Lucid Visions

February 25th, 2016
	
Lucid dreaming. It's all my friend ever seems to talk about. Even though we're on opposite ends of the social spectrum, he seems to act more of an introvert than me. I wonder why we're even friends sometimes. I've heard about it on online forums but I just remember being weirded out by the people who get REALLY into it. Like, to the point where the dreams almost feel like a second reality to them. I dunno, just seemed very depressing to me.
	
Regardless, I have to write a journal about my dreams so I can be more aware of when I'm dreaming or not. Which is gonna be interesting because I tend to get lost in the details a lot. There is a rather big problem here in the fact that I haven't been able to dream or remember a dream in like, ever. So yeah, I can't wait to see how that turns out. It'd be pretty funny if I did end up dreaming about something tonight. It would just end up making me look like a fool. To myself. Right, no one is going to read this. Like I said, details. It's almost midnight so I better hit the sack tonight and pray for the best.
February 26th, 2016
	
Well I'll be damned, not long after I passed out, I had a dream. It wasn't anything special, it was just sort of like me doing my morning routine after getting out of bed. You know, like just me brushing my teeth, taking a shower, breakfast, nothing out of the ordinary. Although, all I have for breakfast these days is just some cereal. Typical food for the broke college student. The only thing different was that my father called me and told me he was going to drop by tonight to take me to dinner. He must've been sick 'cause I remember that he sneezed heavily in the middle of it. I think I woke up after I hung up or when I said sure, but I can't remember. Either way, that's all I got to report on for now, class is starting soon so I better get ready.
		
----
So, I just came back from class, but I had to write this down. After I finished writing my entry today, I did what I said, y'know, shower, food, etc. But then, I got a phone call all of the sudden, and when I checked to see who it was, it was my father. He said, if it was alright for him drop by and have dinner with me. Exactly how it was in my dream. Now, it's probably just some weird coincidence but, the fact that he said the exact same thing like in the dream really caught me off guard. Word for word, he even sneezed at the exact moment like in my dream. 
I mean, it's not like it's any cause for concern since it's just a random thing that happened. My father calls me out for dinner all the time, so I guess it makes sense I'd dream about it as well. Either way, it's time for me to go to the restaurant my father mentioned. It's a real classy place. It'll be nice to have something other than ramen for once. I will jot down anything new.
March 1st, 2016
	
Nothing new these past few days. I'd go to sleep and wake up like nothing happened in between. Actually, I remembered telling my father about that funny dream I had and he just chuckled a bit and quickly changed the subject. It was kind of odd how quickly he changed the topic like that. Ah well, it was a pretty boring thing to talk about anyway. So, let's get right to it, I had another dream last night. I dreamed of going to a local store and buying some drinks and snacks. While I was checking out, I decided to buy a scratcher from the clerk. It was a 1 dollar scratcher, got my lucky penny out and tested my luck. Guess what, I ended up winning $500 from it. You could imagine my disappointment when I woke up after that. Both in the fact I had no money and that I keep dreaming mundane shit. But you know, I should hit up that store after class is over. I dunno, guess I'm just feeling lucky.
----
I won... I followed what I did in the dream. Bought the same drinks, same snacks, even bought the same scratcher. And I won $500, just like in the dream. I can hardly believe it myself. I mean, this is fucking insane. This isn't some coincidence, I dreamed exactly what happened the day after. Almost as if my dreams can predict the future. I still can't believe it. I really, really can't process this right now. I don't even know how I'm going to sleep tonight. It'll be best if I just go outside for some fresh air. I'll write some more if something happens. This is going to be interesting I feel.
March 4th, 2016
	
So, it's been awhile. After my walk, I bought some energy drinks and headed home. I didn't get a wink of sleep that night. I called in sick for my classes as well, there was no way I could focus with what's going on. I just kept drinking energy drinks and coffee till it felt like I was going have a heart attack. I couldn't tell you why I was so afraid. It's a bizarre thing all around but, there was just... something that kept me awake, that kept me on edge. The weirdest thing of all, was that it felt familiar, almost like recalling a traumatic event from your childhood. That said, after nearly 2 days, my eyelids felt heavy and I passed out on my couch.
	
