Hachiman POV

I blink.

Brain, I really really need you to wake me up or something!

I raise my hands at the woman, though why does it feel like she's farther away from me?

"Look, my reactions to the nightmares would be boring and do –"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that… No one can keep their composure when they experience death."

My eyes widen and mouth open to try to say something, to convince her to not go through it, anything! But she snaps her finger and I feel myself falling.

"Living Complex."

I vaguely hear her words while falling for what feels like forever.

Then my back hit something squishy that softens my fall.

I look down and see an eye staring right back at me.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screaming while trying to get away from that… Thing… I accidentally run into something that pushes me to the ground.

Rubbing my nose, I look up to see a wall made up of something like veins or red color with tendrils coming out of it that slowly reach out to me.

Nope. Nope. Nope. I try to get up but something grabs hold of my leg, causing me to freeze then to look down to see a hand grabbing me.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" I desperately try to kick the hand but flinch. It fucking feels like I'm kicking metal! I keep trying and trying… To the point I didn't even notice it.

I feel a crushing force around my throat, making me look down to see the same fucking tendril wrapped around my throat, my hands, and my body. Then it lifts me up.

Desperately, I try to struggle out of the thing's hold but I failed and black spots appear in my vision due to the lack of air.

The black spots grow even larger with the last thing I see is something closing itself then darkness.

I can't see or feel anything… Just this darkness and coldness… Then a burning sensation all around my body.

Thrashing around lets me know that I am in a liquid, which means I can go up! I ignore the stinging sensation that I can feel inside of me now, and desperately swims up with my eyes closed.

Breaching the liquid, I open my eyes to look down and see yellow liquid, a pink wall… And only bones remain for my body.

"Deep Waters."

Before I could even fucking comprehend, my surrounding changes into water. Looking down, I can vaguely see my body back to normal like it was a lie. Even though the phantom pain says otherwise.

I am so lucky I know how to swim or else I can't even swim up. But holy shit the water is so damn cold!

Something passed by. Just ignore it. Mind playing tricks. Keep swimming.

I see bright light in front of me, making me swim even faster to it. Please let it be the surface! But as I go closer, I can vaguely feel the water pushing against me.

I immediately turn around and swim away since the fucking surface does not push against me. Only an object or a fucking huge holy fuck what the fuck creature!

Pain, unlike anything I felt before, almost knocks me out but I manage to look behind to see my own reflection staring back at me but only the upper half in red color.

"Labyrinthine Apartment."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH -" I cough when I feel something coming into my mouth, making me look around to see gray walls, opened doors that only reveal darkness, and a long hallway in front of me.

A sudden feeling engulfs me that tells me to walk. I try to resist it but my body is already moving. I look down and see my body rapidly aging, becoming older with each step into the hallway.

Until I see wrinkled old skins and gray beard that extends to the floor.

"The Night Children."

I collapse onto the grassy floor then vomit. My vision is hazy but I can see water and yellow liquid on the ground as I slowly and painfully get up.

Looking around, I can only see trees, bushes, a shining female with an empty look, streetlights… Oh.

The streetlights further down the road flicker then go out. Followed by the next one. The next one. Oh fuck please stay on. PLEASE STAY ON!

I look up while begging my streetlight to stay on… And for a moment, it didn't flicker, making me sigh in relief.

Then it goes out.

A brief glance up to glare at the streetlight was all it took for them to surround me. I see their shining bodies all around me and feel something grabbing my throat. Then my hands. Then my legs.

And pull.

The last thing I heard through the screaming was the sound of laughter.

"An Infested Memory."

I blink and see a white ceiling. Slowly getting up, I see that I am laying down on blue and white tiles. Looking around, I see a sink, a toilet, a shower.

"Bathroom." I put a hand to my face with sweat dripping out of every part of my body, "YOU GODDAMN SHITTY WOMAN! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" I desperately scream until only a raspy voice comes out… Then I hear metal clanking.

Oh god no no no no no no no please no

I slowly watch as the floor metal for liquids bang open and unleash a swarm of insects. I scramble my way to the door and frantically try to knock it down but it won't budge.

Then I feel something crawling on my leg.

"AHHHHHHHHGHFGGFHD –" Screaming while trying to stomp the insects, I gag as I feel something has gotten into my mouth. Then it went down my throat.

More and more insects cover me. I feel them going into my ears, my skin, my nose, fucking everything! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP PLEASE MAKE IT STOP THE PAIN THE PAIN PAIN!

"Waiting For The End."

I look to see a mushroom cloud in the distance that quickly reaches me. Before I could do anything, I felt my body just disintegrating.

"Bursting Sickness."

Idly scratching my left hand that quickly becomes painful, I look at it, only to see black bumps covering the hand. Then the world around me spins to the point where I fall to the ground with my hands, covered with black bumps now to hold me up, then cough up blood. The last thing I see are the black bumps in my eyes.

"Bowels Of The Earth."

Keep moving forward, Hachiman. Keep moving forward. Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't – ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"Subterranean Dweller."

Hugging the wall, I peek into the next section, only to come face to face with a tall humanoid with freakishly long arms and legs, and only a skull remaining with no flesh.

The humanoid grabs my face and lifts me above the ground. I punch the arm while fruitlessly kicking the air… Then my head explodes.

"Now that concludes the demonstration of each nightmare and your reactions were simply delightful." I blink and see that I am back in the dream that I was hoping to be false, "How was your experience?"

That did it. Something snaps inside of me, making me charge at her with the intent to murder, "YOU!"

Snap. I feel myself freezing in place and I can see the woman waving a finger at me back and forth that enrages me even more, "Tsk tsk, that is no way to greet your guide."

She smirks, "Now, with that done, please choose a nightmare for you to conquer. Oh and the waifu that you choose will be able to enter your world after you conquer it. So try to bring them to your world before the nightmare does."

*AN*

Damn, I really struggled to make this chapter since I am not used to first person horror but I wanted to try something new and the inner monologues of Hachiman are always fun to write lol.