Somnus Tormentum 　　 　　“Staying awake is lonely, but the dreams I have when sleeping are pure torment.” 　　 　　Chapter 1: Machinae City 　　 　　Welcome to the City. A soulless industrial haven where every movement and event that takes place seems to be part of a bigger machinery. Welcome to Machinae City, the city of machines. 　　 　　The City is mainly built of steel and concrete, with tall buildings soaring high, only to disappear in all the smog covering the skies. The citizens match the dull nature of the city, and only live to work another day. They all have too little time, with the sole thought of work on their minds. 　　 　　Among all this concrete and robot-like humanity we find her, a redheaded girl whose hair color is the only shred of color in all of this dusky metropolis. This is the girl of our story. A girl who’s trapped and all alone. 　　 　　Chapter 2: Dreamland 　　 　　It’s nearing midnight, and we find our girl trying to stay awake while sitting on her bed. She is terrified of what will happen if she dozes off. Staying awake for several days takes its toll, and her eyelids feel heavy. The dark shadows of the room start dancing about, growing larger and larger, until the room is completely covered in darkness. 　　 　　She opens her eyes, and glance at the bright blue sky above her, while lying upon a beautiful green meadow. Wild animals are grazing peacefully all around her. It is Nature’s grace at its best, yet the girl carries a worried, skeptical frown on her face. Her eyes show recognition as she stands up to wander across the meadow, heading towards a great big forest. 　　 　　Upon entering the forest, inhabited by massive trees, a dark shadowy figure appears before her. 　　 　　“Hi there, little girl. We will have some fun now, pretty pearl. I will make your mind play games with me. More fun than that can never be.” 　　 　　The girl makes a sharp turn and steps up the pace, her heartbeat rising. The darkened shade matches her tempo, hovering beside her in a playful manner. 　　 　　“You are stuck with me. I’ll show you true nightmare, see your dreamland changing, gee. Down, down, down we go, into your mental psyche below. Your paradise is gonna blow!” 　　 　　The girl stops and faces the shadow. Around her the gigantic trees of the forest start fading to black, as if turning to charcoal. Brown, withered leaves are falling gracefully. She snaps at the shadow while trying to hide her fear. 　　 　　“Be gone now. Let me be!” 　　 　　The shadowy figure laughs before responding in a chant like manner. 　　 　　“No future beauty to retell, you are under my spell. Your dreamland will be hell! What menacing world it be. No rest for your soul to see. Pure torment, I guarantee!” 　　 　　Failing to scare off the figure, she falls to her knees while covering her ears. She starts to shiver, followed by tears running from her terrified eyes. 　　 　　“Quit haunting! Please show mercy!” 　　 　　The shadow smirks at her, and continues its chant. 　　 　　“Welcome to eternal torment, world of ghoulish content.” 　　 　　“Please leave me be. Set me free” the girl repeatedly mumbles as the shadow dances around her. The huge trees start breaking up and flow away with the wind, leaving only a barren wasteland as far as the eye can see. 　　 　　“Land which awaiten thee, will break your spirit, wait and see” 　　 　　Chapter 3: Black Sun 　　 　　As the sun shines over the vast barrens, a huge shadow rises from the horizon. The shadow slowly starts to cover the now gray skies, fighting the few rays of light left from the sun. Fiery cracks split the ground, revealing the burning depths below. 　　 　　“Rise!” The shadowy figure calls out as vicious monstrosities creep up from the huge gaps in the earth, carrying spiky shields and grotesque bladelike weapons. White figures of light appear from the skies and head straight towards the forces of the underworld. Light and dark clash together with tremendous power, creating waves that ripple through forces on both sides. But for each demon defeated, two more appear. 　　 　　Upon a ridge, overlooking the battle at hand, four horsemen appear. 　　 　　“It’s time for apocalypse. The world is going under.” The dark shadow gloats with a smile. 　　 　　“It’s so unreal, so… unreal. This is the end. I’m lost in a never-ending nightmare. Seems like I’ve gone mad, trapped inside this darkness.” the girl responds as demons rip the wings off angelic 　　 　　forces. Feathers and broken bones cover the skies over the brutal battlefield. 　　 　　“You’ve seen nothing yet, my pretty” the shadow says before everything goes black. 　　 　　Chapter 4: Dragons are here 　　 　　Another night darkens, and the girl yet again tries to fight her somnia only to suffer defeat. She finds herself situated in a peaceful village, with all the people around her going about with their daily duties. The village is a primitive one, looking like it stems from the middle ages. A fact enhanced by the clothing of the villagers. 　　 　　Rapid shadows swoop over the village, followed by screaming and shouting from the villagers, who run around in panic. A dark shadow appears behind the girl. 　　 　　“Welcome back here, little girl. You like my dragon’s molten hurl?” he says as a huge fireball hits one of the buildings. 　　 　　“They will destroy everything you see. A fiery death for the land will be” 　　 　　“These people aren’t dead, they’re all here, just in my head” she replies as she admires the exalted shadows that covers the sky. 　　 　　