The Moon, chapter 7: Contact

It took dedication, but even without much to do but stare at the ceiling, Susie managed to stay awake through the day, even when if the storm hasn't let up since then. These types of storms always made her at peace, in a way. Finding peace in the chaos. Apart from that, this kind of weather was pretty rare, even at this time of year when rough storms are to be suspected. Though, with how dark the clouds were, she couldn't tell exactly what time it was. Whether it was the moon or sun, it would be blotted out anyway.

One thing she knew for sure, though, is that she was getting quite tired. So that could mean it's either around night time, or her sleep schedule is completely screwed. She guessed the latter of the two. She was up until past midnight last night, and went to sleep until... She really needs to get a watch. Even a clock, or anything that keeps her from guessing. Though, she knew if it was time to sleep, it was time to sleep. She'll worry about the consequences and fix her sleep later, but for now, sleep calls. All it took was for her to roll over, and it took mere moments before she drifted off into unconsciousness.

Darkness once again. But no screams. No feeling of falling. Only darkness, and the feeling of existing in nothing but a void.

Then, moonlight flooded her eyes as she opened her eyelids. Pale, blue and bright, shining right through the window, yet the sound of wind and snow outside didn't stop. She attempted to sit up in her bed, only to realize that she couldn't move a muscle. It's not as if she was stuck, or being held down by anything, no, she couldn't move a single inch. Her breathing quickened as her eyes darted around the room for the reason she was forced into submission, but found nothing of the sort. She was helpless. Alone. Unarmed. Vulnerable.

Try as she may, she couldn't shake herself from whatever this was. Was this sleep paralysis? She heard something about it in school once, about how people couldn't move when they were between sleeping or waking up. But this felt different somehow. Something deep in her gut told her that she was in danger. She had to get away, out of here, but she couldn't. Then, a sound reached her ears that she wished she'd never hear in the night again.

Knock, knock, knock. This time, though, it was on the door instead of the window. And this time, they let themselves in.

Susie's eyes were forced to look at the ceiling by a force inside her body that wasn't hers. Her breathing quickened rapidly, feeling the presence of something in her room. Something that was slowly getting closer. From what little she could see in in her peripheral vision, there was an all white, incredibly tall, and featureless humanoid that had a slight glow emanating off of it's body. It had a striking resemblance to the mimic Susie had fought just the night before. It moved silently, even though she could barely make out it's legs moving toward her.

She had no other options but to lay there in complete terror. She could feel it standing at her bedside, yet she couldn't see a thing but the dull glow it created. Until she noticed a white, bony, shaking hand with skin stretched so tight she could see the skeleton underneath. The hand hovered over Susie's eyes, shaking slightly, slowly making groping motions at the air. Then, the hand descended, and all went black. She felt herself being pulled from her sleeping bag, out into the air, through the roof, and high into the sky, far above the storm, levitating upwards at such an extreme speed that it made her eyes sting.

Then, she stopped, hovering still in the air as if she was being held up by some invisible force. Her limbs were levitated in an outstretched X position, and although every other part of her body was stiff, her head was now back in her control. She looked downwards towards the swirling, black clouds below. Then, they looked towards the light of the moon. It was full tonight. Just as the night before. The screaming started again. The tortured, pained wails of dozens, maybe even hundreds of monsters and humans alike.  The sound came from the moon, but it was in her head. She wanted it to stop. She needed it to stop before she went insane. Her screams were added to the cacophony as she fell back down into the sinister clouds below, never reaching the bottom of the storm clouds until-

Susie awoke screaming, and shot up with such a jolt that it shook her out of her bed and onto the floor. Her eyes were darting around out of instinct, heart pounding and lungs working overtime to keep her breathing regulated. She crawled back onto the bed hurriedly, but not before snatching the ax underneath the bed. Looking around the room, she could see nothing out of the ordinary. Her window had not moved, and was letting in the soft orange glow of an early morning. Her door was closed, as she remembered leaving it. Nothing was out to get her. Just another nightmare.

Susie slowly calmed herself down. This was the last straw. She didn't care where she went or how she got there, she knew she would not spend another night in this house. She went into her closet, found an old duffle bag that she'd been storing in case something happened, and started packing her things. The ax was a must, of course. In fact, she decided to keep it out of the duffle bag. Just in case. Then, came the clothes, which she had too many of, too many dirty, ripped, garbage clothes. Whatever, she'd get new ones wherever she could. Did she need anything else? The lantern and match box sure but does she really own so little? That only takes up not even half of the bag, and...

...She stopped. She thought about all of this for a second.
Think logically. Is it really that weird that after traveling to a different dimension, almost dying there a couple times, and coming back pretty much in one day, she would have a nightmare or two? The only real, palpable thing that's happened so far is the school incident, but for all she knows that could be, and seems to be completely unrelated to the house. Sure, that whole thing with the mimic happened, but recurring nightmares and sleepwalking aren't too uncommon...

There's just a lot of... really weird shit happening right now. There's no reason to run away like a coward. And even if there was something happening here, would she really want whatever is tormenting her to win so easily? She put everything back in it's original place, then threw the duffle bag back into the closet confidently. Nah, she'll be fine. The hell could beat up someone like her? Sure in the dark world she had help, but if she really wanted to, she could beat up anyone she wanted here. Her confidence and a little ego restored, she threw on her coat. Might as well head to town again, since she sure as hell didn't want to stay here. Susie walked out of her room, down the stairs, and into the cold air once again.
The storm had stopped, and the morning sky was the clearest she's seen in a long time.