Prologue – Restless Dreams

The nightmares of that cursed town began a year before I set foot in the place. As the fog rolled by, I could feel something in the air, something that wasn't quite right. There was an eerie quiet which, coupled with the clear desertion of the place, sent chills through my core. Shops were abandoned, houses were empty, and there wasn't even so much as a distant car or barking dog. There was only the fog for company.

I spent a while attempting to find some company, but it seemed every building that wasn't boarded up was still cold and empty. I don't remember how far I walked, or even quite where I had started. I'm not even sure why I was so desperate to find company that I would keep marching onwards. I suppose some things in dreams can never be explained.

I stopped at a church. I thought perhaps I'd seen photographs of it some time ago, though I couldn't begin to tell you where or how. Either way, I assumed I'd seen some church similar to it in my childhood, hence my near instant recognition of it. As a fairly small woman, the church's stature made it quite imposing, so much that I hesitated. I didn't see a sign. I didn't know if this was the kind of church I'd be welcome in.

I would have reached out for the door, but the sound of voices halted my courage. They were muffled from here, perhaps coming from nearer the back of the church. Curiousity has always been a fatal flaw of mine, so it seemed only natural to sneak round the back to find a window or keyhole to continue my eavesdropping.

The stained glass gave the scene an ethereal quality as reds and blues shone down on the group of cloaked women. It was almost like watching some twisted play, except I'd arrived late and didn't know the rest of the plot. The strange group were huddled round an altar, hiding some great secret that rested atop it. Standing at the other side was a dark-haired woman, her eyes also dark and the kind that pierced the heart with a single stare. She spoke most frequently, so I assumed she was their leader.

"Our time will come soon, sisters." She began, the smile on her lips not quite fitting in with the rest of her cruel features, "The Order will reward you for your loyalty and your aide to me soon. I have been working hard to solve the problem that we've been having, namely that we have no vessel to birth our God. Potential mothers have come and slipped our grasp, so I have taken it upon myself to make one.

"Do not worry yourselves as to how I have done this. Simply watch, as the first of my potential candidates rises!" At this point, the woman gestured to the altar. A sheet slid to the floor and a woman sat upright, movements stiff as if she were barely awake. Her eyes snapped open to reveal pure white orbs, whiter than even her hair. She looked human, but the eyes and her stiff movements betrayed her as something altogether more frightening.

The women of this 'Order' they spoke of cheered and clapped, as if this was somehow something to celebrate. Perhaps it was, and I only wasn't cheering with them because I was outside peering in through the window. I'd felt like that a lot in my younger days. I was always the one peering in the window while everyone else celebrated things I didn't understand. I don't remember a lot else about my childhood…just that feeling.

Sadly, what I could only assume was dust began to tickle the tip of my nose. I tried to stifle the noise, did all I could to ensure that I was silent, but the violent sneeze threw me off balance and my head smacked off the glass. I couldn't feel any blood, but the noise had been loud. Loud enough to draw attention to the outsider observing their strange meeting.

I thought that if I walked away casually, I could make it look as if I'd been simply passing by, and be forgiven for my perceived crimes. However, the women were not fooled by this pretence and the dark-haired leader was quick to have me restrained. I did run, but…it's odd…I don't remember what happened after that. I started having a migraine as I took a quick glance back at the leader…but then, nothing. Just the blinding pain as if my head were about to split open, then just black. I know they must've caught me, but I couldn't say how far I ran or how they captured me. It's all a blurred haze.

I awoke in a hospital bed. It took me a moment to notice that the hospital was not as it should have been. The room was small and simple, with a bed and a cabinet to the side. This was normal enough, from what I knew about hospitals. What made the room seem unusual was the colour of the walls. They were an unpleasant red, like rust or dried blood, and iron grating barred the window. Even the bed sheets were stained the same red, as was the cabinet.

It's always fascinated me the things that can happen in dreams without you realizing they are dreams. When I dream, I tend to get so invested that I don't realize I'm dreaming, no matter what bizarre inconsistencies or strange twists happen. The eye that split the wall was one such occurrence.

It stared at me, and I stared back. It twitched and jerked, but kept its gaze ultimately fixed on me. This eye wasn't the eye of a person. It was too large for that, about 5 feet across and 3 feet tall, though I was never good at judging distance so it could've been more than that. It moved its gaze as I drew closer, attempting to study the thing. I reached out to touch its startlingly blue iris, but the way it stared warned me that this was a bad idea.

Seeing no further purpose to hanging around, I pulled the door open and peered out into the corridor. What little light there was came from dim, flickering bulbs that swung unsettlingly and cast an eerie glow to the place. The hallways seemed to stretch endlessly with identical doors, most of which were no longer numbered as the labels had decayed. The walls and doors were glistening with fresh red…what the red was, I didn't dare consider.

A figure stood at one end of the corridor. It was a spindly creature, its arms and legs barely even sticks, and its crooked teeth were gnarled and stained an unpleasant yellow. Bandages covered a majority of its skin, except for the tips of its jaundiced fingers and its…

…This is the difficult part. I knew when I got here I'd find it hard to write. Even now I'm stalling, trying to find the right words but struggling to summon the courage to write them. I suppose the best and least evasive way I can manage to imply the truth is to say that…well, it was certainly a male. I did my best to avoid staring, not breaking my gaze from it in case it decided to strike when my back was turned.

Dreams are a bizarre realm. The mind is like an author with a strict list of events, sacrificing logic and reason to get what it wants. As such, I can't tell you why I decided to follow a creature that intimidated me so much. It beckoned, and at a loss of anything else to do, I accepted the thing as my guide.

I felt half-dazed as I walked with the creature, ensuring I was at least a foot or two behind it. I couldn't have told you what the maze of corridors looked like, or where the creature led me to. I don't even remember how far or how long we walked for. I just remember that door. No numbers, no label, just a bright red sigil painted across it. I didn't recognise it, but it hurt my head trying to recall if I did.

The creature took advantage of my moment of weakness. It tackled me to the floor, tearing viciously at my back with its claw-like fingers. I tried to struggle, but it was deceptively heavy and I could do nothing but brave the pain. The scratches stung, and I closed my eyes in the hopes I might wake from this nightmare.

My eyes opened as the scratching stopped. The monster lay on top of me, stroking my face like some estranged lover. There was something more horrifying in its affection than in any violence it could do against me. It stayed awhile, clearly finding immense enjoyment in my entrapment, but it got up to free me eventually. I only just managed to wrench the door open and seal myself inside before it dived to trap me again.

The room I entered looked surprisingly normal compared to the rest of what I'd seen. It was a poky little hospital room, not unlike the one I started in. The walls, floor and sheets, while a little grubby, were in excellent condition compared to the mess of my starting point. I rummaged in the cabinet, finding a handgun. Considering that thing was still out there, I decided I'd need it, as well as the ammunition, med kit and bottle of what I assumed were sleeping pills.

I fell asleep in that room after taking a couple of pills, to find myself awake in my bed as if nothing had happened. Which, of course, it hadn't. I thought. And no, this isn't the part where I reveal I had scratches on my back or I had the gun with me. I had no weapon, and while my back did ache a little, there was no external injury. I forgot the dreams for a week or two, dismissing it as nothing.

I returned to those devilish dreams after about three weeks of peace. I knew it was the same place the moment I awoke there. It was the same room. The same small hospital room. I was holding the same gun. The same med kit lay at my feet, and the jar of pills sat patiently on the cabinet. I hoped the creature outside had grown bored and left to pursue other interests.