My hands started trembling and my heart was pounding. My mouth instantly went dry, and my mind raced. What the fuck is going on? I threw my sheets off and realized there was blood there, too. My pillowcase was smeared with handprints. MY handprints.

I jumped from the bed and ran to the bathroom. I scrubbed my hands until they were raw. Tears streamed down my face. I looked at my reflection, searching my eyes for anything that gave way to what could have possibly happened. I had no recollection of the night past locking the front door and crawling into bed. I slept. I slept soundly through the night. I was certain of it.

“Don’t touch me,” I screamed, my lungs quivering inside my chest. “You’ll let them back in!” My body convulsed as my eyes darted around the stark white room. My heart was racing so hard and fast I was nearly certain that my rib cage couldn’t contain it much longer. A sharp shot to the arm and my eyes rolled back in my head and my body went limp. If only they knew then what they know now.