The darkness crept in like a living entity, wrapping itself around her like a shroud.
Aria's eyes fluttered closed, and she felt herself being pulled down into the depths of her own mind.
She had begun growing addicted to being alone, and that was because she could please herself and escape her worries.
Her chest tightened, back arching against the porcelain, the water sloshing against its sides.
It always got her to her first orgasm so quickly, causing her toes to curl against the edge of the tub as she tried to muffle her moans.
Once she vaguely remembered she was alone in the house, her sounds grew louder with unabashed passion, her free hand grasping the tub's edge.
She was still wrestling with the aftermath of the first when the second orgasm began to build, the steam around her thickening. She gasped. She was close. So very close. So…"
It came crashing down on her with merciless force, sweeping her up in a dizzy spell that had her lightheaded and overwhelmed.
The steam wafted up through the air, surrounding her on all sides, pressing into her shoulders like hands. Down, down, down…
By the time she finally came, the water was cold, and the vibrator had long gone quiet.
Sleep had taken her with one whisk of its cold hands, and they clawed at her even now, making every part of her exceptionally heavy.
Shock held her in place for a moment, and then… Then, it was something else.
She couldn't move. Again. Not her arms, not her legs, nothing. Well, okay, not nothing. She could move her eyes. The only thing she couldn't do with them was close them.
It was then that she realized the light was off. She knew she hadn't turned it off, and she briefly hoped the power had gone out. Until she saw it.
It was there, in the corner, the way it had been the night before. And all those months ago in her bedroom when she awoke to her father's shouts. Darker than the dark around it, hulking and harsh.
It grew larger as she watched, filling the room until its shadow reached across her face.
Fear gripped her around the throat, making it difficult to breathe. She begged and pleaded with her fingers to work, for her legs to show mercy, for her mouth to be on her side. None of them listened. She kept struggling.
"Relax." It said, the voice like burning coal, hitting up every inch of her body. Then he
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows.
She tried to resist, but it was no use.
He was tall and imposing, with eyes that burned with an inner fire.
Aria felt a jolt of fear as he approached her, his eyes fixed on hers with an unnerving intensity.
"You're mine," he whispered, his voice like a caress. "Forever and always, you'll be mine."
Aria tried to scream, but her voice was trapped in her throat. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn't move. She was frozen in place, unable to escape the figure's grasp.
The figure reached out and touched her face, and Aria felt a wave of darkness wash over her. She was consumed by a sense of despair and hopelessness, and she knew she was trapped in this nightmare forever.
Aria's eyes snapped open, and she sat up in bed with a gasp. She was drenched in sweat, and her heart was racing. It took her a moment to realize she was safe in her own bed, and the nightmare was just that, a dream.
But as she looked around her darkened room, she couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare had left behind. It lingered in her mind like a shadow, waiting to pounce and drag her back down into its depths.
Aria threw off the covers and got out of bed. She stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water on her face, trying to wash away the lingering fear. But as she looked in the mirror, she saw something that made her blood run cold.
Her eyes seemed darker, almost... haunted. And on her cheek, there was a faint mark, like a bruise. Aria's heart skipped a beat as she reached up to touch the mark. It felt real, but she knew it couldn't be. She must have scratched herself in her sleep.
As she stood there, frozen in fear, Aria couldn't shake the feeling that her nightmare was more than just a dream. It felt like a warning, a portent of something to come. And the figure in her dream, with eyes that burned with an inner fire... Aria felt a shiver run down her spine as she wondered if she'd see him again.
The rest of the night was a blur for Aria. She tried to go back to bed, but she couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing with thoughts of the nightmare, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
As the first light of dawn crept into her room, Aria finally gave up on sleep. She got dressed and headed downstairs, hoping to distract herself with some coffee and TV. But as she sat on the couch, staring blankly at the screen, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched.
She glanced around the room, but there was no one there. Still, the feeling persisted. Aria felt like she was being pulled into something, something that she didn't understand.
As the day wore on, Aria found herself becoming more and more withdrawn. She couldn't concentrate on her work, and she felt like she was just going through the motions. She knew she needed to talk to someone, but who?
Her friends would just tell her she was being paranoid, and her family would worry about her. Aria didn't need that right now. What she needed was someone who would listen, someone who would understand.
But as she sat there, lost in her thoughts, Aria couldn't shake the feeling that she was running out of time. Something was coming, something that would change her life forever. And she had a feeling that she was completely unprepared.