Twelve Days of Horror

by ByeByeRainBird

Rue has been suffering continuous night terrors for the past ten years. At 19, it's rare for an adult to still experience them, but suddenly things start to change. The star of her horrors, the Shadow Man she's always called him, starts to plague her outside of her night terrors! Who is this "Nightmare King" and what plan does he want her to help him fulfill? Possible Jack/OC?

2. The First Night Terror

A/N: Thanks so much to all of you who have favourited, alerted, and the one reader who reviewed this! It truly is impacting to a poor old writer's soul. This chapter isn't very long, but it does give some important background to Rue's situation with Pitch. This takes place when Pitch first discovers her. I wish I wrote more, but it's nearly 1 AM over her and I need rest for work tomorrow heh. :P

Enjoy,
Kay(:

Ch. 2

TEN YEARS PREVIOUSLY

She sleeps soundly, golden Dreamsand depicting a child's fantasy. Singing flowers, a lovely meadow, happiness filling the air; all a small youth's heart's desires living out in the realm of sleep. The sleeping little one, a nine year old girl with a freckled pale face and bright ginger curls, goes on with her dreaming undisturbed, a soft smile on her rose coloured lips. Though nearing ten, the girl is small for her age, shortest in her fourth grade class. She barely fills the space her twin bed provides, just a small lump under the covers in the middle of the bed. Yet she sleeps peacefully, cuddling her black puppy stuffy as the adventure in her mind goes on…

That is, until something sinister enters the scene. Hiding under the girl's bed, a shadow waits to make his appearance, his shining amber eyes showing through the darkness beneath the bedframe. Malicious intent is clearly seen in those eyes, fearful and horrible things are present in that ghastly glare. A moment passes, then shadows leak from beneath the bed. Fearlings, skeletal horses called Nightmares, and black sand similar to the girl's Dreamsand fills the room and consumes the serene atmosphere. The black sand forms into a humanoid figure, with those amber eyes gleaming darkly upon the sleeping young girl. The figure looms over her, tall and slim with grisly grey skin and a nasty toothy smile. His face is gaunt, frightening and most intimidating with a hawk-like nose and thin dark lips that usually take the shape of a deadly smirk. Dark hair, slicked back and spiked, gives the figure a threatening appearance. His shadowy aura, formed by his Fearlings, surrounds him as he stands next to the sleeping girl. He watches her, that deadly smirk playing at his thin lips, and he observes the golden Dreamscape floating above her, depicted by the Dreamsand.

The Dark One soon gets bored of the cute little show with the flowers and the smiles and the singing and all that childish muck. Now was the time for the real fun to begin, and the Dark One let his mind go loose with frightful horrors no child could stand…

Night Terrors.

Yes, that would suit this child perfectly, the Dark One grins devilishly. Delicious screams, pure agony, restless tossing and thrashing about, and the pure chaos that goes along with every dose of Night Terror are his favourite forms of torture. This girl will be helpless; falling into the position of having no choice but to believe that the Dark One exists. Her heart will be easy to break, so easy to shatter. Look at how small she is! He marvels at his future success, basks in the glory he shall finally take for himself. An easy win, such triumph the Dark One shall finally possess!

"Poor little Rue," he smiles darkly, a long finger eagerly reaching out to the Dreamsand. "You won't stand a chance, will you, my dear?" He laughs quietly, a horrible sound to a child's ears. "Let the show begin," his toothy grin widens as the long finger lightly touches a singing flower in the Dreamscape. The gold Dreamsand deforms it's colour to blackness, shadows and nightmares taking over the girl, Rue's, dreaming.

The Dark One, the King of Nightmares, observes his craft with sick pride. Still, he feels as if something is missing. Why isn't the human girl screaming, or thrashing around her bed covers by now? The Nightmare King starts to frown as he mentally goes over his formula for Night Terrors, until his eyes suddenly flash. "How could I have forgotten the most important detail?" He laughs at his absent-mindedness while deforming into the black sand. His voice carries on before those flashing amber eyes disappear, "A little pinch of Pitch… dark… Black…"

In minutes, the screams arise.

A/N: See? Short. Nevertheless, PLEASE leave a review!

Kay(: