I looked out through the glass wall of my apartment. The final rays of sunshine hitting the clouds and scattering all throughout, making it seem like it was burning within. The city reflected the sky among its rooftops, leaving the ground deep below me in stark contrast to the sky - dark and covered in moving shadows of people and vehicles. I was to go out into that muddy darkness tomorrow. But for tonight all I had to do was relax and stare into that infinite emptiness between me and the no-doubt warm asphalt below.

I’m Thomas, I moved here not long ago in pursuit of work and that’s just what I found. Mainly low paying ones truth be told, but it was enough to keep me afloat and let me afford the flat. Well ... A room with a toilet and a kitchen anex on the 10th floor of a pretty obscure building, which seemed to lean ever so slightly. Or maybe it was the uneven floor that caused my pen to roll sluggishly down my desk?

I caught it, the plastic clanking against the ring on my finger. I smiled to myself and put it back on the leftmost edge of my desk. It started to roll again and I finally stood up from the uncomfy cloth chair I was sat in. The bright orange sun shot through a gap in the clouds and hit me in my face. I winked as the cold, blinding light entered my pupils.

A couple minutes later it was gone, hiding behind the rolling hills beyond the city, no longer reaching even the highest of buildings, slowly dissipating among the clouds. Making them turn dark and heavy.

That view was probably the biggest reward of my day. When the sky finally told me it’s time to sleep. It’s time to skip to another hot day. It’s time to rest in the dark cold of the lonely apartment.

I went to the toilet, took a quick luke-warm shower and soon was standing in front of a mirror with my toothbrush in hand and my eyes staring into the world on the other side. I waved to myself, the reflection answering the same as always and soon I was done brushing my off-white teeth.

It took me some more time to finally stop staring at myself, at my dark hair, brown eyes underlined with dark eyebags below them, slight acne still remaining even after I turned 22 not so long ago. The image of an average young man, who would be stuck in the same job till he dies. Or longer...

I chuckled to myself and finally put the brush down.

My pillow was pleasantly cold, maybe a little too much - considering that I didn’t dry my hair well enough and a slight shiver went through my spine. I pulled up my wool and synthetic blanket high, feeling it scratch as it tangled with my leg hair. It wasn’t too comfortable but at least it was thick and warm. And that’s all I cared about as the freezing night wind fought against my window, making the temperatures drop significantly after the sun hid.

That’s the only reason I changed my usual night focused routine. I couldn’t stand the bone chilling air of the apartment. And so the long hours spent playing games and catching up with friends were replaced by some extra hours of sleep.

I bet that the future me would be thankful for this, ever so slightly healthier than he would have been otherwise. But it did isolate me further ... and the work colleges weren’t enough anymore.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

It didn’t take long for my mind to drift away ... first to my fiance and then ... to sleep.

I don’t think I heard it.

I think I felt its presence approach. At least my subconscious ... my instinct felt it. It tried to alert me and I drifted in and out of sleep but the subtle vibrations and the feeling that something was off wasn’t enough. I didn’t wake up until it was 3 am. And by then, I not only felt its presence. I could witness it. As the handle to my door slowly lowered.

I didn’t see it at first. My door wasn’t in the direct sightline from my bed. But I could hear it. The slow sound which resembled that of a spring being pulled. The handle slowly changed its angle up until it reached the very bottom of the mechanism and it switched with a soft “click”.

I had locked my door. There was no doubt in my mind about it. And yet, after testing hundreds of handles all through the building, mine was the one to finally let go. Mine was the one to open with a slight screeching of the hinges that weren’t maintained in some time.

I froze, my last breath freezing in my chest, not brave enough to let it go...

A trail of light from the corridor bounced across my ceiling, the door moving ever so slowly, as if being touched by nothing but wind.

I balled my hand into a fist and tried to recollect the way to the nearest kitchen drawer that could have a knife inside. I felt myself shaking, unsure what to do and listening in for footsteps.

