IS IT A DREAM OR REALITY?

CHAPTER THREE

I feel like that dream is becoming real with each step I do forward, the bus moves away, I pick up my phone, I turn on the flashlight because there's no light on the street, and I cannot see what is in front of me, I doubt that someone can live in this area, no light, no movement on the street, no shops, nothing at all, it is weird how can people stay here.
I  take another look at the address that I need to find, it's house 404 Street four hundred houses, it's a strange name, right?
A few days ago I read an article about the Asian culture and how they consider the number four as an unlucky number, Chinese people believe that the number 4 is the most unlucky because it rhymes with the word that means death.
I just remember this when I saw the number four on the address but I don't believe it, it can't be true
Four is just an ordinary number, there are no lucky or unlucky numbers...
It's just inherited beliefs.
I'm walking along this street for around fifteen minutes now, and I didn't see this number on any of the doors, I keep walking maybe I can find it in one of the remaining houses.
But I can't find the number 404,
the last house on this street is the number 400 as the name of the street, there are four hundred houses.
I feel like this is a dilemma tonight, so I try to overcome my fear and ask someone for help I didn't see anyone passing by this street during the time I have been here which is almost thirty minutes, that's why I have to ask someone of the residents here.
I turn to my right where I see a light inside a house. "There might be someone that I can ask" I, say to myself.
I head over there.
I press the doorbell,
It's house number 395 I guess,
I can't see most of the things because of the dark and the flashlight presumes the power of my phone and it will turn off at any time.
While I approach the door, I hear some noise, I think it belongs to the TV, it's like a car racing show or something like that... I don't know exactly what it is, but what I know now is...No one answers
I press again...
And again, no one to open the door... I think the people who live in this house are ignoring me or maybe they didn't hear the doorbell. 
I press for the last time, I know I'm kind of a nuisance, but I don't have time to think about this.
I need someone's help to figure out the place of this house, that I have to deliver this pizza to, a century has passed, and it is still in my hands.
This time, there is a result.
Footsteps approaching the door.
He opens the door, a fat man, perhaps in his forties, with shoulder-length hair, wearing a shorts, t-shirt and a bottle of wine in his right hand.
Honestly, it's not what I expect...
Before I get the chance to ask him, he preceded me and says
"No I'm not interested in what you'll say, I won't participate in any activities, I don't offer donations, I don't care what you sell and I won't vote for who you represent... So get the hell out of here" Then he shut the door in my face.
How weird is this place? I think that the strangeness of the place affected its inhabitants... An empty scary place with rude people, what did I expect!
It's something obvious the situation of the neighborhood reflex how the inhabitants will act, so why I'm shocked!
I'm not a person who judges things by their looks but this sassy guy made me one.
But he won't discourage my determination to find someone to help me, I will not let one rotten apple spoil the rest, and I'll not let a man of impoliteness make me believe that the whole neighborhood is inhabited by people like him, I'm sure that there is someone who will offer me some help.
I let the house of this man behind me and I go to the other house beside it, it is house number 396, I press the doorbell and a woman opens the door, she's wearing like a witch, a long black dress with a puffed shoulders, black nails, and black lipstick, she has a long black hair and a white skin, but she's pretty.
She says "How can I help you?" with a smile on her face
She's the first one after Steven, who meets me with a smile today.
"Mm... I'm sorry if bothered you but, I came here to deliver this pizza, but I cannot find this address in this neighborhood" I'm talking while I show her the address on my phone, then I continue to talk "l felt lost in this area because, I've never been here before, and the dark of the night makes it hard for me to find this house"
The lady laughs and says "Oh... You are seeking for this house then...!, a lot of people came before you and they were searching for the same house as you do, they also came for the same reason which is delivering a pizza to the woman in this house... And most of them had asked the man who live in that house (the lady points her finger at that drunk man's house) but he surely acted impolite with them, Mr. Alaric's wife left him three years ago, and from that time he changed completely from a good man to a bad man, he doesn't part with his bottle of wine...
