The Closet

Hey guys, my name is Martin. I got something to get off my chest, something that has been clawing at me since it happened. It has changed my life and I was so damn lucky to get out of it, let alone Scott free! I was only 15 when it happened, I lived in the bad side of Chicago, a place that is so crime ridden, corrupt, and destroyed, that the Police won’t drive here unless they muster up the courage or they just have to. Our house was the thing that stood out the most from my memory. It was a tiny little house squeezed between a small, run-down apartment complex, and a bigger, more spacious and colorful house. My room is where it happened, all those years ago.

My room was located at the back of the house. It was on the 2nd floor and just above the kitchen. It was one of the biggest rooms in the house and where every toy or videogame console I had was. When I was bored or it was a rainy day and I couldn’t go outside to play or visit friends, I would just go up to my room and build something with my legos, or play on my Play Station 2. However there was a small price to pay for living in the room. It was the closet, it was positioned in a way where the street lamp outside would not shed the slightest bit of light on it. And sometimes, when the closet door was left ajar, I felt like I was being watched. It scared the crap out of me. But not until that terrifying night in early June, back when I was a sophmore in highschool. The time was around 8:30 and I just finished my homework. I grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and my old, worn-out Metallica t-shirt.

After I finished up my nightly routine, I went upstairs to my room and picked up my pair of pants that I wore today. I took out my phone and wallet, and placed them on the side table next to my bed. When I reached down to the back pocket, I discovered my friend’s pocket knife. He had it with him this morning and gave it to me because he didn’t want to get cought with it during a search they do on random students. I placed it down next to my wallet and phone. I laid down on my bed, turned off my lamp, and went to sleep. I remember I had a really strange dream that night. It took place in a long, dark, emotionless hallway. I walked through it to a bright doorway. I heard muffled voices behind me, screaming for me, begging me to stop. But for some reason I just didn’t. Just as I reached the doorway, a dark figure got in my way. Then I blacked out, it felt like half an hour passed by before I heard faint and raspy whispers. The whispers seemed to get louder and closer, like the speakers are getting angry and and are closing in on me. Soon I was surrounded by deafening and angry voices yelling down at me, I couldn’t understand any of it, until a loud and deep voice said “WAKE UP”

As soon as I heard it I shot up to find an empty and dark room, my room. Sweat was dripping down my face and I has panting. I bowed my head down, and tired to calm myself. I was also trying to figure out what in the world was the dream about. The darkness around me seemed to fade as my eyes adjusted to the absence of light. The first strike came with a putrid smell that became potent quickly. It filled the air, and then filled my nostrils. I wouldn’t understand what the smell was until I worked with an undertaker as a part-time job. It was the smell of rot and decay, the same smell of a year old corpse. Than I could just barley make out a figure standing in my closet. I froze with fear, and my eyes widened. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing was real or not. My heart sank as soon as It began it’s approach. Every step the beast took, my heart raced, I was telling myself “Scream! Scream you fucking idiot! Scream!” I couldn’t seem to muster up the courage to scream or say anything. Now that I think about it, I think the creature telepathically telling my brain not to yell. The creature is closing in on me, it was almost to the foot of my bed. A strange observation I saw was when it came in contact with the faint light of the street lamp outside, it slowed down and started to spew out a low groan, like the light was hurting it. I was able to make out some of it’s features. I remember it had an anorexic build, tall, and it’s skin was a corpse black. It had me right where it wanted it, blocking my way to the door stopping me from screaming. If I can’t escape the danger or bring the deference, I gotta find the deference. I looked at my surroundings and remembered the pocket knife I had with me. I looked for it on the end table, and reached for the knife, but just as soon as I had it in my hand, the creature was at the foot of my bed.

I was scared stiff. I had my eyes on the monster in front of me and I had a pocket knife in my hand. I was thinking quickly on what should I do, but I was fully paralyzed now, the monster’s telepathic influence was too much. Now It was mumbling something in a raspy, weak voice. I didn’t understand anything it was saying, nor did I remember any of it. It quickly grabbed for my arm and it began dragging me to the closet! I still had the pocket knife in my hand but I was scared shitless. Just when I lost hope, the beast came in contact with the light again, this time, it was much slower and I was able to control my limbs again! I quickly pulled against the monster, and I stabbed it with the pocket knife, making a deep gash in the ribs. A ear-piercing scream came out of it’s mouth and my dumbass dropped the pocket knife out of reaction. Finally the thing brought me really close to the closet. I saw hands out of the pitch black doorway, ready to take ether me or him, and I was not giving up. I punched the monster, hitting it many times. But there was not effect on it. Finally, as if my animalistic side kicked it, I pushed my hand through the gash and held on to one of the rib bones of the monster. I pulled with all the energy I had. The monster screeched so loudly it woke up my parents. I kept pulling, and pulling until the monster couldn’t bear the pain any more and let me go. I fell to the floor, and when I did, I took a piece of the rib bone out with me.

When I was on the floor, my parents where already climbing up the sitars to my room. The monster stood just for a moment, as if it was memorizing my face or looking into my soul for one last quick second. I looked back up at it, and I was frozen stiff when I was the monster’s dark, soulless, eyes. It was dragged back to the depths of whatever hell that thing came from. When my parents came up to see what was with all the ruckus, they found nothing that showed if someone or something was where. No scratch marks, no blood, nothing. The only thing I had was the piece of it’s rib bone I pulled out. After that, I never slept in that room again, at least without a weapon. And I always kept the closet door shut tightly on a lock. I still have the bone with me. It seemed to be a sort of charm for me. The days I had it in my pocket were the luckiest, and best. I eventually graduated from high school and went to collage. But I knew, in the back of my mind, it was not over. Not until that thing was dead and I was alive. And remember to SHUT YOUR DAMN CLOSET DOOR!