I woke up with cold sweat, panting for breath. It was that same dream that woke me up every night. An unidentifiable black figure following me, no stalking me. I always feel its soulless white orbs burning into the back of my head. Everywhere I look or turn that black figure is always behind me. I never see it move, but it is somehow always following me. Whenever I turn around it just stares at me with its white eyes, not even blinking. But when I turn a corner it jumps at me. It’s screech piercing my ears.

That black figure in my head, in my dreams.

That black figure. Just that black figure.

It has been over two months that I have been having the same nightmare. Every night was the same. Me waking up screaming and my roommate Bomi always coming into comfort me. She would always sooth me with her sweet voice that calmed me down right away. “Chorong?”

I wouldn’t answer because I would be still panting and wiping my tears of distress and horror away. Bomi would walk into my room and sit next to me, embracing me.

“Was it that same nightmare again?” I would nod in her arms still crying. Bomi would hug me until I stopped crying and calmed down.

“Do you think you can go back to sleep?”

I would nod while moving away from her arms and smile a ‘thank you’ to her while Bomi left. But after that I would never be able to go back to sleep. I would be too scared that the black figure would come back and haunt me.

One night was different than the other nights. I had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room. I woke up to the sound of a crackling radio. I didn’t remember leaving the radio on. I didn’t even remember owning a radio. I sat up not knowing where the sound was coming from. The more I concentrated on the radio’s crackling, the more I heard a voice. The voice was deep and dark, so deep that I could barely hear the voice. I felt around in the darkness looking for my phone, which I definitely left on the coffee table next to the sofa. I stood up fumbling around to turn on the lights, causing me to bump into the coffee table. When I bumped into the coffee table the crackling of the radio stopped and I could only hear the same deep, dark voice. I thought that Bomi was just playing a trick on me, but then I remembered that she wasn’t home. Bomi was in the country visiting her parents, so I was home alone.

I headed over to my room where that voice was coming from. I saw my phone on my bed, which I don’t remember putting there. I walked over cautiously to my phone, I picked it up and the voice stopped. I went through my gallery and saw a new video and a new voice recording. I suspiciously opened the video. I was being filmed sleeping; the person or thing was hovering above me over the sofa and recording me squirming in my sleep. I was probably having the same nightmare again. The recording stopped after exactly 19 seconds. I was shivering in fear. How could someone or something film me in my sleep when I was the only one in the house?

I played the voice recording and it was that same deep, dark voice from the radio, that was talking or more, mumbling. The voice recording also stopped after exactly 19 seconds. I dropped my phone in horror. I had never heard the black figure talk in my dreams but I had a bad feeling that the voice belonged to the black figure. I realised that I was not home alone, I realised that the black figure was in my house. I frantically picked up my phone to call Bomi even though it was late at night. When a photo caught my eye, It was a photo of me sitting on the bonnet of my car in the woods. That was when Bomi and I had gone camping. It was getting dark in the picture, and I saw a glimpse of the black figure sitting in the front seat of the car. It was staring at the camera only its white eyes could be seen. Its eyes were almost glowing. I saw the date on the photo. It was April 19.

I exited the picture and dialled Bomi’s number. She picked up after 4 rings. I could hear her sleepy voice on the other end.

She answered “Hello?”

I replied shakily “B-Bomi?”

She asked with a worried voice “What’s wrong Chorong?”

I could only whimper “I-I think that nightmare is real…”

Bomi was really confused in her sleepy state. “What are you talking about Chorong?”

I squeaked back “I-I think the black figure is inside the house…”

Bomi was dumbfounded. “O-okay… I’ll be there in an hour or so. J-just stay where you are and don’t move.”

I could only be thankful “Please come quickly…” and she hung up…

Now I was left with the black figure roaming around in my house and I was stuck in my room until Bomi comes home. I was trembling in fear hoping that nothing happens until Bomi comes home. After nothing happening for 19 minutes I heard the crackling of the radio and the deep, dark voice again. But this time it wasn’t coming from my phone or my room. It was coming from outside. I looked around my room hoping to find a possible weapon of sorts and found a tennis racquet leaning on my wardrobe. I grabbed the racquet and clutched against my chest squeezing it. Then I heard a loud tap on the window. I turned around startled and saw the black figure peeping through the corner of the window. It screeched, which pierced my ears. I screamed, covered my ears and closed my eyes hoping for it to disappear.

Bomi came in right on time and ran into my room pulling me into and embrace. I immediately stopped screaming, eased my hands away from my ears and slowly opened my eyes. I saw my saviour.

Bomi looked at me and caressed my head whispering “it’s okay, it’s okay” over and over again.

From that day on we moved out of the house. I would still have nightmares of the black figure occasionally, but never again I saw the black figure again. Because it was all in my head.