Everything around me was bathed in crimson light, buildings twisted into impossible shapes, streets hummed in rage bodies indiscriminately covering them as if having died in place without any warning. It was too quiet, an overwhelming quiet that threatened to engulf all who experienced it; the silence of a city gone dead. And here I was, how had this happened? I stepped out of the protection of my front door unsure how I had gotten there in the first place.

“What the hell is going on?” I mumbled to myself as I fought the dizzying sensation that accompanied the rank scent of the rotting dead. I was back home again, but this wasn’t the Hillcrest Circle Street that I had grown up in. A sense of foreboding came over me, I turned around feeling as if someone was watching me, or something; I was right.

A dark figure watched me from the top steps of my mother’s duplex, it’s face shrouded in darkness, body like a woman’s but with limbs far too thin; its only defining feature was its eyes, scarlet blood colored eyes, no pupils, it stared at me from those steps watching me.

Cold dread filled my stomach, an icy spiked ball tearing into it ripping me from the inside. I backed up still keeping my eyes glued to the figure unsure of what to think of it. I stumbled, my feet running into something, I fell backward, the world flipping over, my head slamming into the ground, the sight of a blood red moon filling my vision, its size far too large to be normal.

A body lay next to me, the object of what I had stumbled over. “Fuck!” I yelped, more in fear then pain, standing up trying to put distance between myself and the corpse, my eyes searched for that strange watcher, a futile attempt as it seemed to have disappeared. With my stomach lurching, and my heart pounding I went out to explore this deadly world.

“Daniel.” A voice whispered, it seemed to have said more, but my name was the only thing I could understand as if something was trying to interfere with me hearing it, afraid of the implications.

“Who’s there?” I yelled out. A pounding sensation threatened to rip my head apart as if trying desperately to stop me from talking to whatever it was. In response, creatures started to come out of the shadows, like a hive of angry wasps they surrounded me, their dark forms as twisted as the buildings around me, I found myself surrounded by what could only be fairies.

Those were only the quickest to respond. All manner of creature, twisted and demented but still recognizable came out. All were impossible, creatures of the night, told about in fairy tales, told to explain before we knew better, but long ago abandoned to the realm of myth.

“It’s your fault!” screamed one of the creatures.

“Betrayer!” Another clamored.

The creature’s forms twisted, many seemed to be wrung out, their limbs stuck out at impossible angles. They crowded me, hands grabbing me, the buzzing of wings in my ears, the growling of a beast at my feet. So, intent to kill as if in the most horrific of ways. They raked at my flesh, pain so blinding, my body ripped and tore.

“Embrace me, Daniel.” The voice whispered, this time louder, clearer, a sweet, tender whisper begging for intimacy. I felt as if my blood were going to boil over.

“Please save me, someone, anyone.” I begged. Everything stopped, frozen in time, the light of the moon rained down on us all, its scarlet rays drowning everything in its light, a light far too bright.

I awoke, my body plastered in sweet my bedside a mess of tossed about pillows, blankets, and sheets. At the foot of the bed, a black cat stared at me unblinking, tail twitching angry.

“Mrow.” The cat complained before jumping off the bed. Swaggering his way to the food bowl in the kitchen, his steps reminding me of a man stepping into mud. He turned to me and meowed again.

I sighed, “I’ll be right there Rocky.” Forcing myself up was the hard part, I felt like I hadn’t slept at all that nightmare ruining what little sleep. Making my way through the apartment was a bit troublesome for this sleep-deprived brain. Pens, pencils, paint bottles and all kinds of other art supplies seemed to pop up at every opportunity to impede any hope of progress.

After feeding the cat and myself, I checked my phone, only then realizing my mistake; 9:55. Accompanied by that was a message from Emma. “Where are you?” It read.

“Fuck! I’m going to be late.” How had I overslept? I texted her back, “I’m on my way.” Then got myself ready.

By the time I made it, the class seemed to be in its last hour, and my head pounded. Sneaking in through one of the back entrances I made my way down, searching for Emma. My phone vibrated, pulling it out a message read. “You missed me, I’m in the back.”

I searched the back tables the pounding in my head making it harder than usual to focus. There she was, a brunette girl waved from one of the back-most tables.

“Emma, did you need something?” The professor asked from the front.

“Oh no, sorry Mr. Grey, I was just stretching my arm out is all.” She said trying to hide her embarrassment.

“I see,” He looked towards me, “Mister Daniel, please make your way to your seat so you can quit disrupting class.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, looking down avoiding the looks of the other students, feeling their stares as I made my way to Emma.

“What took you so long?” Emma asked, whispering in the hopes that Grey wouldn’t call us out again.

“I overslept I guess, didn’t even hear my alarm. Fucking crazy ass nightmare.”

“What was it about?” One of the other people on the table asked, a guy named Jenna I think. “Not really certain anymore, all I remember is a voice, some womans voice, and light. Whatever it was it sure as hell creeped me the hell out.”

“Ha, maybe you’re having nightmares of Emma nagging on you.” Another classmate responded.

“I have my reasons Tod,” Emma snarled. Emma glared at me with those stormy emerald green eyes, I could feel a fluttering in my chest even as I mentally prepared for a lecture.

She scooted closer, “You need to hold yourself more accountable Daniel, I know you haven’t been feeling well since Theresa left but you need to get your act together, you’re falling behind.” She whispered.

She was so close, my heart pounded like a caged animal, I was afraid she would hear it, we’d been friends for years now, and yet she still made me feel this way.

