Chapter 6
I knew as soon as my breath grew heavy, and I drifted, that something was amiss. My heart was beating rapidly. Despite the steps I took to calm myself, I was too anxious from what I’d seen earlier. And the demon felt it, latched onto it.
A shadowy figure towered over me. It seemed to be crouching so its head didn’t touch the ceiling. In the dark, the silhouettes of snakes emerged from either side of its head, their tongues hissing, cursing me.
I willed my limbs to move as I lay in bed, but my body no longer belonged to me. I could only move my eyes, straining them to see the figure more clearly, but it was impossible.
I attempted to wiggle my fingers and toes, as I had read would end the paralysis, but the advice of Reddit users didn’t work this time.
Shutting my eyes tightly to block out the image only increased my heart rate.
With eyes closed, my hearing was more sensitive.
The hissing grew louder, like multiple snakes were competing for who could be the loudest. Like they needed me to listen.
Snapping my eyes open, my sight adjusting to the darkness, I gazed up to my ceiling, which was covered in them.
The snakes writhed, defying gravity. Their bodies entwined.
Then they began to drop.
On me.
They fell on my body, thick and heavy. I wanted to scream, but no noise escaped my mouth. They slithered around my limbs, over the covers, weighing me down. I felt one begin to slink its way underneath the sheets, the fitted bedsheet moving with its body.
A snake wrapped itself around my leg. Its body thick, its scales rough against my skin. I wanted to push it off. In my mind, my body was thrashing, but the reality was stillness. I attempted to scream again. Nothing.
Darkness fully engulfed me, and when I could see, I was standing at the edge of a forest, being ushered forward by people in armor.
My arms were tied behind my back as I was pushed into the depths of the woods.
They led me to the stake—a place I knew well at this point.
Just before they did, though, I caught sight of my mum.
My mum. She was watching me from the back of the crowd, face blank, unreadable, like the rest of the audience.
When she finally looked into my eyes, however, I thought I saw sadness in them.
I called to her, screamed for her to save me.
I could feel myself crying, pleading. But I was also sobbing at the memory of her.
I wanted her to embrace me, but she shook her head.
I thrashed against the guards, but the restraints around my wrists were too tight.
She didn’t move, didn’t try to save me. In fact, I think she had accepted what was happening.
She had become an onlooker of my cruel death.
I gasped awake, my face wet with tears.