It's all a dream; at least I keep telling myself that. Lately, I haven't been too sure. Images keep flashing before my eyes, scenes of death, despair, destruction… and blood, lots of blood. I pray that it is all a dream, a nightmare that I can't wake up from. At least then the fault will only lie within me and not the rest of the world. But something about it tells me it's real.

That woman, the one who would walk around the block everyday, I saw her die. She was lying on the linoleum floor of the food mart, a ring of blood around her head; a crimson halo radiating into the cracks and crevices of the tiles. I held her trembling hand and whispered pleasant thoughts in her ear as she whimpered and cried from the pain of her various wounds. There was nothing I could do. She let out one final pitiful cry and went limp, never taking in another breath. There was a ring on her finger; she was married. She had a husband out there that had no idea of what had befallen his beloved wife. I was not even sure what had occurred.

Then my head… oh my head, it's still throbbing. All I can remember is waking up, my bed soft and warm. 'Just a dream' I told myself.

There was a sound emanating from the living room down the hall. I must have left the radio on, but why is it so loud? The announcer, his voice serious and stern, read reports of a woman's body found at the local food mart. I couldn't help the wave of dizziness and fell back down to the bed. He went on to explain that the victim's name was Debby Whitson and that the body was found with multiple stab wounds on the face and upper torso. I closed my eyes, throwing the pillow over my face, screaming at this bad dream. This dream that I can't wake up from.

Afterwards, there's nothing but static flowing from the living room but I continued to lie there, still, listening to my heartbeat as it eventually slowed down to a normal pace. Once I calmed my mind I headed down the hall and shut off the blaring static before heading into the small kitchen alcove. I lifted the aspirin bottle and shook it, there were very few left and the throbbing in my temple had no intention of ceasing.

The faucet squeaked as I turned the sink valve, but no water came out. The pipes just gave a low groan in protest. I swallowed the pills dry and headed to the door. The superintendent was going to hear a few course words about this. I turned the knob, but the door wouldn't open, as though it were locked. I threw my shoulder into the wood but it wouldn't budge in the least. Then I heard the running water and decided that the door would have to wait a moment.

As I turned, I noticed an odd smell permeating through the apartment, like copper or some type of metal. The disturbing concept didn't come to me until I saw the red puddle that grew over the kitchen tiles and the crimson liquid that flowed out over the sink. Blood spewed violently from the faucet and splashed over the surrounding counter and cupboard area. Not thinking, I ran and twisted the valve until the flow of liquid was squelched and all that was left was a dripping from the runoff still falling to the floor, covering my bare feet. I don't know why I did what I did, but I found myself rolling up my sleeve and reaching down into the murky sink. Something was blocking the drain. After the object was removed the sink made a sickening slurping sound as everything flowed out through the pipes. I looked down at the object, still clutched in my hand, and as soon as I saw it, another wave of dizziness overcame me. It was a dismembered finger wearing a wedding ring… the same wedding ring as that woman who died.

I wanted to scream… God, I wanted so much to scream, but the fear, the horror held everything inside me. I just watched as the finger slipped from my hand and landed with a splash on the tiles of the kitchen. I had to get out and get help, to wake up from the nightmare. I ran to the door, pounding and tugging with all my might, leaving smears of blood across the white paint. I pounded the door, praying that someone would hear me and help me wake up, but nobody came.

The windows. I could escape through the fire escape or something. I ran my fingers over the rough wooden frame and pushed up as hard as I possibly could but, just like the door, it didn't budge an inch. Maybe I could smash it open with open with a chair. The landlord wouldn't be too happy, but, at the moment, I didn't give a damn. I just wanted out. I reached over to a maple dinning chair that I had leaned against the wall, near my desk, when I felt a powerful force bearing down upon me. The air around me began to hum and it felt as though pressure was being applied to my head, as though it had just been placed into a vice. The pain was too intense and I was forced to retreat to a safer distance.

I turned my gaze out the window. Freedom was so close at hand and all that separated us was a pane of thin glass. Below in the courtyard, I could see a group of kids playing a game of basketball. I watched them intently; hoping that they would glance my way at I pounded on the glass with my fists, that my existence would be noticed, if even for a second.

