Dreams took him. Another unrelenting marathon of distress, anxiety and fear. Faint murmurs in the dark, echoes of a woman’s plea for help. A pulsating black mass in the background, thousands of writhing tentacles embedded within it. He felt for his mouth but a smooth sheet of skin met his hand. No mouth, no voice. His mind screamed in confined anguish. A shimmering silhouette approached from behind though the figure appeared blurred and hazy. He tried to flee in a fit of panic but found his feet to be wedged deep into the ground. Surveying through every possible direction only revealed more abyss, more disorientation.
As the apparition drew in closer, a slimy object wrapped itself around his torso. He looked down to see hundreds of diminishing suction pads engorge themselves on his naked skin. The greyish tentacle tugged at him, pulling the mass toward him. Two threatening entities converging upon him. He jerked his head this way and that, watching them almost within range. The apparition began to take a female form as two rippling singular tendrils burst forth and slid across each side of his face. He shut his eyes and prayed for a quick end.
James lurched up, a soft breeze passing over his drenched face. Another damn nightmare, he thought. The lights of their bedroom were out, save for the flashing alarm clock next to where he lay his head. It said 3.23am. He found the frequency of his recurring dreams increase as of late. Leading to levels of concentration during the day being only a smidgen above "distracted". Work had started to notice too. Consistent punctuality and attendance just did not seem to cut it anymore with management. It was obvious the routine glaring mistakes and disorderly practices would eventually lead to his dismissal. At least the steadfast bond he had first struck up with Glen, the deputy manager at O’ Brian’s, had allowed his negligence to carry on this far.
He could feel the weight of Dolores lying next to him. She must have repositioned him onto his side of the bed before going to sleep as he still wore the same attire that he returned home in. A stagnant chill hung through the air though the windows were shut tight. Reaching round, he felt the soft smooth texture of her shoulder. It was cold to the touch. He assumed Dolores must have thrown off the duvet at some point in the night. Attempting to remain in the same drowsy state so that he may finish off what was left of the night, James manoeuvred himself round to face Dolores and drape the covers back over her. The moonlight cast a beautiful illuminated arc across the far wall as he did so. Feeling for the goose-feathered quilt lining, he pulled it up towards her neck whilst glancing down at her one last time.
A sinking horror caused the blood to seep from his face, leaving a pale mask in it’s place. He froze, petrified at what he saw. She lay there face up, eyes closed and in a wistful slumber. However, her distinct features resembled that of his mother. To be exact, bearing the same expression she had worn when he bade her farewell that fateful day in his youth. In fact, the image before him was an identical likeness. The same loving smile, curling up from the left side of her pursed lips. The pure contentment displayed upon her face as she waved at him like only a mother could. That final photographic memory he had stored in a special place deep within the recesses of his mind for safe keeping. Where no one could find it, tamper with it or steal it. That vision had somehow escaped from it’s imprisoned hollow and let loose in the real world. His world.
He retreated back at a measured pace so as not to wake the ghostly manifestation. The ambient light reflecting off her skin gave an almost spectral appearance. He slid off the bed using every muscle fibre in his body to remain quiet. A twisting knot in his belly caused him to retch but he covered his mouth with a hand to nullify the sound. Crawling on all fours, he slunk through the dim gloom like an animal stalking it's prey.
Inches from the door, he heard a soft movement of bed sheets behind him. Terror ripped at the shreds of sanity he had left. A sliver of spittle clung to the edge of his mouth though he would not have known it. Although his mind howled at him not to, morbid instinct now drove him. He looked back over his shoulder.
The figure was now sitting up, staring at him. That replicated stored image still plastered over her face. The smile, the endearment, the love. And then she spoke. ”James, darling. What are you doing over there?” It’s voice reminded him of his dearest Dolores though the facial representation revealed something very different. She shifted towards him, still watching with those dark, almond eyes that James remembered only too well. Though the trapped hysteria could not be contained any longer.
”No!” He screamed ”Stay away from me! Don’t come near me!” Scrabbling to his feet, the door flung wide open and he fled out into pitch blackness. In the throes of his mania, he could hear hurried footsteps of the thing giving chase. With the bathroom dead ahead, James burst through the door and slammed it shut. A shrill voice sounded out from beyond the tiny enclosure but he covered his ears in an effort to blot it out. James fell to the floor and sobbed. However, a new horror then took old of him. In all his panic and dread, he had forgotten to lock the bathroom door. But it was too late.
