She watches from the doorway
as the room grows dark,
sleek silhouette in black
backlit by the bathroom light.
She slithers into bed,
viscous skin on my ankles,
her grasp coils around my neck.
My skin litters with goosebumps.
I toss and turn to free myself—
seized in a bone-crushing embrace.
She measures me, inch by inch,
readying to eat me whole.
Her teeth sink into my flesh,
forked tongue savoring the symphony
of my heart’s last beat. In her grip,
dreams and nightmares meet.