Jimmy's Room

Jimmy's Room

     "Jimmy, it's time for bed now. You been up too long." Jimmy’s Dad said.

     "It's only 10:25 pm, Dad." Jimmy said.

     Rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, Jimmy started to dose off. His dad's deep voice reading from an old book he loves, puts Jimmy to sleep.

   What's that sound? Jimmy thought. He lifts his little head and looks around the dark room. He doesn't see anything. Just darkness. He pulls the covers to his eyes until he feels tired again. But he won't fall back to sleep tonight.     

     He sees something in the corner of his room. It's a black shadow. The room is dark, but this figure is black.

     "Daddy daddy daddy daddy daddy!!" Little Jimmy screamed.

     "What is it, Jimmy?" His dad asked.

     "I noticed something in the corner. It was black and scary." Jimmy said.

     "They're called, 'Shadows,' Jimmy.” His dad said. "You're going to see them a lot at night, son. Your eyes will play tricks on you."

     "Tricks?" Jimmy asked.

     "Yes, tricks. Our minds can't make out what we see in the dark, so it make up what it wants to, to make sense of it. You understand?" His dad asked.

     "This wasn't tricks, Daddy. There was a man. A scary one." Jimmy whispered.

     Jimmy's dad stayed in his room until Jimmy fell asleep. A few chapters and he was out for the night.

*

     Another day gone and Jimmy is told to lay down for the night.

     "You brush your teeth, little man?" His mom asked.

     "Yes, Mom!" Jimmy replied.

     "Don't mouth off to me, little man. I won't read you your story tonight." She said as she shut the light off and headed to the bedroom door.

     "Mommy! Wait! Come back. Daddy didn't read that much last night. And what he did read, I didn't hear him. He was talking low. He was drinking his night sauce like you say." Jimmy said.

     She read quite a bit before leaving the room. Jimmy dozed off. His eyes rapid under his eyelids, He wakes. There is a shadow at the end of his bed, gripping his feet. Jimmy tries to move his legs but he can't.

     "Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy!!" Jimmy screamed.

     "What is it, Jimmy?" His mom asked.

     "There was a man at the end of my bed holding my feet down. I couldn't move." Jimmy said.

     "You were just having a nightmare, baby." She kisses his little forehead. "Go back to sleep." She said.

     "I was not! I couldn't move my legs, the man held them down!" Jimmy yelled.

     "Keep it down. Daddy has to be up early in the morning. Your covers are tight, baby. That's all." She said. "Go. Back. To. Sleep, Little Man." She said as she tickled him.

     Covers up to his eyes, Jimmy dozed off.

*

     It's Friday and Jimmy's parents went out for the night. Amber was over until they got back.

     "Jimmy, One more game, Hun, and then you have to go lay down. You don't have to sleep straight away though." Amber said.

     They finished the card game and Amber took Jimmy to his room. She watched him brush his teeth and heard something coming from Jimmy’s window. She walked in his dark cold room. A long shadow casting across the floor from the window. She went and shut the curtain and started looking for a throw blanket for Jimmy. Looking in the closet, she felt something behind her.

     "Lay down, Jimmy. I am getting you an extra blanket. There's a chill in here." Amber said.

     She felt her hair get pulled and felt a sharp hot pain along her back. She jumped and turned around. The room was empty. She looked in the corner and it was darker than the rest of the room. She winced her eyes and noticed a tall, slender black shadow. She could just barely make out eyes. It had milky white eyes and she heard a low rumble coming from it.

     "Boo!" Jimmy yelled as he pushed her butt. "I scare you?"

     "Fuck, Jimmy!" she shrieked. "Ahhh I'm sorry, baby. You did get me good." Shaking it off, she put Jimmy in bed.

     Jimmy watched the cartoon Amber put on for him until he fell asleep. Amber went back into the living room where she texted her boyfriend about what happen.

     Amber: I can't explain what happen in his room but I'm fucking scared.

     Eric: Try to tell me. You at home now?

     Amber: I'm still babysitting Jimmy and his parents said he been having problems at night. That he gets scared in the dark. That he been seeing things, but I fucking noticed a tall ass Shadow figure in the corner. It was fucking looking into my eyes, baby. I don't know if I can finish the night.

     Eric: Damn. You sure you're not just tired?

     Amber: I don't know. I'm really shaken up. I think I might text them to come home early. I'll tell them I don't feel good. I'm sure they'll come back. I'm going to do that and I'll call you on my way home, baby. Okay?

     Eric: Yea, that's fine. Just be careful.

     Amber heard Jimmy talking, so she went to his room. Walking up the stairs she can see lights pulsating from under the door. There is a low rumble coming from the room and giggles. The knob is freezing. With a quick twist and a push, she opens the door. The room is dark and Jimmy is laying curled up on his side. The cartoon been off for a while looks like. It's back on the main menu.

     "Hey." She heard whispered in her ear just before she felt pressure in her head and seen a brilliant flash before her eyes.

     "Amber! Amber! Wake up!" she heard. The words sounding like they are coming through a tunnel.

     She woke up on the floor. Looking up at Jimmy's parents and hearing Jimmy crying on his bed.

     "Everything is blurry. What happen?" Amber asked.

     "We don't know. We got your text and came back as fast as we could. Came in the door and heard Jimmy screaming at the top of his lungs. We found you on the floor making horrible sounds. You have a huge knot on the back of your head and three deep scratches on your back." Jimmy's mother said. "We're taking you to the ER"

     "No. I'm fine. Maybe I went up the stairs too fast. I just want to go home." Amber said.

     Amber got up and walked out the house as fast as she could. Never looking back.

*

     "I know it’s Saturday, Jimmy......"

     "Oh No!!! Not yet, mommy. I want to stay up and watch Scooby-Doo's Halloween special!" Jimmy said cutting his mother off.

     "Okay, I'll let you. But you have to go in your room and lay down and I'll put it on." She said.

     She carries Jimmy to his room. His eyes half open.

     "We need to have Daddy look at the heating ducts in here. It's chilly!" She said as she tucked Jimmy in.

     "I want Daddy to read to me tonight."

     "He been drinking his night juice, Baby. He's on the couch sleeping himself. He'll do it tomorrow night, I'll make sure of it." She said as she kissed him.

     Jimmy woke to the sound of something clapping. He pulled the covers from his eyes and watched the shadow holding both his parents by their necks. Their heads were almost touching the ceiling. He opened his mouth to let out a scream but nothing came. Their legs stopped moving and the Demon dropped them to the ground. Jimmy was frozen in place. It put one foot on the bed, then another. It walked closer to Jimmy. His little body shifting left to right as the Demon got closer. Face to face, it exploded into smoke and Jimmy inhaled it in. Jimmy quit moving and opened his milky white eyes and his body started to float. Nearly to the ceiling, the Demon started to feed on Jimmy from the inside out.

THE END