Lucid Dreams: Haunting Shadows (Finished)

I sat there staring at the window. Nothing… There was nothing out there. Nothing new to discover, nothing to do. You can’t go around discovering new lands the way Humanity once did not long ago. No new forests to walk aimlessly through. Life was no longer a fight for survival. It was now live to fight life. We burn through the years of our lives. Nothing but work, aimlessly moving towards an unknown goal.


That night I had the urge to go out and walk. The darkness outside didn’t seem so mass as the dark corners of my mind. Tears form around my eyes as I squinted and yawned. I slept all day from staying up all night the day before. I got up off the bed which smell entirely like sweat and drool. I fumbled around looking for some socks to put on.


“Shit there aren†˜t any in here… I have to look downstairs…” Sweat dropped from my chin to the floor. My room was always hot, even at night. The only time it was cool was in the morning around five AM or around winter. Though the rest of the time it remained hot. Always 90 degrees, sweating my ass off even when I sleep. I have woken many times covered in sweat. If it wasn’t for the fan I bought it would be unbearable.


As I made my way down the stairs I found my socks and shoes and hastily put them on. I cheerily said “be back later,” though anyone I “wanted” to say bye to would already be asleep. The Moon was high in the sky and illuminated the ground all around. I didn’t even need a flashlight.


I took a trail near my house that led up to a mountainside valley. No tree’s… Just an endless field of dead grass. Abandoned cars and a long dirt path with tire tracks embedded into the soil. The foot of mountain was dead and barren, a fire recently engulfed it and all that was left was black soil. Though now you could hardly tell the color due to the darkness of the night, though because of the light glow from the moon allowed you to see the remnants of what used to be small tree’s, bushes and grass.


There was no sound. Not even annoying crickets that got absurdly loud in this area. “They must have left because of the fire.” I thought as I walked down the path. The dead grass swayed as the wind blew. The air that was cold up until not a moment ago suddenly got warm. Warm like someone was breathing down your neck. The sky which was clear so that the stars could be seen where now shrouded in clouds. The light that made it so I could see was now gone and the darkness around me thickened.


My mind went blank as I looked around desperately, seeing if something was coming, anything. Nothing… There was no sound, no howls in the dark, no scream in the night. The world was black and nothing was in it.

My body flung forward in a jerking motion. I frantically scoped out my surroundings. “Not again!” I woke from my vivid dream in a cold sweat. “Damn it!” I had chicken skin, and my stomach hurt and my heart wouldn’t stop beating. My dreams have always been crazy and wacky or sometimes way too realistic, but lately all I keep getting are these, these nightmares. It was hot in the room, as usual. While in dreams you cant tell if its reality, and you just go with the flow. Though in reality you can, “feel” its real. Though… at this time I was so sure.


With all that yelling you would think someone would come to check on me. Well sorry to disappoint but no one ever does. Though inside I’m sad, its kind of relieving. No one to pester me about stupid stuff. My phone then began to ring. “Hey, Sergeant you want to tag along as I go to work?” The voice of my friend came in clear on the phone. “Sergeant what are you doing? Still sleeping? You lazy bum its already noon.”


“Ugh, Shut up! Wait.. Did you say noon? Fuck… Oi and what you said about work?”


“I asked if you want to tag along!”


“What time you going, how are you going and where is it this time?”


“Well I†˜ll be leaving at three, going by truck and I don’t know where it is. I have to report in then they†˜ll tell me the location.”


“… um… No then, I don’t really feel like it.”


“Pansy… What kind of soldier are you?”


“The kind that isn’t one.”


“Sergeant, I’m disappointed Hoah!”


“Whatever, talk to you later!” He mumbles something under his breath. Something along the lines of “Asshole,” but I acted like I didn’t hear it, “Fine, see you later.” He says finally as I ended the call.


I truly wasn’t in the mood seeing him be a rent-a-cop at some unknown place.


Still after that dream I wanted to get out of the house. So instead I decided to head down to my folks house down the street and mooch off some net from them.


The area I live in is pretty plain. The only time it has a air of mystery is at night. Well I’ve lived here my whole life so isn’t that normal? I know this place… the way the road curves and bends. The play ground that have all the jungle gyms and slides removed because of safety concerns. The Wasteland with dead grass and a dirt trail that went up into the valley... the place I dreamt of.


I found myself walking that very same path. Just like the dream I had not long ago. I didn’t even realize until an old rusted abandoned car blocked my path. “What am I doing? Their house is in the opposite direction.” I sighed an placed my hand on my face. “Maybe I†˜m still dreaming. Though I can still feel things… I usually cant feel things in my sleep.”


