Chapter 3: In A Dream
By X-treme X-taggano (backfire@subdimension.com)
I was flying . . . into heaven. I could see a light somewhere in the distance. I was going home at last. Maybe I would finally see her again there . . . I lifted my hands into the air as I reached out, trying to get to whatever that light was as soon as I could. I had to enter this realm! In there I would feel no more pain and suffering. What had happened was over. I felt an urge to open my eyes as I entered the light.
I suddenly moved, sitting up. . . .
I had been lying down . . . on a chair.
I wasn't going to heaven! I was alive! What was I thinking? I wouldn't have gone to heaven until the resurrection anyway!
I looked around, still wondering where I was. To my left was a table. This place looked like some sort of cafe. To my left was a table witha bottle of ketchup spilled onto a napkin. I looked out the window, realizing there was still light snow falling. The fog was still as thick as ever. I was glad I had my coat, or I would have been quite cold out in that kind of weather. I suddenly put my hand on my stomach.
No wounds. Not even a tear in my shirt. I felt my back. No wounds or tears there either. I shook my head. I had to wonder . . .
Was I dreaming?
Suddenly, heard footsteps coming from the dark end of the cafe. The noise alarmed me. I couldn't see who it was because they were hidden in the shadows. I prayed it wouldn't be one of those kids. I didn't want my dream to be a reality . . . if it really was a dream, that was.
The person stood out of the darkness. Good. It was a human. I suddenly gasped.
I knew that outfit! It was the police officer!
She crossed her arms as she smiled at me. Her short blonde hair blew back a bit, due to the light breeze. She had a figure very similar to mine, only in female form. I saw the badge gleam on her light blue shirt. The sleeve said B.P.D, so I was assuming the shirt was part of her uniform. A gun was holstered to her side, hanging next to her dark black pants. She seemed young and attractive enough. I just wondered what she was doing here. How did she get all the way from that motorcycle "accident" to this town? I decided not to wonder too much. She, after all, was a cop and probably had her ways getting here.
She sat down in chair and crossed her legs. It made me wonder how she could be so calm in a situation like this. I never had fully understood women, but this seemed abnormal. How could anyone smile when it was snowing in the summer, and a city had been abandoned?
"How do you feel?" she asked me. I shook my head slightly. How did I feel? I felt like a train wreck, that's how! What a question to ask. How did I end up here? What about my questions? I gave off a sigh, trying to think.
"Like I've been run over by a truck . . ." I said with all honesty. "But I'm all right, I guess."
The officer continued to look my direction. "Glad to hear it . . ." she said relieved. "You didn't look so good."
I started to wonder. Did she find me somewhere and bring me here? How did I end up in this cafe? Maybe she would explain it.
"Are you from around here?" she asked curiously. "Do you think you can tell me what happened?"
What happened? I thought I had been stabbed to death in an alleyway, but I had no marks to prove it. She was too calm! There was something funny about her, I knew it!
"Listen, I'm just a tourist," I explained, trying to my hardest not to lose myself. No use worrying about the only other person I had seen who was alive. I knew I should just get some answers and maybe together we could get out of this god forsaken town. "I came here for a vacation. I think I just got here."
"You think?" the officer mused.
"Well, I got in a car accident. I might have been unconscious for a while," I explained. I shook my head. "I don't know what happened. I'd like to find out myself."
The officer shook her head. "Uh huh . . ." She paused for a moment. "So, what's your name, anyway?"
I was surprised I hadn't introduced myself to her yet. She might be my only hope of survival in this town. I didn't know if there were truly any dangers that lurked outside, but I had these thoughts that I was convinced were accurate. This place wasn't safe.
"My name's Harry. Harry Mason," I stated formally.
"Cybil Bennet. I'm an officer from Brahms, the next town over," she explained. "So you're Harry Mason, huh?"
I was curious as to what she meant by that. How did she know my
name? I had never met her before, and I had almost forgotten to even introduce
myself!
"Yeah. You know me?" I asked.
She nodded. "I don't know you, but I'm a fan of your work," she explained. She smiled. "I read your recent novel. You have a gift."
I was surprised she had read my writing. I thought no one had. It just seemed like that, I guess. I mean, I was still making money writing, so obviously someone had to keep buying my books. She didn't seem like the type who would read anything, but I guess you learn through experiences in life.
Suddenly I stiffened. My eyes opened wide.
Cheryl!
