It's dark, it's eerily quiet and she's awake. She's not sure how long, could be minutes or could be hours. All she knows is she's awake and she's not the only one. There's a dark force looming around the room. She can feel it everywhere, but it's presence feels strongest at the foot of her mattress. She is awake but her eyes remain closed. She bravely opens them, chanting a phrase that has come to be her own personal mantra and sense of comfort, "I only fear that that can burn my soul." She ignores the fact that a dark force might be able to burn her soul, because according to her mother, the force is just a figment of her very overactive imagination.
She turns to her left, slowly and carefully and only her head. She can't afford to let the force know that she's awake. She sees her mother and brother sleeping peacefully. The small smile on her mother's face warms her heart, and she can feel her heartbeat slowing down. She lifts her head not more than a few inches and sees her brother muttering things in his sleep. She forces herself not to giggle, because she knows he's probably dreaming about his cute yet ridiculous battles with his toy soldiers that he makes from foil.
She gently lays her head back down, telling the dark force to politely fuck off. She knows for sure her family is safe, and as of now, that's all that matters. She sleeps a dreamless sleep, but she has no qualms as that is a whole lot better than dreaming about the Red Man who follows her, trying to kill her at every turn. She knows the dreamless sleep is better because she knows she doesn't have to wake up, paralyzed with fear.