The dream that followed was more than enough reason to write down in the notebook. It was early in the morning. I was walking to the movie theater with a good friend of mine, Frank. He was the guy who told me about lucid dreaming in the first place. Frank invited me to see this new movie that came out. Ever since I started having these dreams, I could recall everything perfectly, down to the smallest details. This time however, I couldn't remember what we were talking about while we were walking. But even then, we didn't seem to talk much. We just walked in silence. Then, as were nearing the crosswalk, the light turned red and the white "walk" sign turned into a "don't walk" sign. I sighed and pushed the button and waited for the sign to turn back. But he didn't stop. Frank just kept on walking despite the large amount of traffic. I remember calling out to him, although I can't remember what I actually said. 
	
But Frank just kept walking, as if in a trance. His gray eyes were wide open, like as if he was terrified. What he was scared of, I have no idea. I looked around and nothing was off, there was no one around. Frank was walking on the asphalt at this point. I began to run towards him, calling out to him. He stopped. But it was too late. It happened so fast. The truck hit him in a blink of an eye. I ran out to him, yelling his name. The truck stopped and some nearby pedestrians wanted to see what was going on. Frank was on ground in front of a Sedan. I ran up to him, to see if he was still alive.
	
But what I saw stopped me in my tracks. His body was mangled, as if he was torn to shreds by Lion or a Tiger. He was covered in claw marks, his eyes were gouged out, and his legs were sliced cleanly off, like someone chopped them off with an axe. All of this, by being hit by a pickup truck. A nearby woman yelled at the sight, but I just stood there, motionless. What caused this? This is couldn't happen no matter how you look at it. It was as if, Frank died multiple times at once.
	
I woke up after that. I was drenched in sweat, my breathing was heavy. I wiped the sweat from my head. I wanted to puke from that horrible sight. But more than anything, I wanted to call Frank. I grabbed my phone and checked my contact list. I immediately tapped on Frank's name and called him. The phone ringed while I prayed that Frank will pick up. I closed my eyes and waited what seemed like hours. The image of his horribly mangled body burned into my memory. The ringing stopped, I heard a voice that removed all of my fears. It was Frank. He wasn't in a good mood, demanding to know why I called him at 4 A.M. all of the sudden.
	
"Oh, it's that early huh? Ha ha... Sorry, I just woke up is all."
	
"You didn't come to class yesterday either. What's going on man?"
	
"I... just felt sick is all. You know how often I get sick dude. But, never mind that. What are you plans for today? I mean, later today. Hah..."
"Actually, I wanted to know if you wanted to see that new movie with Morgan Freeman, you know, London something?"
	
"Oh, yeah, yeah, London Has Fallen, right. Are you sure you wanna see that? 'cause like, the trailers looked kinda boring. How about we just get some beers and play some video games?"
	
"We can do that any other day man. Come on, it'll be great. We get to see Morgan Freeman kick some ass, head out to a bar afterwards, it'll be a night out in the town."
	
"Frank that sounds wonderful and all but I really think we should just stay home you know?"
	
"You don't have to come if you don't want to. If you're not up for it, I'll find someone else to go with then."
	
"But..."
	
"I just don't see what the big deal is. It's only a movie, why do you seem so against it?"
	
"Frank, I didn't want to tell you this but you may be in danger."
	
"Whoa, whoa, hold the phone in the figurative sense. What do you mean danger?"
	
"Look I can't really explain it but I just have this... feeling ok? It's a real nasty feeling that I got last night."
	
"No offense but that just sounds like a threat. You sure you're alright?"
	
"I... I'm not sure..."
	
"Well, look, we can forget the movies then. Just come on by tomorrow and we can just talk you know? If you need to vent, I'm all ears."
	
"Yeah, I really would like that."
	
