Night's Transgression

Janet pressed her ear to the bedroom door. She strained to hear something, anything but the heavy rain beating a savage tattoo against the small window. The door was too thick, the rain too loud.

What had caused her to wake with such a start? Northing appeared out of place in her bedroom. That meant the answer to her question lay beyond the door.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the dark hallway. When she looked over at the staircase, an uneasiness pricked the back of her neck. Why was the rain so loud?

She moved down the hallway until she came to the corner where the wall ended and bannister began. She glanced around the corner. Below, the front door was open to the foyer, water freely running across the old cracked marble tiles. She moved to the top of the stairs and stopped. She stared at the thing slowly and quietly crawling up. Its limbs were too long, its body unnaturally gaunt. Patchworks of dark fur clung to grey skin. It watched her as it climbed. Its mouth curved into a smile of jagged sharp teeth. Its black eyes hungered.

Janet turned and ran without thought. She heard its pursuit drumming up the stairs, no longer concerned with stealth. She tried to grasp the doorknob as its hot wet breath caressed her neck, its teeth chattering in excitement.

Janet jolted awake, gasping for air and shaking. The chattering turning into the steady rhythm of rain against glass. She reached for her cup only to find it empty. She stared at it, growing thirstier. She looked over at her bedroom door, the dark hallway quiet on the other side. It was just a nightmare…right?