My eyes shot open. I had no idea where I was, or what time it was. I figured I was laying on the ground, since my cheek was wet and my body was numb with cold. Why was I on the ground? I tried to stand to figure out where the hell I was and how I got there, but I couldn't get up. It was as if I was stapled to the ground from my hair to my converse. What the hell? I struggled, mentally, but my body continued to lay limp. Why couldn't I move? I tried to scream for help but the same stapled feeling came, like my mouth refused to open. I put all my might into moving, kicking my legs,waving my arms, but I still layed there. It was as if the whole world was paused and only my mind was still in motion. I continued to struggle, for what seemed like hours or days even, but nothing seemed to happen. I guess after a while I gave up and drifted off to sleep, when suddenly a piercing scream alerted me. It was as if time had finally caught up to my mind. Took you long enough Mr. Father Time. When I finally got up, every part of my body hurt, and I mean hurt. I guess I got up too quickly because my vision was blurred. Had I been crying? The world tilted and whirrled around me like I was on a carousel, a flash of color and music. Except there was no music, there was a scream. It wasn't your typical fake Hollywood scream coming from the blonde who "accidentally" fell, but a real scream, a child's scream. My eyes darted around looking for the origin of the scream, but all I saw was trees, tall evergreens. Oh, so I was in the woods, fantasitic. I started to walk toward the sound of the scream. I'll admit it wasn't the best idea, but the kid sounded in need of saving. Twigs and leaves crunched under my feet, making the "surprise" tactic unavailable to me. I continued to walk, dodging loose branches and bushes, again for what seemed like hours. Finally, I came to the source of the scream, and I almost doubled over to vomit. The kid was covered in blood. Every square inch of the little body was red, and I mean your Aunt Ruth's lipstick red. I just couldn't see the kid's face. When I reached for his arm, my vision blurred once again. The kid turned and looked at me with true terror.
"I'm not going to hurt you! Please don't run away," I reasoned with the child, though I couldn't see the child's face clearly. But like on comand, the child ran. I tried to run after the child, but if I hadn't realized it before, I did now, I was on the ground again. DAMN IT! I thought to myself. I tried to move, but once again, I couldn't. Then I heard a sound I have always hated hearing, a gun. It popped, sending every bird chirpping and screeching at the source for disturbing the peace. A few more rounds sounded, making my mind cringe every time. When the popping finally stopped, I heard another sound, my name.
"Andy! Andy! Andy!" It was the child's voice, a troubled and scared voice. Again, time let my mind and I move at once. I shot up and ran, igoring the throbbing pain and the blood now acumulating on me. I ran and ran, but just as I thought I caught up to my name, it slipped further into the trees, into the dark.
"Andy! Andy! Andy!" Over and over again. But the sound of my name also came with sirens. What? Sirens came in all directions, masking the child's voice. No! I needed the voice to guide me. My legs and arms pumped harder, trying to beat time it seemed. The trees were beginning to thin out and I knew I was coming to the road. The sirens were getting louder and the scream softer. Where was the child going? My legs wouldn't move any faster. I finally reached the road, and the sirens were pounding in my ears. Lights flashed blue and red blinding me, police. I covered my ears to block out the sound. The sirens got louder and the lights got brighter. I was losing my mind. I screwed my eyes shut, but not before I saw the child. The child wasn't alone this time, a dark figure clutched the child with a clawed hand. The figure had a gun to the child's head. But that wasn't the only thing that scared me, no there was something else. My face was on the child's body.
"Andy! Help me!" The child screamed. I wanted to run, to get to the child, but I was stone. How many times is this going to happen? The child lunged forward and the gun sounded, making the child fall to the ground, blood running down his temple. The dark figure smiled a bleached smile, with pointed teeth, then he was gone. I tried to collect what just happened when I felt something warm on my face. Blood. Blood, running down my temple, the same spot the child had been shot. It took me a second to register that I was screaming. My screaming collided with the wail of the sirens, like a symphony soundtracking a murder. Then I felt a claw rap around my wrist and whip me around. The bleached smile and hot breath were in my face. This is it, I'm going to die and no one is going to help me. The figure raised his arm, claws ready to strike. Now that my ears had been uncovered, the full volume of sound blasted into me. The sirens wailed, I screamed, the figure laughed. I sound pounded my ears and the claw came down. I put all my might into screaming, battling with the sirens. The claw sliced my arm and my whole body. I screamed and everything went black. I opened my eyes and screamed. Then I saw my blue curtians, my bookshelf, my desk. I was in my room. I frantically checked my whole body, but there were no marks. It had been a dream. But just any dream, the dream that had been haunting me for the past 10 years. But this time, this time it felt real.