So about the people who I said that they came before you, they came to ask me, as you did exactly, What a coincidence !! I feel like history is repeating itself every time someone asks me about that house"
She don't know that I asked that drunk man before I came to her too.
"Poor him..." I say and act as if I care, but instead, I don't care about him, I just wanna find this house, deliver this pizza and go home, that's all.
"The house you're seeking is on one other side of the street, so you have to walk along this path until you reach house number 400, then you will find another path on your left side, it's small and covered by the trees, it's kinda darker, actually there is another road to this place, it's more lighting but it'll take you some time maybe  about twenty-five minutes, while if you followed the path I showed you, you will reach your destination quickly, it'll take just five minutes to be there," the lady says
She speaks again "Wait here, I w'll give you a flashlight in case you need it, sooner or later your phone will turn off and you will stay stuck in darkness, so it's better  to take precautions right?"
"Yeah, you're totally right ... Blessed you"
She gives me the flashlight, and I start my journey, but it is still very weird how that lady seems like she knows everything like she knows what will happen, and 
she insisted that I have to take the short road that she showed me, I don't know what's special about that road other than it would enable me to get there very quickly.
Should I have to take this road?
Is there something wrong or something special about it?
What is waiting for me there?
Why she insisted on me to take it?
Why do I have to be here?
Weird time in a weird place full of weird people, at first I had to face a drunk man and then a woman who looks like a witch if she isn't, a pizza is destined not to reach its owner.
While I am on y way to that short road with not knowing if I can go through it or not, my phone begins to ring, it's a call from Steven, I answer.
"Hi Steven"
He says with an angry tone "Where're you... The cleaning lady told me that you took the fourth order... I told you to go home... Why you didn't do what I asked?"
"I'll explain everything later, I can't speak now, I'm on my way to that house, If I get there quickly, I think I can back home soon," I tell him
"Just send me your location, and I'll be there as soon as possible", Steven says
I send him my location
I love how he's the only one who cares about me when no one does, his fear pushes him to yell at me on the phone because I disobeyed his order and I came here alone, he told me that he is coming to pick me up instead of going home and rest, he loves me and I love him too, he cares and worries concerning me, he makes my heart flutter and he pushes my heart to fall in love with him.
I reach the short path,
It's short, small, and dark and it's shaped as a tunnel covered by long trees from above,
As the lady said to me, it's a short path I can see the lights at the end of it, if I walk a little bit faster, I can reach the other side in less than five minutes... So I need to hurry
I start walking, I cannot see anything except the place that lit by the flashlight
While I'm focusing on my way, my phone starts to ring, it's Mom... I answer
Before I say one word, she says "Do you know what time is it? Where are you? I called you, but your phone was busy, then I called you again and the phone wasn't working. What's happening?"
"Mom calm down, due to some circumstances I had to deliver a pizza myself, I'll finish soon and soon I will be home ok Mom, just go to sleep," I say to her just to calm her down
I think it's better to give her Steven's number in case my phone turns off
"Mom look, I'll send you Steven's number, if you called me again and I didn't answer, then call him, I explain everything when we meet, just do as I said"
Mom says "Ok I'll, just be careful honey, love you..."
"Love you too Mom..." I say
Before I hang up the call, I hear a noise like something moving between the trees, I lit the place where the noise come from, it is a big black bird with a long sharp beak, he eats something, I see fur, I think it's a rabbit, he's eating a little rabbit while I approach him he raises his head and turns to me, he flews his wings towards me, I scream
and start running and screaming, my mother on the other side hears my screams, I scared her, I hear her calling my name "Rachel... Rachel... Honey, what's happening? Rechel... where are you?"
I don't see the rock in front of me until I step on it and fell to the muddy ground, my ankle bent, my phone fell in front of me and broke, the only thing that I keep well is the pizza, fortunately, it doesn't fall.