I Dream of Demons
by iloveprettysilverhair
In the quiet of the night, situated within the bustling city of Tokyo, sat an old shrine. During the day visitors frequented the grounds, praying for good luck, good health, fortune, and safety. The inhabitants of the house that neighbored the shrine, usually full of laughter and smiles, were now quiet with sleep, tucked carefully in their beds. The coolness of autumn swept through the old hallways, making the residents curl up tighter underneath their blankets. All except for one.
Kagome Higurashi fitfully kicked off her blankets as her eyes cramped tightly shut. Beads of sweat gathered upon her brow, and her soft whimpers were becoming steadily louder. Her body jerked wildly before she was startled awake, screaming loudly in terror. Her breathing was hard and hands were shaking, her mind still holding onto the picture she saw. Another nightmare had plagued her, a large frightening creature with long, glistening fangs and sharp talons had been stalking her and chasing her around her home, toying her until finally deciding it had played enough, and then pounced upon her. Just as she was certain it was going to sink his fangs into her throat, she was ripped from her dream, heart pounding in her chest and her body trembling in fear. She could not forget those glowing red eyes.
Rushing in, her mother sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped a loving arm around her shoulders. “Was it the dream again?” she asked quietly. Kagome nodded numbly before dragging a tired hand down her face.
“I’m sorry I woke you, mom. I’m okay now-really-you can go back to bed.”
Her mother sighed and kissed her on her forehead. “It’s been a while since you’ve had that one, I almost thought it had left you for good.” Kagome once again nodded quietly. “Try and get some rest, honey. Just think, tomorrow is Halloween and you can see all those cute kids running around in their scary costumes.”
A small smile graced Kagome’s lips, and with assurance to her mother that she would be fine, bid her goodnight and burrowed down into her bed, begging sleep to claim her, but this time with nice, peaceful dreams. She hated feeling so helpless like a scared child. She kept telling herself that it was only a nightmare, that it wasn’t real, but her gut twisted in fear each time she had it. Attempting to soothe her own fears, Kagome chided herself for being silly and to start acting her age, and in a matter of minutes, she gave herself over to a fitful rest.
****
When morning arrived she had all but forgotten the horrid nightmare that plagued her sleep, and she could feel the excited energy of all those around her who were getting ready for their night of scares and candy. Her brother had chosen to dress as a pirate, complete with eye patch and sword, and her mother even donned a witch costume, which Kagome completed by handing her the broom. Even her grandfather had decided to participate in the festivities.
“Grandpa, what are you supposed to be?” Kagome asked him.
“I’m a powerful demon exterminator! One with great power and strength, and immobilizing sutras as my weapon!!!” he exclaimed in a blaze of glory.
“So…you’re a priest?” she questioned carefully.
“Precisely!”
Kagome looked over at her mother who had her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. “Eh…great costume, grandpa.”
The day wore on and a few children had decided to get an early start on Trick or Treating, making her brother, Souta, become impatient.
“Pleeeeeease can we go now, Mom? All the candy’s gonna be gone!”
After denying him for the last five attempts, her mother finally gave in to his whims. “Fine, but don’t think you’re going to eat all that candy tonight, young man.” Miss Higurashi shook her head in amusement and turned towards her daughter. “We’re going to head out now, but we shouldn’t be out too long.”
Kagome froze at her mother’s words and her body chilled with anxiety. “You’re not staying here?” she asked timidly.
“I would, dear, but…well, I have a feeling this will be Souta’s last year of Trick or Treating. He’s growing up so fast, and I just don’t want to miss it.” Her mother looked over at her younger brother forlornly and Kagome immediately felt remorse for sounding needy.
“It’s all right mom,” she assured the older woman, “I’ll be fine here passing out candy. Besides, grandpa will be here with me.”
Her mother gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Kagome.” Another urging from Souta and the two set off to find the candy mother load.
****
The night grew on as ring after ring the doorbell chimed, and Kagome’s candy supply had finally been exhausted. So, it was with a tired hand she reached for the porch light switch and turned it off, leaving the shrine ground dimly lit by numerous Jack-O-Lanterns. Heaving a great sigh and stretching her arms over her head, Kagome made her way into the kitchen for some tea. She put the kettle on and dug herself out a teacup and bag before yawning tiredly and heading towards the kitchen chair. As she sat down, she heard her grandpa tromp down the stairs and shout something from the living room and then heard the ominous sound of the front door being closed.
Panicking, she raced to the door and opened it, just in time to see her grandpa kick up his heels and disappear around the corner. A feeling of cold dread washed over her, and with a quick look around she rushed back into the house and locked the door tight. Turning to face the inside of her house, she carefully looked around, taking stock of every item and noticing just how quiet everything had become. Her mother and brother were still out, and her grandfather just left her. The house had never seemed quite so empty before.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath before she pushed off the door to checked all the locks around the house, just to be sure. Every sound seemed amplified to her then, the slow drip of the kitchen faucet, the ticking of the clock on the wall. Even her breath seemed to be coming out louder. As irrational as she felt it might be she couldn’t stop thinking about the nightmare she’d had only the night before. What she had failed to tell her mother this time was that in her dream, the demon came for her when everyone went out to celebrate, leaving her alone and vulnerable.
The teapot started hissing loudly, startling a surprised yelp out of her before she realized what it was and going to turn off the stove. She set the teapot aside, suddenly not finding it appealing. After checking every door-twice-and every window-three times-Kagome tried to ease her worries by laughing at her ridiculousness, and made her way to bed. Her mom and Souta would surely be back any time now, and with her nerves as shot as they were, she felt it would just be best to go to sleep. The quietness of the shrine grounds enveloped her, and soon her eyes were drifting closed, lulled to sleep by the crickets’ singing their tune.
