Thursday, 3:34am (Part 2 of 2): The Parade's Destination

One day I decided that I am tired of it. The chanting, the morning hassles; I am tired of feeling my demons right beside me. As I pull all the remaining courage that may or may not exist in my system, I decided the only way to put an end to it is to face them head-on. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and waited for them to appear. Facing my fear, I sat on my bed gazing at the window with a watch on my wrist as I wait for thirty to turn into thirty-four.

That was the stupidest decision of my life.

I saw it. There are at least forty people there.

They all wear the same green clothes and they all have the same hairstyle, undercut. I was also wrong, they are not wearing masks. No, it was so much worse than a mask. Their eyes shut and they are all grinning in a menacing way while they continued chanting. Chanting that turned muffled because their face looks disfigured. I mean, their faces its... their smile, everything about it is so weird. As if something, an invisible entity is stretching their cheeks to form the vilest smile I've ever seen.

It seems like an invisible hand is pulling the skin of their faces from side to side.

Have you tried stretching your lips while singing a song? That's how they sound like! Pair that with an ominous chant and you got yourself a recipe for a perfect harbinger of fear!

It would have been nice if that's the end of it.

They pass by slowly. Very, oh so very slowly. One small, very small step at a time. Small baby steps every half a minute or so. And the direction of their gazes pointed in one direction.

They are all looking at me.

I've realized that their eyes are not closed contrary to what I believed. No, their faces are so stretched from every side that their eyes seemed shut. I'm certain because I've seen how they try to open their eyes in vain. They're forcefully trying to open their eyes to get a clear image of what I look like. I can feel it in the way their head locked in my direction but their bodies remained still. It's so extreme, some of them would probably snap their heads just to lock their eyes at me.

It's terrifying. Their glares are a terrifying shade of red. Their eyes... I thought its bleeding! It's not like a stoner's eyes. Their eyes look as if they envelop it with their own blood.

They caught me in their spell once again. I cannot move. I sat there looking at them look at me with their distorted faces. I sat there with my jaw dropped and my mouth wide open as I see them pointing at me as they chant their song. It feels as if their judging me with their half-open eyes and the only thing I could do is sit there paralyzed as I look at their heads turn just to look at me. I'm feeling nauseous, I want to run away but I can't.

I'm stuck.

I could not stand it any longer.

By the time the parade ended I rushed out of my room. I couldn't help myself but puke. I wasn't even able to reach the bathroom and vomited in the living room. It was already 3:51 am when I realized that my carpet is now filled with disgusting excrement.

An hour later I decided that its time I stop using my room on the first floor. Maybe I won't be able to see them if I move upstairs. Heck, I bet I wouldn't even hear them once I'm up there.

I used the smaller room upstairs and use it as my new room. That room is supposed to be a guest room because I don't like using it, but the trauma those people brought me is enough for me to use it anyway. That morning just snapped me off my misery. At least I still have a window here.

It was already Monday when I finished moving my things. I asked my neighbors if their aware of this people and they all just looked at me, confused, others even laughed. They don't believe every word I said. One of my neighbors even said she's always awake at 3 am and never had she seen such a ludicrous thing ever happened in our neighborhood. My other neighbor even joked that maybe I'm just reading too many horror books.

I guess it sounds like a story to scare off children. But then what did I saw that morning? Or the things I've been hearing for the past seven months? Or the uneasy feeling I have every time they come.

Am I going insane?

I contemplated that and as I do so I fell asleep.

I woke up hearing people murmuring outside. When I opened my eyes I saw the same people in the parade with their stretched faces clamoring in my window as if their trying to barge in. They all push forward; their faces almost get flattened in my window. They laugh with intense vigor, their spit staining the glass, their teeth scratching the surface. The horrid men all pushed forward but not with their body, or their hands, or their feet. They're pushing forward through my window using their faces.

I look at them with fear, and not a hint of anger or happiness. The one in front of me looked me in the eyes and laughed louder as he pushed his face harder on my window. I can see their nose gets flattened until the bridges of their nose breaks.

I screamed as I hear my window crack.