Dancing with the Devil

Sharing a Dream

Dedicated to medusa859

   Once we got back into our tent and calmed ourselves down we tried not to talk about what had happened, which was difficult with questions burning in our chests, aching to get out. "I'll keep watch on case anything happens." I said. The girls nodded. "I'll wake Jaylee up if I get too tired." Jaylee nodded.
   So I stayed up. It was about three thirty-one in the morning when I blacked out from exhaustion most people could probably make it but I did have and adrenalin rush today.
   When I woke up or was still dark. Weird. Black out from exhaustion and wake up early. Never heard of that one before. When I looked around I saw the tent just the way I left it. But he girls weren't in there. I thought I should look for them. I got up and got out of the tent.
   When I walk out It was cold and damp. It smelled as though it would rain. I loved that smell but something about it made me nauseous this time. I walked through the woods with the feeling I was being watched. I continuously looked behind me for any signs of people or wild animals. As I kept walking I saw a giant spider web. I never had aracitphobia but Ali does. And Jaylee has some minor anxiety. So I figured they would have turned around and so did I, because I was looking for them and it would be dumb to keep walking in that direction. I went to find the tent again on the path I had been marking by stomping on the ground hard and breaking twigs on the way there.
   But when I had got back to were the tent was I saw it wasn't there. And I kept waking for reasons I can't quite explain. Maybe I thought that the girls took the tent and walked in that direction. Or maybe I thought I hadn't walked far enough. Either way I kept walking. Soon I came to a pool of water. It was dark and murky. I jumped in. The water went up to my waste. It was thick and hard to trudge through. It was like trying to walk through syrup while wearing metal boots.
    After what seemed like years I made it through. It was difficult but I managed to drag the lower body out of the gross water. I say on my knees trying to regain my strength. Then the water leaped out of the pool behind me. When I turned to look the black water had held its form in a human like shape. I still sat there. I felt like I should run, but I couldn't move. The watery figure grabbed me by my shoulder so tightly it hurt. I didn't scream. I couldn't, I still couldn't move. It was like I was a city with a power outage.
   I was so terrified. It felt so real. The grip on my shoulder tightened as the watery humanoid figure turned into a million insects. They began to crawl over me. I was never afraid of bugs, but now something happened. I felt my heart drop into my stomach and do a backflip. I tried to scream. I would have at the top of my lungs but the bugs had crawled into my mouth and they began running down my throat. I couldn't breath. I felt them in my lungs and my stomach. They crawled up my nose and in my ears. It was so real. It was fire burning every inch if my body. But how? How was that tight grip still on my shoulders? The humanoid figure was gone. How was it tightening? How was I not dead yet? I should have suffocated by now. At least blacked out.
   The grip on my shoulders was enough to make any grown man scream in sheer pain, but I just couldn't. I saw a woman apear in a white dress. Her hair was jet black and in her face. The invisible hands on my shoulder began shaking me. All I heard was that mysterious lady screaming "Burn and die!" Her voice was mixed with something demonic I couldn't explain. She screamed so loud my ears rang even after everything went black.
    I shot straight up in the tent in a cold sweat. I was panting. I didn't scream. I don't remember the last time I had actually screamed.
   Jaylee was gripping my shoulders. Not hard but they were still sore from my overrealistic dream. "Hey dude. You alright?" Jaylee asked in a concerned tone. I nodded trying to calm down. "Of course. When am I not alright?" I say playfully, distracting myself from what had happened. Ali was standing behind Jaylee. She shooked get head, "when your being attacked by a demon spirit maybe." Of course. I chuckle.
   "But really dude. What did you dream about?" Jaylee asked. Crap questions! My weakness! "Well, um..." my eyes darted to the left as I tried to make up an excuse. Jaylee gave me the "tell me" look. "It was-" I stopped myself when my voice cracked. "Don't lie to me shelby!" Jaylee's eyes were looking into my soul. Ali was giving me a pleading look. My breathing got fast. My shoulders raised. Something that happens when I try to defend myself verbally. I stopped trying to hide it. My breathing slowed and my shoulders dropped and relaxed. I'm such a bad liar. My friends clearly noticed and smiled victoriously.
   I told them the whole dream. From searching to a watery humanoid to the burning insects in my lungs and to the woman who told me to "burn and die."
   The girls looked nervous. I tilted my head confused. "What?" I asked. I felt my stomach tighten. My inner instincts telling me something bad will happen soon. Probably the answer to my question. "We- we had the same dream. Shelby we shared a dream! All of us!" Jaylee said terrified more than I have ever seen her. Ali was on the verge of tears. "So this is how I die." Ali said hopeless. I stood up and hugged them both. "Hush now. The both of you. We are going to be fine." I said in a motherly tone. "Bu-" Ali started. I cut her of not letting her live her negative thoughts out loud. "No 'buts' Ali.  We're going to make it out in one piece." I let go of the girls. "Am I understood?" I ask. Ha! I would make a great mother. The girls nodded.
   "Great now let's get the he-" Jaylee started. I threw out a fake cough to cut her off. "'Heck' Shelby. I was goin to say 'get the heck out of here.'" Jaylee said holding her hands up in her defense. "Mmhm" I say unsatisfied. Ali rolled her eyes, "I have heard sweating before you know?" I pretended to think about it. "Nope!" I say.
    "Seriously! Let's go!" Jaylee said obviously annoyed. "Scared?" I ask teasing. "Now!" she yelled. Ok. So maybe in still a little immature. But can you blame me?
   We walked out of the woods to the street where we had parked Ali's car. The car was still there obviously. What? Where you expecting a weird movie cliche where our car was towed and we had to walk back home though the woods and something and happens. Nope! Haha. We hopped in the car and sure enough the car worked. No dumb cliches here. Ali dropped me off at my house. I thanked her and walked inside my house.
   I opened my door and walked inside. I was happy to find my parents were not home. I did not want to explain what happened to us on the trip. I hopped into the shower. I let the warm water run down my back. I took my shampoo and rubbed my scalp. Then I rinsed. Then I washed my body with my body wash. It smelled like coconut. I inhaled deeply through my nose, enjoying the sent. After I rinsed that off I just stood in the shower thinking. I did this until all the hot water was gone. Which was about forty-five minutes. Then I got out of the shower and wrapped my towel around my body. I sat on the edge of the tub and kept thinking to myself. And after what had happened I hope you have the common sense to figure out what I'm thinking about. If you don't I will be very disappointed in humanity. I kept thinking for about thirty minutes.  Then I walked out of the bathroom and put on my pajamas, a white tank top with dark blue swear pants. I layed on I my bed and put in my ear buds playing "The bird and the worm" by "The Used" on repeat. I continued to think. Do I think to much?
   I sighed. I closed my eyes still thinking. The subject repeatedly changing. I grew tired and drifted off. My slumber was deep and dreamless. I'm glad it was dreamless to. I'm nervous about what I would dream about.