LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 3: In the grip of dread
CHAPTER THREE
After the break, I returned home to a warm dinner with my family. The familiar aroma of my mother's cooking filled the air, but I felt a heaviness in my chest. My mother, ever perceptive, noticed the shadows under my eyes and the tension in my shoulders.
"Are you okay, honey?" she asked, concern etched on her face as she served me a plate. "You've seemed a bit off lately. Is it school? Work? Or something else?"
Alex forced a smile, not wanting to worry her further. "I'm fine, Mom. Just tired," he replied, his voice lacking conviction. He could see the worry in her eyes, the way she studied him as if trying to decipher a puzzle. She had been worried about his nightmares for years, but Alex had always brushed off her concerns. Instead, he sat at the table, eating in silence while his mother watched him with a mix of love and worry, her heart aching for her son.
Once dinner was over, I retreated to my room, seeking solace in the glow of my phone screen. I scrolled through videos, hoping to distract myself from the creeping dread that always lurked in the corners of my mind. But fatigue soon overtook me, and I drifted into sleep.
That night, the nightmare returned with a vengeance. The ghost was there, its hollow eyes fixed on me, its presence suffocating. I ran through the darkened hallways of my mind, gasping for breath, but the specter was relentless. I jolted awake, heart racing, and stumbled to the kitchen for a glass of water.
In my haste, I misjudged the distance and slammed my hand against the kitchen table. The glass cup teetered and fell, shattering on the floor. A sharp pain shot through my foot as a shard cut into my skin, but fear propelled me back to my room without a second thought. I could still feel the ghost's icy grip on my heart, and I spent the next few hours battling the shadows, finally putting on my earphones and playing my favorite music to drown out the fear.