Fear

Beware of your own imagination,

for it distorts reality

, and although thanks to it

we often see flowers,

someday we may see

something completely different...

Sitting alone in the dark

, sometimes it's better not to look.

Hepe (Michał L.)

Fear - an inseparable part of each of us.

It accompanies us from birth, until

our miserable end in the company of earthly vermin.

Hepe.

Fear - a negative emotion that appears in situations of danger or in the event of a sudden change in the situation that cannot be quickly assessed.

DAY ONE

She just needs to check her email and can lie down. She turned on the computer and sat down to browse her inbox. She hadn't checked it in a few days, and now it was cluttered with emails from friends. Most of them were sending funny things they found online. She had already eaten dinner and was about to go to bed. Her husband had a night shift and had left for work some time ago. She sat in complete silence, only illuminated by the light of the monitor. Autumn was beginning. Dusk had fallen a few minutes ago. Marzena stared at the monitor and concentrated on reading a funny poem from a friend. Suddenly, a shiver ran through her. A cold breeze swept over her, and she felt goosebumps. Brrrr, a strange feeling. All the windows seemed to be closed, so where was this breeze coming from? She wanted to get up and check the windows, but the cold breeze vanished, and she couldn't be bothered to get up from her chair. She went back to reading the poem. Before she had read a few lines, she felt a chill again. The cold came in a short wave. Oddly enough, it wasn't like a cool breeze. It was more like the chill from inside a refrigerator. The feeling frightened her a little. She turned and looked behind her. The room was dark and quiet. She turned on the desk lamp.

She got up and checked both windows in the room. They were closed. She turned on the main light and headed for the kitchen. She had only one room left to check, as she lived with her husband in a studio apartment, and as everyone knew, there was only one room. Oh yes, her husband was supposed to close the kitchen window, but he just closed it. She hummed a little to herself and closed the frame. She returned to her room, turned off the light, and sat down at her desk. It was getting late, but she had an afternoon shift tomorrow and could stay up later. She left the monitor lamp on, though she lowered it a bit so it wouldn't shine in her eyes. The cold draft gave her the uneasy feeling that someone else was in the room. Sometimes that happens when you're alone in the dark.

She finished reading the funny poem and opened another email with some funny pictures. Suddenly, in the utter silence of the room, she heard something she often heard when a cat jumped off the bed or the dresser onto the carpet. A soft thud on the carpet. She had often heard it when she still had a cat, but now she hadn't had a pet in the house for a long time. She grew slightly uneasy and listened, afraid to look away. Apart from the faint sound of the refrigerator running, there was complete silence. She must have misheard. The more she listened to the silence, the more her imagination began to run wild. She decided to give up sitting and go to sleep. She closed the inbox when she distinctly heard something roll from one end of the room to the other. Her heart skipped a beat, and goosebumps covered her entire body. She began to have the distinct feeling that something small was sitting in the middle of the carpet behind her chair. In her mind, she already pictured a small monster with a mouth full of fangs, thinking only of how to bite her face off. She sat still, unsure of what to do. The irrational fear that arose in such situations momentarily overwhelmed her. She was afraid to even raise her hand to tilt the lamp's head higher and cast more light into the room. With difficulty, she redirected her thoughts and began talking to herself. Talking to herself was very effective, as it killed the cursed silence.

"Yeah, now we just need to wash up and go to bed," she said into the air,

simultaneously standing up and tilting the lamp higher. "And turn off that hash." She glanced at the computer, but preferred to turn on the main light first. She approached the switch, looking at the wall and trying not to look at the center of the room. The brightness instantly banished all the ominous shadows and dark corners. The fear subsided, but it didn't disappear completely; she still had the strange feeling that something was in the room with her. As she waited for the computer to shut down, she had the impression that the creature had moved and was now waiting at the exit of the room, blocking her path to the bathroom. With the lights on, she wasn't overcome by fear, but she felt, at the very least, uneasy. She was gathering the courage to get up and head for the bathroom when the silence was shattered by a loud...

"Krzysieeeekkk!"

Her heart leaped in surprise and then immediately returned to its original position. Someone had started shouting outside the building, at someone named Krzysiek. Normally, she would have mentally cursed him for shouting at night, but now she was rather grateful. Hearing the conversation outside the building, her mind cleared completely. She looked around and went to the bathroom. She didn't like moments like this, sitting alone in the dark, but subconscious is subconscious, you can't get rid of it.

"You should have put on some music," she said, and busied herself brushing her teeth.

