i used to like sleeping.

it's been a year and my life has not gotten any better. in fact, it has gotten worse. the day after my seventh birthday, i started having nightmares. they were horrible. absolutely terrible. the worst part is that they were so terrifying that i can remember every nightmare. every single one of them. it's the reason i stopped falling asleep. though, because of that, i take naps during the day. i never get nightmares in the day.

i can remember my first nightmare clearly. I was scared out of my mind. it was dark. pitch black, no light. i didn't have Angel with me. and worst of all, i was being watched. three things that will always scare me.

i started walking. the echoes of my steps paranoid me. i never kept my eyes forward. i looked everywhere, trying to find the source of the person, or thing, who kept watching me. i scratched my skin, the anxiety was beyond overwhelming.

then it happened. i heard another pair of footsteps. i stopped and looked everywhere and anywhere. but i saw nothing but darkness. yet, the footsteps got louder. they were getting closer.

suddenly, i was running.

and when i started running, so did the footsteps.

tears filled up my eyes. i wanted to scream, but i would burn out of oxygen for running if i did that. the nightmare didn't get any better. there were more footsteps. some were running, some were walking. i couldn't tell what was happening. all i wanted was to wake up.

and then i did.

i woke up.

in the middle of the night.

without Angel.

that's when it hit me.

i was in a forest.