How could I forget about my little girl? Where on earth could she be? I may have been unconscious for a long time. I lifted my head up and looked back at Cybil. She continued to gaze at me with those big blue eyes of hers.
"By any chance . . ." I started. "You wouldn't have seen a little girl around here, have you?" I figured I should describe her. "She has short black hair. Looks about 7 years old. My daughter."
Cybil shook her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone in this town aside from you."
What was wrong? Why was everyone gone? Maybe this strange weather phenomena had scared them all away. No . . . a whole town wouldn't run just because of strange weather. There must have been someone who didn't want to leave this town.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
Cybil laughed almost sarcastically. "I'd tell you if I knew, believe me." She sighed. "All I can tell is that something bizarre is going on. Did you try any of the phones?" She pointed to the one on the counter next to the coffee machine. I shook my head.
"No. Why, what's wrong?" I asked.
"They're all dead," she explained. "So's my radio. I can't believe they sent me here alone to investigate this."
I was a bit startled. I was guessing anything like this would call as an emergency. This certainly did not seem like a job for the local police department.
"They sent you in alone for something like this?" I asked curiously.
"No, I was sent in here to investigate something else. Just a local issue that's been going on," she explained. "But it's just my luck that this should happen right when I get to town. I'm going to have to go back and call in some reinforcements. You'd best come with me."
I nodded my head, but I couldn't leave! Cheryl was still out there! I wasn't about to leave her out in that kind of condition! I was determined to find her! Without even explaining myself, I headed towards the door. Cybil suddenly raised her hand.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I looked back at her. "My daughter . . . I have to find her!" I explained.
Cybil stood up out of her seat. "No way!" she said. I was startled by her tone of voice. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?" She crossed her arms tightly against her chest and tilted her head.
My brow wrinkled. "Yes, I do! That's why I have to find her now!" I explained, almost angrily. "Cheryl's all I have left! She's my little girl, and I'm not going to leave her out there!" I had to let her know clearly that Cheryl meant my life to me or she might not let me go. I didn't know how she might react to my sincerity, but I wasn't afraid.
She just approached me slowly. "Are you . . . armed?" she asked me slowly.
"Am I what?" I asked, confused by the statement.
Cybil rolled her eyes, acting as though I were just a lower life form. "I mean, do you have a gun?"
I stared at her blankly. Did I have a gun? I guessed that the average human being didn't carry guns around with them. "No," I stated.
Cybil sighed. "I didn't think so," she said. She then reached into a small pack on the other side of her holster. Inside the pack was a second gun. I was wondering what to expect until she . . . handed it to me? "Take this," she started, ". . . and pray you don't have to use it." She yanked the current magazine out of it and slammed in another fully loaded clip, then pulled back the top of it. I was assuming that was the way to remove some sort of safety lock on it. I had never seen a real gun before and I certainly didn't know how all the mechanisms on it worked. I guessed I would have to learn now, though.
Cybil made eye contact with me. "Listen, with this pistol, pulling this will release the current clip," she explained, pointed to a certain lever near the trigger. "Only release it when you're out of ammo and you've found more somewhere. To remove the safety on this, just yank this back as hard as you can and let go." She pointed to the top of the gun. I took the gun from her hand, staring at it in fascination. I had always wondered how guns had worked, but I had never wanted one. Violence and death were always two things that scared me in life.
Cybil touched my arm lightly. "Listen to me. Before you shoot anything, know what it is you're shooting. Don't do it unless absolutely necessary." She moved her hand back to her side. "And be sure that when I come back for you, you don't go shooting me by mistake. Got it?"
"Yeah. Thanks," I said. I wondered what a safe place to put this was. I just shoved it into my pocket, hoping it wouldn't go off by accident. Fortunately, however, it didn't. As soon as the pistol was firmly placed, I looked back at Cybil.
"Listen, I'm sorry I'm leaving you, but I have to get some help," she explained. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't wander off too far or I'll never be able to find you." She paused as she looked at the floor. "Harry, just be safe, okay?"
I smiled. "You too," I said.
Cybil opened the door and walked out. She disappeared into the fog in a matter of seconds, leaving me alone once more.
I decided to look around this cafe for a while. Maybe there was something I could find that would be of any use at all. I searched, trying to find something else that would help me aside from the pinball machine. I had a passion for playing pinball every now and then, but this was not the time. I was guessing the electricity wasn't even working, so I looked past it.
