Darkness surrounded her. She was always terrified of the darkness. It wasn't exactly the idea of darkness that scared her. It was the thoughts provoked by the blackness that encased her and laid a thin veil of despair around her city that only daylight could drag away.
With her eyes sealed shut to the deep darkness around her, she was almost invincible. Her eyelids were the gates of her city; her walls. They protected her inner thoughts and demons as best as they could. They were strong, but sometimes strength is overpowered. The only Achilles heel her walls contained were hidden inside the city already.
Fear and darkness always rose from the sewers and gutters of her city on the darkest of nights. Seeping through her streets, the black tar of nightmarish creatures and scenarios always found ways to coat her power lines on these nights. This night happened to be one of those horrific nights.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
First Person
I woke up; heart pounding against my chest. I had that dream again. The terror filled drama that gripped my heart every time I had it.
"This story starts off with two young men who decide to take the subway home one night after a long day of work," a deep narrating voice echoed through my mind as if I were watching a television show over paranormal happenings.
"This is a security footage of these men, Allen and Nathan Davidson, entering the train." A grainy image popped into view of my mind's eye. "The woman just inside the door clad in a white pencil skirt and red blouse sitting at a booth is known by locals as Screaming Jessica. Most blame this woman of urban legend for the young mens' disappearances." The voice faded out and I found myself walking through the same doorway of the subway to meet my mother for lunch, strangely. The subway train held a small restaurant and diner style booths for some odd reason. As I walked through the door, I spotted my mother at a a booth, her back to me. As I approached, I noticed a familiar looking woman sitting in the booth behind where I was to sit. She was dressed in a simple red blouse and a white pencil skirt. Her skin was pale and she had simple makeup on her face; her dark chocolate brown hair draped across her shoulders in soft curls. I took a quick glance at her as she sat her coffee cup down onto the table, leaving a smudge of soft red lipstick on the black lid of the travel cup. I took a seat in front of my mother and exchanged hellos. I'm not sure exactly what our conversation topic was at the time, but out of nowhere, a piercing scream rang out from behind me. Strangely, no one seemed to react. A waitress with a neat blonde ponytail appeared at a table a few booths away from us. A heavyset man headed towards her and whispered something to her.
"Who is that and why is she screaming?" His face was laced with worry.
"That's Jessica. Don't mind her. Don't look at her. Please." The woman's eyes became wide with concern. The man nodded and I turned my attention back to my mother, a questioning look on my face. She shook her head slightly, warning me. Rebelliously, I stood up and walked to my mothers side of the booth.
"Slap my hand when I scream." I whispered quickly.
"Wh-" She started to whisper back, but my high pitched scream cut her off. My mother then slapped my hand and told me no. In a very loud voice I said, "See? Screaming is wrong!" I could see Jessica's head snap towards me out of the corner of my eye. My mothers back was now facing the woman. Jessica screamed louder, challenging me. I screamed again, earning me yet another slap. As I started to turn my gaze to Jessica, my mother grabbed my arm with wide eyes.
"Don't look at her, Paydon." I nodded and kept eye contact with my mom. From my peripheral vision, I saw the woman reach out towards me, her shoulders arched in an unnatural position. My mother, although her back was to Jessica, reached behind her in one swift motion, grabbed the woman's arm roughly, and slung it back at her. As I continued to scream, I could see the woman levitating, floating closer towards me. I tried to scream one last time, but it felt like the air was being sucked out of my lungs. I fell back against the wall, now seeing what Jessica was. Her skin was now blood red and from her dark hair, two twisted ram's horns poked out. She was Lucifer. As the devil reached towards me, I felt my heart sink into my stomach. Then I was awake.
I scrambled to find my phone. My hand banged against the bedside table and I cursed under my breath. After slamming my hand into the table multiple times, I finally found my phone.
My fingers shook as I unlocked the screen, incorrectly typing my password twice. The screen illuminated my face, causing me to blink the shock of the brightness out of my eyes.
"Hey, Tyler?" I typed into my phone. I impatiently tapped on the side of my phone waiting for a reply. Finally little text bubbles popped up.
"Hey what's up?"
"I had the dream again..." I sighed as I pressed the send button. I always felt like a nuisance when I texted him for some reason. I rubbed my temples, closing my eyes. My head was a throbbing mess.
"Fucking migraine." I mumbled, waiting for another text as I intently watched the text bubbles.
"Shit I'm sorry... Wanna grab some breakfast with me?"
I smiled. He knew me so well.
"Sure! Mojoes?" I asked. I knew he would say yes. Mojoes was both of our favorite coffee cafés.
"Where else xD!" He replied. I smirked and shook my head slightly.
"Ill be there in 20ish minutes."
After turning on my Spotify, I clicked on my playlist that mostly consisted of FrnkEiro Andthe Cellabration, Fall Out Boy, Breaking Benjamin, and My Chemical Romance, I sat my phone down on the vanity in my room. I then pulled my messy natural curls into a ponytail, put on a white baseball cap, poked the ponytail out of the back of my hat and made it into a messy bun. After quickly applying two coats of mascara and curling my lashes, I dabbed on a bit of concealer to cover dark circles, setting it with a small amount of powder.
"Well shit. Nothing to wear." I mumbled, staring into the messy abyss of my closet. "Whatever."
I sighed, pulling an old, grey hoodie over my head. I slipped into a pair of black leggings with matching vans.
Walking out of the front door, I clicked the unlock button on my keys and hopped into the drivers seat of my car.