But when the door opened entirely, there was no sound of anyone. It simply hit the wall with a quiet thud and started moving the other direction. Closing with the exact same measured speed, as if pulled by some perfectly calculated mechanism.

Soon the lock springed back in and my room was once again filled with the comforting darkness.

The feeling of unease left me completely and I was just about to go back to sleep when my eyes stopped, staring at something in the window.

My brain became fully aware and my sight was no longer clouded after sleep. As next to a reflection of my bedside clock reading “2am” there was a black void.

It was clearly visible across the darkness of the night. Like an even darker gash or a wound in the sky, hovering above the lights of the city, slowly filling more and more of my vision. Not moving- shifting into shape after shape after shape. Nothing like I’ve ever seen, seemingly approaching me.

The black silhouette sighed quietly as it stopped. It didn’t sound human, the gargling of its internals clearly distinguishing it from any creature I’ve ever witnessed or imagined. The tone coming from within the room.

The smell was what hit me next. It was sweet and salty ... like the smell of honey mixed in with the sweat of an animal. Sharp but somehow comforting, hitting my nostrils and filling my brain with itself. Making me almost dizzy...

I took a breath to get some normal air in my lungs. It helped a little but at the same time caused me to gag on the overpowering smell. And just as I made a sound, the creature in the reflection shifted once more and approached.

I heard it gargle in something that sounded like twisted laughter. Then it exhaled, mixing in the stench of rotting wood to the air around. It smelled like forest after rain, reeking of animals and decay and life and air I haven’t tasted in ages.

I saw it move and shut my eyes, hoping that it might make it go away. This was just a hyper realistic nightmare - I thought to myself. But all that did was make it move closer. It stood at the bottom of my bed. I could sense it. I could smell it. It gargled and breathed and shook in anticipation. It was waiting for a kill. Waiting for me to open my eyes. To witness its gruesome darkness a second before it cuts my life short.

At least that’s what I thought ... And I knew that was the case while it slowly tore the blanket off me, cold air enveloping the naked skin of my chest, arms and legs and finally feet.

The blanket fell on the ground with a soft, heavy thud.

The creature grunted and warm, thick air flew along my body, finally hitting my nose. It felt different. More ... condensed.

The creature shifted, something caressed my leg and eventually landed on my thigh with a wet sound. The texture was like that of wood, with slight fur sprouting all throughout it in small patches. It tightened its grip around my leg and softly pulled.

It didn’t feel like it was trying to get me off the bed. More like it was trying to wake me up. To make me witness its horrible being.

And I did...

At first I only lifted my eyelids a little, my vision was once again fuzzy and all I saw was my body and then the absolute darkness standing at the feet of my bed, with something that could be called an arm hanging out of its side, reaching for me.

I hoped it didn’t see what I was doing. But it quickly made it known otherwise.

The laughter ... it laughed at me, gargling from within its twisted chest. Its other hand approached me and just before it grasped at my throat I realized that this whole time I was silent. I had to scream.

But I couldn’t. The being squeezed me and moved up the bed, its soft hairy fingers wrapping and shifting and undulating all around my windpipe and my most important veins. It was going in for a kill, and all it wanted was for me to open my eyes completely.

I don’t know why I didn’t shut them back. Maybe I thought it was too late, or maybe the lack of oxygen and the enshrouding stinking air forced my eyelids up. My eyes stared at it involuntarily. My breathing became labored and shallow and for a moment I thought it would choke me to death.

But then it let go, air rushing into my burning throat and lungs. It won’t grant me that death. I knew it’d kill me in a much more gruesome way.

After my cough passed I finally took a look at it. It wasn’t touching me anymore, its three hands hovering close to its chest. It was tall, even hunched it reached up to the ceiling, the horns on both sides of its head uncomfortably close to scratching the paint.

