Jenny had come to the conclusion that she should have listened to her gut instincts about her apartmentβthe rent was too low for the size and neighborhood, and she should have known there was a catch. But, it was rent controlled and in an amazing neighborhood, so she told herself to forget childish fears. Even so, she'd thought about getting a roommate, or dog, in hopes that it'd help. In the end though, she told herself she was too old to believe in monsters.
Still she couldn't shake the feeling of eyes watching her from darkened corners. At first she passed it off as nerves. This was her first apartment all to herself, she was bound to get a little weird. As the months passed and the feeling didn't, it got harder and harder to convince herself that it was just her imagination. It was never there when she looked, but as she lay there in the dark she could hear it moving, hear it breathing. She could feel it tug at her blankets and its weight on the bed next to her. Still, even when she could sense it looking at her, its face just inches above hers, its breath hot on her skinβshe'd open her eyes and it would be gone.
And, maybe she was just lonely, but it seemed to her that it wanted her. The idea was insane. More so than the idea that there was some sort of monster that lived under her bed. But, possibly even crazier was the fact that the more Jenny thought about it the less scared she became. The monster, whatever in was, had found its way into her dreams. Innocuous dreams at first, but only at first. She dreamt about the monster touching her, invading her, taking her. The monster was becoming her fantasy, and last night she'd felt it touching her. She'd felt the thing touching the inside of her thigh, inching higher, and she'd wanted it to continue, but she opened her eyes and it was gone.
So, tonight as she was getting ready for bed, Jenny decided to give in to her silly fantasy. She was certain nothing would happen and she'd feel stupid in the morning, but it seemed the best way to get past the whole thing. The hallway light was on, but the room was dark. In the dimness she could hear movement under the bed. She could feel the monster watching her as she stripped down, and she thought dimly that she should be ashamed of the dampness growing between her legs.