Finding Darkness

Chapter 3

I float in empty space, perfectly at peace. My dreams are always different when I sleep. It normally depends on how I feel. This time is no different.

I lay there, enjoying the tranquility of the space with my eyes closed, it's familiarity comforting. I feel as though I have been here many times in the past. I cannot place when, though. Everything is perfect until a drop of black enters, making ripples above me like water. It spreads around the area with wispy tendrils. The black drips like blood where it falls from those tendrils. One lands on my arm, and my eyes fly open. I do not wake from the dream though. The black goo spreads until it covers my wrist like an armband, stinging my sensitive skin badly.

I hover upright as the drops fall all over my body. I try in a futile attempt to rip them off, but to no avail. I begin to panic as more and more of the black goo surrounds the space around me, making it hard to breathe.

Laughter is heard in the distance. It is the kind of laughter heard in "horror films," dark, mysterious, and chilling.

A voice, my voice, calls out to me, "Astral. Come out and play with me. I'm so very lonely, you know." It laughs evilly again, but this time it is in my mind. The darkness starts constricting tightly around my body, its evil flowing into me.

I gasp for breath as I fight off the sea of darkness, losing the battle.

I think to myself, But this is just a dream, right? This cannot be happening in reality. Therefore, I truly have nothing to fear. Even so...

The laughter resonates in my mind and in the space when I cry out in agony. The pain...the pain is horrible and so is the laughter.

"What do you want from me!" I demand into the sea of black, my voice quaking.

The being chuckles. "I want your soul." Two eyes appear in front of me. They are blurry and I cannot see much detail in them. A mouth appears and twists into a wicked grin. "Give me your soul, and we can play for all eternity, just like in the old days when we were innocent, ignorant, and pure." Demonic claws reach out to me, resting on my chest. "Give it to me," it demands, its voice like a snake's hiss.

I close my eyes and turn away, waiting for the end. The claws dig deeply into my chest, ripping, tearing, and shredding. I feel liquid pouring out of my eyes, my throat tight with tears. I feel my life force being drained. I can do nothing against the ripping, for my arms are bound against my sides.

"Astral? Astral! Wake up!" a familiar voice rings in the darkness as a small ball of light. "Astral! Come on, wake up!" The words are distorted, but I can still make out what they're saying.

I shake my entire body, trying to reach the voice. I free my hand and reach for the light. As my hand brushes against it, I awake to find myself...

*********

I bolt upright and sit still for a moment, gasping for breath and shaking all over. My chest hurts badly, as if the torment in my dream was actually happening in reality. I feel that my cheeks are damp and realize that I have been crying. That is new.

"Man, I'm sure glad that's over," a voice beside me says.

I whip around, searching for the source of the voice. I see Yuma sitting on the edge of my bed with a worried expression.

"What was that all about? You were thrashing around. Was it a nightmare?"

I take a shaky breath, my mind searching for the meaning of "nightmare."  When I come up empty, I turn to Yuma with frightened eyes and ask, "What does 'nightmare' mean?"

Yuma grins and answers, "A nightmare is a bad dream. Some are pretty bad, but some are also terrifying." He frowns. "So, what was it?"

I hesitate. "Darkness."