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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/than_odium on 2024-11-07 21:22:51+00:00.

Have you ever known true fear? No, I’m not talking about the heart palpitations you get when watching a scary film, or even the extreme discomfort that say a fear of heights or spiders may bring on. I’m talking about raw, unfiltered terror. If you haven’t then allow me to describe it to the best of my abilities. It’s like having a split personality, one side of you is paralysed, numb to everything around you, every sound muffled and distorted, even your own thoughts. On the other side of it your mind is simultaneously screaming at you, neurons firing in overdrive as it begs your nerves to release their death grip on your muscles and let you get away. I’ve experienced such a feeling once. I’d only known Katie for a few weeks but when I awoke at 3am to see her kneeling astride me on my bed, the painfully wide, manic grin that split her face bouncing as she gave those deep , earsplitting, inhuman giggles. Behind the kitchen knife raised over my chest, her gaze was locked onto mine, empty but for the cold, furious madness dancing within her almost glowing blue eyes. If my sister hadn’t shrieked from the doorway at the sight, snapping me out of it long enough to instinctively punch the distracted girl in the face before throwing her to the floor and making a run for it, I know my life would have ended that night. It was pure luck that my little sister had fought with her parents earlier that day and begged to crash at mine for the night. Pure luck that she had woken to use the bathroom when she did and heard the giggles. Pure luck that I’m alive to write this now. However, what I’ve learnt over the past few days has taught me a valuable lesson.

I thought nothing would come close to the fear I felt that night, somehow, living through such an event made me feel stronger. Until I read those damned books. Until I started questioning my own mind, my own… sanity. I thanked my lucky stars every day since that I’d remained in the world of the living. Now though? Now I’m starting to think I’m the unlucky one…

Apologies because this is going to be long.

I first met Katie almost exactly four years ago. From the moment I laid eyes on her I felt this strong protective urge which made sense considering the circumstances. I was walking home from work on a Friday night following a blazing row with my boss that I was pretty sure would mean more job hunting in the near future. I’ve never been good at holding down employment. The weather reflected my mood, the cloying, gray clouds seemed to smother any light coming from the street lamps while the downpour of rain drenched my clothes leaving them clinging tightly to my defeated form. I hadn’t realised one of my shoes had suffered a tear until part way into my walk but the wet squelch every time my sodden right roof met the pavement was a constant reminder. I was only about five minutes from home, the bottle of whiskey in my cupboard mentally calling to me after my shitty day when I heard it. Barely audible over the raindrops thundering against the floor, there was sobbing. I slowed and looked around before I spotted her. Sat huddled against the wall in a small alleyway was a young woman. Her hands were clasped against her ears as if trying to block out the world while she rocked back and forth, uncontrollable sobs wracking her tiny, soaked body, strands of hair clinging to her cheeks matted with both rain, and the tears freely flowing from her eyes. She was pretty, even in the state she was in it was easy to see how attractive she was. That probably helped in my following decision. I like to think I’d have done the same for anyone but I often didn’t make the best choices in life and the way I’ve treated people has left me with plenty of regrets, I’m ashamed to say. Shaking some water from my hair (not that it made the slightest difference) I sighed quietly and walked over to her.

She didn’t notice my approach, between the palms clasped to her ears and the tightly shut eyes, I was all but invisible to her. It was only when I reached out and gently touched her arm did her soft, brown eyes spring open in surprise, looking like a startled animal debating whether or not to flee. I stepped back, hands raised in a peaceful gesture with what I’d hoped was a kind smile on my face. Her gaze remained firmly locked on me and I suddenly had doubts as I realised how out of my depth I was.

