Reality

Chapter 10: Jigsaw

As I woke from the shock, I realized that it was only a dream. Little did I know, everything was about to take a much darker turn. As I tried to regain my strength from the shock that had caused me to pass out, I noticed that I was still on the bus. I was not alone; every person sitting on the bus was nothing but a dark figure, all staring at me. I tried hard to see within the dark surroundings of the bus, but there was nothing except darkness.

I examined every passenger on the bus. I noticed that each dark shadow revealed different body parts, as if each part was connected to form one person. Then I realized that I was in a dream and that I could control everything. I started to tear each visible body part off the dark figures. As I did so, blood spilled over my body. The dark figures didn’t react to what I was doing, so I kept going. Each body part I removed splattered blood all over my face. I continued until every visible part was removed from each dark shadow. I tried to connect the parts like a jigsaw puzzle. As I was doing so, I realized that I hadn't found the head yet.

I asked the driver to stop the bus. I needed to find the head to finish the puzzle I had started. I got off the bus and went looking for it; there was nothing except darkness. Although the darkness seemed empty, every step I took felt like walking through shards of broken glass. But I endured all the pain in order to uncover the mystery of whose body I was connecting and piecing back together.

The darkness was empty, yet somehow I felt like something was near. I glanced in every direction, hoping to find the final piece, but there was nothing. Suddenly, I felt something push me from behind. As I fell to the ground, I felt a piercing pain, like something sharp had entered my body. I looked up and saw the dark figure, most of its body parts now visible, with only the head left uncovered.

"Did you really expect to identify me?" it spoke. Angrily, I screamed, "Why the hell are you doing this?" It replied, "You'll find out soon enough." Before I could do anything, it carried me. I tried to escape its grip, but I felt something pierce through my leg, and I let out a scream. Crying, I still forced myself to escape from the dark shadow. Somehow, even with a deep cut on my leg, I managed to get away. As I was running, I heard a loud scream. Then I woke up on the floor, lying on my broken mirror.

My sister immediately called the hospital, and I just lay there on the floor of my room, covered in my own blood. I passed out once again. When I woke up, I was in the hospital for real this time. I asked my parents what had happened, but they just gave me a concerned look and said they saw me knock the mirror over and fall onto it. I noticed they were choosing their words carefully, but I didn't press them further.

I asked them what time it was and was shocked to learn that it was only a few hours after I had come home from our field trip. I couldn’t process how I went through all that, and somehow it was still the same day, yet it all felt unreal. I was determined to unveil the identity of the person the black shadow was showing me. Was it someone close to me? Someone I knew? Questions flooded my mind, but I chose to shut them out for now.

My parents held my hand tightly, saying that everything was going to be okay. I smiled at them and reassured them that I would be fine. I asked if they could get me some food from a nearby restaurant, and they gladly agreed. They went out to grab some food for me, but minutes after they left the hospital, the lights started to flicker. Then I saw it again. The black shadow was outside my hospital room, waving at me.