Before I knew it I was walking farther and farther away from my destination. I didn’t really mind though, “maybe doing this is a better way to let off some steam,” I thought. I didn’t go that way often. The road.. A road that went over the connected mountains, it had such a beautiful view. You had to have a special clearance to go through. Mountains to your side, beautiful green, unlike the dried up, burned down mountain behind my house.


I kept walking, not even breaking a sweat. Which was odd since it was mid summer and it was bright and sunny. Before long I decided to turn around. The mountain was dead and dry like it usually was. Though something caught my eye. A side road I never explored before. There wasn’t a gate or anything blocking my way. It just seemed to be an endless road. So I decided to stroll.


It was strange. The road had big tree’s on either side that made it look like a forest grew around the road. I kept walking, though I began to feel uneasy. Dead leaves covered the ground and crunched beneath my feet. Time seemed to melt away as I the tree†˜s beside the road seem to actually spread out and became a forest. Soon a apartment complex appeared before me. “Wait… wasn’t the Garbage dump near here? Why would such a nice building be built next to a dump…”


“Excuse me sir, Your no- Oh shit its you!” My friend who had called me earlier that day stood in his security uniform by a tree. “Oh hey man, so this is where you had to work today?” He walked towards me, “Yeah, I never knew this place existed. Anyways why are you here so late?” I scratched the back of my ear as I responded, “well I went out for a walk and I ended up here… is it really that late?” His face had the oddest expression on it. “What you mean you went out for a walk? Don’t you know where we are?!”


“No idea… I was walking the back roads and I ended up coming here. Where is this place?”


“Dude you walked here without knowing where you are? This is the Wasteland right next to your house. I haven†˜t here in forever, I didn’t know they built this here. They even went as far as to plant a whole forest.”


“That’s impossible… I was just walking on that path.. Nothing was there… It was the same as always. There is no way they built this and planted a forest in only a couple of hours!”

“Are you sure? you weren’t just half asleep? Maybe you took a different route and thought you walked that way?”


“Um… No! I†˜m not a dumb ass who cant tell left from right! If I said I went that way, that means I went that way! That’s like thinking ’huh I thought my house was white.. But this house it red.. Oh well I’m sure its just me.’ Only an imbecile could be that dim!”


“Fine whatever if you say so. Isn†˜t the apartment amazing?”


“Oh um.. Yeah”


“I was hoping me and you could rent out a room. Since there’s no tenants, and I heard the owner is a nice guy. Maybe he might let us rent.”


“You still on about that? C†˜mon look at this place! It would cost a fortune for us two to rent it out.”


“Yeah, yeah B-” his walky-talky went off and even though I stood not but three feet from him I couldn’t make out what the person on the other side said. “Roger that, I will check the area.”


“You know, I noticed something weird.” His body was turned, looking down the very road I had just came from. “Oh yeah? How so?” I said getting a little bit anxious. “Ever since I woke up this morning.. Everything seemed to be off. Like I.. I knew I was awake but nothing seemed like it was suppose to be.”


“What do you mean?”


“I.. Its hard to explain. Like.. The very ground I stood on.. didn’t seem to be solid. Like the air I was breathing was more… was heavy. Anyway there†˜s group of people coming looking for someone who fits your description. So you better leave. You cant go straight to your house. Go through the forest away from the mountain, apparently they built a railroad as well. You have to follow along that railway and find a way home from there.”


“And you didn’t think that was strange?”

“Of course I did! You think I†˜m a Moronic buffoon who cant think for himself?”


“sometimes.” I said half-jokingly. He shouted “Ass-wipe!” as I ran into the forest.


It was already getting dark but it wasn’t too hard to see. The moon slowly began to creep into the sky as the sun began to spark out of existence. “Guess it wasn’t as late as I thought it was.” I took out my cell phone to check the time “What the?! Its almost nine! What is going on?”


The forest was dark but I could still find my way. Before long I got to the railroad. “This thing looks like it has been here for years.” The rails were a little bit rusted, and even if we lived on an Island there is no way a metal could corrode this was normally. The railway led through where the lower half of the wasteland should have been. Right behind some stores, but no there was nothing but a railway. I even went to where the ocean was suppose to be… Land as far as the eye could see. “The water… Is a tsunami coming? Why hasn’t any sirens gone off?”


I walked as silently as I could, but every step I took seemed to be as loud as gunfire. On the streets that were normally crowded with people drinking the night away was dead silent. Before long I got to my parents house. My mother was sitting on a lawn chair drinking beer in front of the wooden gate that went around the perimeter of the house. Which was beyond odd since, one she didn’t drink and two she would usually be inside watching TV or on the computer. “Hey son what are you doing?”