Its skin was irregular and covered in cracks and grooves and hair. Like a tree would be covered in moss. It seemed to hang on its muscular and twisted form in a cloth-like fashion, visibly attached at certain points more than others, shifting and bending as the being breathed. Something that looked like vines snaked lazily underneath.

It shook its head on a long neck slightly, the darkness where its face should be staring at me. with the silhouettes of something that looked like rows and rows of teeth glistening with saliva.

It hummed deeply at me, shifting its head to the side, scraping the ceiling slightly. It seemed to get smaller when it did so, its head pivoting up to look at the damage it caused, and then back at me. It hummed again, the smell of rotten wood enveloping me.

I moved my hand to rub my sore neck and its hands immediately shot out, grabbing both my hands and pinning them painfully to my bed, making it creak under the added weight. The being chittered deeply and its looming mass moved forward towards my head.

I took a shallow breath and tried to scream again, but the third hand quickly shut me up, forcing the back of my head into the pillow, shutting my mouth close. It tasted earthly, but also salty and sweet. Its skin was soft but devoid of any warmth. Like having a stone vice clamped around my lips.

My eyes started stinging as the first tears flowed down my cheeks and nose, making it even more difficult to breathe.

The being gargled once more and slowly lowered its head. I could hear its bones, or whatever solid matter it has inside, snap and crunch as it shifted closer and closer to my face. The darkness inside its head staring at me as I unsuccessfully tried to get away.

Its hands didn’t move. All I could feel was my skin being scraped by me thrashing around. And the stationary frame of the being pulled me down more and more into the mattress. I kicked at it, my feet soon painful and scratched.

I wanted to scream. In pain, fear and desperation, but all I could manage was jagged breathing through my flooded nose.

Then my head was filled with noise, the sound of an agitated snake, of a giant forest moving with wind, hissing of steam. All coming from within the creature as its grip on my mouth loosened a little.

The second I could take a breath I tried to scream. But the creature moved its hand back down by a millimeter, stiffened and hissed at me again. It wanted me to be quiet. It wanted me to silently take what was going to happen to me. I knew I had to fight but ... I worried it would kill me before anyone heard my scream. So I stopped.

The grip on my limbs lessened the moment I relaxed, resigned. It still pinned me in place, but no longer did I suffer with every slight movement or vibration.

It hummed, something I found myself surprised to recognize as satisfaction. It was communicating with me. Whatever it was - it had the ability to talk to me in its own way. I thought it might have some sentience ... but maybe it was all instinct and recognition that if it acts a certain way - its prey will be put at ease.

Despite my thoughts, it worked. I stared at it, waiting. Still terrified but not paralysed or fighting.

And so it continued shifting. Its body slowly lowered and I could hear it inhaling, as its head touched against my neck wet with sweat. The texture was harder than its hands, but it was more consistently fuzzy, the hair feeling more like moss than it did on its arms.

A deep groan left its chest and a shiver passed through my body as the warmth of that rotting breath enveloped me again. I found myself almost enjoying it. It wasn’t sharp and didn’t make me want to vomit. The stench was that of a cabin, once used by people and now left to ruin - its wood filled with holes like a sponge. And the shiver that went through me ... it wasn’t fear.

I felt a drop of its saliva touch my skin. It was warm, sticky and smelled of honey. The being chittered and then something caressed against my neck. It was rubbery and hot, with hard knots inside like ribs. I felt my breath stop in my chest as despite my fear, a warm feeling gripped my heart. The creature’s tongue was moving and shifting around my neck, wriggling in anticipation.

And so did I. Despite my shame and how terrified I was - the tingling in my groin was unmistakable. The licking of my neck was arousing me,

My body shook as that revelation hit me and the creature felt it. It stopped and moved its head away, the trail of saliva following it and eventually falling onto my chest. I balled my hands into fists and shut my eyes, my breathing became once again shallow and rapid.

The creature moved slowly, its body snapping and groaning. I couldn’t see what its goal was. It was toying with its food and that somehow made me horny - I judged myself, talking in my head about how horrible it was. Trying to ignore the rising feeling in the pit of my stomach. I almost jumped when it huffed between my thighs. The warm droplets of its spit landing on my boxers and my skin.

