Monsters From My Bed

Monsters From My Bed M.J. Marstens Copyright © 2023 M.J. Marstens All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. M.J. Marstens asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. M.J. Marstens has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any productor vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book. First edition Cover by Cauldron Press Book Design Interior Art by Lana Brown (Jupiter Moth) Edited by Fine Line Editing Formatted by Inked Imagination Contents Pronunciation Guide & Glossary Dedication 1. CHAPTER ONE 2. CHAPTER TWO 3. CHAPTER THREE 4. CHAPTER FOUR 5. CHAPTER FIVE 6. CHAPTER SIX 7. CHAPTER SEVEN 8. CHAPTER EIGHT 9. CHAPTER NINE 10. CHAPTER TEN 11. CHAPTER ELEVEN 12. CHAPTER TWELVE 13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN 14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN 15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN 16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN 17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 19. EPILOGUE 20. Excerpt From Captured By The Monsters About M.J. Marstens Final Acknowledgments PRONUNCIATION GUIDE & GLOSSARY Xhoshad (red-eyed monster): Zo-shawd Nerazi (yellow-eyed monster): Ner-oz-ee Seriq (green-eyed monster): Sair-ick Zuriv the False King/The Fallacious (blue-eyed monster): Zur-iv Rastorj, Roxy’s mate (purple-eyed monster): Ros-torj Osz (purply-pink-eyed monster): Oze (like ‘nose’ without the /n/) Vizruk (pink-eyed monster): Viz-ruck Vasura (name of boogeymen): Vah-sir-ah Vasuriad (name of realm): Vah-sir-ee-odd Sinqol (special liquid): sank-all Scion (giant arachnid-like creatures): sky-on Rodzen (Vasurian word for ‘mate): road-zen The Bowels (depths of Vasuriad) The Palasseum (The Fallacious’ palace) The Tavoli Mountains (northern cave system with volcanos) FOR MY FELLOW BOOGEYMAN FANS WHO DREAM OF BEING EATEN BY THE BIG BAD MONSTER UNDER THEIR BED. Everything inside this book is for you. one ALEXIS A bright light greets my death, and I sigh in relief— it must be a sign I’m not in Hell—but that’s before a burning sensation threatens to scorch the flesh from my bones. The pain is excruciating, as if the very Devil himself strips the skin off my body. It must be a punishment for not being better—a better daughter, a better friend, a better mate. I open my mouth to scream, maybe even plead, but nothing comes out. Instead, the scalding fire rushes in, engulfing my insides in flames. The heat holds a familiar tang that coats my tongue. Blood. Presumably mine as I roast alive. All my other senses are cut-off, and I’m unable to hear or smell anything. All I can do is feel. The torment lasts a lifetime, and to my horror, I realize I must be in Hell. Never ending agony in an eternal loop of torture. It’s the only thing that makes sense. I wasn’t raised particularly religious, but damn if those Bible Thumpers in my town weren’t right about this place. It makes The Bowels of Vasuriad seem like a pleasant and temperate vacation destination. The Bowels! With a flash of recognition, I remember who I am and where I am. The vivid light encompassing my body is sinqol—a giant pit of it that Vizruk and Osz threw me in while I was in labor. But how can I be in labor?! I’m not even out of my first trimester, nor am I even showing. The last I checked, my stomach sported a small pooch more akin to a food baby than a real one. With my eyes still closed, I push my hands through the viscous liquid that appears deceivingly thin. It takes a great effort to force them to my sides, but eventually, my fingers connect with my rib cage before inching toward the middle of my torso. When I touch the ragged edge of my split skin, part of me sighs in relief that I remember. The other recoils in shock, too afraid to explore deeper into the gash. How deep is it? Where is my baby? How do I fix this? How am I even breathing?! A million questions whir across my mind, one after another, and my panic grows with each one. Suddenly, the liquid around me shifts, and my muscles tense. Did someone enter the pool with me? But after a moment when no one reaches for me, I relax. The movement continues, and I think it might be the sinqol. A snippet of a conversation from a lifetime ago pops into my head. The Fallacious explaining to me about the blue substance in the vial he held—he called sinqol an organism. Does this mean sinqol is alive? My brain churns up what little I know about the stuff. It helps my bogeymen see, as well as humans, but how, I don’t know. Although the glow from sinqol is bright, it doesn’t seem to hurt the Vasuras’ eyes. Quite the opposite, it allows them vision in this darkened world. But does it do more? The fact that I’m somehow still alive within it indicates maybe Osz and Viz didn’t toss me in here to die. Irritation prickles along my skin, and it dawns on me that I’m no longer burning alive if I can feel other emotions as mundane as