“The howling wind was loud on this dark cold night. I thought I was the only one in the house until I kept seeing these shadows looming in every room.
Sitting in my bedroom under the bed I hid, hands trembling, not stopping. 
Creaking and rumbling I heard from downstairs. Occasionally thumping noises, although maybe it was my heart. It was a bane, hiding under the bed. My body aching, desperate to crawl out from beneath the bed. God knows what would’ve happened if I did.”

A sudden, but long groan filled the small room of the bar. “You’re making this up. I can tell. You’re not going to fool me, Richard.” Phil reached for the cold, golden beverage sitting on the counter of the bar, taking a large gulp out of it. It was three in the morning, and nobody else was in the bar except for a middle-aged man who was working a late night shift. Within the time that Richard and Phil were at the bar, the man only spoke a few times, usually when the two ordered their drinks and food. Occasionally, a deep chuckle came from the man, but that was all it was. 

“Phil. Please, believe me. I know it sounds like I lost my mind, but it’s all true. I swear.” Richard says as he takes a sip out of his own. 

Phil laughs mockingly at Richard. “Alright, continue then. After this, we’re leaving.”

“…I thought I was going to die. It was the end for me. I heard something moving up the staircase. Heavy, but almost diffident thumps. I didn’t know who it was or what it was, but I knew it was looking for something. I stayed under the bed, holding both my hands to my mouth to stop myself from making any sound. When it reached the stairs, it stopped there for a minute. And then…then…” Silence fills the room.

“…What?” Phil breaks the silence.

“I saw it. I saw. I saw…something black. Not human. Large. Peeking. Looking right at me under the bed.”

“I bet it was just your wife.” Paul laughs. The man chuckles. Paul asks for the receipt and starts taking his wallet out of his pocket.

“It wasn’t. I swear it wasn’t. It had a face. Large eyes, and mouth. Long body. Some liquid was coming out from all over its body. Something black and drippy. Then I blacked out. I didn’t know what happened after that. I woke up in my bed. A-anyways I don’t know what it was, maybe I was hallucinating but-“

“Yeah, well I hate to break it to you but you’re hallucinating. Enough of the fun bedtime story, let’s go home now.” Paul cuts in, and he leaves money on the counter for the man. “Let’s get going. Cheers, mate.” Paul gets up from his seat. Richard quickly drinks the remainder of his alcohol and sets the pint down onto the counter. 

The two walk past the antiquated tables and decorations of the bar and head towards the door. Ready to embrace the cold weather outside, Richard tenses his body. The cold wind never came. 

“What’s wrong?” Richard asked Paul, who was staring down at the doorknob. Except, it wasn’t a doorknob anymore. Something black, something drippy had been smeared all over it. 

They heard a deep chuckle.