We agreed to meet up at his place and I hung up after that. Well, at least I don't have to worry about Frank. But still, I can't get the image of Frank's body out of my head. Why was he mangled like that? Why did he look so out of it? Why can't I remember what I heard? Of course, the biggest question is why I can predict the future? But can I? There could be no way Frank can end up like that if it did happen, right? Ugh, there's just so many goddamn questions, but it's not like I can ask anyone about this. I'm going to tell Frank all about this tomorrow, today, still dazed and confused. I don't care if he'll believe me, I don't care if he'll call me crazy. I... just need to let someone know, just get it off my chest. It's almost 9 A.M. I should be meeting him soon. Hopefully he'll listen and stay at home at least till I get there. If nothing else, I'd like to just relax and not think about this for a bit.
----
Frank's dead. I had just arrived at his shared house. It was early since the sun wasn't even up. When I knocked, one of his roommates opened the door. A large and buff dude that I've met once or twice, think his name was Spike. Frank told his roommates that I was coming. The house was roomy which was good since it was the home for 5 college kids. Frank tells me that living with this many guys means that it just a never ending party which sounds exhausting to a guy like me. I asked where Frank was. His roommate just shrugged, saying that he was probably in his room. He asked one of the younger guys to check up on him. Rolling his eyes, the freshman ran up the stairs. We made small talk as we waited, talking about our class and stuff. 
	
That's when we heard screaming coming from upstairs. It was the freshman. Everyone in the house went to where the screaming was coming from. It was coming from Frank's room. We burst inside to see what was going on. The freshman was trying not to vomit as he sat on the ground. In the closet was Frank, mangled and ripped apart, just like in my dream. Everyone began to panic; worrying that there may be a killer in the house. Spike tried to calm everyone down, as panicking wasn't going to help.
	
Spike brought out his phone and called the police. I just sort of stood there, trying to wrap my head around what happened. I thought I prevented this, I thought I was going to save Frank from... whatever did this. The events leading up to it may have changed, but the result is the same. When I won the lottery, I thought my dream would predict everything that would happen. But in the end, me buying the same stuff at the same store was my decision, influenced by the dream itself, only me winning was what was fated to happen. Simply put, Frank was gonna die regardless what I did. But how, what can cause Frank dying in such an impossible manner? The police eventually came, and interviewed us. His housemates all said the same thing, that no one noticed anything out of the ordinary, that there has been no history of break ins.
	
When I was interviewed, I didn't tell them about my dream. If I wasn't going to tell my close friend, I sure as fuck wasn't going to tell the police. After inspecting the house and having the ambulance take the body out of the house, they couldn't find anything out of ordinary. Once everything was settled, I headed home. I drove in a daze, as if everything until now is just a long fucked up dream.
	
Now, I'm... I'm just at a loss on what to do. I know I won't be sleeping anytime soon. I don't want to think about what I'll see if I sleep. I'm going to the nearby store, get myself some more energy drinks and coffee. I know I'm slowly killing myself doing this. But I couldn't care less by this point. I don't know if I'll write in this diary or journal ever again. I... just don't know.
March 9th, 2016
	
I haven't had any sleep in days. All I could think of is Frank's body whenever I begin to feel sleepy. The police has ruled his death as an "unsolved murder" even with all the flaws with that statement. There's no way Frank could've been murdered in the shape his body was in. How can a person rip someone to near shreds in less than five minutes? But it doesn't stop there.
	
I was watching the news last night. Well, it was more like I was spacing out while I occasionally glanced over to see what's on screen. The news was talking about the usual shit, it was pretty slow day overall. But then, all of the sudden, the newscaster began to talk about a murder that just occurred. It was enough to snap me out of my trance to see what's going on. The store clerk who owned the shop I bought my winning scratcher was found dead this morning. That alone shocked me, especially since I've known the guy for two years. His shop was my go to place ever since I came to this town.
	
Apparently, a customer had entered the store very late at night. He was greeted by the clerk as he asked for a pack of cigarettes. The clerk then went to back to see if he had any more in stock. When he failed to return after 5 minutes, the customer got annoyed. He went behind the counter and knocked on the door, asking if he was alright. The door opened slowly and he found the clerk dead on the ground. 
	
