As she opened her eyes she realized the room was dark. Morning was still far off but she had wakened for a reason. What was it?
The moon illuminated the room fabulously. She propped herself onto her elbows and scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of place and yet, something was not right.
The air conditioner whirred away from beside the window. The curtains, half drawn, waved lazily from a breeze coming through the opened window. She realized then that, though the air conditioner was set to gently cool the room while she slept, the air in her bedroom felt unnaturally cold. Goosebumps formed on her arms and shoulders. Even her feet, securely wrapped in blankets, felt chilled.
She decided to turn off the air conditioner and close the window.
She began to pull the blankets away when a movement from the corner of the room caught her eye. She turned quickly and watched with horror as a figure detached itself from the shadows of her closet. A man, tall and wearing dark clothes, moved toward the foot of her bed, seeming to float effortlessly across the room.
She tried to scream but found that her throat would not let her. The sound died in her chest before she could expel it. All that came out was a weak whimper of fear as she scrambled back toward the head board. She gathered up her blankets and wrapped them tightly around her shoulders, childishly assuming they would provide her some armor against the terror that had so quickly overcome her.
The man watched her without expression. He cocked his head to his right side and grinned. Even though it was dark in the room, the moonlight seemed to radiate from his face, making it gleam in the half darkness. His teeth stood out like pearls lying on a beach of dark sand. They reflected the moonlight with dazzling clarity. Another whimper bubbled up from within her as she saw his canine teeth glisten like rare jewels.
With her attention riveted to the sight of his teeth she realized only after he was hovering over her that he was no more than a few inches away. She also realized that she was lying flat on her back, stretched across the width of the bed, though she had no recollection of moving away from the headboard. She giggled feverishly when she saw that he too was stretched to his full height but levitating perfectly parallel to her.