Uho, my nose is so full of snot. Ugh gotta get up again. Eh, I don’t feel like turning on a light that'll just hurt my head worse. Even getting up from the bed slowly makes my body ache. I'd rather just stay in bed. I walk to the door with a little waddle, and open it looking out into the dark hallway. The hallway is barely lit by the street lights outside the windows, just enough light to be able to see. Slowly I walk trying to avoid the creaking floorboards, and open the bathroom door trying to avoid a sound. Ugh, tissues save me! So much snot just stuck in my nose dripping down my throat. I need it out.

“Hahahah, — yeah” I can faintly hear voices outside my house.

“Totally! — tonight?” must be some college kids out late. I should get back to bed.

Mmm the voices are starting to gather, there must be a party happening nearby. I can hear more coming down the street. I wish I could focus on sleep and not everything else. Why does this always happen when I need to sleep? Sleep please take me into your dark embrace, I'm tired of being awake in such a miserable place.

The voices keep getting louder. I roll over to look at my alarm clock, it’s three already. Wow they really decided to have a house party this late? I wonder if someone’s gonna call the cops? Is that music? really? At this time of night? Just ignore it you need to sleep, sleep, just sleep. Nope this isn’t working. I sit up and grab for the cup of water on my bedside, maybe I need some more water. Empty, guess I need to go get more. Great another trip out of my nice, warm, comfortable bed. So many trips out tonight. I open my door quietly, walking back out into that hallway, again slowly creeping around the creaky boards, this time past the bathroom to the staircase. I take the steps slowly, holding the railing with one hand. Wow the music is louder down here. Where even is this party? When I get to the bottom of the stairs I start to turn towards the kitchen to my left, but notice some lights out of my peripheral vision coming in my living room windows. I stop and turn around now facing my living room, my blinds are drawn but between the cracks vibrant colors are seeping in. Before I make my way towards the blinds I put my cup down on a nearby table. I reach out to the blinds, but stop myself before touching them. I stand there for a while looking at the blinds, at the gaps as color is leaking through, and how that color lands on my hand, it wants in. When I finally reach out and pull the blinds the light streams through the window like a flash grenade, I can’t see. Quickly my eyes shut and my free hand flies to cover my eyes. I slowly opened my eyes again, shielded this time by my hand. The lights seem to be coming from the house across the street but it’s hard to tell, it's so bright outside my eyes are having problems adjusting. I let go of the blinds and my living room is back to normal, just a small stream of light remains. This has been enough of a detour I need to get my water.

I take another sip from my water, this time I’m determined to fall asleep. Before I am even able to sit down I hear a loud thump, then another. I put my cup down then reach for the bat I keep near my bed. This might be a nice neighborhood but, who knows anything can happen, better to be prepared. I slowly inch my way out of my bedroom’s doorway, bat raised in prime hitting position. I scan the entire upstairs but no one could get up here that fast without being heard. The sound must have come from downstairs. I take my time making sure to make no noise but I’m not prepared for what I find at the bottom. My front door is wide open and a group of what looks like college age kids are all standing in my living room. My mouth is agape. I drop my bat but no one reacts. Everyone looks stuck in time. Almost like dolls with faces painted on or mannequins posed with select clothes. Then another one comes in carrying the lights from outside. Everything happens so fast one second it’s a dark living room the next a raging house party.

It’s all too much to take in. My house is bathed in bright fluorescent lights, it looks like a rave in here. I take a step back, I must be dreaming. I must have finally fallen asleep and this is all just a dream. No, even if this is just a dream I’m not going to just stand idly by while some idiots throw a party in my house. I stand more confidently now, well as confident as someone who is sick can, and step into my living room. Trying to push through the crowd gets me nowhere, it’s like a wall, if a wall was made of writhing flesh and had a semblance of free will. I notice a wire leading out of the crowd. It must be for the music. Tracing it leads back to my wall outlet next to my stairs, and with one yank I've pulled it out. Turning around I expect a group of angry people but the music continues like nothing happened. Urg stupid cord, I throw it to the ground.

“Hey you I didn’t want to do this but.” I try to yell but stop realizing I can’t even hear myself. This is useless, maybe I should just give up. I sit on the ground defeated, even just that amount of yelling has made my throat hurt. Then I see they have left a gap behind my couch. standing up I start to make my way around the room. I’m so close just a few people now between me and their DJ, and I can feel it, this is going to work. The wall pushes and pulls it looks like a breathing mass, I know I need to join it to get through. Okay 1, 2, 3… I push slightly trying to join in the flow. It works slowly moving with the mass I inch my way to the front. Just a little more. I reach out and push just a little further. leaning against someone and I stick my arm out the mass and barely reach the switch. Suddenly everything stops. The room is silent. Everyone is still. As I let go of the breath I was holding and look around. No one moves but all eyes are on me.

“Out, get out! This is my house and I will not stand for any of it.” I have to stop. I would yell more but my voice is already failing. No one moves.

“This is your last chance, leave now or I will call the cops.” I don't yell this time, I don’t think I could if I wanted to. I’m still met with stares as I look out onto the crowd. I notice even with all these lights no one has real definition to them. Their eyes look like plastic, and their faces too blurry to properly make out. I take a step back fully noticing all the lack of detail. The hairs on my neck begin to raise and fight or flight kicks in. My legs move on their own, taking me towards the crowd. My only escape is through them. The faces begin to blur more as I try to push through them. I start to truly panic when I keep moving but the crowd never ends. I stop falling to the ground as my legs give out under me. I look and the faces start melding together. All eyes are still on me. All eyes, no features just eyes. It’s the last thing I see.

Knock, Knock, Knock. My eyes flash open. I'm laying flat on my back in the living room. I sit up rubbing my head and hear the knocking again. slowly I rise from the floor and look around. The living room is a bit messy but it doesn’t exactly look like a party happened. Ah, the door I need to get it someone must be inquiring about last night. I peek out the door and open it more after seeing a police officer standing on my porch.

“Ah, what can I help you with officer?”

“Sorry to disturb you but we received some reports of worrying sounds coming from your house early this morning and have just come out to check it out.” I see him clearly look me up and down, probably noting my disheveled appearance, before leaning over to peer into my living room. “Would you mind if I came in?” he asks after a second.

“Ah yes sorry I had a rough night, I've been sick and unable to sleep well.” Why am I pouring myself out to some cop?

“I see well we had reports of odd yelling. Do you know any reasons for why this might have been?”

“Oh yeah, I think some kids might have broken into my house, I ended up yelling to try and get them out.”

“Hmm well your house doesn’t look like it was broken into.”

“I guess not.”

“And you did say you were sick, maybe it was just a hallucination.”

“oh” that’s all I can say, oh. How could I hallucinate an entire party that couldn't happen. Could it?