She lay down comfortably in bed and fell asleep, sleeping peacefully through the night.

THE NEXT DAY

The clerk gave her her change. Marzena tossed the yellow cheese into a bag and left the store. "He who's not smart is smart," she thought. She'd forgotten to shop earlier and now she had to walk in the dark. The autumn evenings were falling earlier and earlier. The sky was overcast, preventing the silver globe from casting any light. She entered the alley leading to the house. Quite a few young people were sitting on the benches next to it. The children knew her by sight and knew she lived here, so she didn't have to worry about being teased.

"Good evening," she heard as she passed three young men standing under

a nearby tree. She recognized the voice as the son of one of her neighbors, so she politely replied. She turned, now to the side, onto a well-trodden path in the lawn. This was the closest way to the house. She walked across the large lawn, past the playing field and a row of garages.

There was no major light source here, and the streetlights along the alley were too far away, so this

stretch of road was shrouded in darkness. She wasn't afraid of anyone, but walking this road, especially after rain and in the dark, risked ending up in some pleasantly lingering mud puddle. Fortunately, she'd lived here long enough to know the layout of such traps by heart. She stepped onto the lawn to avoid a puddle when she felt someone following her. She turned, looking around. She couldn't see any outline of a figure. The faint light from the streetlights along the alley was behind her, and if someone was following her, they would always be visible.

She smiled to herself. It was her imagination again. She was a little tired of being the kind of person who immediately conjured up terrifying scenarios in her head in the dark. She continued forward and glanced at the nearby garages. A chill ran down her spine. She stopped. On the roof of the row of garages, she noticed a tall, darker shape. It was as if someone were standing there. Once again, a chill ran through her at the thought that someone was actually standing there, watching her. She waited a few seconds, but the shadow didn't move.

Heart pounding, she moved a little closer, but still kept a distance of about a dozen meters. The darker shape remained in place. She couldn't remember anything casting such a shadow there, but she might not have noticed it before. Maybe it had been brighter before, and the slight difference in lighting could have caused strange shadows. Besides, why would anyone be standing on the garage roof at night?

"Hello," she said to the shape. Nothing, no answer. She took a deep

breath and looked around. There was no one there, except some kids sitting on the steps of a building a little further away. She tried to calm herself; the shape hadn't even moved in a while, so it probably wasn't a person. She calmed down a bit, but she still felt a slight sense of dread.

It was definitely because the moon wasn't shining and something was casting that darker shadow there.

She continued walking. She had taken a few steps when she heard a faint "thud."

A sound like someone jumping from a height. A chill ran through her, and she quickly glanced toward the garages. The shape on the roof was now half as tall, so it was probably a shadow, smaller from a different angle. Or maybe someone had been there and had now jumped down. She started walking backward. She couldn't see anything under the garages, as it was pitch black there. There was no sound of anyone coming, but she could have sworn someone was coming towards her. Her imagination suggested a monster coming at her. She turned and quickened her pace. The feeling of fear grew. She began to run, the shopping bag rustling.

To shorten her route, she turned onto the playing field instead of walking around, running, her heels pounding.

"Hey, where are you in such a hurry?" she heard.

The light from the stairwell entrances was already reaching here, so she could see something.

The voice came from a group of figures standing by the basketball hoop.

She slowed down, but didn't reply.

"If you keep running around like that in the dark, you'll break the whole thing,"

another voice commented, followed by a burst of laughter. "They're just kids." She left the field, just making sure they wouldn't pick on her, but after the burst of laughter, they turned their attention to each other. She lived right next door, so she was already at the stairwell. Before she entered, she stopped and looked around; the feeling of fear had vanished. No one was following her across the field. She went inside, turned on the light in the stairwell, and entered the apartment. Her husband had already returned from work and was now sitting in the bathroom. She started making dinner, thinking about what she'd just done. Inside, in the full light, she realized how stupid it was. She wasn't so sure she'd heard anything. She must have imagined it herself, or it was a cat or a dog under the garage, because it certainly wasn't a monster. If she told her husband about it, he would probably laugh at her. She decided to keep quiet and say nothing.

Deciding that for her own well-being she needed to find out if this was true, the next day, as she was walking to the bus stop, she glanced up at the garage roof, where it was. She spotted a small fireplace, but nothing else. Aside from these fireplaces, the roof was completely flat. Yesterday's shadow had been more than twice as high, but the play of light and imagination can exaggerate anything. Having thus explained it to herself, she set off to work.

