Nightmares Are Real

Chapter 3 - The Search Begins

I hear cackling as I fumble around in the darkness. I haven't been in pure darkness for centuries and my sight isn't nearly as good as it was when I used to scare Cleopatra. I try my best to find my way out but I continue to trip over my own feet. I collapse onto my knees and try not to feel sorry for myself. I hear hushed voices. I get up slowly and strain to make out any words. "Right well I'm leaving. Done me job." I ponder about it for a moment confuzzled. "Job? What job?" I think aloud. My ears are filled with snickers, they echo and bounce off into the darkness. To my side I hear a great whoosh of air and howling as the wall seems to break apart. A dull light seeps in to the void I'm standing in. I whip around confuzzled and slightly worried. I move my head to the direction of the light, covering my eyes with my talons as they adjust to the brightness. It takes me mere seconds before it clicks. I wasn't in a dark endless void. No, I was in a cave made of Nightmares piled together. It explains why it was darker than black in there and why it felt so lifeless. Without warning, the entire 'wall' breaks apart as hundreds of Nightmares free them selves of each other.

I stumble backwards as the force of their wings nearly pushes me over. Slightly dazed, I shake out my furry body and look around. A shiver creeps down my spine as I discover that we are still in Sadie's room. My ears start to ring with her petrified screams as she was dragged out of her window into the night. I cover my ear holes in a lame attempt to stop the screams but they only get louder. I see here gangly body hanging limp in its claws. Her terrified face scrunched up with fear and her eyes searching for something, someone to help her. "No no." I moan. The ringing gets louder, the little human's screams last longer and longer. I fall onto my knees my hands still try to cover up the sound of Sadie screaming. I see myself standing there uselessly as she gets dragged off into the night. I see here scared and alone in a dark corner of the Earth. So innocent and helpless. "NO!" I roar, unable to stand it any longer. I open my eyes and it stops. The screams the imagery. It just stops.

I get up and look around Sadie's room. Looking for something, anything that I can use to get her current location. I peer up and nearly jump. I have been oblivious to the hundreds f Nightmares circling above me just scraping the roof. It was like a cyclone of death, fear and impending doom fiercely circulating, chasing each others tails. In unison, they all let out a deafening howl. And, like clockwork, gush out of the window into the night. Most probably to terrorise a innocent human or to go to Nightmare Island. The last few escape through the small opening with a howl of glee. Leaving me alone in little human's room.

I stand in the centre of the room completely and utterly confuzzled. I try to comprehend what has happened in the past two hours. An innocent little human has been stolen from her freedom and joy, I have wandered around in a Nightmare-made cave, spoken to the second most scariest thing I have ever seen, heard more screams in five minutes than what I have in a year and have seen things that will haunt my thoughts forever. I sigh, Satan was going to kill me. I shake out all other thoughts and focus on Sadie.  I need to find something that can allow me to pinpoint to her current location. Something that she loved, something that she touched in the last few moments before she was whisked away.  I scan her room, desperate to find something, anything. Then I see it.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a small fluffy shape hidden behind more objects small humans use for entertainment. I hobble over to it, careful not to trip over various objects scattered around the room. I gently pick it up with my talon. It was the small stuffed bear Sadie was holding before, before it happened. I ignore the images of her screaming that creep their way into my head. "This is it." I say aloud. This is my way to get her back home.