Monsters of the Night

Dreams and Disasters

Darren Garetto, 27. 12th May 3033

From Darren's hideout up on the hill, he could see a man in a business suit running, feet pounding the dust and dirt beneath him as he willed his legs to move faster. Darren could feel the man's terror, could feel it coming off him in waves. He felt helpless; he couldn't help the man without sacrificing himself, something he was unwilling to do. He strained his eyes in an attempt to make out the man's features, identify who it was, but in the feeble glow of the street lamps, casting long shadows out into the road, it was impossible. He could see the creatures going after him, creatures of pure evil, bright red eyes glowing beneath their dark robes. Intent only on killing all who dare to step out in the dark of the night. Dawn is slow to come, and Darren knows the man will not make it.

A shrill ringing pierced through his dreams and he awoke with a start. He must have been thrashing around in his sleep, for all the blankets are on the floor. A cold shiver trickles down his spine; with his sixth sense, he knows that something bad is going to happen. He can taste it in the bitter morning air. Moving to his window he lifted the blind tentatively. Outside it is dark, not yet dawn. Suddenly his eyes sense the shuffling of a crowd of dark robed creatures huddling in the darkness in his driveway. The source of the horrible ringing.  He promptly flung the blind down like it was a hot coal, throwing himself down on the bed, trembling in fear. Afraid they will see him and come after him.

Time ticked by slowly, painfully. There was going to be an attack, he knew it. He wished that he could prevent it somehow, but he knew it was too late now to risk it.  Daring a peek out the window he could see dawn slowly breaking. Across the street Mr Marten comes out the front door with his suitcase in one hand, lunch in a brown paper bag in the other. He is oblivious; he hasn't seen them yet, huddling in the gutter outside the house. He opens the car door just as a red laser sweeps the bonnet, turning it to dust. Mr Marten looks up, horrified as the horrid creatures leap from the gutter and corner him in the driveway. His mouth opens wide in horror and he turns and runs in the direction of town...the chase from his dream! A pair of beaming red eyes turn to look up at the window and Darren dropped the blind quickly again, breathing hard, guilt setting in his stomach like cement. When the sun comes up they'll be gone, but Mr Marten will be outrun by them long before then.

Darren feels ill and wonders if next time he can stop it from happening somehow... Sleep eventually pulled him back into another dream...

A beautiful woman steps towards him. Her deep black locks trail down over her chest and frame her pale, gaunt face. He's not sure where she came from, she just appeared out of nowhere. She smiles at him, her green eyes sparkling, yet they are empty, and filled with loneliness.

Darren's alarm is blaring. Sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he tried to recall the events of the dream. He can barely remember, as he was woken before it had ended.  He goes for a shower and dons his work suit, heading downstairs for coffee and porridge.

He secures the padlocks on all the doors and windows before heading out to work. The nasty creatures only come out at night, but even so, Darren is taking no chances. Rumours have it that unwanted things have crept into people's houses whilst they were at work, and lurked in the shadows until night fell. Just the thought of what could be out there sent shivers down his spine.

Larissa Milltoom, 23, 12th May 3033

Larissa awoke on the beach, lying on her side with her cheek pressed into the sand and her long black hair curled underneath her. I must have dreamt myself here again, she thought, amused at the idea. She clambered to her feet, brushing the sand from her night-dress and throwing her braided hair over one shoulder. She closed her eyes, visualizing her cramped little apartment in her mind's eye.

She opened her eyes again to find herself back in her apartment, dizzy and dazed, but alive and safe. She had survived another night and that in itself was a victory. She checked the time and realized it was a half hour before she had to be at work. She checked the empty fridge and bare cupboards, sighing with disappointment, and decided on dropping by the café before work.

Once she was ready, she grabbed her handbag and checked the doors and windows were locked and bolted. Closing her eyes, she pictured the interior of Café Latte, and when her eyes flicked open, she found herself standing in the café, breathing in the familiar and comforting smell of coffee, and hearing the clink of coffee cups and whir of the coffee machines.

She checked her wristwatch anxiously; 7:10am. She had 20 minutes to get to work, which meant she could stay for just as long. She couldn't afford to lose this work; things were tough enough. She set a timer on her watch so as not to forget, as she had done so many times before. Being so early, with the sun only risen an hour earlier, there was hardly anyone in the café and there was no queue. She walked right up to the counter and dug out some dollar bills from her handbag, placing them on the counter.

"I will have-," She began, her eyes flickering up to meet the cashier's.

"An orange and poppyseed muffin and a turmeric latte! Got it!" the cashier interrupted, grinning and looking pleased with himself. "Not going to change your mind?"

"Correct," Larissa confirmed, blushing and casting her eyes away. She hated when they did that; they could see right through her, and it made her feel embarrassingly exposed.

Once she had collected her order, she wandered out the café and walked the town streets aimlessly, eventually taking a seat on an old bench in an empty botanical garden on the southern side of town.

She felt lost and empty. Like she had been hollowed out from the inside. The memory of the attack forever imprinted in her memory like a nasty wound which would never heal. The day she lost him was the day she lost herself.

She drained her coffee and wiped away a lone tear trailing down her cheek. She heard a clatter underneath the bench and froze as she felt something cold and slimy wrapped itself around her leg. Without daring to look, scared of what she might see, she willed her mind to calm.

She couldn't escape if she was unable to clear her mind and picture somewhere else within her conscious amidst the chaos and all-consuming fear. She forced herself to remain calm, taking deep breaths. She pictured her workplace in her mind's eye, and a split second later, she was in her office chair.

To be continued...

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