Light gives in to the darkness. The sun is about to set. Dusk falls and night encroaches like a thing borne out of fevered nightmares. I look towards the darkening sky gathering the last of the dying light. I see myself standing upon a deserted street– paper and dust being carried away by the wind.
It begins to cry, whispering inaudible words upon my ears. It gathers the dust and paper and throws them at my direction blinding me for precious seconds. I shield my eyes from it and I feel the cold bite of the wind on my skin.
Through slitted eyes, I see a three-floored building with six windows . The building sits ponderously in the middle the street like some squat, condemned structure paint peeling away revealing a sickly gray sheen, like that of the graying corpse. Its weathered facade has seen innumerable days of scorching heat and merciless cold winds.
I begin to shiver. The last of the dying light gives way to darkness. I walk towards the building.
Something drives me to go there, voices echoing madness and despair scream futilely at the back of my head. As I approach the gates, I see something at the corner of my eye.
A piece of escaping light, almost like a figure running– trying vainly to elude the oncoming darkness and light. I look around and see nothing but darkness. Night regains its claim again.
Light giving away to darkness.
I approach the gates. The bars are bent, rusting, crooked at different angles as if a multitude of hands groped and grasped the dark cold metal rods, vainly trying to break it…Trying to escape. I feel the hairs on my neck start to rise. I see coppery red dots here and there on the bars and the
pavement itself bears large red spots.
I open the gates, feeling it deathly cold. I recoil and take away my hands from the bars then the gate opens so slowly, its hinges crying, loudly resisting. I walk towards to the building. Its main entrance, looking like large gash upon the buidling.
Then I hear the rumble of thunder. Lightning crackles faintly
illuminating the darkened skies, making it more terrifying. Thunder rumbles again, this time it fades to a dying cackle.
Then I found myself in a dark hallway. The walls themselves seem to be in disrepair, peeling, dying like the wrinkled skin of an old man. Only lightning serves to illuminate the hallway.
My senses tell me this is all a dream, a nightmare. I pinch and slap my face. The pain is sharp, making me aware that this is not a dream.
I see a light at the end of hallway. I clench and unclench my sweaty cold hands. The thunder fading away to malicious cackles makes my blood freeze and causes my heart to skip a beat. I walk towards the light and find myself in a room with a large window. It is open letting the cold mourning
wind in. Lightning cracks illuminating the dark sky, outlining the monster of a tree outside the window. The branches looking like gnarled dark fingers groping for light. The light coming from six flourescent lights, dim and fade. I’m in a classroom, the chair rusting, wood decaying, the legs bent and twisted are arrayed in a circle.
Eighteen with a chair in the middle. Then I heard laughter. Children laughing in demented
glee…. Then I’m on the chair. I look up to the flourescent lights on the verge of dying out. The hair on my nape begins to rise again, as I unconsciously look towards the door that I came from.
An impenetrable darkness lurks there. From out of the darkness, two limbs, looking thin, lean with gray and fleshy splotches emerge ending in long taloned fingers.
The arms grasp the side of the door, maliciously caressing the sides. Its claws dig in puncturing the cracked cement like butter. Then I hear again the demented laugh of children. Maniacal and overwhelming. Then I see red eyes in the darkened hallway and the slight sheen of yellow
pointed teeth. The darkness coalesces then it lunges at me. A thing borne out of nightmares.
I scream, mingling with the guttural howl and maniacal laughter of demented children!!!
Then I woke up sweating. I can almost feel its clawed hands on my neck and its taloned fingers eviscerating me. I clutch my stomach to see that my shirt was ripped horizontally. Three slashes.
A thin line of blood on my stomach. Dried blood. I feel its sting. Did I hurt myself? Did I dream it all or what?