TUESDAY 1:56 PM
The sound of bombs blasting filled the air, followed by the rising panic of the crowd. I stood frozen, disoriented, with no idea where to run. Cold shivers ran down my spine as my heart pounded in my chest. The blare of police sirens cut through the chaos. Smoke rose in the distance. People rushed past me, shoving me aside in their frantic attempt to escape an unseen threat. Cars sped wildly, crashing into one another.
Amidst the chaos, a woman stood helpless, crying out in desperation, "Tommy, Tommy, where are you?" Her voice cracked as she searched frantically. "Tommy!" she screamed again, but then her face lit up with relief as she spotted who she was looking for—a boy, no older than seven, standing still in the middle of the street, not aware of the chaos around him. She ran towards him, scooping him into a tight embrace, but then the unthinkable happened. Tommy began to attack her, sinking his teeth into her neck like a wild animal. She fell to the ground, but he didn't stop. He kept biting and attacking until he finally fled the scene, his mouth smeared with blood as he searched for his next victim.
The woman lay lifeless on the floor, and I knew I should run, but I was paralyzed with fear, unable to move. Just as I tried to will myself into action, she started convulsing, her body shaking violently on the ground while chaos continued to erupt around us. The shaking was so intense, so unnatural, that I couldn't tear my eyes away. Then, just as suddenly as it started, she stopped, lying still and eerily silent.
But what happened next shocked me even more. In a terrifying twist, she suddenly rose from the floor. Her appearance had transformed into something monstrous—her skin pale and decaying, her eyes red and bloodshot, and her teeth bared in a vicious snarl. She looked directly at me, and I could feel her predatory gaze piercing through me. I instinctively took a step back, desperate to run, but my legs refused to cooperate.
Then, without warning, she sprinted toward me at full speed. I barely had time to react before a car came out of nowhere, crashing into her and sending her flying across the street. But she didn't stay down. To my horror, she got up again, more determined than ever, and this time, she set her sights on another innocent person fleeing for their life.
I quickly scanned the street and realized that everyone had lost their minds. People were attacking each other like ferocious beasts, biting and tackling one another to the ground. The air was thick with screams and the acrid smell of smoke, taking over my senses. "Run, Andrea, run…" my inner voice urged, and I knew my only chance was to get out of there as fast as I could.
Without thinking, I bolted, dodging the chaos and weaving between the moving vehicles that were crashing into anything in their path. People were running in every direction, their faces twisted in terror as they fought for survival.
My heart pounded furiously, and cold sweat dripped down my forehead, but I couldn't stop. Then, suddenly, I tripped, falling face-first onto the ground. I screamed, wincing in pain as I scraped against the rough pavement, feeling the sting of fresh bruises forming on my skin.
I lifted my head to take in my surroundings, and that's when I noticed it—their eyes were on me. I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. All of the crazy humans attacking innocent people, their eyes were on me. The noise of the streets seemed to fade away, everywhere was silent and even a pin drop could be heard. My body shook as I tried to stand, but I was too shocked, too scared. My legs gave out under me, and I fell again, this time landing hard on my back. Desperation set in as I began to crawl backward, my eyes darting around, trying to make sense of what was happening. But nothing, not a single thing, made any sense.
They started walking towards me, closer and closer, hundreds of them, surrounding me, trapping me in a tight spot. Their eyes were like those of predators closing in on their prey, and I was the prey. It started getting hard to breathe as I tried to suppress the rising panic, but soft, quiet sobs escaped me. They were so close to me, and I could feel the panic clawing at my chest. Then, in terror, I let out a piercing scream. But before I could even fully let it out, something—or someone—grabbed me from behind. Their hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my screams, while they whispered chillingly in my ear, "Let's play the dead games..."
"ANDREA!" a voice boomed, jolting me awake. My heart raced as I snapped my head up, disoriented and still caught in the lingering horror of my nightmare. Without thinking, I blurted out, "Let's play the dead games!" The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Laughter erupted around me. I looked around, realizing I was just in my classroom. My classmates were giggling and pointing at me like I was the punchline of some cruel joke. I felt my face flush with embarrassment as I tried to regain my composure.
In front of me stood Mrs. Griffin, my teacher, her face filled with concern . She had been the one to wake me, interrupting that terrifying dream.
"Really, Andrea? This is the third time you have fallen asleep in class this week," she said, her voice filled with concern. "Why is that?"
I didn't know how to respond. I scratched my head, desperately searching for an excuse, but the truth was too much to explain. How could I tell her that I had spent the entire night taking care of my drunk mother, who had drunk so much that she was sick all through the night? And how could I explain that I was too afraid to sleep because, for the past month, I had been disturbed by these horrific nightmares, dreams of an apocalypse that were driving me to the brink of madness? Why did I keep seeing the end of the world every time I closed my eyes?
