Winter Nightmare

It’s dark. Only a few stray moon beams and wet snow slip through the cracks in the walls of the abandoned warehouse. The building is in ruins, with many niches in between the fallen structures and old tables and crates. The perfect place to hide.

For now.

It’s so cold. You sit with your arms around your knees, shivering in a small alcove, and coughing every now and then. But you aren’t shaking just because of the cold.

Fear. It has invaded your mind and pulses through your blood with every new heartbeat. It has become your first nature, and you no longer know what the word ‘trust’ means.

It has changed you. Your hair is tangled and matted, but you no longer care. Your face is caked in layers of dirt and grime, but what you once would have found disgusting is now like a second skin to you, covering the angry, dark bruises all over your body. The only things it can’t hide are the wide cuts that snake over your arms and legs, and the horrific gashes that reside on your head and other places.

You are only seven years old.

As you hug your knees tighter, if only to keep the numbness creeping up on you at bay for a little longer, you hear the sound. Instantly, you recognize the low, harsh sounds of a metal pipe dragging on the floor. You suddenly find yourself trembling uncontrollably.

It’s him. You huddle in your little nook, willing yourself to be as small as possible, to be invisible.

“Where are you, little kid?”

That voice, which had charmed and tricked you, sends a chill up your spine. But you no longer believe the false words of the gentle lilt. They’re just noises.

The metallic sound nears. You have to cover your mouth with your frozen hands to keep from whimpering. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to block him out. You will his dark eyes, brown hair, and maniacal grin from your mind, but he refuses to leave.

“Come out,” he croons. “I know you’re in here. You know we’re only playing a game of hide-and-seek. And besides, I’ve already found the rest of your little friends. Why don’t you just make it easier on me and get over here?”

Your breath catches in your throat. You don’t want to believe it, but deep down, you know that you are the only one left, because you were always the strongest one. All of the other children are . . . gone.

Because of him.

You have no more tears to shed. Everything you have seen has taken away the useless, meaningless feelings of sorrow you once felt.

Your mind is engulfed by fear. But all of your heart is full of yearning. You wish that you were safe and happy, warm in the loving embrace of your family. That is the only thing you could want in this world.

But you doubt that your wish will be granted. You’re smart enough to know that, eventually, there will be nowhere to run.

“So you’re determined to play this the hard way, huh?” His voice turns malicious. “Well, don’t worry. I’ll find you, and make sure you suffer ‘til your last breath.”

You inwardly flinch at the words ‘last breath.’ You don’t want your last moments to be of fear and hiding.

You want to live.

He lets out a wordless shout that hurts your ears, and then you hear a crash that almost draws an unbidden scream from your throat. You shut your eyes tightly and cover your numb ears. You will yourself to breathe, and calm your thoughts, but nothing works.

Suddenly, the metal sounds begin to fade and stop entirely. You tense, listening intently. Is he gone?

Silence. No metal pipe dragging on the ground, and no deceptive voice. You count slowly to twenty, and still no noise at all. Perhaps he did leave

Cautiously, you crawl out from your hiding place. Your breath comes out in a cloud as you exhale deeply and your shoulders relax. He’s gone.

“Found you!!!” he roars, leaping out of his hiding spot. You scream as he grabs your thin arm in an iron grip. Frantically, you lunge and sink your teeth into the flesh of his arm, willing him to suffer. The man yells out in pain, releasing both your arm and his metal pipe. The jarring noise of the metallic clang on the ground spurs you to action.

You run.

You force your legs to move as fast as they can, propelling you forward with each step. Your lungs work like never before, sucking in the chilly air.

Not once do you look back.

“You’re going to pay, kid!” His voice hounds you, only encouraging you to run even faster.

You head for the dense trees, hoping to lose him there. Soon enough, his enraged shouts begin to fade, leaving you in silence.

You reach the other side of the trees, and you finally slow, panting and coughing violently. Your legs ache, and your body is shaking forcefully. You sniffle. You know that you are sick, and probably won’t be able to go on much longer unless you find somewhere warm and safe.

Maybe there’s a store nearby, you tell yourself as you begin to trudge across the road in front of the trees. Or maybe—

You stumble and fall, your body screaming in protest. You lay there for a moment, winded, and then you hear a sound.

It’s almost as if you can hear someone calling your name. You push yourself to your feet, glance around warily, and you stare with disbelief when you see a very familiar woman with a warm smile on the other side of the road.

“Mommy?” you whisper, tears you thought you didn’t have welling up in your eyes, and freezing on your cheeks as they spill over. You shake your head. You must be dreaming.

Your clouded thoughts are interrupted by a loud honking noise. You turn in the direction the sound came from, and are momentarily blinded by the bright lights. When your vision clears your eyes immediately find the driver, grinning madly.

It’s him. He drives wildly over the ice, his large truck barreling straight towards you.

You turn your head. Your mother is still there, still smiling like nothing is wrong in the world. You look at the truck again, then back at your mother. You feel so numb that no emotion comes through, not even fear. One thought enters your mind.

What if this is all a bad dream? you wonder as the vehicle nears with every second. What if none of this is real?

You close your eyes.