But then they talked about how he died. They mentioned how his body was found scratched and mutilated in a way that could not have been by any normal human being. Exactly how Frank died, I sort of mumbled to myself. I turned off the T.V. when they moved on to a different subject. I have to find out what's causing this. If this keeps happening, I know I'm going to fall victim as well. I hate to admit, but I might have to fall asleep soon. Not cause it's been days since I last did, but it might help shed some light on what's doing this.
March 10th, 2016
	
I can't tell if I'm lucky or not but I didn't dream at all last night. Right after finishing my entry, I practically passed out on my desk. Embarrassingly enough, I woke up to find drool on my diary/notebook. My last entry is now no longer legible I'm afraid. Neither of those matter at the moment. I looked up online to see if there were more of these unsolved deaths either now or beforehand. Surprisingly and rather depressingly, it's rather common all around the world. It started within the past decade with a case in Europe in which a German woman went missing for a few days. She went to visit her friends in Paris but never arrived. Her corpse was located in a lake near Saint-Quentin. Her body was covered in the same marks just like Frank and the Clerk.
	
These cases have been growing more and more common in the past few years. None of them seem to have any connection. They just disappear for a few minutes or a few years before being found in the same condition as the rest. They've mostly been in smaller or in third world countries with that German woman being more of an exception. Like I said, they've been growing more common and as such, more and more are happening in larger and more developed countries.
	
What does whatever is doing this want? How are they capable of doing this around the world and with such little time to spare? I doubt I'll be able to get these answers but what I want to know is how my power is connected? Is my power even connected at all? God damn it, this is so fucked up.
	
I'm meeting my father tomorrow. He wants to take me out for dinner again, same place as before. I'm really not feeling up to it but the more I stay in my room, the more paranoid I get. Justifiable paranoia if you ask me. Anyway, I shoul
	
I'm getting more paranoid it seems. As I was finishing my sentence, I swear I heard something outside my window. It sounded like a rustling noise from a typical slasher flick. When I looked outside, a cat ran out of a nearby bush and hid behind a trash can. It was hissing the whole time. I stuck around to see if I can find what could've scared the cat but there was nothing.
	
I'm not falling asleep tonight. I don't know what scared that cat but I can't take any chances. I'm gonna turn off the lights and stake out tonight. It's going to come for me soon. I just don't know what I'll do if it shows up. I have a small pistol I keep for safety but could it even hurt whatever this creature is? I'll keep it around me regardless. It'll come out. It'll come out...
March 11th, 2016
	
It's morning. Nothing showed up. I'm relieved but at the same time, I can't relax. It can come at anytime and kill me in less than a minute. This demon can't be underestimated. If I knew somebody the same way I knew Frank, I'd call them to keep my company so I won't be alone. But that would just endanger them as well. I can't have them end up the same way. I'll do this alone. Even if it ends up killing me.
	
I need someone to confide in however. Someone that I can vent all this frustration with. All this bullshit. My father, I'm going to tell him today. About the cases, about Frank and the clerk. This notebook can only do so much. I may no longer be a child, but he's still someone I can trust.
	
----
	
I met with my father today. He showed up in a typical dad outfit, Khaki's, Polo shirt, etc. I swear he just embraces it. We ate our food and discussed small talk at first. But I just wanted to get it out of my system. While he was making a cringy joke, I began to speak.
	
"Dad, dad, please. No Asian jokes please. I really need to talk with you and it's pretty serious."
	
"Whaaat? You actually want to talk? This is a first. It's about time you want to open up to your old man. So what's up doc?" He bit off the tip of an imaginary carrot. At this point, I just unloaded everything on him. From the death of Frank, the clerk, and the unexplainable deaths. But what really got his attention was that I told him I saw Frank's death beforehand in my dream.
	
"That's... that's just a coincidence. It's probably just you worrying about Frank."
	
"But I had no reason to worry about Frank. Nothing worried me about him until after the dream."
	
"Listen, son, I know this is hard on you. But you're probably just imagining things. You look awful. Have you been getting any sleep recently?"
	
"I can't sleep! I'm not imagining things! Damn it, why don't you believe your goddamn son!" I got a little furious here. I actually pounded my fists on the table. Our plates bounced a bit. People nearby looked over to see what the commotion was. I put my hands beneath the table and apologized to my father for my little outburst. He looked a bit shocked at first but then had a rather soft look on his face.
	