In an instant, the light switched on as he shrieked with every ounce of strength he had left. Protruding, frenzied eyeballs directed towards the open doorway. It took a second or two for his senses to reach some modicum of normality again, but he managed to register the person standing in front of him. It was Dolores. She rushed over to the trembling heap on the floor. Her initial touch upon his shoulder caused him to recoil with a jolt.
”My god, James! What the hell is going on? Are you alright?” She cried out, stroking his hair with long, slender fingers. He shielded his face from either her or the light of the bathroom, it was hard to tell and quivered in the corner. It was apparent that words had left him and he had witnessed something to cause the strands of rationality to bend over backwards. But whether it was real or make believe was easier for her to ascertain.
”It’s OK” She consoled in a hushed, pacifying tone. ”It’s all over now. Don’t worry. Everything is gonna be fine.”
He placed one shaking hand around her arm and clenched it firmly. ”I… I don’t know… If I can carry on… Like this… Anymore. Can’t tell… What’s real or not.”
Dolores held him tighter in her embrace. ”What do you mean? What did you see, baby?”
He paused for a moment, then looked up at her. She was shocked at the wild glare in his eyes but remained composed. ”I saw her, Dolores. I don’t know how… But she was in the room back there. In our room. And I don’t know how much more I can take.”
”Who, James? Who was there?” She asked with worrying concern.
”Mother.”
(To Be Continued)
WOW that was intense!! And super creepy! This might have been my favorite chapter so far, it was so vivid I could feel his confusion and fear and desperation.
Fantastic my darling friend! And once again I get another chapter to read.
Off topic, the meeting in NYC truly fueled my desire to make my way to steemfest, I got a taste of what it would be like to meet you and it's super exciting to think about! It's not a definite, but it is a real possibility. If you see the post @prufarchy wrote, you'll see that we discussed traveling after steemfest to Scotland and @meesterboom. I definitely would want to take the opportunity while I was in Europe to see more places. To see London as well, having written about it but never been there. Up for the role of Tour guide? ;) And if they do begin organizing more frequent meetups in the city, perhaps they'll eventually get bigger, and maybe one day you and your lovely wife will come here, and I can definitely be your tour guide if you make time to leave the city. Long Island for example, is where my family lives and the ocean is, I would love to take you. Or upstate where I live, which is a beautiful area. We'd go on a wine tour and eat at amazing restaurants, go to the lake, go jet skiing! ...if steem keeps rising then definitely by next summer we should all be in a position to take trips to see one another :)
Hey there, lovely @dreemit!
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest. I'm on holiday at the moment in beautiful Crete whilst my in-laws are at home for the next mouth and a half so things are super busy! Had a bunch of chapters all lined up ready to go so any spare time I can get is a godsend, lol! Your comments are so gratefully received and humbling coming from such literary cream of the crop as yourself. :)
I'm situated as I'm typing this in some rural village in the middle of seemingly nowhere, lol. But I got a chance to check out the NYC meetup post! You look so happy and you guys must have had a blast! And listen, straight up and from the heart, my house doors will always be open for you if you ever decided to stop by good ol' London town! It would be our pleasure (@rea and I) to show you the sights of this kool little city and of course make the most of chilling with you! How awesome would that be, right?
It's looking more and more likely that Steemfest 3 will be held someplace in the US of A so, as you mentioned, so that could be our second meeting ground! No questions asked, I'm all for it! And if steem takes off like it's looking it will, money will be the last of our worries!
Awesome idea and something we should actively work towards! Fantastic stuff, excellent @dreemit! :)
Oh, I hear you about the busy! We got back only to find out that one of my oldest friends was on her way from North Carolina, and now she's here...in fact, Jess from the books is based on her Ha! Well, on her as a teenager ;)
Thank you so much for your hospitality Ezzy, you are amazing. I can't tell you how much I want to meet you!
You know, I just realized I have a number of people on my facebook now, including Jed and Dom (verbal) but not you. I don't use it all that much, but I'll put my full name in chat if you wanted to add me :)
I love how you entwine your own private life's people and experiences into your stunning work. When we meet, we'll discuss all these topics for hours. I can tell!!
