The Watch – Part 240:

(Tom’s perspective)

I backed out of the room, the image of what I just saw still burned on my retinas. I’ve lost all sense of direction. Which way did I come from?

I turn around and see a sliver of light in front of me. My only option is to follow the light. And that is exactly what I did. I walk instead of run because I don’t want to shake my stomach about too much.

A figure. Human-like. Running from left to right. I stop in my tracks, studying the end of the corridor, waiting, expecting it to happen again. I don’t want to call out just in case it comes after me, but if I don’t call out, then I could be missing an opportunity to have someone lead me out of here. It doesn’t pass by again. By now, they or it would be long gone. All I can do now is continue forward.

Reaching the end of the corridor, it’s bathed in glorious light. Once again, I can see where I’m going, even though it might as well be dark considering I still don’t have a clue where I need to go to reach the exit. Left or right? Does it matter? No.

Left.

This corridor is a lot longer than all the others before it, but still as horrific. I forced myself not to focus on the details and walk forward as fast as I can without breaking into a run: My stomach still needs to settle.

I see something in front of me. A heap of something. Oh, I really hope it isn’t what my brain is telling me it is. But, the closer I got to it, more right my brain became. Four bodies piled on top of one another, stretching from one end of the corridor to another. The only way to continue is to step over the top of them. I forced myself further forwards. The incredibly potent smell painted my nostrils, causing me to gag. With as much mind power I could muster, I forced myself not to hurl. I want to turn back, but where else is there to go except all the way back. No, I’ve come this far, I will not turn back.

The closer I got, the stronger the smell and the scene became. All four bodies were drenched in blood, and was twisted into unnatural positions, as if someone had deliberately put them there. Two were face down, and two were staring upwards. Their cold, dead eyes staring up at me as I reached over the top with my foot, trying with all my might not to lose balance as I searched for the ground on the other side. Finally, my foot hit solid ground, and I was stable. All I had to do now was push myself forward, lifting up my other leg and over, and then I would be able to continue, never looking back.

1, 2, 3, lift. Swinging my foot up and over, I was about to make it. But then, soul-shaking screaming echoed throughout the corridor, making me jump, nearly losing my balance, but I stayed firm and I was able to complete the crossover and soon I was standing on the other side. Then the deafening scream boomed all along the corridor once more. I turned a full circle as I searched for who it was, and it shook me right to the core when I discovered that it was one of the people, a woman, who laying face up on the floor. She was laying there, dead, but she was screaming. I couldn’t take it anymore. That was the final straw.

I turned back around and I ran. I ran as fast as I could, without looking back, without looking where I was going, without caring where I was going to end up. I had to get away from that place.

I came to a natural stop in some room. It was large, round, and full of many, many monitors. Some of them were on and showing various different versions of graphs, and other such data that I just couldn’t wrap my head around now. But, on some of them, were a series of letters.

D-R-E-A-M-I-N-G.

YOU ARE DREAMING.

Of course I am.

‘Hey, Tom,’ a familiar voice said behind me, making me jump again. I turned around. Alex was standing in the doorway. She was smiling. Was she here to rescue me?

‘I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you,’ I said.

But then it went south very quickly. In one solid movement, she lifted up a blunt blade which sat firmly in her hand, brought it to her neck and… I closed my eyes.

‘I love you, Tom,’ she said, demonically, still smiling. I opened them ever so slightly and saw her fell on the floor, limp.

‘What’s wrong,’ Sebastian said. His wrists were slit, ‘are you scared that I won’t rescue you. Oh, dear, isn’t that a problem,’ and he too fell to the floor. I don’t want to watch this.

Amy’s laughter echoed throughout the room. If the message says that I am dreaming, then this isn’t real.

‘You keep telling yourself that,’ Amy chuckled fiendishly. ‘You keep telling yourself that,’ and then she picked up the same knife Alex used and slowly moved it to her eyes. I turned my back, unable to run due to fear draining all my energy. This is disturbing. This is sick. Why am I dreaming this? What the hell is happening to me? I want answers and I want them now.

‘He’s fighting it. We can’t keep him under for long,’ the man’s voice said.

‘We must, we haven’t gotten all the answers yet,’ Dr Amanda’s voice ordered.

What’s happening? Please, I don’t want to stay here any longer. I want to get out of here. Please, somebody, anybody, Sebastian, come and take me from here. Please.

And then I opened my eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)