I wake up startled, gasping for air, as I recover from a nightmare. It's the same nightmare that has been repeating itself for weeks now. Every night, I helplessly watch as the same damn scene unfolds right before my eyes. There are children running around in a playground, as a little girl climbs across the monkey bars. I get that nauseating feeling that something is about to happen, but I don't know what. I try yelling for the girl to warn her, but the only thing that escapes from my throat is air. Now that I realize it's too late, I attempt to block my eyes as the girl falls, causing a sickening crack to ring throughout my head. I look helplessly at her limp body, along with the rest of the kids who were laughing just a few minutes ago. That's when I wake up in a cold sweat, realizing that it was just the same nightmare again. I haven't gotten any used to it by now, and I don't think I ever will.
Still in my sleepy daze, I look towards the bright green digital numbers staring back at me. It's now 1:30 in the morning, same as last time. At this point, I have given up all hope of going back to sleep, and I head downstairs to get a glass of water. I realize that I have work in the morning. Today I start helping tear down an old school that hasn't been used since the 60's. Strangely enough, that's when the nightmare started.
"Great," I say between sips, "How am I going to function properly with only four hours of sleep?"
Later that morning, I arrive at the school. Obvious signs of age were shown throughout the building, such as rusting pipes, plants growing up the walls, chipping paint, and the fine sheet of dust that coated every surface within the area.
"What the hell happened to this place?" I say as I walk through the front doors.
"Mess isn't it?" Said Mike, standing at the top of a step ladder. He seemed to be taking down some of the ceiling. The echoes of drills and nail guns rang throughout the building, with the occasional whir of a power saw.
"So, uh, what do I got to do today?" I ask.
"Well," said Mike, not sparing any attention from his work, "I can start by tearing up the floorboards in the gymnasium. After that, we're gonna need your help in dismantling the chalkboards in the classrooms."
I nod, and with that he hands me a hammer and a pry bar. As I enter the gym, the sounds of the door opening and slamming shut reverberated around the walls. It's silent. From here, all the noises of power tools couldn't be heard. It's a big school, and i'm on a completely opposite wing than them. I find a corner in the gym, where I decided I will start, and I begin the challenging task of prying and ripping up wooden boards.
About halfway in, I notice something odd. It felt as though I were being watched, as if someone's glare was drilling into my skin. In an attempt to uplift the uneasy feeling I call out,
"Yeah, Mike?"
No answer. Of course, I expected that there wouldn't be an answer, but I had hoped that there was a reason for that feeling. I quickly shake it off and continue working. Since I started working here, nothing has ever seemed out of place, or weird. I came to the conclusion that it was just the silence that made me feel uneasy, so I decide to start listening to music while I work. But then, like before, I got that feeling that someone was watching me. Even my music didn't seem right. It sounded as if there was this faint background noise mixed in with the singing, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
i hastily rip one headphone out of my ear to see if someone was trying to call me or something. I find out that the background noise was laughter, and it definitely wasn't coming from the headphones.
"Hello?" I call out as I shove the headphones into my pant pocket, "Who's there?"
The laughter quickly fainted, as if a group of giggling children ran further into the recesses of the building.