I don't use FB. I don't think I've even ever posted anything on there, lol! The most useful thing I've gotten out of it so far is registering for Steemit, lol! But still, keeping in touch via as many means as possible would be awesome. I'm all for it! Steemchat sounds like a good place to start... :)
WOW! Some absolutely fantastic imagery @ezzy! Just got home from a 4 day work trip sans wifi or internet, on to the next one with anticipation.
RESTEEMED...people need to see this!
Nice one for the great comment, buddy. Hope you're keeping well! :)
The story quit scary even I'm just read feel the same way of the person on the article. I want to stop reading the story because even only story when im going to bed i will always think about the scary thing. Good article @ezzy
Thanks very much, sir. I was looking for that reaction! :)
This post received a 8% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @ezzy! For more information, click here!
I can say one thing for sure that the post is very well written. Keep sharing
Bless, @funnyman. I fully intend to!
Man This chapter had me glued to the screen of my phone. You one told me you like horror. Man this about all I can take...:)
Lol, I hope that's a good thing, my bro! Bless you for stopping by my blog and checking it out, man! :)
Oh, man, I am loving this series, Midas. I call you that because everything you touch seemingly turns to gold! You are on a whole other level, brother. Masterful storytelling, packed with visuals that are way better than any painting. The build up to the intrigue has intrigue all to itself. Heck, I could teach a college course just by examining the intricate layers of your writing.
It's only the 6th part, but you've already established James as a character that I would firmly root for. The shadowy goings on is something that I await eagerly to unravel. I don't want to rush it, as I want to savor every moment. Another great chapter, my bro! :D
My bro!
Man, again you're too kind. I'm only as good as the comments I receive so trust me when I say I'm truly humbled.
James is definately a character with some deep seated personal issues. But things have come to a head in the last day or so. The visions, the paranoia, all will be explained very soon.
Bless you for the great inspiration and confidence you instil. Coming from someone as great as you, it's certainly an achievement on my part.
Look forward to more from you soon, my bro. All the best!
Is it too much to ask that James's story be set in the same universe as Deckard's? Haha!
Lol... And you wouldn't believe. I've never watched the movie (hangs head in shame).
Oh, shoot! Decker. I meant, Decker! Hahaha! I don't know why I wrote Deckard haha! Must be the recent sequel trailer I watched.
Great read thank you :)
Thank you, sir. And may I say it's an honour for me to see you comment on my post. Bless... :)
dude this is TOO good...im glad i came across your blog bro...keep writing
Thank you, sir. More coming soon. :)
imma go read the rest...salute man, i love creative writing..
Bless you, man. Really appreciate your humbling comments.
This was so awesome! Totally loved ( and was sort of horrified too)it!
Thank you, buddy. Hope you enjoy the rest. :)
I too wrote a sort of story. Can you read and review it? It's on my profile!
Amazing write up from the master of words himself.
Thank you for your kind words, sir! :)
good work ☺
Thanks, @clixmoney! :)
you are welcome ☺
sangat hebat tulisan nya
Thanks.
lovely
Thanks. :)
Why are you giving me so much problems, @ezzy? Why you have to keep reaching heights where I can't describe how your work is in words anymore? Lol, this is one of my favourites you have written so far.The dream sequence, the suspense, the pain he feels, the fear of something unknown taking over his life. I love horror books (published by big name authors) and you stand head and shoulder on a par with the greats. I felt every bit of tension James did and you have really unsettled me. So thank you, lol! How are you doing this? Absolutely amazing and gripping stuff, @ezzy. Speechless...
Oh, @myb! How are you, bro!
As always, incredible comments from you! Thank you so much! I'll be taking this is a new direction going forward from here so I hope you enjoy what's coming up next. But I promise you, it's nothing you've ever read before in a book! I'm off to the beautiful Island of Crete for a week. Literally leaving in 10 minutes so will be posting from there for a while.
Once again, awesome comments, man! Be on the lookout for more very soon. Bless... :)
Reading through your story, catching up on the earlier episodes. Wasn't going to comment until I reached the latest episode, but just had to say you delivered an intensity in this one that has me eager to catch up. Really love the premise of your story, and the sense of panic that is slowly being ramped up here.
Hey, my bro!
Thank you very much! Trust me, that means a lot coming from you. I just hope you like the rest as much.
Humbled, man. Thank you. :)
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