The Silence Kills

Being alone is something that I usually never complain about. But there is a difference between being alone in another room when there are still people there, and being alone in the house, knowing that no one is there, and no one will hear you scream when you wake up from a nightmare. Being alone, completely alone, in the daytime is nothing. There's nothing to fear except the occasional loud noise from the cat knocking something over, or one of the dogs doing something. But being alone in the dark, even when all the lights are on full glare, is just damn terrifying. It's not like when you watch a scary movie, and then go to bed, but cant sleep even though you know that your parents are in the next room. It's more like going camping in the woods after you watch a scary movie, by yourself. The quiet, the dark, they all press into your eyeballs and make you believe that anything is possible. You start to hear things that cant possibly be. Like the sound of someone breathing right behind you, even though there is no one there. Like the sound of a door closing, even though you closed them all already so you would know that they can't be closed. It's like your mind comes up with the most horrifying images possible, and then decides that you are going to hear them, see them, feel them, even though they aren't there. Solitude is one thing, but absolute and utter loneliness is damn right terrifying. You try to play happy music so you cant hear the sounds your brain makes up. You try to watch a funny movie so you don't see things out of the corner of your eye. You try to get lost in a book so that your mind cant wander and your imagination cant come up with things that will scare the shit out of you. Nothing works. It all creeps in after a while, and when you are alone in your bed with no lights and no sound, the monsters creep out from under your bed and drown you in their stench. It's all made up. It's all a figment of your imagination, but you know its there. And its that knowing that will drive you to the brink of insanity. And if you are left alone long enough, there's no coming back from that point. There's no turning back. Ever. You will always see the monsters. You will always hear that harsh breathing sound right behind you. You will always think that you see something, hear something, smell something. Its never there, but you know it is and it drives you slowly mad. 1

You may think I'm joking. You may think I'm just making things up. You may think that this could never happen to you. You may think that I'm just paranoid. But you'd be wrong. Try spending a few days alone in your house. No parents, no friends, no car to go somewhere, no pets, nothing. You'll see what I mean.2