Envy

Tim:

Tim was woken by the screams of his girlfriend’s son for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. In actuality it was four, but what the hell was this kid’s problem? It had been two years since Tim had moved in and the kid had started sleeping on his own. It’s not like he was afraid of the dark, as he had a nightlight that nearly lit up the whole damn room. Tim looked at his soundly sleeping girlfriend, a little jealous of her ability to sleep through the racket, and nudged her in the small of her back.

“He’s doing it again,” he intoned in a way that he hoped would get the point across that it was her turn to deal with him this time.

“He just wants some attention.” she started snoring as soon as she stopped speaking.

He nudged her in the back again, maybe a little harder than he meant to. He had a way of letting his strength get out of control when he was irritated. She flipped around to look him in the eyes.

“You know he needs some male attention. He just needs you to go in there and show him how to be a man. Do you think that is something I am capable of doing? And hey,” she gave a sly smile while reaching over, cupping her hand under his balls, and rubbing gently “maybe i’ll make it worth your while. Maybe while your gone, I might lose my panties, and need your help to find them.”

Tim exhaled. She flipped back over, knowing she had won.

“Alright, but you better be awake when I get back.” He grunted as he sloughed off the blanket and stepped out of bed. He knew she’d be asleep when he returned, just like he knew that wouldn’t stop him from getting what he wanted.

“I can already feel them slipping off,” he heard her say sleepily as he walked into the hallway.

Ben:

Ben had no idea what was taking so long for someone to come. He had been screaming for over ten minutes, and felt his throat starting to get a little scratchy. He was sitting in up in his bed, with his back against the headboard and his blanket pulled up to his nose. He eyes were pinned to the closet. The door was open wide enough for him to see the darkness within, that even the nightlight wouldn't touch. What was worse, was that he knew it had been closed. His mother had seen to it herself when she tucked him in. He had woken several times earlier that night because of a nightmare he had been having. Tim came in to check on him those times, and the door had still been closed. It was the last time he woke up. That was the time that it wasn't the nightmare, but instead the small steady creak of the door opening on its own. But Ben, knew that that wasn't true, because doors don't open on their own. Someone opened it, or rather, something. Please come, please come, please come, was the only thing going through his frightened little mind as he let out another piercing scream.

The Skin Slipper:

It could hear the child screaming above him. That was okay; it was very patient. It had, afterall, waited this long to make it's move. It had been waiting, watching, planning. It couldn't remember when it had emerged from the darkness of where it came from, and into the different darkness of the corner it had been hiding in. What it did remember, was that the child was already out there when it arrived. He had his own space, with things that all belonged to him. There were no greater, more ferocious beings, unseen by the child floating around, waiting to devour him. No, this place was very different than the darkness that it had come from. This place was better.

It watched as the child played in the light with his stiff figures, shaped to resemble smaller versions of the kind of being the child and the others were. The child would spend a long time staring at his strange flat pictures that had been bound together, or putting color onto things with little sticks. When the light went away, It witnessed the one the child called mommy, coming in and kissing the child on the cheek as she covered him up, and stroked the top of his head. She made a stange but comforting noise, that made the child close his eyes, most of the time, until the light came back. It wished that the mommy would make that noise for it instead. It longed to be touched. It began to feel anger toward the child, and this was when it decided that everything that was the child's would belong to it. All it had to do was wait, and remain unseen.

There were times that it was sure child may had seen it, or at least sensed that it was there. But the mommy and the Tim didn't ever seem to believe. It was such an excellent hider that they never did see it when they checked to placate the child, even when it was right under their nose. The mommy was usually pretty good at closing off the space where the boy stayed from the space that held his garments, but it had gotten pretty good at opening it back up. Sometimes, he did this with no problem, but other times, like tonight, the child had come awake, and screamed for the mommy, or for the Tim. When this happened, it would sit in the corner, and watch the child, as the child watched back.

Although the child was staring at the closet, it was no longer there. It had slithered under the child's bed, before the first scream had been issued. The child had stopped screaming for a few moments. It felt that the child had grown weary of it, and was now mearly waiting, and watching. It slithered from under the child's bed, but on the side opposite the closet, so that the child would not see the slowly rising wispy tendril slipping silently toward him. Before the child could even comprehend that anything had happened, it was over. The child was no more. It had devoured and replaced the child's mind.

Tim:

Tim opened the door slowly, as to not frighten the kid anymore than he already seemed to be. As he looked in, the kid was sitting silently on his bed with his blanket in a crumple around his legs. The kid turned to look at him with a blank stare, but didn't say anything.

"Hey there, little man. Everything alright?"

The kid tried to speak but nothing came out. He swallowed and tried again. "I ... I think I just had a nightmare again. I'm sorry."

"You know what? That's okay. You good?"

"I am now," said the kid, as he laid down and went back to sleep.