get usernames and I wanted to update cause I've been holding off but hopefully next time.

Anyway here is another chapter for you lovelies 💛

Alan's POV

As we all sat around the table for dinner I couldn't help but just pick at my food. I wasn't that hungry, mainly because of the impending doom that I had laying over my head. Honestly if any sane person described it I don't think 'impending doom' would be the words that they would use, but for me that's kind of what it felt like. I just dreaded going to bed, to be more accurate I was scared to go to bed. It was honestly pathetic really. Here I was sixteen years old and afraid of the dark corners of my room and the monsters in my closet.

Literally.

I was genuinely terrified of having to go in my room and go to sleep. Of course I had a nightlight and those little glow in the dark star stickers that basically covered the entirety of my ceiling but that still didn't cover every inch of my room. The monsters in my closet were an entirely different story on their own. I was sane enough to know that there wasn't actually monsters in my closet, at least I thought I was, but that still didn't stop me from being scared of the possibility that there actually monsters in my closet. They weren't giant blue fuzzy monsters named Boo either. The ones that I were afraid of were human shaped, but way taller and bent at weird angles, with grisly sharp teeth, blood dripping from black eyes, and gray skin that was peeling off in sheets. The thought of them made my skin break out in goosebumps and my appetite disappear completely.

It was just last year that I convinced myself that I didn't need my Dad to check the closet before he went to sleep. Instead I took it upon myself to check every night, right after I made sure all of the windows and doors were locked and that any cords that could be unplugged were unplugged. I was also scared of someone breaking in the house and an electrical fire starting because someone forget to unplug their phone charger.

I was seriously screwed up.

Honestly what sixteen year old is afraid of monsters in their closet, or the dark, or someone breaking in their house, or fires, or spiders, or snakes, or dogs, or people in general, o-
I stoped myself from continuing the list  of things I was scared of because I was just going to freak myself out even more.

I looked up to see my parents looking at me, worry plastered all over their faces.
"Alan honey are you okay?" My Mom and and nodded.
"It's just the usual stuff." I shrugged. "The dark and, well umm you know, m-monsters in the closet." I whispered the last part, ashamed that this was the way I was.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of son," my Dad said. "We're all afraid of something. You're mother is terrified of spiders."
"So am I, but that's a pretty common fear for a sixteen year old or a thirty-nine year old to have." I pointed. "However, a sixteen year old who is afraid of the dark and stupid monsters in their closet is not common. As I have said many times before it's just pathetic."
"That's not tru-"

"There's no need to lie to me! I know it's pathetic. I'm sixteen I should be able to get over it and move on with my life but I just can't and that kills me." I sighed and closed my eyes. "But it's my life and I have to deal with it."
They were both quiet for a moment. I don't know if they were just processing what I had said or if they were just trying to come up with something to say.

Fortunately dinner was over soon after this, but, on the opposite less fortunate side, that also meant it was almost time to go to bed or at least almost time to retreat to my room. I had no problem being in my room of the day time, I practically didn't leave, it was just during the night that things got spooky and I got paranoid.

While my mother was busy cleaning up dishes and my Dad was showering I set about making sure all the windows and doors were locked downstairs. Once I was satisfied that they were all definitely locked I slowly made my way upstairs. My room light was already on so that was one thing I currently didn't have to worry about. I made sure my window was locked and the curtain was pulled closed before I made my rounds checking the other two bedrooms on the floor, the bathroom I would check after Dad got finished with his shower.

Once I was finished with that I made my way back to my room. I switched on my bright bedside lamp and turned the overhead light off. I quickly changed into some plaid pajama pants and sat on the edge of my bed waiting for my Dad to finish. Finally there was a knock on my door and he peeked his head in.
"Hey there buddy." He said with a smile, fully stepping into the room. "I'm all done in the shower and was headed to bed so I thought I'd say goodnight." He came over and gave me a hug and ruffled my hair a little. "Night kiddo. If you need me you know where to find me." I smiled at him and nodded.
"Night Dad." As he left I followed behind him so I could quickly brush my teeth and of course check the bathroom window.

After that I trudged back to my room and laid down on my bed, not quite ready to go to sleep yet. I played some music on my phone and drummed my fingers along with the beat. My head snapped up instantly when I heard a squeak from my room door. My heart started to race and I was getting ready to scream when I saw my Mom's head peak around the corner. I instantly fell back on my bed in relief and cursed under my breath.

"Sorry hun," she said with an apologetic look on her face. "I was just coming to say goodnight." She sat down on the edge of my bed and looked at me a moment before taking one of my hands in hers. "Listen Alan, you know you can come stay in your Dads and my room if you want, even if it's just for the night. You know we don't care." She gave me a sweet smile and I smiled at her in return.
"No that's okay. I'll be fine in here." I told her. A part of me still wanted to go sleep in my parents room but a more stubborn part of me wouldn't allow that.
"Well the offer is there if you ever want to take us up on it. Now I'm gonna go lay down, love you." She kissed my forehead and left with a little wave after I bid her goodnight.

I laid on my bed a few more minutes before I knew I had to get up and do the inevitable. I stood up from my bed and walked over to the front of my closet door which was shut tightly. I grabbed a flashlight off of my nearby desk and took a deep breath. My hand quickly latched on to the door handle and threw it open. My heart was beating out of my chest as I looked into the dark space before me. I quickly shown the light of the flashlight on the closet and made slow work of pulling the clothes apart just to make sure nothing was there. My heart rate calmed down considerably as I neared the end my checking.

Once I was completely satisfied with my work I shut the closet door and let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing in there that could scare or hurt me. I made my way back over to my bed and after taking a few minutes to get comfortable I reached over and switched off my lamp. Immediately my heart began to race as I was plunged into darkness. I pulled the covers up to my chest and tried to focus on the stars glowing on my ceiling. I counted and tried to pace my breathing. It was an every night thing. Something I had been doing for years but it still hadn't become routine it seemed.

I couldn't understand the way my heart raced and how every inch of my skin seemed to crawl once I was situated in the dark of my room. The night light and stars weren't always enough.