THE NEXT DAY

Her bag caught against the door. She opened it wider and stepped into the stairwell. The light was on. She entered and closed the door behind her. At that moment, the salutary glow of the bulb went out. She moved her hand toward the light switch. Suddenly, she felt strange. No one had been in the hallway when she entered, yet she felt as if someone were nearby. She hurriedly approached the wall with the light switch and began searching for the button. A presence seemed to draw closer. She groped the wall in the dark, realizing she was searching too far. She turned her hand back when she felt a hot breeze on her face, someone's breath. A faint smell of decay appeared. Her fingers were on the switch at that moment, so she quickly ran it over it. Since she had only touched the switch, the light didn't come on, but flickered for a second and then went out. But in that second, she saw too much. She stood face to face with a monster's mouth full of teeth. The creature had a furry head, similar to a wolf's, and a mouth armed with a set of yellowed fangs. The animal breathed hot, stinking breath at her.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" A long scream tore from her throat. "Aaaaaaaaaaa!" she screamed,

unable to think or move. Fear gripped her completely.

Something gently brushed her cheek, a feeling like when a cat's tail brushes against you. The touch of fur. Marzena could already picture the monster biting her head off. She screamed, unable to stop. She didn't even finish when the light suddenly came on. She only stopped when she heard her husband. He grabbed her shoulders and asked what had happened.

"I...I." She looked around; there was no one else but them. A second later, the door opened to let the neighbors in. They were checking on her. "I... I don't know, I thought I saw something," she stammered.

"Come in." Grzesiek opened the door for her.

She went in and headed for the bathroom to dry herself off under her blouse, as a cold sweat had broken out on her in the hallway. "Jesus," she said to herself, looking in the mirror. She was as pale as a sheet. "I'm starting to see werewolves, I think I have some kind of mental illness," she said to herself. "Or maybe I ate something," she thought as she felt herself returning to her senses. She heard Grzesiek start talking to her through the door.

"What did you see there that made you start screaming all over the place?"

She didn't know what to say. He wouldn't admit to hallucinating.

"Nooooo, a rat." I just ran my finger over the light switch, and the light didn't turn on, it just flashed, and it seemed to me that a huge, fat rat was sitting against the wall.

"Here?" There aren't any rats here.

"I don't know," she said, walking out of the bathroom. "I'm telling you, there was a rat in there and it probably left before you turned on the light.

" "Well, even if it did, there are tons of cats here, so a rat won't live long." Grześ was slicing bread for dinner as he spoke. "You made the whole cage scream, hehehe."

She smiled wryly in response.

She hadn't had much trouble explaining the "rat" situation to her neighbor-friend. When she did, the other neighbors immediately stopped looking at her strangely. It was incredible how quickly news could spread.

She only told a coworker about what she'd actually seen in the hallway. He was much younger than her and had a different perspective on the world, and besides, he was a bit different. He'd been having dreams straight out of first-rate horror movies for a long time, and he clearly enjoyed them. For him, they were like good entertainment. He always came over and told me what was going on.

"It's probably because of your stupid talk." Marzena pointed a finger at his chest. "You come around and fill my head with your dreams, and it finally hit me.

" "Ugh. You'll be fine," he said calmly. "You don't die from that... mostly."

Besides, getting scared every now and then is good; your heart gets used to it, and you won't have a heart attack so easily. Your blood pressure regulates itself," he added with a smile.

"Yeah, you'll write that on my tombstone; it'll say 'died from

checking her blood pressure too often.'

" He smiled mischievously. "Nice phrase, I like it, but you won't die that quickly. Although I've never had a hallucination like that before, hehe. To see werewolves in real life. At least not without some kind of substance. Haven't you ever taken anything?" She looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Well, you must have gotten pretty worked up. Leave it alone and don't think about it. It happens. It's a rare occurrence, and since then you've been walking around in the dark and nothing's happened," she agreed. "Until you start living with the belief that the world is full of monsters, it's normal." He patted her on the shoulder and left the room.

"I'm stupid," she thought, sighing. Now that vision seemed like a mere premonition. Like in the garages a month ago. Her imagination added a scent and a brush against her cheek, and that was it. It wasn't bad, but if her imagination continued like that, things could get ugly. For now, nothing else happened.

NIGHT

They went to bed around 10 p.m. That day. They both got up early, so they wanted to sleep in. The full moon provided plenty of light. The room was bathed in its gloomy glow, creating a slightly ominous scene. She usually didn't think so, but today the moon was eerily white.

