Noah had drifted into sleep like any other night, unaware of the horrors that awaited him. His dream began as a familiar memory, walking through a quiet field. But then, like the shifting of a mask, the scene twisted. The earth split open beneath him, and he was falling, plunging into an endless pit of darkness, his stomach lurching with every second.
He landed with a hard, bone-rattling thud, sprawled on cold, slimy ground. His eyes adjusted, but the sight that met him sent a chill crawling up his spine. The air was thick, humid, and stank of decay, rotten and fetid like an open grave. All around him were walls of flesh, pulsating and wet, and the ground beneath him was sticky, coated in what looked like congealed blood. The surface quivered and moved as though alive, and with horror, he realized the walls were breathing.
Suddenly, a high-pitched chittering sound echoed around him, and he looked down to see the floor writhing. Thousands of insects centipedes, beetles, spiders, and creatures he couldn't name crawled over his legs, slipping under his skin, biting and burrowing into his flesh. Noah screamed, trying to brush them off, but they moved faster than he could swat, disappearing under his skin, leaving trails of burning pain.
He clawed at his arms, watching with horror as lumps moved under his skin, the insects scuttling through his veins, scratching and chewing from the inside out. Blood welled up, dark and thick, dripping from his fingers and splattering on the fleshy ground. He could feel his heart racing, the beat erratic as though his body itself was revolting against the nightmare.
From the shadows, Ulgothir appeared, emerging from the darkness like a plague given form. Its twisted, skeletal body seemed to shift, growing larger and darker, absorbing the light around it. The creature moved closer, eyes hollow, yet somehow filled with a malice that Noah could feel in his bones. Ulgothir opened its mouth an endless, cavernous maw filled with rows of needle-like teeth and from it spilled a black, viscous liquid that reeked of rot.
"Noah," it hissed, the voice slithering into his ears, "I will feast upon your fear."
As the creature drew nearer, something sharp slashed across his back. He stumbled forward, agony tearing through him as he felt cold claws digging into his skin, dragging him toward Ulgothir's gaping mouth. The floor below turned jagged, slicing his hands as he tried to grip it, but every attempt only tore his skin further, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
He tried to scream, but his throat was raw, his voice barely a whisper. Ulgothir's hollow eyes watched him struggle, amusement glinting in their darkness. The creature bent low, pressing a spindly, bony hand against his chest, and Noah felt a sharp, burning pain pierce his ribs, as if a spear was driving through his heart. The pain was relentless, building, twisting, his body convulsing as he gasped for air, each breath filled with the sickening stench of rot.
The bugs under his skin seemed to gnaw faster, frantic, their tiny legs scratching through muscle and tendon. His vision blurred, black spots dancing at the edges as his heart pounded in a desperate, uneven rhythm. Each beat sent a wave of agony through his chest, an unbearable pressure, as though his heart was being crushed from within.
"You're mine, Noah," Ulgothir whispered, leaning closer, its maw stretching impossibly wide. "And I will keep you here… forever."
Noah's pulse thundered, erratic and painful, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. The pain in his chest was a firestorm now, ripping through his nerves, his mind splintering under the torment. His heart faltered, a final, desperate thump echoing in his chest before it stopped.
As his body fell still, Ulgothir watched, his hollow eyes drinking in the sight, the air thick with the lingering taste of Noah's fear. The creature's maw curled into a monstrous grin, savoring the soul it had devoured, leaving nothing but an empty shell in the dark, twisted landscape of the dreamworld.
When they found Noah's body the next morning, he lay stiff and cold in his bed, his hands clenched tight, a look of terror frozen on his face. His heart had stopped, but his wide-open eyes told the true story of the horror he had faced a nightmare that had come to claim him in the dead of night, leaving behind only the hollow shell of a boy who had wandered too deep.