“Ha, ha, ha, you little fool. This land is just a warm up tool. You will be the next to feel how the dragons will make you peel” the dark figure grins. 　　 　　“Why are you torturing me? I just want to sleep peacefully” the girl replies. 　　 　　“Will you ever let me go? These endless nightmares just drain me so!” 　　 　　The girl closes her eyes and prays for help as raging flames hit her. 　　 　　“Now it’s time my pretty. My dragons will make you burn!” 　　 　　The girl’s skin peels off as she’s engulfed in flames, only leaving ashes. 　　 　　Chapter 5: Psych Ward 　　 　　A finger presses record on a tape recorder. 　　 　　“Doctor’s log. This is our first meeting” a friendly voice dictates as the tape recorder starts. 　　 　　In front of the man, a psychiatrist, the girl sits with faded eyes clearly broken. 　　 　　“She has vivid dreams, and seems to have trouble sleeping. She’s broken down and prevented from sweet slumber.” He continues before facing the girl directly 　　 　　“Tell me dear, the story of your eternal nightmare” 　　 　　“Every night…. When I go to sleep…he comes.” she mutters lifelessly 　　 　　“Breaking me… torturing my every dream…” 　　 　　*** 　　 　　It’s gone three days, and the psychiatrist sits alone in his office dictating to his tape recorder. 　　 　　“…she’s all out of hope. I don’t know how long she’ll cope” he says with a stressed voice. 　　 　　Meanwhile, the girl, clearly broken, is hunched up in a corner of a padded cell, muttering a phrase continuously. 　　 　　“The man who scares within…” 　　 　　*** 　　 　　It’s gone twelve days since admittance. The girl walks out of the main doors, clearly more alive than when she entered. 　　 　　“I feel so free” she says looking at the bright blue sky. 　　 　　Back inside the psychiatrist finishes up his case file. 　　 　　“Doctor’s log, day twelve. We’ve dwelled into her head, and she seems to have repelled. Her mind’s torture seems dispelled” he says with a dark grin. 　　 　　Chapter 6: Whispers in the dark 　　 　　Sitting by the seaside, the girl gazes out at the ocean as the sun sets. She’s reminiscing over her mother, whom passed away just little over a year ago, just before all her nightmares started. 　　 　　“Painful thoughts, heavy mind” a voice whispers. 　　 　　Dusk hits. 　　 　　As the girl remembers how her mother gently touched her cheek as she died, her face makes a sad frown. 　　 　　“Her gentle touch, forever gone” she mutters 　　 　　“She’s not here anymore, I led you right through my door” the voice continues. 　　 　　“Now wither in my embrace. Let the tears run down your face” 　　 　　“I pray for peace, a moment of rest” the girl replies. 　　 　　“If I only could dream without this haunting scream” 　　 　　“You will be mine! Until this torture is outdone” a dark character says as he appears, grinning sadistically. 　　 　　“Keep on your silent cry. You know you’re going to die!” he finishes as everything is veiled in darkness. 　　 　　Chapter 7: Relapse 　　 　　“What is going on? Everything went dark!” 　　 　　“He he he, you thought you could run? I guess you were wrong!” the voice says spitefully, breaking the loneliness of the darkness. 　　 　　“I’m dreaming again, trapped in destiny” the girl says to herself, realizing that she’s still caught in her morbid dreamland. 　　 　　“I’m at your core, torment your soul, just like before” 　　 　　A dark character dances around the girl, toying with her. 　　 　　“You’re lost in your delusions, encaged in your fears!” he snarls with a grin, keeping up his taunting dance. 　　 　　Realizing that the death of her mother triggered her tormented slumber, the girl mutters to herself. 　　 　　“Alone in this world… gone are you” 　　 　　The dark figure grabs a hold of the girl, and his hand starts melding into the girl’s arm. 　　 　　“I’m abandoned in conjuration, with no way to escape” they say in tandem. The girl starts struggling as more of the dark figure blends into her body. Panic strikes her eyes as he laughs hauntingly. 　　 　　As he merges into her, he waves his one free hand. 　　 　　“Rise! Feel my visions destroy your remaining self!” he yells as horrid creatures grow from the ground. 　　 　　“I’ll twist you inside out! You’re tangled in my grasp!” he lets out as the creatures and himself pours into her terrified body. 　　 　　Chapter 8: Rest in peace 　　 　　The girl’s eyes open. She’s lying in her bed, drenched in sweat. As she gets up she can feel there is something not quite right, as if her body isn’t responding as it should. She stumbles over to the bathroom and looks into the mirror, and freezes in terror by the sight. Her face keeps shifting, revealing the dark plight. 　　 　　“There’s no peace inside” he grins before fading away. 　　 　　“There’s no ease of mind” she says in terror. 　　 　　“I just keep on falling. Someone help me!” 　　 　　“Hear the demons are calling” a voice inside her mind taunts. 　　 　　“Get out of my head, so I can go to bed” she replies as she stumbles into the hallway. 　　 　　“I make my own damn choices” the voice shouts. 　　 　　The girl opens a cabinet, looking desperately inside. She slams it shut and continues through the next couple of cabinets until she finds what she was searching for. 　　 　　“There is no hope” she says as she runs outside. She heads to a nearby park, and finds a big sturdy tree. All while being taunted by the voice inside her. 　　 　　She climbs the tree, and ties a rope she’d found in the cabinet around the trunk of a huge branch. She yanks the rope a couple times. 　　 　　“I’m finally free” she says, tightening the noose and jumps. 　　 　　“Hanging from a tree” the voice says as everything turns dark.