"Son, let's get out of here. I need to show you something." I was a bit taken back by his response. I nodded. After we finished eating, we drove to a local graveyard. We didn't speak until I asked why we were coming here. He told me he was disappointed I don't recognize this place. When we arrived, we headed to a random tombstone that blended in with the rest. I glanced at the headstone to see who was buried. I almost did a double take when I saw it was my mother.
	
"Mom?"
	
"You don't remember her do you? You were just 5 years old when she died."
	
"What was she like?"
	
"She was a kind woman. The kind of woman that's too easy to fall in love with. When she saw you for the first time, she had the biggest smile I can remember." My dad began to talk about her as if we were in a romantic novel. He was always a big sap but I'm kind of the same in that regard.
	
"So why did we decide to come here?"
	
"Do we need a reason to pay our respects? This is your first time here you know."
	
"Right, sorry. But why until now? Why did we never come here before?"
	
"The day before she died, you came into our room with a little blanket and PJ's looking really scared. We asked 'what's wrong'? We knew you had a nightmare since you had many as kid. You looked at your mother and said, 'I dreamt that mommy died'." My stomach sank and my knees began to feel weak when he said that. I knew all along that this might've been the case. But hearing it aloud, having someone confirm it, really made feel sick. "We just laughed it off as a joke. You were a bit of an odd child. Yet, she told me that she began to feel she was being watched later that day. I laughed that off as well, saying that she shouldn't take a 5 year old's nightmare so seriously. I can't think of anything that I regret more than laughing at her fear like that."
	
"Tell me, how did she die?"
	
"I feel that you know that better than I." I can't believe it. My mother... was a victim as well. Not only that, but I ended up predicting her death as well. "After the funeral, I tried figuring out how you could know something like that ahead of time. But everyone I went to just laughed me off or just brushed it off as a coincidence. I ended up feeling the same way and up until you mentioned me calling that day."
	
I regained my balance and stood up. My father just kept looking her headstone. There was no epitaph or anything on it besides her name and dates. "Why me? Why do I have this power?"
	
"Who knows? Maybe we accidentally dropped you in a vat of radioactive chemicals?" He said in an attempt to be funny. To be honest, I did chuckle a bit. It was nice to just laugh at bad joke for once. After spending some time paying our respects, we headed home. I asked if I could stay the night and he agreed. It's been ages since I've been to my old house. My room was just like how I left it. Posters of semi recent action movies and a useless bunk bed since no one really stayed over. I might end up staying the weekend. It's what I really need at the moment.
	
I told my father I wanted to go fishing at out usual spot tomorrow. He had the biggest grin since we haven't fished there since I was 14. I really feel bad for ignoring my father during my uh, "edgy" phase of my life. He's been so alone all this time. Speaking of which, I should head to the living room now, it's movie night. Gonna watch Marley and Me tonight, he always cries at the end. I secretly do as well.
March 12, 2016
	
I was so stupid. I was so fucking stupid. For a moment, I thought I could put all this behind me. That this was just a long nightmare. But it wasn't going to go away so quickly. I was a fucking idiot.
	
I had a dream that night. I was hiding in a dark room, so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of me if I were to hold it up to my face. What was different was that I wasn't actually there. I was seeing through the eyes of... something or someone. It remained dark for a long time, it was silent as well. The only sound was someone moving around outside. There was a thump and someone swore loudly. When I heard the voice, I immediately recognized it as my father.
	
It was at this point that I realized what I was going on. It was made more obvious when I heard a bottle of shampoo fall in the tub. I wanted to yell. But nothing came out of my mouth. Rather, it was not my mouth and what came out was something I wished I had never heard. The sound was my voice. A pitch perfect recreation of my voice. 
	
It began to call out to my father; using my voice to act like I fell on the ground. My father called back saying it was odd that I was up without him noticing. His footsteps began to sound louder and louder as he came close to bathroom. I tried to wake myself up, yet I couldn't move. All I could do is watch since my eyes can't even close. He was right outside the door, saying that he had a small first aid kit in case I was hurt. I heard the knob turn. The door swung open and my father was peering in.
	