I saw some sort of paper object on the counter. I was curious as to what it was; so I examined it. It was a map! Perfect! Just what I needed. I picked it up and looked at it. It was a vivid map of the residential area of this town. I noticed how none of the other areas of this town were labeled on it, however. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to go to any of them. I just hoped to find Cheryl and leave.
Underneath the map was a . . . flashlight. It was a specially designed one that could fit right in the pocket of my coat. The light itself would still shine forwards in my pocket, allowing me to use both my hands. This model was sometimes used by the police, from what I had heard. Maybe Cybil had left it here. I picked it up. Who knows? I might be useful. I put it in my front coat pocket. It fit quite nicely. Definitely something I might use.
I suddenly turned around. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could have sworn I heard something . . .
. . . something flying by.
I shook my head. Nothing. I was probably just a little tense due to what I thought had happened in the alleyway. Maybe I was crazy . . . or was going crazy. I had to be less paranoid.
I decided that was all I'd need. Just a map, a flashlight, and a gun. I slowly started walking for the door. I stared at it, thinking about what kind of horrible things might be out there. I prayed to God that Cheryl was safe. I then put my hand on the door.
Suddenly, I heard an alarm. I literally jumped at the sound. This alarm sounded like a bell ringing. I wondered what it could possibly be. My pulse started racing as I turned to my right.
Just a radio. What was wrong with that radio? Was it finally getting transmission from the outside of town? I prayed that was the case. Maybe there would be someone to help me find Cheryl and get the hell out of this godforsaken place.
I slowly walked over to the table, cautious about everything that surround me. The noise certainly wasn't quiet at all. It just blared out of the radio like it had a life of its own. As soon as I got to the table, I started to examine this noisy red object. To my misfortune, I couldn't make out any voices in this radio at all. Why would it just ring?
My heart stopped as I heard a sound. Glass shattering. I quickly turned around. I must have just missed the window shattering. I saw glass shards defiling the ground around the couch by the table. My heart started racing. What had done that? I knew glass didn't just break on it's own. I started to look around. What possibly did that?
My heart once again stopped as the window right next to me shattered. Something crashed into me, sending me flying to the floor. I hit it with such force that I couldn't feel my side. I opened my eyes quickly, wondering what it was that came at me.
A monster...
The only word I could describe it with. Monster. It flew above me, its leathery wings fluttering back and forth. I gasped at the size of its claws and the position they were in. He was ready to attack me! I had already suffered from a wound on my shoulder. Its pointed head was facing right at me. It seemed almost as proportioned as a human and was about my size. I could see its teeth.
It drooled.
My hands searched frantically for my pocket, searching for the damn gun Cybil had given me. The creature dove at me. I screamed in terror as I rolled over. It barely missed me, its claws slamming against the tile floor. I finally found the pistol. I yanked desperately at it, trying to get it out of my pocket. After many attempts, I got it out and aimed. I closed my eyes. I had never shot anything in my life, and was frankly quite afraid to. My hand quivered and my mouth went dry as I pulled the trigger.
I heard the monster groan, but I could tell it wasn't dead yet.
I put my weight on my hand and pushed myself up. I quickly dove to the
other end of the cafe. The monster loomed overhead, and I searched the
gun with my finger, desperately seeking the trigger. As soon as I found
it once more, I aimed again. I fired 2 shots.
Missed it! Damn it! Its wings started to shift back. It was going
to dive! I saw its claws getting ready for me as I stared at its gigantic
feet. It then dove once more. I yelled in terror as I pulled the trigger.
The gun recoiled hard and hit the side of my cheek.
The monster never attacked . . .
I opened my eyes. I couldn't see that monster flying about me. I searched around. Where did it go? I searched around with my eyes until I looked on the floor in front of me.
There it was. It had gaping exit wounds in it. I stared at the blood flowing from its head. It sickened me to know . . .
. . . I killed it.
I had never killed anything in my life except perhaps for insects, but I had just killed a living, breathing creature, and it frightened me. I knew by the adrenaline rushing through my head that this wasn't a dream. What the hell was happening here? I stared one last time at the dead carcass of the creature I had just killed. Whatever it was, I had intentions on killing me. I shook my head. I had never seen anything like that and hoped I never would again. I tried to get the thought of killing out of my mind as I walked towards the door. I stared off into the fog passed the glass door. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't even want to have to expect anything. I just wanted to find Cheryl and get out of here. This seemed too unreal to be happening, but this surreal environment was no nightmare.
I just wanted Cheryl to be okay. But where would I find her?
My first guess seemed like the best as I walked out of the cafe.
The alleyway . . .