“Nothing mom…”


“That’s not true! You have to leave home! That’s what your dad said!”


“Huh?”


“Go in and speak to him!” I walked through the open gate into the house. The houses front door was flung wide open. My father sat on the couch staring at the TV which was off. “Son… You have to go.”


“What do you mean?”
“As if I need to explain? You†˜ve been outside! You already know what†˜s happening!”


“Yeah, the ocean. There should be a tidal wave coming. We got to get to higher ground!” He took a deep breath, “if only it were that easy. There is no tidal wave coming. Right now that doesn’t matter. We†˜re not able to leave the house. If you didn’t noticed there are no cares on the roads. Heck no car will even start. No one wants to leave their house.”


“I don’t understand what†˜s going on.”


“Take the dog and take some supplies. You have to get out of here. It looks like no major city will be safe.”


In ten minutes I was making my way out of town. My mother had already packed everything I would need into a duffle bag for me. No one was on the streets. All the lights in the houses were on. No one was panicking. No one was screaming or trying to escape the maddening silence. People sat on their front lawn staring at the sky. Some where in their houses praying. Some we’re seeing their children off as my parents did me. “What the hell is going on?!” I thought to myself, but I didn’t say anything. Some would watch me pass as I walked on by.


I couldn’t stand the silence. The cold empty stares of people who looked dead. Silence.. A sound more maddening then any noise out there. My feet began to quicken “I have to get out of here.” I ran toward the forest that I had come from earlier. “I have to go.” I no longer cared about people trying to catch me. The forest was in view. “I have to hurry.” I didn’t bother to look back. “Shut up and go!” I was already inside the forest. “C†˜mon, c†˜mon, c†˜mon!” I didn’t feel tired. I didn’t feel any pain.


The apartment complex… It seemed bigger then before. There were kids there. No one that looked older then thirty was there. There were people carrying babies. Children crying on their knee’s. People chatting looking confused. “How did they find this place,” I thought. We were in an enclosed world. Darkness was swallowing the outside…. Or was it more like we were the outside consuming everything else? A Door slowly began to open on the second floor. Everyone looked up, a old man came out of a room. He started down the steps slowly taking each step. Someone came out of the room with him as the old man continued. “That bastard always got to do business doesn’t he?” That security guard with that overzealous smile of his looked at me and smirked.


The old man walked to each person and shook their hand, and whispered something into their ear. Then each person walked toward the apartment in turn. Walked into a room and disappeared from view. Soon the old man came to me. He smiled at me and looked into my eyes. He took my hand and shook it. “Well there is always room for more.” He turned around and began to walk away. I stood there, my whole body shaking. “What do you mean! What about all the ones we left behind? What about all those people all those lives? Don’t they matter? What†˜s happening out there? What†˜s going to happen to us.” I shouted with streams running down my eyes.


“Oh you want to know? You want to see what is happening out there right now? Go ahead, go outside the forest. You†˜ll be able to make it back here I promise. The sun will rise soon and you†˜ll see what has happened.” He smiled at me and walked away. My friend came over to me and took the duffle bag I had on my shoulders. “I†˜ll take this to our new room. Turn out we can live here for free.” He too smiled at me. I didn’t return that smile, I just stared at the ground.


Light was streaming in from the top of the trees. My friend accompanied me as I walked back out of the forest. The wind blew through the tree’s and leaves scattered about. The ending of the tree line came near. I readied myself as I took a deep breath.


Green, Everywhere was green. The mountain that was once dead and burnt was now green. The Ocean that was the horizon was no a vast forest. Tree’s that weren’t suppose to grow where we lived. Where all the road used to be were now rivers of water. The sparkled in the light of dawn. All the houses and building’s where gone. Either they couldn’t be seen because they were covered in trees, or they couldn’t be seen because they no longer was there. “Isn†˜t beautiful?” my friend proclaimed as we stared into the new wilderness. “If you say so,” I said hesitantly. “I don’t see any animals or trees that bare fruit. Who knows if threes vegetables.”


“Hey we got loads of time to search this place. I†˜m sure they†˜re there. We just have to look for them.”


“I wish I have had the same optimism as you do.” as I covered my face from the now rising suns rays. “There’s no point if you don’t looked ahead.”


“I wonder if its like this on the other side of the island.”


“Possibly, maybe there’s another Garden complex like this one.”


“You don’t think this could all be a dream?”


“I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be scary if it was?”

He died in the Intro... This story is based off the assumption that death is actually a endless dream that you never wake up from. While the mains story is based of a dream I had. The intro is based off of that theory. Rather something I discussed in the cafe thread.