Layer of fear

chapter 1

Have you ever just felt like you just want to sleep forever but as soon as you do it feels like all your nightmares are going to come creeping around the corner so you're always on edge, keeping your guard up never letting those walls down that keep your mind and heart safe.

Well Hi. Good to meet you. This is my life. Astrid Jordan is the name. It's only my mum and I in a small town in France. My dad died 4 years ago in a plane crash trying to save my brother. I was 14 at the time and my brother was 16. Anyway, it can get a bit crazy in the household with me being a troublemaker and having to find a job blah blah being an adult blah blah.

Today coming back from school I felt so drained from the people and the work. I walked through the door to a place I called home. Walked up the stairs that lead to my hole in the wall as mum calls it. As soon as I walked in I went straight to my fluffy, warm and comfy bed and closed my eyes with the wish to sleep forever. Darkness consumes me with my body feeling like it is on a cloud......

Opening my eyes I was lying on cold ground. I could feel the rocks and rough edges poking into my back. Standing up my head felt light. It took a couple of seconds for it come right. I tried to put my hand up to put it on something to steady myself, but what I touched did not feel like a wall. I slowly tilted my head up to see nothing. Like nothing! But the thing is it felt like I was holding on to a cloud fluffy, warm and soft but nothing's there. I did a retake three times. I got over it and looking around sceptically all I saw that surrounded me was dark, midnight black, fog. Slithering over the floor like glue it was moving around my ankles. I kicked my legs around the fog trying to move it but it stuck to the ground, staying still. Like it was untouched, it did not move when I tried to kick it. I tried again using my right foot without noticing my left foot was stuck to the ground by the fog which ended up with me on the ground again. I stood up slowly so I didn't lose my balance again.

I kicked around the fog slightly so I didn't fall over again. The fog just acted like nothing was happening. As if it was alive. I just scoffed at the thought, "That is the dumbest thing you've ever thought of Astrid, come don't be that dumb.", I said out loud. Something came up behind me, touching the back of my calf lightly. I jumped away quickly but with my left foot stuck I lost my balance but caught it back quickly and regaining my stance, I looked back to where I felt something touch me. Something moved in the corner of my eye. I Flicked my head around so fast you would have thought I'd get whiplash. Staring at the spot where I saw something I heard footsteps behind me. I turned my head around again to where I heard the movement. Frozen in place. Unmoving. My eyes wide as saucers, frozen in fright from what I am seeing.

The first thing I saw was a face. I looked to see if there was any more of a body, but it looked like it just melted into the fog. As if the fog was its body. The face of this creature was just staring back at me, with no expression. Well, I guess it couldn't really. It had no face because of the looks of it ,it was just latex. You could still see the outline of the lips, the dents where the eyes should be, the socket where the nose should be. Looking at it terrified me. I was looking down at my feet, well where they were supposed to be. There was nothing there anymore. Trying to move my legs again, but they won't budge. Okay, now I am getting worried. Hearing the footsteps again. throwing my head around, almost fainting. The creature would be at me in seconds. Tugging at my legs. Begging at them to move. Tears burning at the back of my eyes and trying to hold them in so I will have a clear vision. While I was doing that looking out of the corner of my eye I can see the thing is right there. "AHHHHHHHHH" erupted out of my mouth, my legs still not free but falling on my butt trying to hold my cries that are escaping from my lips.

Closing my eyes turning away from the sight of this thing, getting the courage to open my eyes again. I scream. all I saw was the flesh looking face right up in mine. Suddenly a shiver ran down my spine and not a good kind, the kind of when you feel a snake is crawling up your back. My eyes are wide open and stinging with tears. Now my cheeks are bright pink. All of a sudden the flesh face thing moved back, turned and its head a 180 turn. I am trying to push away as much as possible. The next thing I knew was a face I thought I would never see again ......

My brother's face. But it looked like he was raised from the dead. With eyes missing just black holes replacing his beautiful grey eyes that I grew up knowing, gashes and bruises around his face, It was red, pink, black and blue. A fearful look on his face made me feel guilty, like I was the one who did this to him. Closing my eyes trying to get rid of this image out of my head " NOOOO YOU ARE NOT REAL. YOU DIED. NO, NO, NO, NO YOU DIED WHY ARE YOU HERE". Screaming at the top of my lungs, tears streaming down my face, shaking my head frantically trying to remove this horrid image from my head. Putting my head down where my knees were, rocking back and forth, my hands covering my ears, wishing that all of this would just stop and not be real.....

Sitting up. Tears streaming down my face, my eyes were burning, frantically looking around me. Breath in .... Breathe out.... Breathe in.... Breathe out. "I'm back in my room, I'm safe. It was all a nightmare" I whisper to myself. Slowly standing up I manoeuvre around my room with skill and muscle memory, going to where my curtains are and opening them. A scream left my lips. Staring back at me was my father's face looking in the same state as my brothers' was in that nightmare. The door flung open which made me let out another gasp to only see that it was my mother. She was looking at me with such worried eyes. Walking slowly up to me, wrapping her arms around me like a safe haven. crying into her shoulder shaking, sobbing and getting her shirt wet and drenched "Honey, sweetie did you have the nightmare again....sh.sh.sh.sh" she said softly rubbing my back as I collapsed to my knees nodding my head slowly. With her comforting arms around me, she helped me up and put me back on my bed laying me down while I was still sobbing in her arms, rubbing my back to soothe me. Once the sobs stopped my breathing became even again and mum stood up and slowly exited the room. While the only thought running through my head was " Not the first time and won't be the last".

Slowly falling into a peaceful sleep again begging for that horrid nightmare to not come back....