The past often lures one away from reality.
The present gnaws away patience.
The future ominously stands before us shrouded by a dense fog.
Avery sits on her bed, her legs dangling over the side as she stares at the date and time on her phone. She whispers to herself, “It can’t be.” She sets her cell phone on her night stand and places her hands upon her face as she tries to calm herself. She stands to her feet, taking deep, slow breaths. Her eyes suddenly widen and then she snatches up her cell phone and quickly scrambles through her phones’ contacts. She finds her mother in the list, and then pauses before dialing her number. Once she’s figured out what to say when her mom answers, she calls her.
While the phone rings, Avery paces in her bedroom until her mother answers, “Good morning, Avery!”
Excitedly, she says, “Morning, mom! Hey, how long has it been since I last visited you?”
“Well, I think you came over last week Thursday, why? Are you coming over today?”
Avery stutters slightly when she answers, “N-not today, but tomorrow? Would that work?”
“Of course it would. Is… Is there something wrong? You sound a little stressed.”
“Nothing’s wrong, it’s just, that I’m kind of in a hurry at the moment.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll see you tomorrow, and have a good day at work!”
“Thanks, I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too mom, bye.”
“Bye.”
Avery ends the call frustrated, as she is still in a panicked and worrisome state. She still shakes, and doubts her own perception of reality. She closes her eyes and looks into her dream for answers, but only comes away with even more questions. When are dreams, just dreams? When do they become something more? She doesn’t know the answer, but she desperately searches for it. Wouldn’t we all? She fiercely digs into her memories, trying to uncover the truth. Was it just a dream? Was what she experienced simply a manifestation of all her fears, memories, interactions, emotions? She cannot convince herself it was just that. The voice, it spoke to her, it provided instruction and guidance. She remembers the fear in her friend’s eyes as she died. She remembers. How could that not mean something? It must mean something, it has to. Avery’s mind is gripped by these thoughts, unable to escape their grasp.
Almost in a trance, she walks into her bathroom and begins running water for a shower. The warm water covers her body as she remains in the past. She finishes her shower, gets dressed, and begins to cook breakfast as part of her morning routine. It is a simple breakfast composed of eggs, toast, and coffee. Once seated at her table, her disturbed mind experiences a small amount of tranquility as she enjoys some of life’s modest comforts. Her small moment of respite, like all pleasant moments, only lasts for so long. Her cell phone rings; an unknown number displaying on the screen. She stares at her ringing phone for a few seconds before answering the call, and holding it up to her ear.
“Hello?” She hesitantly answers.
“Good morning, is this Avery Thompson?”
“Yes it is.”
“My name is James Myers. I’m with the Layton police department and I have a few questions for you concerning Bilborne Assisted Living.”
James is real, not a fictional character created by her own subconscious. Her shock at this discovery and realization sends her back to the moment when she woke from her nightmare. Her heart rate increases, her nervousness finds its way into her voice, a thousand thoughts flood her as she simply tries to say something in return.
This takes her long enough for James to bring her presence into question, “Miss Thompson?”
“S-sorry about that, what do you need to know?”
“Do you have any information concerning the mistreatment of any of the residents within your care?”
She suddenly feels the urge to speak of her dream and the warning she received. However, she manages to put those urges behind her and answers concerningly, “No, I’m not aware that anyone’s been mistreated. Why? Did something happen?”
“We received a complaint from one of the families, so we’re making calls to the employees, to see if we can learn anything more about the matter.”
“I see. Well, I’m unaware of any acts of misconduct among my co-workers.”
“Okay.”
A short moment of silence arises between Avery and James, as if they both expect the other to say something. Avery can almost hear the same voice from her dream, “Tell him! This is your moment! Tell him now!”
Fighting her urges to mention her dream, she breaks the silence and says, “Is that all, officer?”
“Uh yes, sorry about that. Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.” He hangs up before she is able to say goodbye.
Avery knows she needs to talk to someone before going into work today. So she texts a close friend to meet her at their favorite coffee shop. Sometimes the most effective way to manage stressful situations are friendship, and more coffee.
