Trees looming above him, the boy ran. Dead leaves crunched beneath his feet as his little legs carried him on his flight through the wood. Tears streamed down his face. He could hardly see through them, or through the moonless night. Still, he ran. The boy had to get away, or else it would kill him too.
He didn’t dare turn and look back at the monster that was chasing him. He knew it was there. He could hear the sound of its many limbs echoing through the woods. He didn’t need to see it. It was there. It would always be there. The only escape was to get home, to hide under the covers with his teddy bear to protect him until his parents got home.
The boy could see the light of his home in the distance now. The energy that had been draining from him seemed to return as his speed only increased. So to did the sounds of the monster chasing him. It sounded like it was all around him, sometimes even in front of him. Shaking his head, the boy kept running. The tree line was just ahead, then he just had to make it across the yard and back in through his window. Then he’d be safe again, safe from the monster that stalked the woods and the strange building it contained.
He tripped. His face fell into the leaves and dirt. Scrambling back to his feet, the boy glanced back. There was nothing there but unending darkness. Not the same darkness as the night, where forms were visible and light came through. There was no shapes. There was no light. There were only ceaseless shadows. Then he saw one of its limbs break through the black, and with a scream, the boy was moving again.
Across the lawn, dodging around the shed and past the bike he’d left there earlier in the afternoon. Safety was so close. His fingers gripped his windowsill, leveraging his body past the threshold. The boy reached up and slammed the window shut as hard as he could. He gave the world outside on final look, the encroaching black spreading across his yard. He shut the curtains, and leaped into his bed.
Clutching his teddy bear, he buried himself underneath the covers, sobbing. His friends were dead. His parents were gone. The thing was outside. He heard it tapping at the window, but he didn’t dare to look. Instead, he hid his face in his pillow and whimpered, trying to stay as quiet as he possibly could. The tapping only grew louder. So, too, did his whimpers.
Then, beneath his covers, things seemed to grow darker. The boy shivered, feeling as if winter had suddenly fallen in his room. He clung to his teddy bear before slowly peeking out from under the blanket. All he saw was darkness. It was inside his room. The tapping stopped.
He pulled the covers down tighter, trying uselessly to seal himself completely away from the black. He screamed, and he cried.
Something touched him through the blanket. Gentle, like his father’s hand. The boy shivered, knowing it couldn’t possibly be his parents returned. The black would be gone if they were home. He just had to stay under the covers and everything would be okay.
The thing in the child’s room continued to pet him softly through the comforter for what felt like hours before the boy felt it abruptly stop. The light in his room seemed to spring back to life, blinding him. In the distance, he could hear his mother and father talking happily. He heard the front door shut behind them.
The boy shouted happily. He’d made it through the night. He pulled down his covers, and was overwhelmed by the plunging darkness and the sound of the end of the world.
* * *
Damien awoke, his body shaking. “Enough, enough. I’m up,” He groaned, trying to fight off his attacker.
“Oh, I know you are. You always are when I’m around,” His roommate said, sitting down on the bed, done nudging his friend awake, “But are you awake?”
Throwing the covers down from over his, Damien glared at the man next to him. He kicked out, pushing the giant off his bed, “Yes, I’m awake. And I was having such a pleasant dream, too.”
“Really, now? About me?” The man chuckled as he stretched out on the floor like a cat, running a hand through his hair, “The level of your obsession with the Ted never ceases to amaze me.”
“Yes, it was such an amazing dream. You were dead,” Damien grabbed a pillow and threw it at his friend’s face, “You were dead and I was finally free of you and your goddamn flirting. I mean, really, how long have you been hitting on me now?”
“Bit over a decade now. But can you blame a guy for trying?” Ted gave the covers a yank, pulling them away from Damien. He exaggeratedly looked his friend over, “I mean, with a body like that…”
“Oh come on,” Damien glanced down at himself, poking his own stomach, “Yeah, with rock hard abs like these, it’s surprising you’re able to contain yourself right now.”
“Yeah, and that hair. Man, ain’t nothing like a fun, sassy brunette to get a guy going.”
“I thought blondes were supposed to be the fun ones?”
“Well, we are… But brunettes aren’t bad either. I mean, you’ve got that whole tall, dark, and mysterious thing going on, ya know?” Ted said, standing up and reaching over to mess up Damien’s hair, “Well, maybe not tall, but ya get what I mean. Now stop being so damn bitchy and get dressed. You look obscene, lying there like that.” With a chortle, he turned and left the room.
Damien sighed, trying to pat is hair back down into something relatively maintained, but failing. Instead, as usual, the curls immediately puffed back out into a giant mess. He shook his head as he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up. He stretched, letting out a tiny groan, before wandering over to his closet, stepping over the clothes lying scattered across his floor.
Shoving the red polo that made up his work uniform aside, he grabbed the next shirt he found. It was finally his day off, no work and no school, and he was rather looking forward to it. He had no obligations. He wouldn’t have to deal with David and his incessant demands. He didn’t have to go to class or cram studying and homework into the last four hours of the day while sacrificing sleep. It was just him, his car, Ted, and the world.
Tossing on the shirt and his jeans, he kicked his door open and stepped into the hallway. He was greeted by a scent that immediately made his mouth water. With a tiny groan, he rubbed his temples and made his way to the kitchen.
Ted turned and faced him, holding the pan out to him. Damien just glanced into it and shook his head, “What do I have to do for it this time?”
“What you always have to do,” Ted grinned, dumping the bacon onto a plate, “So say it.”
Damien sighed, “Really? I don’t make YOU say stupid shit. I just share it with you, like friends are supposed to.”
“Yes, and that makes you better than I will ever be, now say it or you don’t get any of my wondrously tasty bacon,” Ted said with a chuckle.
“I love you.”
“Aaaaaand?” He held the plate over Damien’s head, just out of reach.
“And I want your meat.”
“Wheeeere?”
“Inside me.”
Ted lowered the plate down to his roommate, “Well, since you asked so nicely…”
Damien growled, grabbing a strip and shoving it in his mouth. He scowled up at Ted as he chewed before swallowing, “You are really fucking annoying, Ted.”
“I love you too.”
