WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE

CHAPTER 1

All was silent, aside from her footsteps echoing through the dark corridor. Sarah couldn't see anything except the neon guiding light that lead to the emergency exits. The blue light trailed down the tubing in the corners of the floor and gave the appearance of flowing electric pulses.

'A power outage?' thought Sarah. "Come to the Sterning institute for higher learning! Best technology available!" Sarah said aloud in a mocking tone. 'Where could everyone be,' she wondered. She found it funny, as the hall was full of life only hours earlier before she dozed off in her room. According to her watch, it was time for the geno reconstruction lecture. "Great! I'm going to be late again!"

She came to an intersecting hallway, which, if she remembered correctly, leads to the C-wing Dormitory, and the B-wing Dormitory. She could hardly see anything aside from the blue pulsing light. Sarah took a few steps down the left hallway, calling out, "Is there anyone there?" No reply came from the darkness.

She continued on through the darkness. The strange silence brought to her a feeling of uneasiness. There was no hum of electricity, no vent fans, no students talking; just her footsteps. She slowed her pace as she neared the lounge area where all of the students hung out.

Sarah surveyed the room with a squint, but could see no one. She felt her way around the wall, continuing on. Suddenly, Sarah ran her hand over something wet and pulled it away abruptly. "Eww," she muttered. In disgust, she rubbed her hands on her pants, not wanting to imagine what she could have possible touched. She sighed, and walked down the main hallway.

She halted at the guard room at the end of the hall. The security door to the lift was open, but no car was there. The guard post appeared abandon, but Sarah could not see much with only the neon pulsing strips as her light source. "Anyone here?" Sarah spoke into the doorway. There was no reply. "Hello?" Sarah yelled through the empty corridors on the Dormitory level. The only sound was the echoing of her voice.

She stepped into the guard room, looking for the emergency power lever. She searched cautiously, feeling a hint of achluophobia strike her. The air felt so close in there. Something was not right; this guard post should never be unattended. 'What happened while I was asleep?' she said to herself.

Her hands formed around a metal shaft, wondering what the item could be. Feeling her way around it, she realized she was holding a flashlight. Sarah flipped the switch and brought the instrument to life. Then she panned the light around the room, examining it.

As she fell back in terror, Sarah attempted to shriek; only a sound similar to an asthmatic wheeze escaped her voice. She could not move, could not cry out for help, and could not take her eyes away from the horrible sight. Two guards had been hung from the ceiling lights, completely skinned. Their cold blood dripped down onto a large puddle in the middle of the room. Part of their mutilated skin could be seen strewn across the corner. The blood glistened as the light swept over it.

As Sarah turned to flee, she stopped short, encountering a dead guard with no head. The flesh on his back looked flayed as if his spine had been ripped clean from his body, like a gutted fish. The sight was enough to make her want to vomit. 'What could have done this' She thought. She closed her eyes breathing deeply. Gathering her courage, Sarah stepped over the body and then out into the corridor.

She turned left and reluctantly began to head back to her dorm room. The flashlight revealed blood covering the walls of the hallway. Terrified, Sarah crept onward to her dorm room. Her hands shook violently from fear, making the flashlight hard to control. Her feet felt like they were tied to hundred pound weights. Step by step she inched closer and closer to her goal.

As she reached her door, she began slamming her key card into the security panel on its side. It began to rise slowly, but she was in no mood to wait. She made her way inside in a hurried crouch before it could finish, then turned and activated the lock. She looked around the outer hallway as the door made its way shut. Her mind was racing with visions of the guard room. Sarah closed her eyes, and turned to face the dark room. She didn't know what to expect.

Upon opening her eyes, she began to scout around the room, seeing nothing. Sarah shined the light on every inch of the small dorm, making sure she was alone. No amount of searching would make her feel safe in these walls. There was always the sense of something behind her. Sarah backed herself into the corner, checking under her bed, and then the desk, but would she brave the closet?

'What am I supposed to do now?' she asked herself. She could not wait here to end up like the rest, but then again, she would not dare brave the corridor again. At least she would not before a considerable time and lack of any other solution. She couldn't believe what she saw in the hallway. This had to be a dream, no a nightmare. Sarah pulled her hair back and tears began to stream down her trembling cheeks.

'How could this happen?' she thought. 'Who would do such a thing to another human?' Sarah began sobbing uncontrollably. She leaned her back against the corner of the office furthest from the door. Slowly, her body slid down the wall as her legs gave way. She pulled her knees into her chest protectively, wishing away the images in her head.

Just at that moment, the vent flew off the air duct, hitting the floor with a clang. Sarah screamed, running for the door. Whatever was responsible for the bloodshed would have to catch her first. As she reached for the unlocking mechanism, something seized her from behind. Sarah kicked and screamed trying to get away, but a hand was placed over her mouth. She was spun around to face a Marine in heavy camouflage.

He peered into her eyes and put a finger to his lips in a signal to be quiet. He released his hand from her mouth, and whispered into her ear. "I am Sergeant Bradley Wells. I am a Marine. My ship docked here about 2 hours ago, after receiving a distress signal." Bradley stopped to check his motion tracker. He gently put both hands on Sarah's shoulders. "About 45 minutes ago my entire unit was slaughtered. We never saw it coming. Hell, I never even saw the attacker. I managed to escape, climbing my way up the elevator shaft. I entered the main air shaft, and that brings us to now."

Bradley guided her to a chair gently, and sat Sarah down. "Now tell me, what happened."

Sarah looked up with a blank expression, whispering "They're all dead… I woke up, I mean, I must have dozed off. The power was out, and they're all dead." Sarah looked away, burying her face in her hands.

Brad pulled her up. "We have to get to my drop ship."

Sarah leapt to her feet, backing away from him. "I am not going back out there!"

"Ma'am, it would be suicide to stay. I don't know if you were paying attention when I was talking, but that thing took out 11 well trained marines."

Sarah sat down on her bed, looking at the marine. "Are we going to die?" she whimpered.

Bradley pulled a handgun from his belt, and tossed it on the bed next to her. "Not without one hell of a fight." He replied.

Sarah slowly picked up the gun, and ran her fingers down the barrel. She had never held a gun before. Even if it was only a handgun, she still felt better. Bradley knew she wouldn't be able to do anything against this unseen threat with no training and only a pistol, but maybe having it would help keep the fear away. They needed to stay focused, and not spend time on her mental breakdowns. Bradley hated thinking like that; so heartlessly. But the truth is, if she freaked out, it could get them both killed.

Hearing a beep from the motion tracker, Bradley grabbed Sarah and headed for the vent. He pulled a chair up so she could climb in. Bradley took Sarah's hand and boosted her into the vent. Sarah began to crawl forward into the foreboding dark tunnels of the ventilation system.