[ WP ] To avoid the potential agony of a prolonged death , you 've payed a hitman to kill you while you sleep at some arbitrary point during your life . One night you wake up to a figure standing over your bed .

Dad? 
 
 Daddy. 
 
 I hear something. What time is it? I turn over on my side and eyeball the green digits on my nightstand clock. It's late. I blink hard and reach over the clock to the lamp and turn it on. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the new light. I rub my fingers across them to help the strain. I look beside my bed. 
 
 What is it son? 
 
 I had a bad dream. 
 
 Oh no. Was it another swamp monster? 
 
 No. 
 
 I clear my throat. Was it about mommy, again? 
 
 No. Mommy was n't in it. 
 
 Okay. Come here. I sit up and pick him up onto my lap. His crown rests against the bottom of my chin and strands of his strong blonde hair, a gift from his mother, brush against my face. I smell him. 
 
 Ok so what was it then? It's too late for me to be guessing, my brain is n't quite working yet. 
 
 Well I was dreaming that I was in my bed and then there was a man in the corner of my room but I could n't really see him because it was dark and the night light in the hallway was n't bright enough to show him. And he was kind of scary but I asked him what his name was and when I did he walked over to the door and left and shut the door closed tight behind him. That's when I woke up. 
 
 Immediate panic sets in. Sweat begins permeate through every poor of my being and the temperature of my flesh rivals that of turkey bone in a pot of soup. Could it be? Of course it could be. But not like this. Could it? 
 
 Did you see what the man looked like? 
 
 No. He was just wearing black I think and he had a black cowboy hat. 
 
 Not a cowboy hat. A pie hat. It's him. 
 
 Did he say anything to you? Did you see where he went? 
 
 Umm no I do n't think so and it was just a dream anyway so do n't worry. 
 
 Right, just a dream. You're a good boy, you know that. A beautiful strong boy. I love you very much. Your mom and I both do, you know that? 
 
 Yeah, I know that. 
 
 Okay good. Why do n't you sleep in my bed tonight. Get under the covers and get comfy. I'll be right back. 
 
 Where are you going? 
 
 To grab a snack downstairs. 
 
 Okay. 
 
 I walk out of my bedroom through already ajar doorway. I pause. I take in my surroundings, scan the illuminated upper hallway. All the doors are shut except for my son's bedroom. I make my way over, cautiously so. A pounding begins in my head, an irregular drum beat off with each step I take, every blink of the eye, every bead of sweat that drips down my neck. I put my hand on the doorknob and push the door open. I turn on the light and there is nothing there. I go over to the closet and it too is empty. 
 
 I turn on the main floor light from the top of the stairs with a flick of the switch. Nothing at the foot. I make my way down with a rigor mortis grip on the handrail. My senses are off. The sweat is like a waterfall with me at the base being submerged. The heat is like laying in drying mud in a baked desert. My vision blurred like radiating smudges above a stretch of highway. Total panic. Total unknown. Oh God. 
 
 I get to the bottom. I make my way to the kitchen. I turn on a few lights in there. There is nobody there. I hear and see nothing. An inch of countered calmness breaks through the waves. I take a deep breath. I grab a water bottle from the fridge and take sweet gulps. I breathe again. I set the water bottle on the granite counter top. I lean against it and stare across the family room and through the patio doors. The trees in my back yard near full stillness. A storm within, that is all. That is fading. 
 
 I drink from my water again. I put it down. I look out my patio windows. I see someone outside. I freeze. The figure remains stationary, brimmed hat and all. I keep my eyes on him. I'm frozen. I tremble. He moves towards the doors. He is not outside. It is a reflection. He is behind me. I turn around. My eyes fail to make his, there is a sharp, brief sting in my neck. I fall instantly to the ground. My vision is fully blurred though I see him standing above me. I do n't know what's going on. I close my eyes.