At this point I woke up. It was barely 5 A.M. I didn't waste any time, I ran as fast as I could to the master bedroom. But it was too late. I didn't see my father's body. I just saw blood smears on the carpet that lead to the bathroom that now remained closed. I was holding back my tears at this moment. What took my mother has now taken another important person in my life. The lovable goof that raised me all by himself. Now he's gone.
	
I didn't have time to mourn. Since the bathroom door began to open slowly. I didn't want to stick around to find out what was behind that door. When I turned around to head out the front door, the door to the bedroom shut itself in less than a second. I seized the knob and tried to turn it as hard as I could. Yet it wouldn't budge. I looked back, the bathroom door was still opening slowly. It was as if that thing was taunting me. I looked around the room to find any way out. In front of me was a window. It was a two story drop but better to die falling than to ripped apart by that thing. The bathroom swung open but I didn't look back. I sprinted and jumped through the window, shattering the glass and landing on a bush by sheer luck. I had cut all over me as I landed, most notably on my legs and head. I immediately ran as fast as I could away from that house. People came and looked outside to see what the fuck was going on. I didn't care though.
	
I ran for what seemed like a mile before a nearby police car spotted me and asked me to stop for questions. When they asked me what I was doing, I frantically told him about how there was murderer in my father's house. After telling them I got like this by trying to escape the killer, they got me in the car and called for backup. I stayed outside while they inspected the house. As expected, they found nothing out of the ordinary outside of my on the spot escape plan. I couldn't look as they brought out his body on the stretcher even if it were in a black bag. After inspecting the house, I was questioned especially since this is the second time I've been at a scene of a crime this month. I avoided anything supernatural in my answers as before. Being taken to a mental hospital was the last thing I want at the moment.
	
After everything was done, I got in my car and began to cry. I've lost so much by this point, I just didn't want to do this anymore. I just wanted to drive me to a nearby lake and crash into it. But I couldn't just yet. I wanted to know one thing before I died. I wanted to know why I am capable of seeing what I can see. I put my keys in the ignition and drove back here. I know I'll be next now. This demon won't let me live after witnessing that. I got my pistol out and my energy drinks and coffee on stand by. I'm not going let myself die so easily.
March 16th, 2016
	
It's been days since I've last wrote in this. I fear I'm getting close to the end and it won't end well for me. Regardless, I must write down everything that has happened since. The night I came back and stayed up all night in preparation for when it will arrived, I had the T. V. on. I've been watching the news to see if there any more victims. I haven't left my house since I came back but if the news is anything to go by, it should stay that way. More and more people have been found in the manner. To give you an idea, the past month has only had 6 weird deaths that fit the description, that night, more than 50 were found dead. That's only in this small town, god knows what it's like everywhere now. Even the news station had a few victims during this since they've went off air a few times.
	
During that night, at around 3 A.M., I heard a some noises outside of my house. I immediately pulled out my gun and checked every room and window to see what was making that noise. At this point, I had nothing to fear. After everything that has transpired so far, I've accepted death and was willing to do what it takes to find my answer. If only I knew that there was far more to fear than death.
	
After checking out everything, I head back to the living room for another energy drink. That's when I hear a loud thump from the front door. I turn around as fast as I could and pull out my gun again. I turned off the T.V. and hid behind my couch as I wait for whatever's out there make a move. I sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. My rapid heartbeat being the only sound that emanates throughout the house. I take a deep breath and peer above the couch. At this point I've yet to see... it. All of my encounters with it have been brief and I've been too worried about my own safety to bother getting a glimpse. When I looked around, my eyes were drawn towards to the window closest to me and to what was behind it.
	
I want to describe it. I want to be able to articulate what has been haunting me this past month. But I can't. This is because that... thing is something that could not exist. It's existence alone defies how we view the world, how we view the universe. Even now, I can't even understand what it was. All I know is that it had what could be considered a mouth. And it smiled at me. The fear that I once thought gone, that thin attempt at being brave, came back in an instant. It felt like my mind was being violated just by looking at it. The only thing that kept me from going completely insane is because that thing disappeared in a second. Like one second it was there and the next it wasn't. I had to catch myself so I didn't pass out by sheer fright.
	
