The Nightmare

by Devyn Leal

Alfred is haunted. At night, surrounded in complete darkness, more alone than he already is in the world, Alfred sees things, things that most people would describe as a nightmare. Whispers from demonic voices and tall shadow creatures torment him every night as he lies there, paralyzed and filled with fear. He tried telling people in the past, but nobody cared. Scientists still have no idea what causes these visions, and all the remedies he's tried in the past don't work, so every night, he's forced to endure all that his imagination can conjure, as he lies there helpless.

One night, a new kind of shadow appears, different from any of the regulars he had seen a dozen times over. This one looks familiar, and with its arrival spawns a remembrance from a time in Alfred's life that he tried so hard to forget. It becomes his nightly visitor, and with each passing night, it gets closer and closer to his unmovable body. What happens next will leave you scared of your own bed, and mistrusting everything you've heard about the phenomenon known as sleep paralysis.

Audible Audio

Published January 31, 2023

About the author

Devyn Leal is a twenty-something aspiring novelist, born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He graduated high school in early 2018 and has spent most of his spare time reading, writing, living life, and hosting a podcast with his best friend since then. He self-published his first novel, The Cries of the Damned, in 2019, and republished the second edition in mid-2020. Now, he is working on several upcoming novels, short stories, and novellas, set to be released in the near future.

Follow him on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/leal_devyn/

Reviews

[The Bookish B¡tch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and creepy read! As a person who suffers from night terrors and sleep paralysis, I know firsthand how hard it is to try to communicate those details into words, especially for an audience who may not experience these episodes personally. I appreciated the detail that went into this story, including the feeling of television static and seizures. It's a terrifying experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. Nicely done!