My Own Purgatory(NatePat)

Chapter 1: Just Dreaming

And in the back of my mind
I've been trying to chase a monster this whole time
But I couldn't see
The monster was me
And no one heard our cries
-Nightmare

Nate's POV

I sit up suddenly, and look around to take in my surroundings. The first thought that enters my head is

I'm not dead?

I feel scared, so scared... so guilty? Why? Where did that thought come from? Where are these emotions coming from? What's going on?

Heart still beating fast and tears on my face, my mind finally processes it. I'm in my bedroom. That's it. All that was a stupid nightmare, again. A very real and awful nightmare, but a nightmare all the same. And what was it even about?

How can a dream leave a person in tears and they not even remember it!?

Eventually, I look at the alarm clock. 5:30 am, it read. Normally, I would get up later and leave around 6:00 but that nightmare... its left me wide awake. There's no way I can go back to sleep now.

So, getting out of bed, I choose to wear a green shirt and some skinny jeans. I comb my hair and grab my bookbag. On my way out, I put on my jacket to cover my arms, when I remember that if mom gets up and im not home, she might worry. That could end in any number of bad ways, so I write her a note.

Mom,
Don't worry, I just woke up earlier than usual, so I decided to head over to the store on my way to school. Seeya tonight.
Love, Nate

And with that,I stepped out into the bleak winter day and started walking towards the convenience store. On this dark, cold morning, it looked as though I was the only one out. The only one awake. The only one at all. Except I'm not, right? Then, I feel a prickling sense on the back of my neck. I feel as though

I'm being watched.

I look around to see... no one. No one at all. Picking up my pace, I eventually reach the store, that feeling never leaving me. As I enter, I go straight to the monster energy drinks. I grab a pink one, without paying much attention to it, and pay for it before exiting the store. Not a minute later, that feeling is back. Im definitely being followed.

And as if on cue, he comes from around the corner of the building.
"Hey" Calvin sneers " What's the freak doing in a public place like this?"

"Ugh. J-just leave me alone, j-jerk face" I reply hastily, trying to walk by him.

"Now why would I do that?" he asks, pushing me roughly into the wall. When I don't respond, he yells angrily "Fucking answer me you bastard!" I simply stare at my shoes, making him angrier. "You're asking for it!" he spits in my face before punching me hard. I fall, but that doesn't mean he stops.