When I managed to calm myself as much as I could, I knew it was going to get inside sooner or later. When it will, I won't last a second. But the real question was how, if it could get inside without needing a direct way in, it would've done it already. Frank and the clerk died within minutes of being left alone without any sign of break in. At this point, I heard a familiar sound. A cat meowing. I looked around to see the stray cat hidden behind the T.V. At this point it was made clear to me, if another being is present, that thing can't attack. Even if that being was just a cat. At least, that's what I thought.
	
I tried to beckon the cat over so I wouldn't leave my sight. The cat wasn't willing at first but it eventually came over. Slowly I tried to hold on to the cat. It scratched and hissed but it eventually calmed down. I gripped the cat close without crushing the poor thing. That's when a thought came to my head. How did it get in? Panic began to settle in when I realized this. A loud crash inside the house affirmed my fears. I quickly jumped to my feet with the cat in hand. That's when I heard a familiar voice coming from my bedroom. A voice I've heard once or twice but has been ingrained in my mind all this time. It was my mother.
"Sweetie? Are you there? Ah, I'm so sorry for the mess, but it's because you always have it so dark in here. Mind if I at least turn on the light?" My bedroom suddenly turned bright. My door was slightly ajar but not open enough to get a good look inside. I'm so glad that was the case as well. If I were to see that thing impersonate my mother with my own eyes, I would've been beyond repair. My mind would not be capable of witnessing such an event. "Oh, why don't you call up your father dear? I swear he's always getting himself in trouble when's alone."
	
I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I just wanted to die. But I had to keep going, I had to know what was going on. I remained silent and decided to wait until morning. I sat down and held the cat up close and sat in silence trying to block out my mother's disembodied voice from my mind. It never ended, it kept calling me, kept telling me things that only my mother could know like how I sprained my ankle when I was 4 or how I told her she was going to die.
	
The rest of the night was a blur. Just a never ending struggle with my sanity as it kept calling out to me with that voice. I wanted to kill it, for daring to use her as bait. But I had to play it smart and wait it out. When morning came, I didn't even noticed until the cat began to struggle in my arms. I looked at bedroom and heard nothing. I eventually let the cat go and slowly headed to my room. I stuck my arm out and slowly pushed the door open. The light remained on and nothing seemed out of place. Whatever was here was gone but it'll be back by nightfall.
	
I didn't want to stick around. I grabbed my journal and the cat and ran to my car outside. I spent the past few days trying to survive rather than trying to find out my ability. Looking back, I knew there was one place that could have my answer. My old house. After turning on my car, I pulled out of the driveway and on to the road. On my way there, I noticed nobody was outside despite it being 10 in the morning. Everyone must've been hiding out of fear, locking themselves inside for fear of their lives. It was straight out of an apocalyptic movie.
	
I eventually made it to my old home. The police tape still in covering the building but I couldn't care less at this point. Grabbing the cat, I snuck my way through the back. The kitchen were I had many fond memories, now just seems like any old kitchen to me. I practically tore the place apart in search of something that could help me in anyway. Checked the living room, nothing. Checked the dining room, nothing. Checked the small storage room, nothing! The first floor was practically useless to me. I made my way to the staircase but before I could head up the stairs, I felt a chill run down my spine. Up these stairs was the place my father died, the place I nearly died, the place that's now just a nightmare to me. A living, breathing nightmare. I stood there for what seemed like hours before slowly taking my first step.
	
When I reached the top, I took a glance at the master bedroom. The blood smear still remained there. I decided to hold off and explore my room first. Like everything about this house, the room no longer felt the same. Everything about it just seems off to me now. Like as if everything had been replaced by an exact replica. I wasted no time and searched every nook and cranny for anything that can be considered useful. While I was emptying my cabinet, I noticed something that fell out of my drawer. It was a picture of my family, me, my dad, and my mom, all smiling. It was taken at the usual fishing spot my dad used to take me. My dad reeled in a huge catfish and must've gotten an uncle of mine to snap the photo. Even though everything in that house had lost all meaning, that photo was enough to bring out a smile and a tear or two from me.
	
