Everything to Lose

        Everything to Lose

                                                                                                1

                                            (Beginning of the end)

Nothing is better than being rich and famous. Nothing is better than being in charge of your own destiny. My fate was never in my own hands, but rather set in stone before I was born. I was running down the street on a warm sunny Monday morning when I realized something was different in my town. There were no school buses driving down the road, nobody watering their grass, but rather everything was completely silent. When I stopped to gaze and observe the area I finally realized that I was the only person around as far as the eye could see. I tried to make a phone call, but had no service to do so.

            Out from the distance there was a soft, subtle, and somewhat distressed voice that sounded like it was screaming out for help. I looked up and around in every direction trying to figure out where it was coming from, but the only thing I could determine was maybe it was just inside my head and not a real person at all. I turned around to start heading back to my house and as I was placing my ear buds in my left ear I heard it again.

“HELP!!!!!!”

I dropped my Ipod and started running towards the loud screams, but as I got closer the screams started to fade away as if when I was getting closer it started running away like a kidnapping. I finally stopped to catch my breath when the screaming seemed like it was right in front of me. All of the nerves in my body just started to send pulses throughout every nook and cranny putting my body in a deep and dark haze of frightening despair. While I was shocked and appalled by the horrific scene that just occurred; the screaming became a figure on the ground being dragged  away with her dark hair blowing in front of her face and arms stretching out towards me in hopes of having my help as it called out to me.

“HELP!!!!!!”

“HELP!!!!!!”

With the figure completely vanishing before my eyes I couldn’t believe what my mind had just processed. Once I came too and rested on the sidewalk for what seemed like only a few minutes there were people everywhere just staring at me. I wiped away my eyes in the way I was beyond confused in hopes of only realizing that I was sitting on my neighbor’s lawn for over a week.

While looking up and around at everybody staring at me I noticed the vivid colors and perfectly placed scents of the weirdest things in the area. From the bright red pen cap inside the officers shirt pocket to the yellow hair bow set atop a young girl standing over her bike to the very sweet aroma of the field of roses behind me. It seemed as if all my senses were heightened for a mere moment in time until everything faded away from me and back to what should have been normal life, but was nothing even close. The sounds of birds chirping in the distance to the sound of engines roaring in the distance and the muttered pitches in the officer’s voice as his face slowly appeared in front of my eyes. While trying to harness the strength inside of me to hear what I was being told I seemed to black out into a nightmareish like dream.

                                                                        2

                                                       (The nightmare of dreams)

            Everything was dark and filled with the sounds of my shoes hitting the floor as I was trying to walk around and find my way. Nothing seems to be real anymore from the crazy voices that I was hearing to the very vivid images of a demon like creature coming to me in a number of ways that didn’t seem real. I am neither a tall man nor a small man, but I am neither a muscular man nor a skinny man. I don’t know what my mind is doing to my body, but whatever it may be I must find the answer and find the clues placed in my brain to wake up from this haze of a nightmare.

            Twisting around and searching for an exit or a wall or anything that I could even attempt to try and figure out as I see a light in the not so distant stretch of land. I started to walk towards it as if I had died and was trying o find my way to the gates of hell or the heavenly gates of salvation when I started to hear some other sounds behind me. Soon as I stopped walking towards the bright white light to try and hone in on the noises behind me I soon realize that they stopped at the same moment I came to a pause. As freaked out as I was at the noises rushing up on me I soon start to realize that they got louder and louder and closer and closer to me when I started running. I started to sprint towards the light on the other end when it seemed to get dimmer as I got closer and the footstep like noises started to creep in on me and I trip of all things on my own feet while looking back in hopes I could see any bit of anything that could be chasing me. While lifting myself up off the cold cement like floor I realize that I just fell on what could’ve cut open my hands and elbows, but I build up all the strength I have left inside of me to rush towards the light in hopes of getting away and moving onto a real life away from this dreamy haze. Rushing towards the light and pushing my body to the full limit I finally start to see the light getting brighter and bigger… almost like it was turning into a door that seems to have a super heavy duty light behind it telling me to open it and see what’s on the other side. These noises started to slow down once I hit the door as if whatever was chasing me wanted me to find this opening and push me towards this next stage.