****
Within what felt like only minutes, Kagome’s eyes snapped open and her muscles tensed, fingers clutching the blankets at her side. She could hear the soft tinkling of shards of glass falling from a broken window downstairs and her eyes grew wide in fear. She stayed as still as she possibly could and held her breath for fear that whoever or whatever was downstairs would hear her.
The unmistakable echo of claws scraping against the hardwood floors filled her ears, the click-clacking growing closer as the thing prowled up the stairs. She could hear the sounds of its snout pressed against the floor, searching for her amongst the many smells of the house, could hear the panting of the creature just outside her room, its breathing picking up speed as it discovered its prey. Kagome slowly rose out of her bed, driven by fear, and quietly opened her window. She heard a deep, rumbling growl and she stilled before rethinking her plan. She yelped in surprise as the creature began slamming its body into the door and she hurriedly situated herself behind the bedroom door just before it was forced open.
Her eyes fearfully followed the massive figure as it quickly pounded over to the window, and she used the chance to sneak around the broken door and into the hallway. A piercing growl made her stop in her tracks, and she turned to see the creature, his front legs perched upon the windowsill, staring at her with dark, glowing red eyes. Its claws were sinking deep into the aged wood, the ledge creaking in protest to its weight. Instinct taking over, Kagome screamed in terror before bounding down the stairs, the sound of animal paws pursuing her as she raced through the house loud in her ears.
She tried yanking the back door open and cursed herself for locking both locks that caused her to lose precious time. She heard as the beast slid across the floor after jumping and clearing the last few steps, and she tore open the door and closed it quickly behind her. Racing across the shrine grounds, her limbs screamed in protest at the energy she was using, and her feet felt raw against the gravel and dirt of the back yard. A vicious yowl broke through the relative silence of the grounds and Kagome shivered as goose bumps pricked her skin, but kept her pace, aiming for the tool shed. She could have cried in relief when it came into view, but all too soon she was halted by what she saw.
The enormous creature loomed dangerously near her, blocking her path to the small shed and her potential weapons. A snarl revealed a row of razor sharp teeth and those blood red eyes leveled on her form. Forcing her legs to move, Kagome quickly turned around and bolted towards the next closest building, the old well house. The crisp autumn air stung her cheeks and feet, but she commanded her legs to move her faster, away from the frightening monster. Another yowl tore through the grounds and she covered her ears at the sound. She could feel it giving chase after her and quickened her pace further, her lungs burning with exertion.
When she felt the nip to her calf and the sharp stinging of its fangs, Kagome screamed and almost fell to the ground, but she miraculously held her balance and continued running.
As suddenly as it was behind her it was gone, veering away from her, and Kagome felt a small veil of hope settle over her being. She could hear voices coming up the street and recognized them as her mother and brother and she gave a silent prayer that soon she would not be alone anymore. Determined to make it to safety, Kagome continued her sprint, but aimed for the house, hoping to meet her family at the front door.
But her heart nearly stopped at the terrifying sight before her as she rounded the side of the house. The beast stood menacingly on the porch right in front of her and she swore she saw it grin just as it pounced. Her body gave way to its weight on top of her and her struggles began anew when it grabbed her by the collar of her nightshirt with its teeth and started to drag her to the back of the house; into the darkness where no one could see her. She tried to scream, but her shirt was cutting off her air supply, so she helplessly flailed her arms in an attempt for freedom.
The creature stopped finally and stood loomed her, its eyes trained on her face and the sheer panic adorning her features. Its maw opened up, revealing all the deadly fangs, and just as Kagome thought her throat was about to ripped out, a commanding voice stilled the beast.
“Enough.”
Instantly the weight on her was gone and Kagome backpedaled away from the massive beast, hyperventilating in her panic. Her eyes flew to her savior in gratitude before narrowing in righteous anger. “Sesshoumaru, what the hell?! What is this…this THING?!”
The demon lord, who had recently figured out a trick to using the well and had taken much interest in her time for the past few months, looked down at his side and patted the cat-like creature on its head. “It is my new pet. Do you not like it?” he asked in a bored manner.
Kagome took a second to digest what he had just asked her so casually. “NO! That thing scared the hell out of me! Why did you set it loose to terrorize me and try to kill me?!”
Sesshoumaru scoffed and flicked a strand of hair over his shoulder. “It was not trying to kill you, you merely have something it wants,” he said as he stepped over to her and grasped her necklace, giving it a small tug to yank it off. Ignoring her indignant yell, Sesshoumaru broke open the fang-shaped pendant to reveal a small morsel of food. Giving the monster of his the treat, Sesshoumaru then turned to head towards her house.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Kagome said forcefully.
The demon lord looked over his shoulder at her and shrugged minutely. “Your brother owes me some of his bounty of tonight, he claimed that no one has ever been able to scare you on Halloween and never would. I have proved him wrong.”
Kagome’s eye twitched. She was going to kill him.
“Come, Kagome…you as well, priestess.”
Mouth dropping open, her fury once again returned. “You named that thing after me?!!!!!”
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A huge THANK YOU to Wiccan for looking over this for me, you rock my socks!
It was my first attempt at a bit of horror, so I hope I didn't fail miserably. Either way, if you want to drop me a review and let me know what I could do to improve, or if you just plain thought it was scary, I'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for reading, have a Happy Halloween!