I flipped the photo and saw text written with a sharpie. The text said, "Nothing". It was odd, sure, but I didn't think much of it at the time. After searching my room and preparing myself mentally and emotionally, I entered the master bedroom. I did my best to avoid looking at the blood smear and the bathroom in general. After dumping all the drawers, I noticed something hidden in the cabinet. It was a small box with no real decorations on it. I grabbed it and opened it to see what was inside. The box had a small journal and an envelope with photos inside. 
	
Before opening the journal, I glanced through the pictures in the envelope. They were all Polaroids of our family with messages on the back. Most of the said "Nothing" like the photo I found earlier. That's when I discovered an eerie photo. It was taken at night and had no one in the photo. It showed the lake and the pier although it was so dark you could only see a small portion of the water. I flipped it over and saw text that was different from the rest. "1" it said. I looked again and spotted toward the corner of the photo an indescribable being, grinning a toothless grin. It was different to what I've encountered but I knew it was the same... thing. I put down the photos and decided to look through the notebook. I then realized, this journal, belonged to my mother. It was my mother's dream journal.
	
I skimmed through to see what my mother dreamed of. The first couple of pages are her dreaming about banging a popular male actor and creating a small town out of nothing. Then it gets disturbingly familiar. Eventually she starts writing about how she dreamed of walking to work and seeing a car crash only to have it play out in real life the day after. She even recalled having a dream about her seeing a store being robbed only to hear about it on the news later that day. The more I read, the more disturbing it gets. I didn't get to read the rest since I knew nighttime was going to fall soon. I checked into a nearby hotel for the night and just now finished reading what she wrote. Eventually she starts to write about she has trouble sleeping since "it" has been following her in her nightmares. In her penultimate entry, she dreams about her waking up to see me tell her that she's going to die. Her last entry...
"Oh dear god... I had a dream last night. Whenever I fall asleep, I keep thinking I'll see that dreadful monstrosity again. It's coming for me, I just know it! But I didn't see that thing. I saw what that thing was afraid of. They were... shapes, monoliths, grander than I can even begin to describe. They were bigger than even our sun. I asked why me, why do I have to suffer through these nasty images every night? It told me things, secrets, ideas that I can't even begin to wrap my head around. But it made one thing clear, it told me why I have this power. It said, in a what can hardly be described as an intelligible voice, 'oracles... of... judgement...' Then I woke up."
unknown
	
It's been so long that I can't even remember what day is today. The cat died last night; I fell asleep for no more than 30 minutes before waking up and seeing what little was left of the poor guy. It's definitely taking it's time with me, toying with it's food. I won't allow that, so I'm going to put this pistol of mine to good use. If I accomplished anything, it's that I won't submit to it. Even now I can hear it laughing, using my voice from when I was a child. An innocent carefree laugh that's been plaguing me for a long time now.
	
None of the lights work and my T.V. won't even turn on. Last I remember was that the news station was going off the air due to the fact that most of their staff was missing. I lost electricity not long after that. If my dream was anything to go by, it's already too late. We were mere stepping stones of something greater, larger than we could possibly imagined. My mother came face to face with one, I think that alone makes her one of the toughest individuals I can imagine. Which makes it more frustrating whenever it calls out to me in with her voice.
	
I had one last dream when I fell asleep last night. It was cold and dark, our sky was like an abyss. There was no moon or stars to be seen. Our town was nothing more than a smoldering crater. The entire ground was nothing but dust and ash. Nothing and no one was left. But from the crater, I could see shadows, moving in bizarre and unnatural ways. It was almost as if they were dancing.
	
There are still so many questions that have no answers. It's disappointing to leave whoever reads with no real conclusion but as you can probably understand, my hands are tied now. It's funny how I still believe that anyone is going to find this. But maybe, just maybe, someone can come along and I don't know, just at least know what happened to me. To have my story heard by at least one person. If you do read this, I'm sorry but there isn't anything anyone could do at this point. All I can do now is... wake up.
Category:Diary/Journal
Category:Beings
Category:Lovecraftian
Category:Dreams/Sleep