            Opening the big black door with the solid gold shiny door handle I peeked inside to see what death would be set upon me for entering. The footsteps started running super fast and it seemed like they were as heavy as a boulder with every step it took; so I swung the door open as fast as I could in order to get away to notice there was a huge rock cliff ahead in which I come to an immediate halt just before the brink of death. I turn around and slam the door shut to secure myself from this endless fate that seemed like it might never end. I take a glance around the area to see a volcano like lava substance at the bottom of the cliff and just jagged rocks everywhere. As I walked to the edge to glance over in hopes of finding anything useful I notice that it seemed like a video game and somebody was controlling everything that could’ve been happening. The lava started to burst up throwing me backwards and within the next couple seconds another cliff like mountain started to appear just out of reach. With the footsteps out of our way and the evil surpassed for the time being I seem to notice that my hearing starts to hone in almost in a super hero like moment and start hearing voices. What seemed like four different voices with all different pitches and all different tones started to talk about what could’ve been if I were captured before the door.

“He got away from it.” Says the first lower toned evil like voice.

“I don’t understand how he was able to run faster than him.”Stated the highest and fastest pitched voice. The third voice then started yelling ferociously until interrupted.

“THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, HE MUST BE SACRIFICED IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE…”

“There is NO excuse as to why he can escape and he needs to be the one to finish this sacrament.” Explained the fourth and what seemed like the voice in charge.

            I tried to make sense of everything only to find out that nothing could even make sense as to why I needed to be sacrificed and for what. I told myself that I needed to be the one to break whatever evil seems to be holding me here and keeping me around for its little play game. I used to be a normal guy just going to work and going out with friends and family. I thought I was happy with my life before all of this crazy started to happen. I was ready to be the guy to take the leap of faith and put my hands in someone else’s heart and ask my girlfriend to marry me. She was just a year younger than me and just finished school and got hired to be a nurse at the local hospital, but what reason could there be for all this madness. The lava started to erupt once again in front of me so I stated to time the lava eruptions to pick my moment to jump over to the next mountain of mystery. I took a breath and counted to seven before running full throttle ahead and then leaping at the last second only to have the mountain of mystery drop down and back into the lava. While screaming and falling to what seemed like my death came to a slow and steady halt once again. I was just floating suspended above the spewing lava below and noticed that for some reason the gravity had disappeared and I could just fly wherever I wanted and search for an exit. I closed my eyes to think of a strategy on what I could do or where I could go and at the exact moment I went to open my eyes I started to fall and smash into the ground in yet another pitch black room with nobody around me and nothing to do but search for another way out. The moment when you realize that its déjà vu and those footsteps were rushing up from behind you faster and faster you have nothing else to do but run or stand still in hopes of living through the horror. The footsteps seemed to stop and come to a slow and steady pace walking around me in a small circle. When they finally stopped it seemed as if whatever it was that was chasing me was now hovering over me or lingering with a hard and steady sigh every few seconds as if it was getting ready to attack. I took a step backwards to try and see if I was right, but when placing my right foot down it seemed to make the slightest noise and the creepy footsteps started again rushing around me as if it was a different creature as the previous one before it. The steps seemed faster and more frequent as if whatever it was around me was rushing around in such a speed that my ears started to bleed in pain. I stopped once again and slowly started to place my hands over my ears when I screamed out in such pain that I’ve never felt before. Lights seemed to shine and get brighter with the more screaming I did and seemed to show almost a variety of different doors with different sizes and different uses. I then started to scream on the top of my lungs and running at the closest door of the eight I seen within my view. The creature or creatures didn’t seem to be following me as I was screaming and running. I decided to keep up what I was doing until I finally arrived at the rounded door with the giant elongated bronze handle. The door was so heavy that it took all the force in my body to pull them open. While coming to terms with opening the giant door I rushed inside and while I entered the room my eyes opened and I was staring straight at the police officer again. The cop was looking at me and trying to pick me up to figure out what was happening to me. The resident of the house I was stuck at for the last couple of minutes happened to be this old man who used to be our mail man for over forty years. He knew who I was and knew my entire life story and was more concerned with me and my wellbeing than I was. When the police officer came over to me and asked for my name I looked up to him and said

“My name… my name is… Josh… yeah Josh Day.”

