Small towns hold the most secrets, some more dangerous than others. What happens when people start to be murdered or others begin to go missing? The police don't know who or what is killing these people. Amy is just a 16 year old girl who even in he...
I was dreaming I knew that. The morbid darkness whispered and crept around like a heavy, weighted fog. I took a shuddering breath and stepped forward. A light blazed on above me creating a circle of light around me. It chased away the darkness but only in my radius. My heart jumped in my throat and I looked agitatedly around. The light stayed.
The silent inky tendrils soon clouded in past my little area of luminating light. I let out a whimper as they crowded closer, whispers following after them. One lunged for my leg and I skipped back, losing my balance in the process and falling in heap on the cold floor.
Just a dream, just a dream.
I repeated the mantra in my head. The lights blinked out and everything was plunged into the darkness. Cold stinging erupted along my arms and torso; piercing deeper and moving along my body. Wet liquid dripped down my skin; the metallic smell of blood floated up, mixing with the blackness. When the stinging came up to my eye I screamed but all that came out was the gushing of crimson blood. I wanted to claw my skin off.
The light came back on but this time it was away from me. In the light lay a body filled with withering white maggots and rotting flesh that dripped off bone. Where the heart should've been was a gory hole; stomach split open and organs spilling out. I noticed a red waterfall of hair on the body's head and I tried to scream again.
My vison blurred from the blood and salty tears. The next attempted scream was cut short by the excruciating pain that flashed through my like burning lighting. The light was still there and I flopped away from it.
I thought you couldn't feel pain in dreams?!
But it's just a dream and I'll wake up soon, right?
Felt the pull of consciousness and held it dearly, I wanted to get out of this.
----
I woke up with someone violently shaking me back and forth. "OK, I'm awake stop turning my insides to jelly" I groaned in a scratchy. Looking up into the concerned silver eyes of my friend and the bright green eyes of Gertrude. "You sure? You were mumbling and twitching erratically in your sleep." Poppy asked. Gertrude nodded silently in agreement, although I felt like she was hiding some detail.
"Gertrude suggested waking you up but you're like a log when you sleep." I could tell Poppy was trying to make the situation lighter.
"I'm fine." I lied, I did not feel well in any means. The sun hadn't yet raised into the sky and my alarm hadn't gone off either, so it looked like we had time before school. Looking at Gertrude reminded that we need to change her appearance. Pointing to her hair I said "The hair dye is in the bathroom, but I don't know how to put it on."
"That's fine, the bottles usually have instructions. And I'll do it later." She shrugged. "What day of the week is it again?"
"Tuesday." Poppy answered automatically. I glanced at her, puzzled. "Don't we have a project due today?"
"Shit! You're right, I need to text Shelly to see if everything is set up!" She patted around herself and checked for her phone. "Amy give me your phone."
I grumbled; not liking that I had to give it up. "It's on the nightstand."
"Oh, hush the grumbling, you want a good grade don't you?" She grabbed the phone and began to busily text with it. "I'm just going to get ready for school." Sliding out of bed I went to my closet and shuffled around for clothes.
****
Gertrude found the day lovely and decided she'd spend it on the roof; doing what? I don't know. "You can't go out if you don't dye your hair a different color." I reminded her. "And how do you plan on getting to my roof?" I inquired. She waved me off. "I'll dye my hair once everyone vacates the house."
Just as I was about to leave down stairs with Poppy to head off to school I called back to her. "Don't forget the contacts." Closing the door I heard her mumble a few more words but I didn't hear them.
The walk to school was taken mostly in comfortable silence. A few sleek black cars rumbled down the road; they were long and expensive looking.
"Wonder what those are all about..." I nudged Poppy. Just then one of the cars that held the semblance of a limo made a U-turn in the middle of the street. It screeched to a halt; almost ramming into a sign.
That's what you get for pulling a U-turn in the middle of the fucking street.
"Let's just ignore it..." I mumbled and hung my head letting my hair fall around my face. The car didn't relent and instead honked loudly.
Giving a sigh of exasperation I stopped and glanced with an irritated expression. The tinted window rolled down. A man with tanned skin and hair gelled back rested his forearm on the window. Dark tinted glasses covered his eyes and a stony expression was plastered on his face.
"Do any one of you know the location of the only hotel in this town. GPSs don't appear to be exactly functional."
"Oh that happens a lot. Anyways you're going in the opposite direction; it's down that way somewhere." I clicked my tongue.
"Do you happen to know if there is an airport?"
"No airport, only way in or out is by driving." I smirked. The man's face seemed to turn into granite. Clearly, he wasn't happy about the lack of aero transport. He slid his arm back in and the window slowly slid up before the cars started driving in the direction I said.
"You know you gave him false information, he was actually going the correct way."
"That's what he gets for pulling a U-turn like that and possibly endangering civilian life." I shrugged. We continued our way to school. "But I do wonder what's with those limo cars..."
"Ohh! There was a set date for the President to arrive; it's today." Poppy clapped glad to provide info.
"Color me stoked." I said sardonically.
****
Arriving at school I watched as Shelly approached us. "Everything's finished, I put all the facts and data in the slides."
"Thanks, Shelly!" Poppy said with enthusiasm, I didn't share it. I could see a warp in her layers of makeup and underneath it a faint tinge of a sickly yellow. She seemed to notice my stare and pushed her hair in front of her face.
"I'm not looking forward to this presentation. I said with an overly dramatic sigh.
