Suzu's Nightmare

Suzu jolted awake and sat straight up.

She blinked slowly to try and clear her vision, and took in her surroundings. Grandma's parlor. Interesting. She didn't remember falling asleep in there. Dad must have carried her in here. Why was it so dark?

She squinted down at the seat she was in. Ugh, floral. What an awful pattern to put on furniture. Why would anyone-

BANGBANGBANG

"OPEN THE DOOR PLEASE OH GOD OPEN THE DOOR"

Suzu's thoughts were shattered as the door to her left began to shake with the force of thunderous blows.

"PLEASE LET ME IN OPEN THE DOOR PLEASE"

A chill ran down Suzu's spine as she shot up from her chair. She didn't remember a door in Grandma's parlor. She spun around as the squeak of old hinges rang out from behind her, revealing an open door and the hallway beyond.

"OPEN THE DOOR NOW OPEN IT OPEN IT OPEN IT PLEEEEASE"

The sleepy girl who was now very much awake took one look at the closed door and the anguished cries coming from beyond, and ran through the open door at the other end of the room. Haunting cries of terror followed her every footstep. The door slammed shut behind her.

---

Suzu didn't stop running until she couldn't hear the screams anymore. She slowed to a stop and leaned against the wall. She couldn't remember the hallway being this long. She squinted down the hall and was surprised to see that she couldn't find the end. She could, however, see wooden doors lining each side of the hall.

She grabbed the knob of the door closest to her and twisted. Locked. The next four doors she tried gave her a similar outcome. Loosing an exasperated sigh, Suzu leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. This didn't make sense. What was going on?

"You're dreaming, of course."

Suzu jumped in surprise at the voice that came from over her shoulder. She turned and inspected the wall she was leaning against. Nothing.

"Ah, ah, ah. Too slow, Suzu," the voice whispered in her ear.

Suzu started and spun quickly. Nothing.

Suddenly, the lights at the end of the hallway went out.

Then the ones a little closer.

Then a little closer.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up as she heard the squealing of rusty hinges.

The next set of lights went out.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Footsteps.

The darkness advanced.

"You know, darling. I would run if I were you."

Suzu jumped and looked over her shoulder. Again, nothing.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

She turned and ran.

Thump. Thump.

Thump. Thump.

The footsteps behind her sped up. Suzu glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of WHATTHEHELLWASTHAT? Darkness swallowed the form before Suzu could see any more. She grabbed at the nearest doorknob. Locked. She tried the next. Locked.

The darkness advanced.

Nearly hysterical, Suzu yanked on the next door. Locked.

The footsteps came closer. Suzu suppressed a scream and continued her run down the hall.

There!

Suzu spotted a door hanging ajar and willed her legs to pump faster.

She could hear the dry rasp of breath from whatever was chasing her.

She could feel its presence baring down on her.

The darkness licked at her heels as she threw herself through the door and slammed it shut behind her. She crumpled to her knees and sobbed in relief.

---

She wasn't sure how long she lay there catching her breath, but she eventually found the strength to stand, and immediately noticed the massive door in front of her. The door was a medley of colored glass, and depicted an elaborate and colorful mosaic. She caught a glimpse of movement through the multicolor panes.

"You should go in, Suzu. He doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The voice cut through her sense of wonder at the art before her and made her jump. She turned her head and wasn't surprised to see nothing.

"Really, though. He can get...upset when his guests aren't punctual."

The green-eyed girl slumped her shoulders in defeat and reached for the doorknob in front of her. She grabbed the cool metal and hesitated. Just why in the world was she trusting a random voice? She had nothing to gain and everything to lose. She turned back to the empty room and squared her shoulders. "Who are you?"

Silence.

"Am I really dreaming?"

Silence.

"Why should I listen to you?"

A dry chuckle sounded from all around her. "Now now, Suzu. 'Listen to many, speak to a few,' correct? You can refuse my advice. In fact, I encourage it. But I don't think you will."

Suzu opened her mouth but was cut off by the sound of three distinct knocks coming from the door to the hallway.

She turned, grabbed the knob of the stained glass door, and stepped through without complaint.

---

The first thing Suzu noticed was the abundance of light in this room. Two lamps at the far end of the room cast a rich, warm glow throughout.

