I shuddered in horror as the movie played on the screen. The boys had insisted on seeing a late night scary movie through mine and Lucy’s loud protests.

“Come on, guys! This is not funny! I hate scary movies!” we had cried. They paid us no attention and ordered our tickets. I scowled at them. I heard Harry laugh and he turned my face to his. He pecked me on the lips.

“It’s fine. I’m here.”

I looked over to see Lucy’s hand clutching Niall’s. He was stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. I snuck a peek at the screen and nearly shrieked when I saw the possessed man strapped to the table, fighting to free himself. His eyes were
wild.

Lifting the armrest, I moved as close to Harry as possible and buried my face in his shoulder. I knew I was being a wimp but scary movies did not sit well with me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and leaned his head on mine.

“Shhhh. It’s almost over,” he said. I nodded but didn’t look at the screen again.

----

The lights came up and I loosened my death grip on Harry’s hand. The boys laughed when they saw the state Lucy and I were in. I glared at all of them, and I knew she was doing the same.

“It is not funny! I hate scary movies!” she cried.

“I’m going to have nightmares.” The boys looked at me like I was joking but I was dead serious. The last scary movie I watched left me jerking awake in the middle of the night for a week. I still couldn’t think about it or I would freak myself out.

“I’m not kidding.” I grabbed Harry’s hand as we headed out to the parking lot. On the way out, I jumped at every shadow and noise. I saw Lucy doing the same. We were so similar. Liam, Lucy, and Niall were ahead of us, and Zayn and Louis walked behind. When it got quiet behind us, I grew very suspicious and called for the others to stop. They turned around with curious looks on their faces.

“Louis? Zayn?” I called tentatively. My grip on Harry’s hand tightened. He put his other arm around me so I was facing his chest. I turned my head to both sides but they weren’t there.

“Guys?” I called again. I was totally unprepared for their attack. They came out from between the cars and jumped on me. I let out a blood curdling scream.
Tears flooded my eyes and my hands began to tingle. I buried my face in Harry’s chest as Zayn and Louis’s laughter filled my ears. Niall and Lucy were laughing as well. My cheeks were flushed from the adrenaline, but I felt them heat up even more out of embarrassment. I felt Harry’s chest as he chastised them.

“Guys, she’s actually crying. Stop it,” he said, but I could hear the laughter controlled in his voice. When they finally stopped laughing Zayn walked up to me and pulled me from Harry’s embrace.

“I’m sorry, Darcy. It was just too good to pass up. The look on your face was priceless,” he said. I knew he was sincere in his apology however.

“Do not do that to me ever again do you hear me? Next time it happens I will not be held responsible for my actions,” I warned but I knew he knew I was calming down. I took a deep breath and grabbed Harry’s hand again. After I assured the group I was fine, we continued to the car.

----

As I lay next to Harry, I felt safe. I knew it had just been a movie, but I couldn’t shake it from my mind. I could do blood, guts, and gore, but demons and ghosts got the better of me. I was finally able to drift off to sleep with Harry’s arms forming a protective cage around me.

I was in a scene from the movie, and I began to panic at once.

“This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening,” I chanted over and over. I knew I had to be dreaming but I couldn’t wake up. I slowly moved down the corridor toward the light at the end. As I drew nearer, I heard screaming. I shuddered. I wanted to turn around but the hall was pitch black behind me. I could only continue to move forward.

The screams grew louder as I neared the light. My breathing hitched as my panic level rose. I slowly entered the room to find the possessed man and the men struggling to tie him down. Preachers lined one side of the table. His eyes roamed the room and when they landed on me, I knew I was as good as dead. I threw off the men by the table and slowly made his way toward me. I backed up, my hands searching the wall for the exit. I was terrified and my panic level rose steadily higher as I realized the door had gone. The man lunged for me and I screamed.

“Wake up. Darcy, wake up.”

Someone was gently shaking me, and I slowly swam back to consciousness. I was drenched in sweat and my heart was pounding. Harry was looking at me with concern etched into his features.

“You were crying and screaming. I had to wake you up,” he said. Tears filled my eyes once more and I leaned into him. He stroked my hair and rocked us back and forth.

“It’s okay. It was just a dream. Nothing can hurt you. I’m here,” he crooned in my ear. My heart rate began to slow as I took a few deep breaths. I wiped my eyes and looked up at him. Even sitting he was still taller than me. I leaned my head back into his chest and closed my eyes, sleep already reclaiming me. The door adjoining ours to Zayn and Louis’s opened. We had adjoining rooms, with Liam’s, and Niall and Lucy’s across the hall from ours.

“We heard screaming. What’s going on in here?” Zayn asked sleepily. I saw Louis poke his head in around Zayn.

“Yeah, is everything alright?” Louis asked. The boys entered the room and sat on the bed where Harry and I still sat.

“Shhh. I think she’s sleeping again,” Harry whispered. “She had a nightmare, that’s all. I guess she wasn’t kidding when she said that movie would give her bad dreams.”

There was silence from the other boys so I assumed they were nodding.

“We’re fine here. You guys should go back to bed,” Harry said. I felt the bed shift as Zayn and Louis got up. The door clicked shut. Harry laid me back down and pulled me close. I wasn’t quite asleep yet, but he assumed that I was.

“I will never let anything hurt you Darcy Rae Larson,” he whispered in my hair. A small smile formed on my lips as I drifted to sleep once more.