"You know what, never mind," Mrs. Griffin said, perhaps sensing my unease. "This is your last warning. Try not to sleep in my class again." I nodded quickly, grateful that she let it go. She gave me one last look before leaning in slightly and whispering, "You have got a little something here," as she gestured to the corner of her lips.
With that, I immediately wiped away the drool at the corner of my lips, my cheeks burning with embarrassment as I lowered my head. Mrs. Griffin gave me one last glance before returning to the front of the class to resume teaching. I swallowed hard, readjusting myself in my seat as I opened my textbook, trying to block out the giggles and whispers from my classmates. I was always the target in this class; they never really liked me, and they didn't bother to hide it.
The rest of the day passed in a blur as I slogged through almost half of my classes. Standing in front of my locker, I shoved my books inside, relieved to be done with them for now. As I closed the locker, I saw Tracy standing there, a smug look on her face. I had to resist the urge to groan, knowing what was coming next. She leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "See me after school." With that, she walked away, and I couldn't help but watch her sashay off.
Tracy used to be my best friend—we grew up together and did everything together. But ever since we entered senior high school, she started hanging out with the popular girls and decided she was too good for me. And just like that, I went back to being the lonely, pathetic outcast of the school. It wasn't an easy life.
I dragged myself through the rest of my classes, and as soon as school was over, I headed outside. I spotted Tracy by her car, talking to her friends—Jessica Wright, some other girls, and the school's popular jock, Anthony. I tried to walk as quickly as possible, hoping to avoid them, but Tracy rushed over, grabbing my hand and stopping me in my tracks. "Hey, Andrea, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" she asked. I kept my head down, not wanting to meet their eyes.
I lifted my head slightly and saw Anthony walking toward us, a smile on his face. I immediately looked away, my heart racing. Everyone knew I had always had a crush on him, thanks to Tracy, who told Jessica—my biggest bully. Jessica, of course, spread the news throughout the entire school, making me a prime target for bullying.
"I'm sorry for telling Jessica that you had a crush on Anthony," Tracy said, her voice filled with regret. "It was really stupid of me, and I had no idea she would spread it around like that, leading to everyone calling you names." I swallowed hard, wondering why she was bringing this up right in front of him. And if she was truly sorry why was she still besties with Jessica? "But on the bright side, Tony wants to invite you to his party. Here, talk to her, Tony."
I wanted to walk away right then, but Tony gently grabbed my hand, stopping me. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that with the entire school," he said, his voice sincere. "But I want to make things better and invite you to my party tonight." He paused briefly before adding, "And you can hang out at my table, so please be there." With that, he left.
I stood there, unsure of how to respond, my mind racing. Tracy moved closer and whispered, "It's a costume party, by the way, so make sure you wear your best costume. I will text you the address." Then she walked away, rejoining her friends as if nothing unusual had happened.
I took a deep breath, biting my bottom lip as I started walking quickly. That was a very strange occurrence.
A part of me knew this might be a bad idea, but I didn't dwell on it as I started walking home. I headed to the park I usually visit after school to clear my mind. I would rather be anywhere than at home with my mother—she was often a mess, and I didn't know how to deal with that.
I sat in the park for a while, taking deep breaths and staring up at the sky. After a few minutes, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through social media. It wasn't long before I got bored, so I decided to work on the essay for my history project. Hours passed, and as it grew darker, the park started to empty. Realizing it was time to go home, I got up and began my walk.
Not long after, I felt the urge to pee, and thankfully, there was a gas station nearby. I walked into the small store next to it, where the cashier, whom I knew, greeted me. We exchanged a few words before he handed me the key to the bathroom. I hurried to the restroom, choosing the vacant stall, and quickly rolled down my jeans to relieve myself.
When I finished, I sighed and reached for the tissue, but a strange noise from the stall next to me caught my attention. My hand froze mid-air as cold shivers ran down my spine. I strained to listen, hoping I'd imagined it, but to my horror, I hadn't. The disturbing sounds of bones cracking and snarling filled the air. What could be making that noise? Did someone let a wild animal in here? Maybe a bear?
Panic set in, and I didn't even bother wiping. I hastily pulled my jeans back up as the noise continued, now accompanied by agonizing groans, growling, and snapping. It was utterly terrifying. I gulped, and against all common sense, I whispered, "Hello, is anyone there?" I couldn't understand why I called out instead of staying silent, but to my relief, the noise stopped. The bathroom fell into an eerie silence.
I reached for the doorknob, ready to leave, but something held me back. Should I call the police? What if there was a trap waiting for me outside? What if something was seriously wrong? I hesitated, stepping away from the door.
I pulled out my cell phone and started dialing a number, but then a loud bang against my stall door made me jump. What the heck was that? The banging continued, growing louder and more frantic as whoever—or whatever—was on the other side pounded against the door, growling fiercely. Fear gripped me as the door shook under the force of the attack, barely holding against the relentless assault.
Was I stuck in another one of my nightmares, or was this really happening?