"What a scary glow, isn't it?" she shared her observations with her husband.

"The moon is like the moon. Although it's not a very common full moon. So...perfect.

" "I don't know, kind of spooky.

" "Uh, don't get too worked up again, or you'll start seeing monsters." He laid his head on the pillow and turned to her.

Marzena was a little surprised. She didn't tell her husband about this vision, or at least she didn't remember finally telling him. Meanwhile, Grzesiek continued.

"I bet you won't look under the bed." He nudged her side.

"Now?

" "Well, when? Just lean out and look.

" "Look yourself.

" "Okay," Grzesiek pulled back the covers, then leaned over the edge of the bed, peering under it. "Huhuuu, Mr. Monster, there's a gentleman there." He said into the space between the floor and the bed.

Marzena leaned over to see if he was actually looking under the bed.

"Aaaaaa," Grzesiek yelled, "he's here, he's here." Marzena was frozen, about to scream too, when Grzesiek straightened up and looked at her. In the dim light, she could see he was smiling.

"Mr. Monster is there, waiting for you," he announced.

"You're stupid." She patted him on the forehead.

He laughed softly and kissed her cheek. "Sorry, but I had to do it." Now, look under that bed, or you're hysterical.

"Okay," she sighed and approached the edge of the bed on her side. She grabbed the edge and

began to lean out. She felt a twinge of uncertainty. She probably wouldn't have been so reluctant before, like she was after recent events. She'd always been a little afraid of the dark, but not too much. She glanced past her slippers and was about to look under the bed. Well, maybe Grzesiek was her too, or she'd be a bit of a wimp. She quickly peered underneath, feeling as if something was lurking there. She didn't see anything for a second, except the moonlight on the floor on the other side, so she lingered for a moment longer. Something lay under the bed, not far from her face, a small object. She reached out and leaned out further. She took it in her hand...

"Boo, wa ...

"Aaaa!" Marzena let out a short cry, then felt herself lose her balance. She fell onto her back with a thud. "Ouch," she stammered.

"Oh, Jesus, honey, I didn't know you'd fall," Grzesiek said from under the bed.

She glanced at him, still lying there. "I'll pay you back so you remember me," she replied seriously.

"Excuse me, come here and I'll kiss you," he said. "And what did you find there?"

She raised her hand to her eyes, holding the object. It turned out to be some soft cloth. She turned it to the moonlight; the cloth was green. Well, that's how her sock had turned up. "It's just my sock," she replied, and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She tossed the find in the middle of the room so she wouldn't miss it in the morning. Now she had to get back to bed and do something to Grzesiek. She hadn't thought he could be so stupid. She jumped onto the sofa and turned towards her husband. He was still hanging with his head under the bed.

"Get out of there and come here," she nudged him with her foot. He didn't react. For a moment, she considered pushing harder and throwing him off the bed, but it seemed too childish. She nudged him again. Grzesiek was still dangling silently.

"Grześ?" She began to feel uneasy at his lack of reaction. Fortunately, after a moment, he stirred and began to straighten up. "Stop fooling around," she announced.

Grzesiek turned to face her. A cold shiver ran through her, and her heart instantly accelerated to dizzying speeds. This time, she gasped, not screamed. What she saw paralyzed her completely. Her husband was missing half his face. The moonlight perfectly captured the horrific sight, though she didn't know how she could see colors in that light. A bright glow bathed what had just been her husband's face. Now, half his face was a bloody, torn mess. A bloody patch of skin hung from his cheek, and instead of an eye, an empty socket gaped black, and two torn marks, from which droplets of blood dripped, stretched across his forehead.

"Honey," his voice was hoarse, "I feel strange somehow," he stated.

Marzena couldn't move and watched in horror. Blood from his cheek streamed onto the bedclothes, staining it red. Grześ gritted his teeth against the pain and closed his single eye. The moonlight shone harshly on the unfolding scene. His torn cheek began to crack, and hair began to grow from the flesh. The same thing happened on his forehead. The cuts widened with the crack of splitting skin, and then black stubble slowly broke through.

A growl escaped his throat. He turned his head slightly to the side, then down, and looked at her again, opening one eye. No, opening the eye wasn't the right word. He simply lifted his eyelid, for the eye was gone. Grześ looked at Marzena with empty eye sockets and began to inch his face closer. She wanted to run, but she couldn't, paralyzed. She felt she was about to die from fear. His face was getting closer. The smell of blood and fresh meat reached her.