“Yeah, yeah I get it,” I said before pushing her away. “You’re too close,” I tried to sound irritated, though inside I felt a twisted pleasure.

“Shush, stop trying to act so tough all the time.” She said with a grin her glare gone.

Class droned on, ending finally at 11. I think Emma may have said something about eating together at the cafe before class, I’m not sure though my head hurt so much. It was beyond a headache, I couldn’t handle it, it was as if something were trying to rake its way out.

“I’m not feeling so well; I’m going to go get a painkiller or something. I’ll meet you in class.” I mumbled to a worried Emma before stumbling my way back to my dorm.

~Click~

Painful light revealed my one-room apartment. Rocky; my cat started moving as soon as I turned the light on, weaving his way around my legs. “Mrow,” he whined. Then Rocky stared at me expectantly as if saying, “Give me attention!”

“One second Rocky,” I responded lovingly and tossed my shoes aside. I went to the cabinet with my meds, many of which I’d stopped taking. “Tylenol, Aleve, come one there’s got to be something.” Finding something finally, I dry swallowed it, wanting to get rid of this pain as soon as possible. I even took one pill over the recommended dose hoping that it would do the trick.

I went over to Rocky, scratching him; his purr a reward for the minor show of affection. In the middle of the room, was my canvas, a strange feeling welled up inside me upon seeing it, the pounding in my head becoming far sharper, so painful that I thought I was going to heave. Then the pounding stopped.

“Daniel,”

A mysterious feminine voice called out to me, strangely familiar; am I going crazy? The pounding stopped, a welcome change, I found myself being drawn to that blank canvas. The urge to pain hit me like a rock, I needed to paint, needed to create. A strange feeling though a welcome change as lately I had found it too hard to do much of anything outside of the expected. I stopped thinking about the voice, as the urge to draw overcome me.

I went to work; I didn’t even know what it was that I was drawing. I went into a trance, like the one that many who call themselves artists go into. The world moved at a near standstill. My body was on automatic; the color seemed to come out of nowhere filling the canvas. It wasn’t a grand scene; a large stone doorway surrounded by vegetation, water dribbling from its side; droplets pooling up into a puddle that disappeared along with the border of the painting. My hand stopped, I sat their amazed at what I had created.

“Find me…” A voice whispered.

“Who’s there?” I asked in futility only half caring to know, my eyes glued to the painting in front of, it was so realistic, as if a photo, no not even that, it was almost as if It was a window rather than a painting. When had I gotten this good at art? Why did it seem so alive?

A buzzing filled my head, the itching reaching a crescendo, my hand touched the painting, I could feel the cold stone, the cold of the water, the stiff breeze. I felt myself lurching forward, my hand going into the painting, colors seeming to swirl around me until I could no longer see anything.

When my vision cleared, I found that I was no longer in my apartment. All around me the surroundings had changed; my apartment had given way to stone and greenery. The cold sensation of dripping water made me suddenly aware that this seemed to be real. Then I noticed something. I looked over to where the light came from and came across a doorway. The doorway stood there in the cave both in contrast and in harmony, its shape seemed so smooth that it almost looked like it had naturally formed. The inner part of the doorway was covered in beautiful vegetation. Vines covered it, scarlet flowers blooming from them. The flowers seeming to shimmer from some unknown source; a scene fit for a painting; my painting.

“Where am I?” I asked out loud both hoping for someone to answer and dreading to hear it. Of course, nothing replied. I neared the doorway, my skin running a marathon of goosebumps on my way under. I checked my phone, hoping that it had service, a hope dispelled in moments, the phone had no service.

It took me a bit to calm down after the realization came over me, I pocketed my phone, turning it off. I slunk around trying to avoid stepping on the greenery, a futile attempt as the floor was covered in it. Climbing over flowers and vine, I made my way past the doorway.

Past the door, a shimmering pool of water lit up the chamber. The ambient blue light of the water glowed unnaturally almost as if I were staring at a lava lamp. Vegetation seemed to be everywhere, long trellises of vine appeared to cover the otherwise black stone of the cave. Life was so abundant here, something that should have been impossible, the only light coming from the pool and the flowers. Kneeling; my throat parched I caught sight of my reflection staring back, my short brunette hair wild, an untamed mass, my blue eyes almost matching the blue of the water.

It seemed clean enough, cupping my hands; I sipped the water, my throat thirsty. A feeling of electric energy zipped through my body, the sense of drowsiness that had followed me since this morning disappeared. I took another drink, but stopped, the reflection of the water showed something with me.

“Shit!” I jumped backward, stumbling into the flowers and vines that I had so carefully tried to avoid before, anxious to see what was with me, only to find out I was alone. The chamber now felt far more ominous, the sensation of something else here overshadowing the peaceful atmosphere leaving me wary of every shadow. Looking down and seeing the crushed vegetation I felt a slight pang of regret but then made my way onward.

Following the sound of running water it wasn’t long before I found my way out. Light shined from above burning my sockets which only moments ago had dealt with nearly pitch-dark blackness. I stood now on a mountain pathway, feeling blessed to be out, afraid I would forever be lost in those caves. But that feeling of blessing flipped as I realized that nothing around me looked anything like human civilization. A temperate forest lay before me. To the left was a patch of white that seemed to border the forest. And much farther ahead the forest seemed to clear, and with it the first signs of human civilization I could see; a huge road.