A Scary Story

*Gasps* I woke up gasping for some air.

*Creek...* It's 3:32am and something is in the corner of my room. The red light from my alarm clock casts just enough light so I can see something black, standing there in my corner.

It's hands are reaching up but its head is hung down low. It keeps rocking its head, *up and down,* *up and then down again* in big motions while its hands are stationary, held up high. I try not to make a sound. I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing because I was so scared. Slowly it moves up, coming closer to me.

I close my eyes, clench my sweaty fist, biting down on my teeth; I start to panic. I open my eyes and its moved a little closer. This figure is bent at the knees now. It's hands are still reaching out. Head hang low to the floor. It's slowly walking towards me. I can't hear the footsteps but I can hear the creek of my bedroom floor.

I start to hyperventilate. Unsure if I should scream. If I should make a run for it. Or if I should get up and attack it. My eyes are shut. My forehead is all sweaty but it's so cold now. I feel like I can't breath because I'm trying to take in so much air. Should I open my eyes?

*I open my eyes*

I wish I hadn't. There she was. How pale and cold she looked. Broken cheek bone. Cricked jaw. A woman. No. A Hmong woman. With hair falling down, going every which way. Her eyes. So tiny. They looked like little button eyes. Small black dots, like raisins for eyes. Blue pale skin. Bruised face. She smiled. Although it looked like she didn't have lips, just a hole where the mouth is. Her mouth went from one ear to the other, that's how big it was.

*Swooooosh* was the sound she was making with her tongue. Out came her tongue and it went over her face, over her head, towards the ceiling behind her. Imagine. This woman's tongue came out, curled over her nose, to her eyes, and over her head. A big fat slimy tongue for a face. This was my scene.

I shut my eyes. For some reason I couldn't scream. I was telling myself to breath slowly. I know that if I panic I might suffocate. What felt like forever, I open my eyes and she was gone. Outta my sight. I want to go turn on the lights, but I'm too scared. My phone is charging on the table, seems like a mile away from me. What do I do...

*3:40am. Only 8 minutes have gone passed.

*Thump. *Thump thump* There was a thumping noise coming from under my bed.

*Tap* *Tap tap* There was something tapping from under my bed. I could feel the vibration as it taps. I hear someone moving under my bed.

At this point I make a run for it. I get up, turn on the lights, open the door, and I run. I fall down. Paralyzed. Reaching out and calling for my parents. I reach my hands out, crawling, but something is pulling me. A long black arm reaches from under my bed and grabs my leg. It's pulling me. It's cutting into my leg. Blood. Blood everywhere. I can see my leg bone.

*HELPPP. DAD HELP* I scream. I'm pounding the floor with my fists.

*Grandma! Grandpaaa!! Where are you guys, help me!* I'm alone. Fighting this demon alone. I kick. I scratch. I try to cling onto the floor. My nails digging in as I get pulled towards my bed. I thought to myself, *I'm going to die. No one's going to know I died...*

*My shaman spirits, where are you. I'm begging you, help.* I scream.

Then, out from nowhere, two tall Hmong men grab my hand. The demon releases me without a fight. It just breaks loose. And then the two men pull me up. We fly through the ceiling. We suddenly appear at my shaman altar. I'm under my shaman veil. I lift it up and I see the two Hmong men.

They said to me, "Txiv (father), it's ok now. You need to wake up."

*GASPS* I wake up.

The clock says, "4:18am"