She woke up with a scream. She was still terrified and afraid to move. Someone shook her twice more and turned on the lamp. The feeling of stiffness disappeared with the light, but she still couldn't move.

"Are you okay?" Grześ's face appeared above her. He looked as usual, only sleepier. "You screamed in your sleep and I woke up, and then you started thrashing. You're drenched in sweat."

Marzena exhaled and felt like she could move. "It was just a bad dream," she informed her.

"I noticed, that's why I woke you. It must have been really scary.

" "Don't even ask." She stood up and climbed out of bed. She found herself some new pajamas and headed to the bathroom to change. She was soaked.

"Will you tell me?" Grześ asked before she entered the bathroom.

"No. I'd rather forget."

"Okay."

When she got back to bed, he was already asleep, although he'd left the lamp on. She turned it off and went to bed. She no longer felt any fear and had no problems the rest of the night.

She was tired. She slept most of the night, but she still felt exhausted. She dragged herself to work and told her dream to a colleague. Perhaps just to hear something that would cheer her up. To hear that it was normal, everyone has nightmares and so on. In fact, it was all true. But she wasn't so sure about it anymore. It was starting to bother her. Lately, she'd been feeling anxious more and more often for no reason. Whenever she stepped out into the dark hallway, a thread of unease was always with her. She wasn't afraid of someone lurking in the dark, someone who could be seen even when the light was on, even if it was an axe-wielding killer. She felt fear of something that lived only in the dark and simply disappeared in the light. Nightmares while she was awake. She'd never had anything like this before, and it was starting to worry her. She wasn't going crazy. She lived a stress-free life and ate normally. She had no reason to suddenly freak out. However, if this continued, she might need to get checked out and make sure everything was alright with her body.

LAST DAY?

What a nice warm feeling, she thought, feeling the wine in her stomach. She began to feel warm. She closed the door behind her friend. She entered the room, looking at the table. There were a few breadsticks and cookies left. The bottle of wine was almost empty. She scratched her head. She didn't feel like cleaning up. She'd clean it up tomorrow, when her head stopped spinning. Grześ had been working night shifts again this week, so she could sit with her friend and finally have a drink. To let her emotions run free. She took a shower. The stream of water gradually banished the alcohol-induced dizziness from her. She changed into her pajamas and turned on the computer. Before it started, she moved the table and prepared her bed. She turned on the desk lamp and turned off the main one. She just wanted to chat with her friend online for a moment and then go to sleep. She'd been talking to her friend for less than ten minutes when she felt the alcohol taking over again. The rocking began. She apologized to her friend and said goodbye when she felt a familiar sensation. It had been a bit longer through the alcohol, but now she felt it very clearly. Someone was in the room with her. She heard the faint creak of the floor. The feeling of fear she felt caused her to "sober up" again.

"Oh Jesus," she whispered to herself. She didn't dare turn around. Something—she decided it was something, because someone couldn't be so quiet—stood behind her. This time she sensed something large. The presence towered over her. She imagined a werewolf drooling just above her head. Her imagination made it worse. She felt something reach out and hold its hands on the sides of her head. Its fingers circled close to her ears and up to the top of her head, but without touching. She swallowed hard. She felt numb. Her heart was beating like crazy. Another waking nightmare, or had she fallen asleep at the keyboard? If she had fallen asleep, she should have woken up by now. She prayed silently. She took a deep breath; she had to do something, but she was still afraid to turn around. She thought of something else. The light next to the monitor was on, so if the monitor turned off, there would be a lot of reflection in the glass. With difficulty, she raised her hand. At any moment, something could kill her. She held her finger on the monitor button for a moment. If she turned it off, it would get darker. Oh well. Either she'd realize it was her imagination again, or she'd perish in the monster's arms. She pressed the button, narrowing her eyes. They widened slowly. An image of her face appeared on the screen in front of her. She stared terrified at her reflection, expecting to see a large creature right behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw nothing. Only her face was reflected in the monitor. The feeling of fear eased. Marzena stood up briskly and went to the wall light. She turned on the light as quickly as she could. The room looked the same as it had an hour ago. She shook her head. She definitely hadn't slept. She sighed. She was seriously considering getting her head examined. Oh well. There was nothing she could do now. She had to go to sleep. She turned off the computer and used the bathroom. She lay comfortably in bed. She closed her eyes, resting her head on the pillow. She sighed quietly to herself and felt something large lie down next to her....

The End .