After ending his call with Avery, James leans forward in his office chair and rests his elbows on his desk. He quickly scans the rest of the office outside his cubicle to ensure his privacy. Then bringing up the internet browser on his phone, he types, “Can dreams predict the future?” into the search bar. None of the search results satisfy him, so he quickly exits his internet browser and sets his phone on his desk. Leaning to his right, he rests his head in the palm of his hand, and contemplates the dream he awoke from this morning. It felt all too real, even to him, a twenty year veteran in law enforcement. He would never allow such a thing dictate his actions in the field, unless he could prove to himself it was more than just a dream; which is why he called Avery. A voice in his dream gave him specific instructions to call Avery, “She will validate the vision you witnessed,” the voice said. However, during their conversation she said nothing that indicated what he saw was true. If only he could find another who shared the same vision, then his mind could be at rest.
Avery leaves her home earlier than normal to meet her friend at their favorite coffee shop. She climbs into her car and starts the engine. Immediately, the radio comes to life with, “Researchers continue to struggle to make any progress on developing a vaccine for the recent outbreak, which has been spreading rapidly throughout the east coast.”
She changes it to the next station only to hear, “How can we continue to feed our ever growing population? We can’t, its unsustainable.” She switches the radio off and proceeds to back out of her driveway. Without the radio nothing deafens her thoughts and worries during her short drive. She constantly checks the time on the digital clock in her car. Every minute that passes by seems slower than the last, she becomes frustrated and almost wishes she could travel to 9 P.M. and get it over with. As she nears the coffee shop, she notices a sign she’s seen hundreds of times; it reads, “Hell is real!”
The phrase, “Times of madness,” echo in her ears.
“You’re a little late on that one.” She says out loud, while pulling up to the coffee shop. She parks her car and enters the small coffee shop. She is greeted by the wonderful smell of freshly ground and brewed coffee, and of course by her friend, Samantha, who rushes to her; with her curly dirty blonde hair fanning out from the generated breeze. They embrace and then Samantha leads her to a table with two coffees already waiting for them. They both take a seat, and immediately, Avery begins to absorb some of the joy that Samantha’s bright smile and gleaming blue eyes radiate.
“How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Avery thought it would be easy to tell the truth, but for a moment longer she ignores the reasons why she had Samantha meet her here. “I’m doing fine, just working. How about you?”
“Well, I recently applied for a new job, can you guess what it might be?”
The excitement in Samantha’s words indicate an obvious answer that Avery quickly picks up on. Avery smiles and speaks with joy, “Is it the one?”
Samantha no longer can contain her joy as she reveals the big news, “Yes! I applied for one of the research positions at Visions!”
“That’s awesome!”
“They had an opening come up, and since I’m always watching for one like a hawk I swooped on in and applied as fast as I could. I have an interview this Friday!”
“That’s great news, well I hope you get it.”
“Thanks.” Avery remains silent as she takes a sip of her coffee while dwelling on how to bring up her dream, so Samantha revives the conversation, “So, you had something you wanted to talk about?”
Avery’s heart quickens, worry and doubt take hold of her, and her nervousness finds its way into her voice, “Yes, I do. It's not easy for me, but I figured you would make it easier. It's about a dream I had last night.”
Samantha’s interest peaks upon hearing the reasoning behind their meeting. She sits upright, leans in, and gives Avery her full attention, “What was it about?”
Avery pauses, she quickly looks over her shoulder and then back to her friend. Samantha’s eyes grow more intense, her smile transforms into a neutral expression, and her voice becomes quiet and full of empathy, “Avery, are you alright?”
Avery can feel her own concern and worry reveal themselves as she sets her coffee down on the table with a bit too much force; causing some coffee to leap out and splatter upon the table. She takes one more moment to think about what she’s about to say. “It was a bad dream. Very bad.” Avery struggles to hold eye contact with Samantha as she speaks. “What makes it even worse was how real it all felt. You know how some dreams feel so real, you almost don’t believe it was a dream to begin with when you wake up? This felt even more real than any dream I’ve ever had before. I remember every second of it. Normally when I dream, I forget pieces of it, and I’m unable to fully remember all the events I dreamt about. This time though, I had all the pieces when I woke up, all of them. Every part of this dream was terrible. I remember feeling everything; my feet hitting the ground as I ran, the shaking of my dying co-worker, and the screams.”
Samantha reaches across the table and places her hand on Avery’s, “What happened? In your dream?”
