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"One Restless Night"

     The bedroom was cold as I lay bundled up in my blankets. I wasn't used to such a dreadful cold but the blankets protected me from the inescapable frost. The pale moonlight streamed in through my window, illuminating the room ever so much that I could make out what was hiding in the shadows.
    My furnace roared to life, sending some much-needed heat throughout my apartment.
    I tossed and turned, struggling to sleep. Something didn't feel right. There was something wrong with my bedroom, I thought. I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Maybe the walls were farther back than I'd initially thought. Maybe that pile of clothes in the corner had been shifted a different way before I'd turned the lights out for the night. Perhaps my bed felt like it was on the wrong side of the room. Either way, something felt very wrong.
    I sat up in bed, looking around in acute paranoia. But as my eyes scanned the room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe I'm just tired is all, I thought. My mind is just playing tricks on me.
    I sat my head back down, draping my covers back over me. The warmth felt great. I just wanted to sit with it forever and melt away in its grasp.
    Then, my eyes widened in shock. I knew in an instant what was wrong. Something that hadn't clicked in my head before. Tonight was probably the first night this entire year that it had been this cold. I'd never taken the time to switch my thermostat from Cool to Hot.
    I tried to make sense of it. Maybe the thermostat was somehow automatic, realizing its cold and turning the heat on by itself. I mean, how else would I explain it?
    A part of me wanted to get out of bed and check it out, but another part of me wanted to stay bundled up. I gripped my covers and turned to lay on my side. Then, I heard a loud squeaking of my bedroom door opening. My eyes shot open as I lay frozen in fear. I dared not turn around to face whatever was there. I heard footsteps scurrying along the hardwood floor before stopping just beside my bed.
    I shot up and turned to where I heard the noise, but there was nothing. My door was completely shut.
    I looked around my room for any sign of an intruder but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I laid my head back down on the pillow and threw the blanket over my head. As I did, I let out a blood-curling scream as I saw a head staring up at me, its mouth twisting in a hideous smile. Then, the moonlight faded, shrouding my bedroom in complete darkness.
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