***
I struggled to understand the events of the night and found it difficult to excuse them as just figments of my imagination. As the day wore on so did my apprehension of the approaching night. I tried to say away from home by visiting various clubs and bars. I was drinking more than I was used to and, combined with my lack of sleep, my grasp on reality began to fade. I had a murky awareness that I was sat upon a bar stool in a drinking establishment only a short walk from my home. I had no idea what I was drinking by then and if there was anyone else currently enjoying the same misty surroundings. I lacked the strength to resist when exhaustion finally took me.
It was still dark when I awoke but there was enough light for me to recognized my own bedroom. I had no memory of returning home and no intention of staying. I tried to move but found that my limbs wouldn't respond. I couldn't even move my head so I was stuck with a straight, upward view of the ceiling. I began to panic and my mind span in circles but suddenly stopped turning when I heard the first of the whispers. The voices were clearer than before as they retold their stories of misfortune. I could feel their thoughts as they began to mingle with my own and I felt a clammy touch around my ankles. Coldness slowly rose up my legs, leaving my body numb and lifeless. I lost all feeling below my waist as the chill rose up through my stomach. The voices echoed through my head predicting a future of torment. I felt my arms go dead as the sensation reached my shoulders and my chest became numb as the coldness invaded my neck. The voices fell silent when my ears felt the chill and my mind succumbed to the deathly touch.