My skin started burning with redness as my shame reached its limits. I felt sick to my stomach for the way my body betrayed me. For the way my mind somehow accepted this and for the way my boxers suddenly became a lot tighter.

A laughing, wet sound filled the air. It didn’t seem like it was laughing at me ... More so that it was giggling to itself, happy to see my reaction.

I opened my eyes, to see it hovering above me, its hands and feet planted securely on the bed all around me. It swayed slowly, its body undulating and its head planted right above my boxers. A trickle of saliva hung from its face hole, slowly getting closer to the bulge between my legs. And when it finally touched it, the connection snapped and a globe of spit seeped into the cloth and I could feel its hotness cause my penis to move.

My mouth let a slight moan escape, which soon turned into a loud groan of pleasure as the creature slid its tongue across my boxers, finishing the movement around my navel. It left a hot tingling trail and waves of hot pleasure flowing all through me. I closed my eyes as the ribbed tongue continued its prodding and moving.

It explored everything, coating my lower body in its thick and wet spit, sending waves of pleasure to my brain. I loved it. I hated that I loved the way it moved, the way it shook as it caressed my cock through the boxers.

And I hated that my dick was the hardest it’s ever been...

I moaned again as the tongue slid from the top of my cock right down and behind, to between my asscheeks. My whole body was shaking. I felt the twisting and long tongue creep in through the leg holes in my boxers ever so slightly only to retreat again, never venturing in deep enough to where I wanted it to go.

I hated that my dick was the hardest it’s ever been and it pushed on the tight material of my boxers...

I moved my hips up to let it get closer, to let it taste more. It hesitated for a bit, but I thrusted my body towards it and it took my invitation with a deep satisfied groan from within its huge body. The tongue returned to its licking, floating across my butt and dick, leaving thick hot spit everywhere.

My knees buckled and I fell on the bed, moaning loudly. Its third hand shut me up again, this time letting me breathe. It was toying with me.

I hated that my dick was the hardest it’s ever been because of this creature ... And I regretted that I couldn’t take my boxers off. That It couldn’t get everywhere through the tight material sealing its entrances.

My eyes filled with salty water once more, not from pain or fear, but from pure bliss, my mind wandering around, experiencing all this with more want and hot steaming lust than I have ever felt.

It was rubbing against me with its barbed tongue. I could feel it both at the tip of my penis and at the entrance between my asscheeks. The long, warm, stiff thing exploring its prey.

And then it suddenly stopped and groaned heavily. It was breathing slowly, and as it did, that sweet scent of honey mixed with sweat returned. The creature made a weird moan as it dragged its body across the mattress, its head rising higher and what I assume were its hips lowering, until I could feel its abdomen on my crotch. The skin wasn’t as cold as it was before. It seemed to have warmed up from all this licking...

I gasped as I felt a hard as iron and hot as a furnace piece of it rub against the base of my dick. It didn’t feel like it was big, but the hardness and roughness of it put fear into my heart. I forgot about my own lust and started thinking what it might want.

The creature lifted itself up, its hands letting go of me.

I fell on the bed for a moment and looked at its massive chest, rippling with something inside. It looked powerful, muscular. I stared at it fascinated. The shapes of its body were strangely human, with visible pecs and - as my gaze lowered - a six pack. It all was twisted and moving however and made me think of a chameleon trying to copy something...

I felt like it was copying a human figure. That its reality was so beyond what I could fathom that it chose to present this way. That it chose to delve into my mind and pluck an image...

I gasped and moved back, but the creature shifted again. It wasn’t moving, it was barely using its limbs, it was flowing through space, undulating, twisting into itself, like a tidal wave. Its arms moved towards me, or rather the hands flew and grasped my face, leading the arms and elbows to follow them, as if someone dragged the hands themselves.