Taken

Nightmare

I could feel a tingle of something on my face, and the murmur of something in the background. It felt almost surreal to be standing up and feeling the cold breeze against my cheeks. So I opened my eyes, because every part of me wanted to live in this peace forever.

The breeze came from the sea, as the steady rise lapped back and forth on the sand. And the murmur turned into the screech of seagulls, but there was something else as well. I felt warm as the sun beat down from above of me, but my heart warmed as I saw two girls playing on the sand.

They were running around, giggling, and I could feel a warm smile slip into my face. I saw the parents sitting on beach towels, and looking at their children with pure amusement and love. The smile fell slightly from my face as I contemplated how jealous I was of the girls.

I looked down at my feet, which were bare, and experimentally wiggled my feet in the sand. It was golden, and silkily slipped through my toes, so I put on foot in front of the other, until I was padding down the beach towards the two playing children. And the closer I got, the more familiar they were.

But suddenly a cold breeze blew in from the sea, and I had to wrap my arms around myself to keep warm. I carried on towards the girls, but strangely, I didn't seem to be getting any closer. I looked down at my feet again, and I was defiantly moving, because I was passing stones and seaweed.

But the two lights of happiness just kept on getting further away, taking all my contentment with them.

That's when I realised that the sky was overcast, and thick clouds had covered the sun, showering the beach in a gloom that seemed to effect everyone. I felt the depression deep in my heart creep back in, and suddenly my vision went blurry and I had to squeeze my eyes shut to stop myself from falling.

I opened my eyes again, and the girls were still there, but at the end of a long corridor.

My school corridor. And suddenly everything was going wrong, because the girls looked terrified and however hard I tried to reach them, the corridor kept growing. And I was always too far away from them.

But suddenly like a flash, a body fell right in front of me, and with a sickening crunch, smashed into the floor. I didn't even attempt to hide my scream. But suddenly more bodies were falling, and I could recognise some of them as my classmates.

And all I could do was scream as the walls were smothered with blood and the stench of rotting flesh drugged the air. I tried to stop, calm down, but I was sobbing, screaming at no one, except the girls who seemed oblivious to what was happening. I curled up in a ball in the floor and sobbed, hiding my face in my hands.

But I immediately felt the air lighten and lifted my hands tentatively from my face. The corridor was clear, as if none of the events had just happened. I sat up, and glanced around, and I appeared to be alone. I shakily stood up and started to walk down the corridor with shaky steps.

My feet were still bare and I hated the contrast of the hard floor to the softness of the sand. I could move forward now, and I walked down the corridor until I came to two figures. I assumed that they were still shell shocked like I had been, so I called out to them. They didn't reply, so I took a tentative step closer and peered at them. My eyes widened as I saw the pool of blood surrounding both the girls that had been happily playing on the beach just minutes earlier. But my stomach lurched when I saw the face of the older one. It was the old Brooke.

It was me.

...........

I woke up in a sweaty panic, my forehead slick with sweat and my hands clammy. I was on the verge of tears and in the dark I almost screamed out. I blindly reached for my light and flicked it on, briefly squinting as the light filled my room. I leant over the side of the bed, breathing heavily as I tried to calm myself down. I saw the hallway light flick on and seconds later my mum stood in the doorway.

"Brooke?" She asked sleepily. "What's wrong."

I hugged my knees to my chest. I hadn't got to sleep very well last night, partly because of the horrors I had witnessed that day, and partly out of fear that I would see it again when I feel asleep. I guess my fears were answered.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing." She sighed, coming and sitting on the end of my bed.

"I can't stop thinking about what happened yesterday." I tried to bury my head into my knees. "I can't get the images out of my head." I tapped the side of my head, and then forcefully grabbed a fistful of my hair. I watched in confusion as my mums face morphed into an expression of equal confusion.

"What happened yesterday?" She asked softly. "Did you have a fight with your friends. Michelle?" She looked concerned.

I held a look of complete shock on my face. Was she joking? Everyone knew what had happened yesterday. It was the sort of thing that will be branded on your mind forever.

"Everything that happened." I looked strait at her, something I hardly did since the old Brooke disappeared. I was afraid of what I would see in her eyes. "People died."

My mums face still held an expression of confusion. How could she not remember? She is not the sort of person to mess around with me. She never did it to the old Brooke, and since the new Brooke appeared she hadn't even attempted. Did she really not know?

"It was just a nightmare. A silly nightmare. None of it is real." She said softly, and after I didn't reply, she switched my light off and went out of the room.

My mind ran in circles as I thought about how it could have been a nightmare. But the reality I felt couldn't have simply been a dream. I know the different. Well, I think I know the difference.

"It was just a nightmare. None of it is real."

I don't really know what to believe.

Hi!! Thanks for anyone who reads this! I am truly grateful. I am thinking of writing a new chapter every 200 reads now, because I'm getting 100 so quickly! If you have time, you can check out:
sophrach-the-monkey
chips17
Sparkling_sunrise
Which are my joint account (sophrach-the-monkey) and a couple of my friends accounts. Thanks again to anyone who reads- devoncat1 😘