Avery proceeds to walk Samantha through every detail, and ends with the warning. “Then as I was getting ready to fall asleep on my mother’s couch, a man’s voice spoke to me. It was just there, as if he were sitting right next to me. He warned me that everything I saw that night is what’s to come, and that I need to warn people about it; and looking back on that dream, I remember specifically that the date was today’s date. So if my dream was a vision of the future, then it's going to happen tonight. Also! Before I came here, the detective I met in my dream, James, called me this morning.”
Samantha almost spills her coffee when she fervently leans in, “He called you?”
“Yes! I’ve never met him before. So how do you explain me having a dream about him?”
“So, you dreamed of meeting someone you never met before, and that same person called you this morning. Why did he call?”
“Something about a complaint someone made about their family member being mistreated by the staff and he was making calls to see if anyone knew anything about it.” Another moment of silence passes before Avery says, “Sam, am I crazy?”
Samantha almost laughs, “No! No. I think I would be just as concerned and worried as you are. Did you consider taking the day off? Call in sick?”
“I did, but something in me wants me to go in today. Maybe to prove to myself it was only a dream and that I shouldn’t let a dream control me like that.”
Samantha nods, “Fair enough, and you’re right. You shouldn’t let a dream, especially a crazy nightmare like that, control you.” Avery nods in agreement, “Do you feel better, now that you’ve told someone about it?”
Avery shrugs, “I’m not sure. I’ll probably feel better later, I’m sure I just need time.”
Samantha nods, “That’s probably it.”
Avery checks the time on her phone, “I have to go now. Thank you for listening to my nonsense.”
“None of it was nonsense, okay? I’m glad I came. We should meet more often.”
Avery smiles and agrees. They both hug each other before saying their goodbyes. Then they leave, each in a different direction.
Avery enters her car and starts the engine, and then remains still. Should I go? Maybe I should call in. No. Her mind remains in a state of turmoil and indecision, as she pushes onward and drives to work. At every red light, she’s forced to once again think about the choice she is making, and if it's even worth thinking about. Another stop, another opportunity. She’s counting down the intersections, turns, and minutes. Soon, it will be too late to turn back. At the last stop, her own mind assaults her with what if’s. What if your dream comes true? What if it doesn’t? The light turns green, and her own conditioned impulses press her foot upon the gas pedal, moving her unwillingly closer to her destination. Nearly there, she decides that she’ll do her best to treat her dream as just that, a dream. She sees the building, a wave of memories sweep over her. Even though her confidence is in its infancy, she manages to pull into the parking lot, and exit her car without hesitation. She even manages to enter the building and begin her shift without second guessing herself. Time is all that stands in her way now.
Her shift goes on as normal. She socializes with her co-workers, and flawlessly performs her duties until a certain employee greets her. She turns at the call of her name and then freezes. Before her stands Denise, the co-worker she personally witnessed pass away in a violent episode in her dream. Avery quickly applies a convincing facade of happiness, allowing her to respond without inspiring suspicion of her true mental state. “Hi, Denise.”
“Hey, I just loaded up the washers, and I’m going to be busy elsewhere for a bit, could you switch the loads for me when they’re done?”
Avery continues to successfully conceal the unrest within herself as she replies, “Yeah no problem, that’s fine.”
“Great! Thank you!” Denise walks away leaving Avery in a world of anxiety. The laundry, the first segment of her dream, is coming true; or is it? We do the laundry multiple times a day, every day. This part of my dream was bound to happen regardless, or was it? Once again she begins asking herself question after question, without any answers in sight. She notices the time. Four o’clock. To her knowledge the dream occurs around nine, so maybe there’s nothing to fear after all. She muscles through this realization and continues to go about her day on the job. About an hour later, she checks to see if the washers are finished with their cycle. She sees they have finished so she begins transferring the loads from the washers to the dryers. When she is done moving the items she reaches to startup the dryers. She presses the power button on one and nothing happens. She tries the next, and nothing happens. She checks to see if they’re plugged in; and they are. The lights around her are still on, the lights on the washers still shine, so how come the dryers have no power? Confounded, she notifies her manager, and her manager has maintenance take a look. In the meantime, Avery moves on and resumes working.
The hours go by, each one not unnoticed by her ever watching eyes. It’s almost nine, and her anticipation is pushing her to the edge.
