It's September 28. 2018
A week had passed since the forest. A week of restless sleep, quiet meals, and avoiding questions from teachers about his lack of focus. Lucas kept his head down, pretending everything was fine. But the truth? It wasn't.
The vortex wasn't just a memory. It clung to him like a dark cloud, pulling at his thoughts when he tried to concentrate and creeping into his dreams every single night.
And the worst part was, he couldn't tell anyone. Who would believe him? That he'd seen… something, something wrong in the woods.
The nightmare was the same. Always the same.
A ruined city stretched before him, silent and oppressive. The air was thick, heavy, tasting like ash. Rifts tore through the skyline, jagged scars that glowed with that same sickly, swirling light.
And there were creatures. Shadows that slithered and twitched unnaturally, hunched figures darting through the rubble. Their glowing eyes burned like embers. Lucas stood there, frozen, watching them move closer.
A scream ripped through the air—human, raw, terrified. It cut into him like a knife.
| What the hell is this? |
He stumbled forward, his feet dragging over cracked concrete. His breath came fast and shallow, panic clawing at his throat. One of the creatures—small, hunched, with slimy green skin and jagged, crooked teeth—emerged from the shadows. Its yellow eyes locked onto him, burning with malice.
It was a goblin, his mind supplied, though it was unlike any fantasy he'd read about. It was filthier, meaner, something born from nightmares rather than stories.
| Run. Run now! |
But his legs didn't move. The goblin grinned, its sharp teeth glinting in the dull light. And then it charged.
Lucas jolted awake with a gasp, his chest heaving. His heart pounded, the sound loud in his ears. Sweat drenched his shirt, sticking it to his skin. He blinked at the dark room, struggling to breathe, struggling to shake off the dream.
| It's not real. It's just a dream. Just a dream. |
But then the air shifted.
The walls of his room rippled, bending and stretching like they were made of liquid. Objects around him distorted—his desk warped, his bookshelf seemed to melt into the floor, and the posters on his wall curled like they were being pulled into a vortex.
And then he heard it.
The low hum. The same vibration from the forest. It wasn't a memory or a dream anymore. It was here.
{ This was the moment where I stopped pretending. The moment I realized the world I thought I knew was already gone. }
A rift tore through the center of his room, a jagged opening in reality. Colors swirled within it—violent, chaotic, alive.
CLOMP! Something stepped through.
The goblin was smaller than the creatures in his dream, but it was no less terrifying. Its skin glistened, wet and slimy, and its claws clicked against the wooden floor.
It turned its head, sniffing the air like a predator.
Then its glowing eyes fixed on Lucas.
| Oh God. This can't be happening. |
Kikkkkkkk! The goblin shrieked, baring its jagged teeth.
| Move. Do something. Anything! |
The goblin lunged itself forward Lucas.
Lucas scrambled backward, his hands fumbling for anything he could use as a weapon. His heart thundered in his chest as the goblin lunged, its claws swiping through the air.
He barely dodged in time, the creature's claws ripping through his shirt and grazing his side. Pain flared sharp and immediate.
| NO NO NO! I'm going to die! I'm going to die in my own room! |
"NOO!" he shouted, his voice shaking. But his feet stayed rooted, his back pressed against the wall.
The goblin growled and lunged again. This time, Lucas threw up his arms, bracing for the impact—
And then he felt it.
Fwooshh! The mark on his chest ignited, a burning heat that spread through his body. It wasn't just heat—it was something deeper, something alive.
The warmth turned to light, blinding and pure. It erupted from him in a wave, blasting the goblin backward.
KIKKKKKKKKK!
The creature screeched, a sound like shattering glass.
Kikkk….
It stated its final words as its body disintegrated into ash.
Lucas collapsed to the floor, his back slamming against the wall. His chest heaved, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
"What… was that?" His trembling hands moved to his chest. He pulled his shirt aside and froze.
There it was—the mark. It glowed faintly, intricate lines swirling together in a pattern that seemed too perfect, too unnatural to be human. It pulsed gently, like it was alive.
"What is this thing? Why me?"
The room was silent now. The rift was gone, the walls back to normal. But Lucas didn't feel safe. He didn't feel normal.
{ I sat there for hours, staring at that mark, trying to make sense of it. I wanted to believe it was just a dream, that I could go back to school tomorrow and everything would be fine. But I knew better. }
He pushed himself to his feet, his legs shaking. His reflection in the window caught his eye. He looked… different. There was fear, yes, but there was something else. Something sharper.
"God.. Why me? I didn't ask for this..." Lucas whispers, as he sits down with the wall at his back. Praying for this nightmare to end.
But the mark didn't disappear. It was there now, a part of him. A nightmare that was far from over.