The next thing she noticed was the man sitting at the table in the center of the room. Or, she thought it was a man. Thin hair hung from a pale scalp. Thin lips stretched in a too-wide grin across a pasty face. Small eyes opened just a little too wide peered out of sallow eye sockets.

"Suzu is here!
That I can see.
Please, do sit!
Join me for tea."

Suzu balked at the rhyme, but obediently took a seat in the proffered chair. The man immediately began preparing a cup of tea with mechanical and precise movements. His eyes never left Suzu's, nor did his smile falter. He smoothly slid Suzu a steaming cup and placed a plate of small cookies in front of her. Her host continued to stare at her.

The girl cautiously dropped her gaze to her plate and grabbed a cookie. The man leaned forward and whispered to Suzu, his gaze never faltering.

"Eat it, enjoy it,
Freshly baked!
Like Grandma made,
it can't be faked!"

A cold stone formed in her stomach, but Suzu suppressed her gut feeling and took a small bite of the dessert. It really did taste like Grandma used to bake! Satisfied at Suzu's actions, the man nodded slowly and raised his tea to his lips.

"Suzu Suzuki, here at last.
Suzu Suzuki, breaking her fast.
Suzu Suzuki, my new best bud.
I cannot wait, to taste her blood."

Suzu's hand froze halfway to her mouth. Her veins were suddenly full of ice water. The man slowly sipped his tea before his too-wide grin returned.

"Fear not,
little one.
Your flesh is ripe!
This shall be fun."

Suzu slowly set the cookie down and turned to her host. His too-small eyes opened too-wide stared back at her.

In a burst of speed, she pushed back from the table and sprinted towards the stained glass door. To her dismay, there was nothing but wall in front of her. Suzu turned and came face-to-face with the pale man.

"Hickory, dickory, dock.
My Suzu now runs amok.
She wants to leave,
but now she'll bleed,
and on her bones, I'll suck!"

He roughly grabbed Suzu's elbow and dragged her towards the table. She flailed and scratched at the man, but to no avail.

"Calm down, darling. There is a door to your right. Why don't you go for that instead of flailing like a fish?"

Suzu didn't even attempt to find the source of the voice this time. She looked to her right, and sure enough, there was a wooden door. She wrenched her arm from her captor's grip and ran towards her salvation. She grabbed the knob and threw the door open.

"My Suzu can run,
my Suzu can hide!
It matters not.
Her entrails are mine."

With a terrified sob, Suzu jumped through the door, and fell into the inky blackness beyond.

---

She was falling. Or, so she thought. She couldn't feel any wind passing her face. She couldn't hear the telltale rush going past her ears. She couldn't see anything above or below her.

"Where am I?"

"Between," the voice replied.

"Between where?"

"Dreams. Nightmares. Thoughts. Actions. Life. Death. Beginning. End. You are between."

Suzu briefly contemplated the connotations of that statement. "What does that mean?"

"It means you are between."

"It's awfully boring."

"For some. Others don't even have me to talk to."

"Who are you?"

Silence.

"Is this Hell?"

A bark of laughter was her only response.

"Is it?"

"My darling Suzu. 'Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.' You are between."

Suzu was robbed of her response as she slammed into the ground.

---

She opened her eyes to the sight of a hardwood floor. Groaning, she leveraged herself up and took stock of what was around her. Grandma's parlor. Again. Suzu turned in a circle and was shocked to note that there were no doors. Or windows. Or any way out. She looked up and saw that there was no way you could have fallen into the room, as there was a solid ceiling above her head.

Suddenly feeling very dizzy, Suzu leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She took slow breaths and counted to ten before she opened here eyes again. She looked around the room again. A shiver ran down her spine. Something was wrong here. But what? The floral chair was there. The table, the desk in the corner, the bookshelf, the side table, the lamp, the- the lamp.

That's when it hit her. The lamp in the corner cast a bright glow from it's place in the corner. The light illuminated the room and shone over all the other pieces of furniture.

There were no shadows.

The objects in the room didn't cast any shadows.

The lamp flickered.

Suzu noticed a shadow appear on the wall, next to the bookcase.

The lamp flickered again.

Another shadow, this time next to the desk.

The light flashed.

