He opened his eyes. Another nightmare.
They came very often. Erik was not one to confess his fears, but like every human being he was afraid of many things. Sleep itself was one of them, partly because of the nightmares. Erik would go to bed very late, and spend a long time distracting himself before actually trying to sleep.
Erik was also not very fond of darkness. It was not that he feared that there was something hiding there, but the dark itself felt suffocating. He could stand keeping the lights off to sleep but it was not comfortable. Even the small lights of the alarm clock or the led of the tv would help. But some nights when it stormed the power would go out and it was really hard. Having a candle was comforting, the light sound of fire and the scent relaxed Erik. But his roommate wouldn't alow him to keep it overnight because it was dangerous. He wouldn't complain when he could barely pay his part of the rent.
Erik's nightmares included a lot of darkness. And a lot of bad memories. A particular caretaker from the orphanage who was said to beat kids who misbehaved. His adoptive guardian, the smell of her liquor, her laugh and her friends' loud voices. Many years had passed but some details were still so alive in his mind. Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night in so much pain that it took a while to remember where it was.
But his mind was creative enough to come up with new scenarios too. Fear didn't make Erik scream or cry, but he often felt breathless. As if his throat was closing. Sometimes his nightmares included being locked in a closet or small box, and it just made it worse. Others, he heard the sound of water, like a distant river. He could hear it even awake, echoing in his mind, and he swore it would drive him mad someday.
Nights were really horrible for Erik, and the frequent rains and storms just made it worse. Suffocating in nightmares and fears, he suffered in silence. He couldn't bring himself to tell anyone about it, not that he had many friends anyway. Partly it was his stubborness, his desire to be above such pitiful feelings, but there was something else there too, something he couldn't explain. He faced his demons the same way a spoiled child faced doing his homework or eating his vegetables. It was unpleasant but had to be done, either in the easy or the hard way. When finally the morning came and the soft daylight entered the room, he swallowed it up and faced a new day.