In dreams and insanity

Chapter one - Nightmares

In a world that was nothing but dark and gray, like a shadowy version of reality, 19 year old Colin was determined to find an exit. He got out of his bed and took slow steps through what looked like his bedroom. It was just like his room in real life, but everything felt off. Eerie somehow. It was like he had ended up in a parallel reality that was supposed to look similar to his own, but the entire atmosphere was different and not in a good way.

Watchful like a cowardly fox he exited his bedroom and followed the hallway to his mother's room to see if she was there. Everything felt cold, like it always did in these nightmares. Cold enough for his breath to come out like vapor, as his bare feet turned into a slight hint of blue. And the smell... Everything in this world smelled rotten somehow, almost a bit sulfury. He started to wonder if it's even normal to feel scents in dreams.

"Mom?" he spoke quietly as he entered her room, as careful as a reserved dog.

"Yes, honey?"

He was relieved to have gotten a reply, but wasn't sure if he could trust the woman in front of him fully. Was this really his mother? His instinct told him otherwise.

She was sitting up in her bed, with her back toward him. Her long, chestnut hair rested along her back and she was wearing a black nightgown. Colin had never seen that particular gown before, since his mother always wore a light yellow one. Everything just seemed wrong, dark, more empty in this twisted version of reality. He was used to having nightmares, always the same yet slightly different. He moved closer toward her, one slow step at a time and soon realized her skin was pale, too pale. It almost looked like she was made out of white porcelain.

"Hell no..." he whispered to himself and backed away from the strange lady. Even though he knew this was nothing but another nightmare from his twisted, dark mind, a state of panic began to build up inside him.

"Colin?" she spoke and with a crackling sound emerging from her neck she turned her head. He didn't want to see her face, so in a rush he turned his back toward her, just to be met by none other than himself. The porcelain version of Colin stood there in the doorway, and just as he feared when he looked away from Laura, it had no face at all. It was just an empty bulb with hair, with a few cracks visible on the chalk white "skin". Colin's stomach turned as he stared at the creature in front of him. That's when something unexpected happened, something that had never happened in any of his nightmares before. The unpleasant feeling in his stomach grew stronger, as his father walked into the room. It wasn't a porcelain version of him, like the others. It was simply him, just a bit paler, thinner and older than Colin remembered him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw his father walk past him, before laying a hand on porcelain-Laura's shoulder.

"Why are you still awake, honeybun?" he spoke, with that voice so familiar that a lump formed inside Colin's chest and tears escaped his eyes. "Honeybun" was something he always called Laura, no matter her mood or the circumstances.

"Ken, I feel a presence again." she replied, still facing the wall. Colin gasped. Not only could she speak without a mouth... Could she feel his presence? For a moment he forgot that this was all just a dream. "I need to wake up," he thought to himself. He pinched himself, something that rarely helped, but he was desperate. As usual it didn't work, so he pinched harder until his pale skin turned red and it hurt. He groaned out of pain and to his shock, Ken turned his head towards him. "Did he just hear me?" He knew it was crazy to even think that, but he had to test his theory.

"Dad?" he sobbed.

Ken's eyes looked right at him, and he could've sworn his heart stopped at that very moment. A part of him was terrified, but the joy of seeing his father's ocean eyes again overwhelmed him.