They Bite and walk and do not scream

It starts like a nightmare.

silence and darkness then bells that chime and chime twelve times

warm static from the living room

cold breathing from the hall

lumbering monsters from electric woodlands you explored and escaped

and you did not realize that they followed you home

you brought them home

a door shuts

heavy footfalls that sound like lead raindrops from behind thick white oak

tump tump tump tump

you hold your breath and shine your light and there is nothing and you think that maybe it’s all in your head

but it happens again

tump tump tump tump

you shut the door

you wait

a click of your light

there is nothing

and again

tump tump tump tump

nothing

or something

just out of the corner of your eye, they poke their heads in from the hallway

or your closet

or beneath your bed

but always

when you look

when the light shines

of course there is nothing

of course there is nothing

but then there is sound

tump tump tump tump

in the brief silences all you can think of is holding your breath and the teeth

god the teeth

if someone else only knew

tump tump tump tump

you hide and you shake and you wait and when the sun puts a crack in the endless night like water rotting wood in an unceremonious instant you feel you are safe but you can only think that your alarm clock sounds like a scream being dragged across rough stone

It starts like a nightmare,

then continues like a nightmare,

and no matter what you do, 

it ends like a nightmare,

or it starts like a nightmare again.

About the Author

Liam Ryan is an English major with a focus in Creative Writing. They have a cat and a passion for time loops as a narrative conceit.