Living Nightmare

The Forest

I lay awake in bed most of the night. I can't get it out of my head. Who was she? Why is she here? I repeat these questions to myself hundreds of times over the course of my sleepless hours. If I wasn't dreaming this time, maybe I never was.

After what feels like forever, I can finally feel myself drifting off to sleep. My eyes become heavy and my thoughts go quiet.

All is still until I hear an ear-piercing scream. I jolt my body forward. I can feel my heart beating heavily in my chest. I get out of bed and run towards the window, pressing my body against the glass. But the yard is dark and empty. Confused, I stand there processing what had just happened. I back away from the window slowly and back towards my bed. But I am caught off guard. The woman's reflection stands still in my mirror with her back to me. I stumble back and hit the wall behind me. I feel helpless as I watch the woman shift her body around to face me.

And then she's gone. The room is cold and I can feel my fingertips starting to numb,

I swing the closet door open and fumble through the jackets, throwing on a light sweater. Quickly, I stumble down the stairs and race to the back door where I find my shoes and slip them on. I pry open the latch and tug the door open, letting in a gust of brisk air.

I run out into the yard, feeling the moisture in the grass seep into my shoes. The woman is nowhere to be seen.

"HELLO?" I yell.

Of course, there is no answer.

"HELLO? WHERE ARE YOU?"

Outside is noiseless. To the corner of my eye, I see movement through the trees. I catch a glimpse of her white dress and sprint towards the woman.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" I continue to yell, but she won't stop moving.

I enter the woods behind her, ducking beneath the thick branches while trying to keep my pace.

Suddenly she stops. She remains motionless before I call out to her again with no response. The wind picks up, roughly brushing through the branches, making everything else inaudible. The closer I get to the woman, the more clear it becomes that her complexion is drained to a dull grey.

The area is dark. The only light comes from the porch which fades more and more the further into the trees we go. I take a step toward the woman but my foot gets caught under a large, heavy mass. I look down and squint at the object, trying to make it out. Reaching down I can feel a rough fabric. I lift it up and stumble back at what I see. Two legs emerge from under the fabric. I tug at it until an entire row of bodies escapes from under the sheet.

Every body matches her skin tone; dull and grey. Their bodies are bruised. Suddenly, the woman begins to shift her body to face me. Her long arms sway around, hitting her sides. Her long, black hair is draped over her head, revealing her blank features - faceless.

The row of bodies begin to jolt forward. Their faces all the same - blank. The knot in my stomach becomes tighter and tighter as the scene unravels before me. The flesh on what should be their face starts to rip open as their heads contort forward. Another loud scream echoes piercingly through the woods. This time, I know where it came from.

My body is frozen in place. I cower over next to a tree, protecting myself under the strong branches. But the woman leaps forward, grabbing me, and begins tearing apart my flesh. Everything goes dark.