Sleep Tight, Good Night, Dreams will come

The warm, burnt yellow sunbeams filtered through the shades on the window, highlighting the small family of dust that had chosen to host their daily dance right under the sill. 1

The sound of high heels slapping and clicking against the burnt sienna tiles flowed to the pricked ears belonging to Delta, Delta Force to his friends. A slow smile raked its way across his face. He quickly wiped it off and then schooled his face into a nonchalant expression. 2

The clicking sound skittered a bit as the wearer moved from the textured clay tiles to the smooth mother of pearl ceramic type that lay on the kitchen floor. Delta had a hard time keeping his face straight, pretending to concentrate on the coffee he was pouring into his oversized football themed mug.3

The high heels continued on their circuit around the kitchen, making audible stops at the counter farthest from him, the fridge and then finally stopping right behind him. No emotion showed on his face at all, as he continued to place all of his concentration on stirring creamer and sugar into the mug. The high heels made a creaking sound as the wearer obviously was getting ready to move. Delta continued stirring his coffee, but slid a sly, hasty glance sideways, tensed his leg muscles, and loosened his grip on the spoon and mug.4

SWOOP!5

The sound of childish laughter bounced off the walls of the kitchen, as Delta pounced on his 2 year old daughter's form and swung her into his arms just as she was about to run.6

"Playing dress up in mummy's heels again, are we?" 7

He tickled her with the hand that was not holding her. Her giggles continued to flow through-out the house, bringing a smile to mummy's face and causing her to wander from the den to the kitchen to investigate.8

Delta turned as he felt her presence coming down the hall. His gaze flicked over her face as it came towards him. He turned back to say conspiratorally to his daughter, "Don't worry sweetie, I'll say I took them." 9

He then turned to make a joke with his wife, to see the smile splash across her face as he shared what their daughter had been up to. 10

Immediately, he reared back, holding his armful even tighter. 11

The face he saw there now was not his wife's. The eyes were blood-shot, the skin had a pale jaundiced hue, the hair matted with a oozy, rich red, thick substance that looked rather like blood.12

Delta backed away hurriedly as the figure continued to advance. He glanced down at his bundle, hoping to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, that Daddy was there. 13

The little face that had looked at his was not that of his daughter's. It was an exact replica of the figure advancing, except that it was a younger newborn version. 14

He wasn't sure if to drop the being he held or if to hold on to it. Was it still his daughter? What on earth was going on?
Delta loosened his grip on it but still held on to it a bit as he continued to back away from the larger version of the being.15

Sweat started to drip down his back, and splash against the floor. Then he felt it. The edge of the door handle against the small back. He eased his free hand behind him, keeping more than a eye on that thing that was advancing on him. The one in his arms started to fuss then moved on to full fledged crying. His fingers now sweaty slipped around as he tried to grip the door. He could feel his heart beating faster sending more blood to his limbs and his head. 16

THERE!17

He had finally gripped the door handle and started to turn it, hoping to time it carefully enough to fling it open, toss the child or whatever it was to the other bigger one and slam it shut behind him. But as soon as he had gotten the door knob turned all the way and was about to pull it towards him, the bigger creature in front of him rushed forward as if on the wind and pinned him against the door. 18

Delta felt his heartrate accelerate, felt the blood rushing through his veins infused with adrenaline. 19

The creature reared up, opened its mouth and then ROARED into his face sending a course of hot, biting wind that felt as if it peeling the skin on his face slowly off.
The small one slid from his arms with a thud as his arms grew more slippery with sweat.Delta was too pre-occupied to notice.
The one pinning him reared back again and he could see it was going to come back at him with force. He raised a hand in front his face, closed his eyes and braced.20

The slight rush of cold wind pushing at his arm forcing it slightly back surprised him21

Delta opened his eyes and blinked. The fresh sweat sheeting down his body had soaked the blankets of the bed in his darkened bedroom. He rotated his head at the window through which the before dawn breeze was now lightly streaming through. That was obviously what had woken him up from...from...He couldn't even remember.22

He couldn't recall a single detail about the dream he KNEW he had just had. He knew it was scary. He knew it was frightening. But what the dream was about he just could not recall. But he could not get even the littlest flitting of a memory.23

Delta felt his heart rate now beginning to slow. He huffed a frustrated sigh through his lips and began to sink slowly back unto the now flattened pillow.24

A feeling of a kiss touched his cheek, startling him and causing him to begin to hop out of the bed. But a restaining feminine hand seemed to be pressing him down. He pushed again it but it held him against the bed with no effort. He felt the body belonging to the hand lean forward. He felt his eyes start to dilate even more than they were already in the dark. The lips, cold but warm, moved to his ear.25

Then they whispered words that sent a shock wave flowing through his body. The lips whispered the words that his now deceased wife had said every night when they went to sleep. 26

"Sleep Tight, Delta. Good Night. Dreams will come."