The late evening sky was clear as Hadria sat at the far end of the New York City subway car. There was no one in the dingy lit car with her as she tried to avoid dozing off to sleep and missing her stop.

The train conductors muffled voice announced the next stop. Hadria stood up from her seat and waited by the door. Just as she looked through the thin glass mirror, she was met with her reflection and a tall figure that was behind her. The figure was wearing a dark hoodie and its face wasn’t visible through the reflection of the mirror.

Her heart quickened as she turned around quickly to find that no one was behind her.

The train pulled into the outside station as she tried to calm her nerves and get ready to leave the train car.

The wind whipped through her hair as she stepped out of the train and headed towards the station’s steps. Down she went at the bottom of the steps and headed towards the long narrow corridor of the subway station.

From behind, she heard a rattling noise and a sharp breeze hitting her small frame. She stopped midway into her walking and turned around to find nothing behind her except scattered paper and random garbage on the concrete floor.

She finally exited out of the station and headed to the city streets. The city was cold and grimy as she walked on the misty sidewalk and headed straight for her apartment.

Luckily her apartment was right across the street from the subway station and she could just head right in and rest.

Loud talking and screeching cars drove past Hadria as she stepped into her apartment building and ran to the awaiting elevator door. Just as she stepped in and pressed the button to her floor, the lights started to flicker. It alarmed Hadria as she felt a cold breeze whisk her raven jet hair.

She felt an awkward feeling as she got out of the elevator of her building and headed towards her apartment door. She looked around her surroundings before she took out her keys and opened her door.

The sickening feeling subsided as she closed her door and inhaled deeply of the smell in her apartment.

Cinnamon and a hint of vanilla took over her senses as she set down her things and headed to the back of the apartment.

She turned on her wireless speakers that were perched upon her nightstand, and “Burn” from The Cure blasted throughout her bedroom and small apartment.

She did everything she needed to do to get ready for bed. It was close to midnight as she ate a late dinner and turned down all the lights in her apartment. She headed back to her room and turned off her music dock.

She settled in her bed and felt the day’s stress wash over her and she finally started to feel the sleep take over her exhausted body.

*~*

It was grey and foggy as the leaves crunched beneath her feet. Dark eerie branches started to slither and creep up behind Hadria as she tried to drink in her surroundings.

Her hair fluttered in the cold air as she saw a haunting figure in front of her.

A man was withering and thrashing about in a metal chair. He was bound by his feet to the chair legs and his hands and arms to the armrest of the chair.

His muffled cries for help worried Hardia as she tried to step closer. Just then, a menacing figure came into her view. The thick and gaunt body of the monster hovered over the frighten male. Hadria felt her stomach turn as she took in the creature’s presence.

His tall, deep red frame shadowed over his surrounding space as he looked over at Hadria. His black eyes were dead, but there was a hint of wonder beneath them. His deadly black horns traveled down his back as he lifted the scarred man from the ground as he was still in his chair with his ink-black claws.

The demon-like creature never took his eyes off Hadria as he took his other hand and impaled the man’s chest and ripped out his beating heart.

Hadria let out a gut-wrenching scream as the monster threw the lifeless body to the ground. Right behind the monster were soulless bodies with black eyes and deathly faded skin, running toward the dead body and started to devour the dead man.

The monster slowly started to creep closer to Hadria as she tried to move. She couldn’t– her body was frozen as the beast walked forward with his gaunt features and the dead man’s heart still pumping in his hands.

Just as the demon hovered over her shaken frame, his form started to change. He slowly started to morph and malt into a man. A man Hadria didn’t believe existed or she was expecting.

The monster’s face was now in the form of a firm man, with a deep expression and his light facial hair covering his chin and vigorous cheeks. His raven dark hair was long, close to his shoulder blade, but it was curly and slick. His eyes were still black with a hint of crimson red, but they still held the sense of wonder in them.

He was now shirtless in front of her, his chest rippled, and his arms were hard but veiny. His dark pants cling to his straight legs and his dark boots were planted firmly to the dark ground.

Hadria could feel her breath hitch as this magnificent being came closer to her face. She could feel his hot breath lingering over her lips as she kept her eyes on his deadly orbs. The haunting man dropped the dripping heart to the ground.

Her heart took a standstill as his lips touched hers. The feel of his lips was smooth and slick as he parted her mouth with his tongue. She could feel her body start to heat up and his devious tongue explored her watering mouth.

He tugged at her bottom lip as he brought her small frame closer to his broad body. Just as his hands took hold of her small waist, Hadria came to her senses and pushed the creature away from her, and started to catch her breath.

Just as she started to step back from the dark figured man, she started to feel her skin crawl and itch. She looked down at her arms to only reveal that her skin started to deeply crack and bleed. Her heart rate spiked as she saw her skin peel off her body and her veins and muscles became visible. She let out a horrid scream as she felt her body melt into the ground…

*~*

“NO!”

Hadria yelled into the air as she jolted from her bed and felt warm tears travel down her cheeks.

She shivered and sobbed as she looked down at her body and touched her swollen lips. She could still feel the deep kiss as she crawled out of bed and she ran to her bathroom.

She washed her face and investigated herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot red, and her hair was disheveled from thrashing and turning in her sleep.  ‘Why were these dreams becoming so vivid now?’ Hadria thought to herself. ‘Who was that man, that creature?’

Just as Hadria started to stagger back into her bed, a dark and eerie figure awaited her outside her apartment building. The same figure that wore the dark hoodie and had a deeply shadowed face.

The figure looked up at her apartment window– he could feel her fear and deep haunting dream. He could taste her lips and her fresh blood in his mouth. A deep growl came from his throat as he walked along the cold and empty city streets…