The strange, unexpected, & supernatural

The Reality Paradox (Cameron Armstrong) 2

I don't know how long I was out.  My eyelids squeeze as I yawn and stretch my arms, but not so high to hit the roof of the car.  My arms are still above my head when my vision adjusts ahead to the windshield.

Nighttime.

How long were we driving?  "Pete, where are we?"  

Silence.

"Pete?"

I climb up to the driver's seat, and that's what it is.  An empty seat.  Pete's gone and so are the keys.  I sit back and try to gain my bearings through the windows.   I crawl to one, and see grass and tombstones with a light mist.  Same for the other side.

"I'm in a graveyard."   My eyes dart around the car, landing on the handle.  A part of me is saying I can't stay here, another is telling me to do just that.  I place my hand on it and take a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out to gain a wider knowledge of my surroundings. "Well, this isn't creepy at all."  I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial my dads' number, holding it to my ear, only to be met with an annoying beeping sound.  I look at the screen, NO SERVICE is written in the top left.  "No cell phone, no radio.  Yep, I'm doing great."

I retrieve my backpack from the seat and swing it over my shoulders, gripping the straps like a kindergartener to calm my nerves.   It works a little.  Not a lot, but enough.   I take off in a random direction, ensuring it's a straight shot to locate the car easily.

"Pete!"  The only sound I get in return is my steps in the grass.   "Somebody?!"  Nothing.  I take my phone out again.  Still no service.  "Dammit."  I focus on my breathing, clinging to my straps. "There's gotta be some way out of here."

Something moves in the corner of my eye, and I stop. Looking to my right.  A silhouette appears on the top of a far hill.  I grin, then it inverts the longer I stare at it.  It looks... familiar to me.

"Dad?"

Another silhouette emerges.  This time, it's a woman.  

"Mom?"

They walk away.

"Hey.   Hey!"   I run to the hill, which is an arduous climb, only to see nothing at the apex.   No silhouettes.  No people.  I look back below and the mist has layered the ground ankle-length.  I also can't recognize the path I was on, meaning I don't know how to find the car.   Call me an "American Idiot," because I'm just that.

"Cam?"

I turn to the voice.  She's no longer a silhouette, but a physical being.  "Mom?"

"Oh, poor baby."  She grazes my cheek.  Her fingertips are warm.  "I told your father not to take up work in the city.  He never listened to me."  She takes her hand down.

"I-- "

"Hmm, what is it, sweetheart?  What do you need?"

"Um, to get out of here."

"Aw, of course you do, come on."  She beckons with her hand to follow her, then turns.

I grip my straps again, keeping a distance of 6 feet between us.  After about 5 minutes of walking, I speak.  "How much longer?"

"We're almost there."  Her voice is ecstatic.  Just as I remember.

The white fog has returned, like it's following us.

"I can change the color, if you'd like," She says without turning around.  I'm about to ask what she means, then the low smog reforms from a grayish-white to a tranquil blue.

"You liked blue, right, Cam?"   Her back still faces me.

"Yeah."

"It relaxes you, right?"

"Y - yes."

"Good.   I want you to feel relaxed."

Not even dad knows why I love blue.   I told mom that it reminded me of the waves in the ocean, which she would play on a white noise machine to help me sleep.  "W - what do you mean?"

No answer.

"Mom, where are we going?"

She stops.  So do I.  She doesn't turn but points to a headstone that's blanketed by the colored haze.   Dubiously, I approach it and freeze.  My name is on it.

"Mom, this can't be right. I'm not --"

She's gone.  The now blue mist has risen and encompassed my calves.  I look back at my tombstone.  A blue Lilly is on top.

"Only mom knew that was my favorite flower."

I'm so entranced that I don't notice I'm standing over my burial spot, and something grabs my ankle from below.   "Hey!"  I try to shake it off, but it's too strong, and I end up flailing around uncontrollably.  "Let me go!"  My other ankle is seized and I fall.  It gets my backpack as I try to gain a grip on the dirt.  I'm unsuccessful and finally comprehend that whatever has a hold on me is trying to drag me under.  Hurriedly, I unfasten my bag and watch as it's pulled beneath.  The most I can grasp is flimsy grass.  Eventually, that runs out and only the upper half of my body is exposed.  It doesn't help that now, only the dewy dirt from my resting spot is in my reach because I inadvertently end up burying myself little by little as I feel more hands pulling me from below, and everything from the chest - up is on the surface.  This doesn't last long, and as I'm taken by the earth, I let out a yell.