Another shadow. The shadows began to take shape. Suzu could see the very clear silhouettes of men on the walls.

Flicker.

The shadows slithered across the floor.

Suzu screamed and backed into the wall. A deep cold seeped through her skin and sank into her bones. She spun and saw a shadow man plastered across the wall.

The light flickered.

Suzu turned towards the middle of the room and saw a shadowy figure standing next to the chair. Shadows wiggled and danced on the walls around her, their movements chaotic and maniacal.

The lamp flickered again.

The form near the chair sharpened into focus, and Suzu was horrified to see what looked like a large man, but covered in hair from the waist down. The narrow eyes of a reptile glared at her from the skull of a ram.

Suzu qualied before the dark miasma of the figure before her. The shadows on the wall continued their frenzied waltz.

The light cut out, and did not return.

Suzu clapped her hands to her head as her skull filled with daemonic visions and unmentionable horrors. A savage roar rang in her ears. She felt the ground quake beneath her and the air stung with the force of the energy coming from all around her. Her scream was drowned out by the monstrous baying of the damned.

Suzu felt terror. Suzu felt dismay. Suzu's mind was slowly being ripped apart.

"Suzu, darling, what are you doing?"

Everything stopped.

"Suuuzuuu. Really, dearest, we have a schedule to keep."

Suzu opened her eyes. She was in Grandma's parlor. There were no shadow people. There was no monster in the middle of the room. She was alone. In the corner. In the fetal position.

"Darling, please get up. I would get moving if I were you."

She slowly stood and brushed herself off. "Where are all the bad things?"

"Bad things, Suzu? Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play games with me," Suzu said as she moved towards the floral chair. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"There is nothing either good or bad, Suzu, but thinking makes it so."

Suzu sat in the chair and and leaned back. She had had enough of this Shakespearean voice.

The light flickered.

"I reiterate when I say that I would get moving if I were you. To your left. A door."

The light flickered again, and Suzu went through the door without a moment's hesitation.

The room fell into darkness as she left, and something began its slow march towards its prey.

---

She found herself in the hallway. Again. She was getting tired of this.

"Look, you. This nightmare is getting old. Can I wake up yet?"

"I don't know. Can you?"

Suzu sighed and began to walk down the hall. The lights behind her cut off. Suzu screamed.

"Uh oh, darling. Time to run again."

She suppressed a sob of terror and began to run. The doors on either side of the hall slammed open, unleashing torrents of wind and horrifying screams. Suzu could hear the ragged breathing of her pursuer. She could feel the pressure of its presence. Hands came up from the floor and attempted to trip her. Her shirt caught on a doorknob as a door slammed open and impacted her arm. Her shirt tore, but she kept running. A vicious growl came from behind her and Suzu screamed again. She didn't know how long she could keep running. Her breath came in sharp gasps. Her sides burned. The world was going to Hell around her, and still the darkness advanced. She couldn't run fast enough.

A burst of color entered her vision and a pale man with a wide grin entered the hallway at her right. A flash of light came from another open door and an imposing figure with the head of a ram entered from her left. The hall began to shake and tilt, and still Suzu ran.

There!

The end of the hall!

She could see it!

Through sheer force of will, Suzu put on a burst of speed and reached the wooden door. She yanked the handle.

Locked.

She began to slam her fists on the door.

"OPEN THE DOOR PLEASE OH GOD OPEN THE DOOR"

The wood didn't budge. The darkness advanced, and the pressure forced Suzu to her knees. She continued her assault on the door.

"PLEASE LET ME IN OPEN THE DOOR PLEASE"

She could hear the rough breath of the abomination behind her. She could hear the lilting rhymes of the pale man. She could feel the evil of the shadow figure.

Suzu dragged her face to the keyhole and looked through the door. She could see someone sitting in a chair on the other side. Summoning the last of her strength, Suzu slammed her fists into the door.

"OPEN THE DOOR NOW OPEN IT PLEEEEASE"

Suzu watched as a girl with tired green eyes looked over her shoulder and ran out of the room on the other side of the locked door. She let out a keening wail and felt the darkness overtake her.

---

Suzu jolted awake and sat straight up. She looked at the red glowing numerals on her bedside table. 3:58 AM.

The young woman rolled over, grabbed her teddy bear, and cried until the sun came up.