A noise drew my attention away from the outside world. From inside the fridge I could hear something like an animal. A cat! I could hear a cat's meowing emanating from the refrigerator… but how was that possible. The woman down the hall owned several cats, but how the hell could one end up in my fridge? Purely on instinct, I grabbed the door handle and threw it wide open. At first, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. It appeared to be just bloody lump of meat, hastily wrapped in a plastic wrapper, but then I realized that the sounds were coming from the hunk of meat itself, in fact, it was twitching! My eyes bulged from the sight and I slammed the fridge shut before my mind could fully register what I just saw.

Behind me in the main room, I could hear the clock at it increased in speed, the hands both racing around and around in opposite directions whizzing into a blur. The TV turned on, on its own accord, and blared out static, showing nothing but snow on the screen. The windows started rattling as though invisible beings were trying to get out… or in. This was all too much, too fast and I knew that I would never again wake from this place.

I'm always watching you a voice suddenly called out to me. I turned all around to find its source until I realized that the deep voice was actually in my head, repeating that one phrase over and over. I ran down to my room, wanting to escape that voice, but it followed me.

At the end of the hall, I could see a monster crawling through the wall as though it were no more then a thin chunk of rotten meat and slime. It pulled its body through the wall and floated just above the ground, coming towards me. Thin dark strands of slime clung to its back, residue from the portal it had just come through. The creature's head was tilted to the side and its glazed over, soulless eyes stared at me from its pale and puffed face. Patches of skin hung down off of the monster's scalp, revealing a mass of scabbed tissue underneath. It stretched its arms out for me, the hands hanging limp on the wrists. This time I did scream. I slammed my bedroom door behind me and buried my head under my pillow. I knew this wouldn't help, but I didn't now what to do. Panic took over me. I could hear the slurping sound as the ghost forced it's way through the wood of my door. The voice in my head continued to repeat its maniacal phrase as I buried my head deeper into the mattress. 'Shut up!' I screamed 'Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!' but still it continued to whisper it into my brain.

By this time the ghost had finished crawling through the door. I could feel its cold presence as it hovered over me. I continued to scream, telling everything to just go away, but still it came. The monster reached over and touched me, its fingers like ice, my entire body shuttered. I knew this was the end.

Things had quickly become dark and quiet. It is all so peaceful. I don't know where I am, if I'm even alive, but I know that it is safe here. Everything is safe in my shroud of darkness. A line of light pierces through my darkness, burning my eyes. I suddenly feel stiff, as though I hadn't moved in years and I can hear voices, faint at first, but they grow louder until they're fully audible.

"She's awake! She's finally awake!"

The world slowly came into focus and I could see a small group of people standing over me while I lie in bed.

"OhmyGod! It's been so long!" A young woman cried from the foot of the bed.

I mumbled, unable to say anything. My mind was muddled, like I just woke from a deep sleep. I tried to focus, tried to figure out where I was, what I was doing in this place but my mind was drawing a blank, there was nothing after that horrible room.

Someone grabbed my hand, the warmth felt nice against my skin. "We thought you'd never wake up from that coma." The man's face was so familiar, I wanted so badly to remember him, who he was. He leaned over and hugged me, and then he kissed me. He whispered into my ear, "I thought my love would never wake up."

I remember! My husband. How could I have forgotten him, how could I so easily forget my entire life?

We all sat there for hours, my visitors doing all the talking. I sat listening to everything, all the changes that occurred while I was gone, holding by dear love's hand. I couldn't think of a happier time then this moment.

The nurse popped her head through the door, "I'm sorry, but visiting time is over. You can all come back tomorrow."

Friends and family said their good-byes. I could see how hard it was for my husband to leave. He gave me one last kiss good-bye and had to practically be dragged out of the room by my mother-in-law.

The sun had sunk down below the horizon and the lights of the nearby buildings came flickering on, lights signalling life amongst the darkness of the outside. Life beginning and ending, right here in this building. Right here in the hospital there were moments of great sadness and great joy, happening all around me.

The room, covered in a peaceful darkness with only the full moon serving as a source of light, was sleep inducing. I closed my eyes wishing I wasn't so tired. I wanted to stay awake forever, never going to the world of dreams and nightmares.

A gentle humming resonated throughout my world… what is that? It was so familiar and filled me with terror. I opened my eyes and a cold sweat came over me. A pale rotting arm came reaching for me, through the ceiling, followed by that bald bloated face. A weak groan gurgled from the pitiful creature's mouth, sending a light spray of saliva and blood over me. I screamed.

Oh God, how I screamed.