A half-full bladder and the sounds of buzzing had awoken me.
The sun was creeping through the slits in the curtains and the previous night’s sleeping tablets had started to wear off. The kickback to reality and the small, itchy spots all over my body meant one thing: I was going to war.
I crept out of bed, headed to the bathroom, and tended to one of the things that woke me. Relieved.
I grabbed the Zapper. It was my sword, my weapon of choice against the onslaught of winged nemeses devoted to sucking the life out me while I slumbered.
I set to work. Af first, I stood slight just past the doorway to the bedroom. I closed my eyes, let out a long, low breath and waiting for the first sound of attack.
𝐵𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧.
My eyes shot open and I saw my first adversary out of the corner of my right eye. With a flick of my wrist – zpppt – it was slain. At the sound of their fallen compatriot, the others began to stir and readied their attacks.
Another took a shot at me, and then another, and then another. The room was filled with the sounds of tiny exploding corpses, and my own grunts of anguish as they spawned out of seemingly nowhere.
And then, at last, it was over. There were no more creatures to slay and no more of my blood would be stolen from me. It wouldn’t last, but it was a small victory.
I left the room and placed the mighty weapon back in its resting place. Relieved, I made my way back to bed for some well-earned relaxation. As I lay down–
𝐵𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧.
𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠.
This time, I took to battle and rushed in without knowing where the enemies were. More importantly, there was no time to grab the sword. I thrust out my right arm caught one in my hand. And another. And then a third.
𝐼 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼’𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤.
The sounds of war had ceased, but my right hand looked like a blood bath. Several small, winged creatures lay crushed in my hand, surrounded by splatterings of their own internals, and my recently-stolen life-giving crimson – their nourishment.
I washed the battle from my hand and the sweat from my forehead. The weapon still slept safely in its resting place and I decided to leave it there. I wouldn’t need it now; they should have learned to retreat and form a better battle plan.
I could finally lay down in bed and relax for the morning, taking in the beauty of the sunrise, while planning the day ahead.
The bedsheets were comforting.
𝐵𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧.

Author’s note: I found this song goes quite well with Dawn of Battle by Manowar.