“Are… are you ok?” I’d asked, flinching as I finished upon realising what a stupid question it was. The girl regarded me for a few more seconds before shaking her head as fresh sobs began to bubble up. I wanted to run away, I wasn’t equipped to deal with this, this was so far out of my comfort zone that all I wanted was to be far, far away. But I didn’t. There was something about her, her frail, tiny build, looking even smaller in the curled up position. The kindness swimming behind the distraught veneer in her eyes. This was someone without a malicious bone in their body, to just abandon her like this would be human. “S-sorry, I don’t want to be rude but I want to help… I’m Will…” I trailed off helplessly. The ghost of a smile appeared on her lips if only for half a second.

“Katie,” she whispered back hoarsely after a few seconds, “and thank you, but I don’t think you can help.” Despite the situation, the warmth and authenticity of her tone made me glad I hadn’t run, increasing that protective instinct I felt towards her.

“Well, at least let me call you a taxi to get home, sitting out in this can’t be helpful, unless you’re a secret mermaid,” I tried to joke and cheer her up, instantly cringing at how decidedly unfunny it was. But she laughed, it was a short, weak laugh, I’m sure she was only doing it to be nice, or maybe she was laughing at the weakness of my humour but either way, it thrilled me to see that momentary cheer slipping through her devastated facade before she crumpled once more, whispering about how she couldn’t go back to that place, even the thought of it seemingly terrifying her. “I only live round the corner, if you want to at least get out of the rain I can fix you a coffee.” I mentally facepalmed as I said it. As if she would just accept an invite to someone’s house who up until two minutes ago she’d never laid eyes on.

“Ok…” she sniffed, a little warily, fixing me with those glistening, trusting orbs. In that moment I wanted to keep her safe from all the evils of the world, I hated the fact that such an innocent looking, trusting person could be in so much pain. I held out a hand and she gingerly took it, letting me help her to her feet. That was how I met Katie.

Upon returning to my house, she had slumped exhausted into a chair, gratefully accepting a towel while I muttered an embarrassed apology about the mess (which she waved away, of course) before going to flick the kettle on. It was only when she took the mug that I realised how badly she was shivering, she must have been outside for hours. The grateful smile I got after fetching her a blanket made my heart melt a little. I nearly dropped my mug when she explained the source of her misery. Her older brother had been found dead in a park that very morning. I remembered hearing of his death when I got to work, the latest in a string of vicious murders that had rocked the area over the past few months. The prevailing rumour had been that he’d been walking home drunk after a night out and passed out in a park bench only for his cold, mutilated corpse to be discovered by an unfortunate jogger early the next day. Upon telling me this, she had once again dissolved into helpless tears. Me, with my limited skills interacting with women, had decided the most comforting thing I could do was lean forward and gently pat her shoulder (yes I know, pathetic really). The tight hug she pulled me into as she sobbed into my chest filled me with a calming, blissful sensation I only ever experienced with her.

Throughout the evening I slowly got more information from her. She lived with her brother, at least she had, hence why she couldn’t face going home. After a couple of hours, I asked if she was hungry and offered to order a takeaway. Sure, I had food, but I didn’t think offering her a pot noodle was the best course of action. She’d smiled and nodded but insisted that she would cover the cost to thank me. I tried to disagree but she wouldn’t budge and that was how we ended up huddled beside each other, eating Chinese and watching Netflix within four hours of meeting each other. I offered her the spare room that night. My roommate had moved out about a week back so the room was empty, and it had a bolt on the door I reassured her. I could tell she didn’t want to be a burden but the exhaustion after her day had begun to get overwhelming so she agreed and thanked me with a peck on the cheek. Katie ended up staying with me all weekend and it was the happiest I’d been in a long time. Seeing her slowly coming out of her shell and gradually begin to smile more gave me an indescribable rush.

On the Sunday night she said she was ready to go home, but shyly asked if I could come with her. I agreed without hesitation. She had sobbed upon entering her apartment, despairing at seeing her brother’s things that he’d never lay eyes on again. Once more, I comforted her and helped to calm her down. She begged me to stay the night with her and once again, my agreement came without delay. When she tiptoed into the living room at midnight, just as I …

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