Chapter 90 Weird Nightmare

KIA

Ares wasn’t able to accompany me for the whole day since he was so busy with work so I decided to do some workloads at home. After having a general cleaning of the house, I decided to go and buy some groceries. My wrists started to ache terribly as I trudged along the hard concrete road. Usually, when I took this route home, I passed all sorts of strange-looking people.

The neighborhood where we lived was strange; everyone was kind, but sometimes too friendly, interfering with your privacy and asking questions about your personal life that you weren't sure how to respond to. But on this particular night, a muggy night at that, there was not a sound to be heard. Not even the giggle of an elderly guy walking by or the squeal of a tire turning around a corner could be heard. I looked down at the multiple plastic bags I was holding, which were filled with the necessary groceries I had run out to buy at the last minute for supper, while the ache in my wrists turned into severe agony.

There was obviously too much stuff in one of the bags—the one that was hurting my wrists—but I was in the middle of the street and helpless to do anything about it. After heaving a deep sigh, I resumed my stroll while hastily grabbing my phone from my pocket. The cold metal block against my hands in the steamy environment felt wonderful. In the pitch blackness around me, I searched for the switch to turn it on as I took it out. I took a break beneath a location where the moonlight was shining directly down the road. I checked my phone for any crucial calls or texts beneath the lone source of light in the pitch-black city.

Other than a message from my buddy Miaree advising me to look after myself because it was so late, asking me to buy her some gummies because she would be seeing me tomorrow, there was nothing. I hadn't, and since I had already left the store and started walking home, I wasn't going to go back just for her sake. I thought it would probably be best to just go home so I could eat as quickly as possible as the time flew by because I was getting more and more hungry.

But my stomach had other plans. I should eat as soon as possible, based on the loud rumbling that emanated from deep inside it. Ignoring that, I knelt down and gathered up my plastic shopping bags while listening to their gentle rustle. As I made my way around the long, curving loop in front of me, my feet felt heavy. I was aware that it would take a very long time—at least a 30-minute walk—to go home from where I was.

The most of the time, I wouldn't mind in the slightest, but on this particular occasion, I couldn't help but feel that I was at the wrong location at the wrong moment. I'm not sure why, but I kept having the impression that I'm not the only person on this street. It would appear that way at first, but as I continued to walk down the path, I'm certain that eyes were looking into my back. I shook my head and almost laughed at how silly I was. I was simply exhausted, and it felt that my fatigue was accompanied by childishness and an overly vivid imagination.

I took the short cut via a wide alleyway to the edge of the city, then continued on my route home. Going this way made me feel very unsafe, but at least I knew it would only take me five minutes to go home. I made a brisk pace down the pitch-black hallway, gazing up at the brilliant stars. Something was burning in the distance, and there was a distinct aroma of it in the air. My nose was affected by the smell, which made me itch horribly.

I felt as though I was falling further into sleep as whatever it was seemed to be getting closer and closer. I wasn't sure why, but I was aware that I needed to leave the stench as quickly as possible in order to prevent fatigue from taking over. I hurried along the endless hallway without stopping until I reached an opening that appeared to be considerably smaller than before. This felt like a book I had read as a child, despite the fact that I have a vivid imagination. When I realized that this scene reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland, with the exception of the rabbit, of course, I laughed until I could no longer breathe.

I quickly collected my phone and phoned the number for my buddy Miaree since I was a little nervous about what might occur while I was standing on this backstreet. Regardless of the difficulty, she was a girl who would do her best to assist. I patiently waited for her to pick up the phone, but I could feel my heart racing as I became aware that there was probably no coverage where I was standing. The tension made it difficult for me to breathe since I had forgotten how.

All I could think about was the ringing of the phone in my cold ear and what was going to happen to me in this dark alley. Along this journey, I'd heard tales of people being hurt or even killed. When I think back to the headlines, I recall being fairly surprised that they couldn't get out of the alley, but I can see why now. There was no way out once you were inside. I was stuck utterly and helplessly. No matter how hard I tried to hold them back, tears began to spill down my pale face. I didn't want to stay in this abyss of death by myself; I simply wanted to come home and be with my spouse.

I slid down the brick wall next to me since I was at a loss for what else to do. Although I felt the course material pierce my thin skin, I thought it was not crucial. Getting a phone signal and leaving were the most critical things.

The sharp stinging in my back and the gentle trickle of blood down my spine caused me to cry even more. It may have appeared delicate, but it didn't feel that way. I gingerly tore a piece of my t-shirt off, smeared scarlet liquid across my back, and wiped it off. As it pulsated all over my body, I groaned in pain. I sat there for what seemed like hours; in actuality, I had no idea how long I had been there until I slowly raised myself off the ground.

I looked around me and saw a tiny fissure where there had not been one before in the wall. I scowled as I approached it with caution. What had been my glimmer of hope to escape had been dashed because, upon closer investigation, it appeared like there was nothing but blackness beyond the breach. A tiny eye suddenly sprung up inside the crack. I shouted and jumped away in horror at what I had just witnessed.

I was seeing a strange occurrence at the time that I had never anticipated to happen to anyone. The crack grew until it was almost as tall as I was before a thing emerged from it. The thing was at least twice as big as I was, with big glittering eyes and flashing white teeth that looked brighter than they were because of the light that had come from inside the fissure.

It grabbed my arm and started walking down the alley at a snail's pace, looking down at me as if I were something to put on its toast before I could register that there was a giant creature in front of my eyes. It had a snake-like slimy yellow skin that felt out of place on my own body. When I realized what was occurring, I punched the beast in the stomach, causing it to slump over in agony and scream aloud. I seized the chance and ran down the endless alley, not knowing what I would do if I couldn't escape. I carried on moving on till I came to an alleyway curve. At this point, I studied the area behind me, seeing a figure approaching me rapidly.

I tried to scream for help, but nothing came out of my mouth. Instead, I focused on where I had been prior to the incident, outside the mall, and wished I could go back in time and be there again. I tightly closed my wet eyes and awaited the moment the beast would swallow me whole. But a few minutes went by with nothing occurring.

I scowled and opened my eyes with a rapid swoop. As soon as I understood that nothing from when my eyes first closed was at the current location, I let out a brief cry of relief and shock. Old women who were chatting and beating up on adults were all around me, as were pestering little children who wouldn't stop yelling the place to pieces and whining about their most recent issue. Never in a million years did I imagine I'd be so delighted to look about. Between a clothing store and a Chinese shop, I found a bench with relative ease.

I thought about the recent occurrences and debated what had just occurred in my head. Despite the fact that it didn't appear genuine, I knew deep down that the fear I was feeling was real. Even though it seemed impossible, it had actually happened, but even if I choose to tell the story, I had serious doubts that anyone would take me seriously. I took a deep breath, savored the clean air all about me, and then I went steadily down the road, choosing the long way home, deciding to do my best to forget about it. I believed that nothing would ever be able to replace such an exciting day as this one.