As she makes her way down towards the laundry room, a maintenance worker approaches her, “Dryers are working again, sorry it took so long. They’re all yours now!” The middle aged man smiles and picks up his remaining tools and leaves. Avery now finds herself alone as she observes the now functioning dryers. With only the sound of these machines as the ambience, she worryingly looks over to a clock hanging on the wall. She can’t help but stare at the second hand as it moves without hesitation. Does it not fear the future?
“Avery?” She abruptly looks to see who said her name. “Is there something wrong?” Avery finds it even more difficult to hide her true state of mind as Denise stands before her once more, and the time is drawing near. She hastily pushes past Denise, who isn’t sure if she should be insulted or concerned, and walks down the hallway without saying a word as Denise remains behind her.
After aimlessly walking for a few minutes after her encounter with Denise, she stops. She realizes she’s standing at the edge of the same hallway in her dream, the same one that Denise died in. A faint, yet very distinct, chiming of an antique clock sounds within the room next to her.
The first four chimes sound without consequence, until the fifth chime sounds, “Avery!” Denise calls as she walks towards her from the other end of the hallway.
The sixth chime sounds. Denise begins to walk faster. Avery slowly takes a step back with one hand on the wall to her left.
The seventh chime sounds. As Denise nears, tears begin to form in Avery’s eyes as she backs up to the end of the hallway, now resting upon the wall behind her.
The eighth chime sounds. Denise begins jogging. Avery now lowers herself to the floor, and multiple tears now flow down her face, while her lips quiver relentlessly.
The ninth chime sounds. Avery’s heart stops as Denise falls to the ground without making a sound. A brief moment of absolute silence taunts Avery as she stares at her co-worker who lays limp upon the floor. Then, a multitude of screams lay siege to her ears. She closes her eyes, and covers her ears as tightly as she can. All she is able to think, in this impossible moment, is madness, madness, madness. As the haunting screams continue to grow louder, Avery herself cries out in terror. In her mind she begs it to stop, but all she can do is join the choir. Sing, Avery, sing.
Then the cries of the elderly change, and as one shout, “Times of hunger! Times of sickness! Times of madness!” Silence follows after the final words are collectively spoken. Avery continues to cry out for a few seconds before her voice reduces to whimpers. She continues to cry as she slowly opens her eyes, and sees Denise’s body still laying upon the floor, motionless. After scanning the long corridor, she removes her hands from her ears, and allows them to bathe in the silence.
A man’s whispers reach her ears, “Times of madness!” Avery jolts upon hearing the voice, and remains huddled on the floor at the end of the hallway. All the lights in the building flicker sporadically and Avery begins to feel a subtle shaking in the wall she’s pressed up against. A low humming sound rises and permeates the atmosphere, and as Avery takes glances at her surroundings she notices yet another terrifying oddity. A haze, maybe smoke, or perhaps a variation of fog, creeps from the other end of the long hallway. It thickens and spreads as it grows closer and closer. The flashing lights periodically illuminate this fog as it slowly travels towards her. This sight reminds her of lightning flashing above in the night sky; providing brief instances where one may see the grand storm clouds hovering above in the darkness. Except, these storm clouds are coming for her, and her only. The fog passes over Denise’s body some thirty feet away, and it is at this point Avery entertains the idea she must be dreaming again. This fog draws closer for a few seconds longer, then seems to halt its advance.
Then, as if the fog itself were speaking, an airy, cunning male voice emits from within the haze. Slowly, and methodically, it recites the following. “Beware, beware, the one who kills with fear. He prowls, he searches, for victims old and gray. At night, at dusk, he arrives in mystery. Mourn, grieve, for your loved ones’ misery. Beware, beware, you know you feel he’s here!” The voice intensifies as it says, “Tremble! Cower! What is your deepest fear? To die? To suffer? Now into your mind he will peer. Are you strong? Are you weak? He will know, and he will jeer!”
As the last word is spoken, Avery witnesses a tall silhouette take shape within the fog. Where the eyes should be, are two glowing scarlet slits that pierce through whatever sanity she still holds onto. Then, her deepest fears are laid before her. Her eyes widen, her mouth begins to extend, and her lungs empty their supply of air to fuel her deafening scream.
Vote on what happens next starting at 6 P.M. C.S.T. on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Voting will end on January 27th.
Chapter 3 will release on February 4th.