Pavor Nocturnus - Terror in the Night

Ray woke up with a start, casting his blanket aside before scrambling out of bed in such a feverish rush that he nearly fell to the floor. Quickly, he turned to face the bed, but immediately his eyes fixated on the wall at its head. His mind was racing, filled with fear and despair, telling him to run but his feet, like his eyes, would not move. Run, you fool, he told himself, the darkness is here. It felt like it had hunted him forever and now it was outside the walls of his house, waiting to creep inside, to find Ray – to consume him.

Still, he was frozen looking at the wall expecting to see the darkness seeping through the wall, over the headboard, onto the pillows…. Ray’s heart froze. Lying there with her head on the pillow was his wife, still in a deep sleep. Ray loved his wife dearly but was surprised how unconcerned he was with her safety. He did not feel guilty about that because he knew what the darkness wanted. It wanted him. To hurt him. To kill him. Run, you fool. Run.

Ray’s mind was filled with fear, his blood was like ice. At length, he managed to get his feet moving and turned towards the bedroom door, every step he took he was expecting to get pulled back. He made it out of the bedroom door, to the top of the stairs then ran down the stairs as quickly as possible, not caring if he fell. He slipped on one of the last steps and struggled to keep his balance as he stumbled into the living room.

Ray urgently ran his hand over the wall, desperately searching for the light switch. Every moment that passed, his apprehension increased. The knot in his stomach was getting more intense, and it felt as if only fear kept him from vomiting. His hand fumbled onto the switch, and Ray flinched as the light filled the room. For a moment, the light cleared Ray’s mind. He started to think that there was something wrong about the way he was behaving, but his mind abandoned that notion as quickly as it occurred.

The light offered scant sanctuary, but enough to dim the fog of dread and despair that overwrought his mind. He thought about his wife, lying in the bed upstairs, surrounded by darkness. He thought about his two sons – asleep – unaware of the danger. He tried to call out to them, but his words stuck in his throat before silently being strangled out. Knowing now that he had to return upstairs to save his family, Ray stood in the doorway, on the very edge of the light.

The hallway was shrouded in darkness, but the light switch was at the bottom of the stairs – so nearly in reach from where he stood. Again, a voice in Ray’s head told him that he was behaving irrationally, but it quickly disappeared into the ominous thoughts that held his mind hostage. Thoughts of darkness, thoughts of pain and death.

Ray tried to inhale deeply, but it turned into several short quick breaths. He knew he had to get upstairs to his family, but that meant crossing the darkness. He focussed on the light switch, before closing his eyes. If the darkness was going to take him, he did not want to see it coming. He envisioned the switch and ran forward, his arm desperately reaching out for it. One step, two steps, three, four, five. His outstretched hand felt the double switch and his fumbling hand managed to push them both. Opening his eyes, Ray found himself in the lit hallway, holding the light switch in two hands like it was his saviour. After several stuttering breaths, Ray turned to look upstairs. The hall light was on up there as well now so Ray slowly made his way up the stairs, resisting the urge to close his eyes again. Slowly, he made his way to the bedroom door.

The door was open, and the darkness inside seemed to be calling his name, daring him to enter. It reminded Ray that whatever it was that stalked him was in this room – it took all of Ray’s willpower to keep himself from running again. For a third time, the voice told him that there was something amiss in what he was doing, but again it was repelled. Ray leant himself against the doorframe, before quickly snaking his hand inside to the light switch inside the room. Light flooded the room and Ray again felt the despair lift slightly.

After several moments to compose himself, Ray stepped into the room. His wife was still asleep, despite the light. I need to wake her, he thought. She can warn the boys and I can go… Ray’s thought trailed off. Go where? Was anywhere safe?

Slowly, Ray edged himself towards the bed, all the time desperately fighting against the urge – the compulsion – to run away and after several long moments, he was beside the bed. He called to his wife, quietly but as loud as he dared. Panic washed over him when she didn’t reply. He became louder and more frantic, until he was pushing, pulling and shaking her, screaming until eventually, she awoke and sat quickly upright.

“Get the boys,” Ray pleaded, his voice returning to a whisper. “It’s not safe, here.”

Ray’s wife tilted her head as she looked at him, her eyes still glazed with sleep. “It’s alright, Ray. The boys are safe.” Her voice was calming and tinged with sympathy. “They’re asleep in bed.”

A moment of serenity rippled across Ray’s anxious mind. Safe… in bed? Another look at his wife’s face confirmed that she was telling the truth. The panic controlling him was replaced by calm, which was itself quickly replaced by tiredness. Ray slipped back into bed, wondering why he had got out at all. Something vague lingered on the edge of his memory, but he was unable to recall anything. Within a minute, Ray was asleep again.


From The Author:
Pavor Nocturnus (also known as night terrors) is a sleep disorder that is most common in young children. In fact, 15% of two to six-year-olds suffer with them. It is also a disorder which can affect adults (although it is much less common.) It is often confused with nightmares but, in fact, the two are very different. The biggest difference is that night terrors are not the result of a dream (scary or otherwise), but by the actual emotion of fear. Sometimes the subject will identify a vague, often irrational, object of fear (in Ray’s case, “the darkness.”)

Famous sufferers of night terrors include: Renowned horror writer H.P.Lovecraft and macabre genius H.R.Giger (whose paintings are believed to be partially inspired by his night terrors.) Of course, I am also a sufferer, but I'm not famous!