The officer came over and asked “Do you have any… HELLLLLLLLLLP!!!!!!”

I freaked out and flew backwards and when I looked back at the officer his face was all grey and pale, but then slowly looked up and straight at me and screamed again as the figure of the dark haired women came shooting out of his mouth with only one word and one motion. While screaming at me again and holding her arms out straight like it was reaching out to me to grab ahold.

 “HELP!!!!!! HELP!!!!!! HURRY!!!!!! HE’S COMING FOR ME!!!!!”

Stuck in astonishment as to what event has just arisen I try to piece everything together.

                                                                        3

                                       (Pieces)

            These events that have currently come to bring me such creepy and freaky things have landed me in the Saint James Psychiatric Mental Hospital. It has been three days since the first time I seen her and I am still worried and concerned about my wellbeing. I have had no visitors since I was admitted yesterday afternoon, but it didn’t bother me. I looked around the room slowly and then stopped and stared at the top left corner of the white padded walls. While looking very hard and straight at the dead center of the adjacent walls I noticed that it started to look like there was a slight hint of a yellowish color that was soaking through. I then got stuck in a trance while in my dead lock state of mind until a loud banging of steel hitting up against my door. After being knocked out of my gaze I tried to get up out of the thin mattress I was resting on only to notice that I was handcuffed to the frame. I didn’t know why I was being restrained or why there was an old man looking through the small tempered glass window. The man then started to move his lips but it seemed like I couldn’t hear or make out any words he was trying to say. I was able to read what he was trying to tell me and for a brief moment I believe he was muttering…

“Help is on the way…Help is on the way…”

After looking away from the window I then slowly moved my eyes back up to the corner of the room when the dark haired girl came jumping out at me in one swift movement with her mouth stretched wider than anything I have ever seen before. She seemed to swallow my face whole when I seemed to black out and then wake up once again in a pitch black room with nothing in sight.

Realizing that I was back exactly where I have been before the prior nights I knew exactly what to do. Taking the reins once again I started to scream and shout, but this time I had no luck, no lights, and no way of knowing where to go. The blistering cold that encompassed the room was to the point of unbearable. I didn’t know what was happening, but for some reason I could see my breath even in the darkest of rooms and the blackest night. I started to breath heavier and heavier in the slightest hope that I would be able to see an exit or opening, but to no avail I was nowhere. I slowly started to lose hope and wonder what I had done to deserve such events when my mind started to flash images of things I had never seen before. Images were so vibrant and subtle that when trying to shake them out of my head I could only remember the fourth image. The wings of a butterfly mixed with the liveliness of a young child all rolled together in a figure that was almost as evil minded as the devil himself. I shook my head as vigorously as I possibly could to try and shake these feelings of dread and pure horror when my eyes suddenly wouldn’t open. They seemed like they were sewn shut and then super glued along with the feelings that my dry fingers so carelessly felt as brushing over them. The scared feelings that suddenly decided too pulse throughout my entire body were not of any pain, but rather the harsh reality that I may never get back to what I once knew as life. I had one last ditch effort left inside of my lungs to scream, but yet again it seemed as if my brain wouldn’t send any signals down through the tiny nervous system that I thought God had given me. My mouth was wide open screaming in my head, but with no bodily control it was almost as if I was stranded and left behind by the world. Hands shakier then a bar tender making me a martini on a Friday night after work I was unable to grab my bearings back to try once again to find my exit. Those creepy footsteps were small, but loud when they started again and seemed as if they were not coming towards me, but rather leading me somewhere.

With my eyes sewn shut with nowhere to go I had no faith, but to follow the steps that could be leading me somewhere or for all I know they were just in my head like everything else. I placed my hands in front of me as I started walking very slowly as to not hit a wall or anything else that I might not have been able to find earlier. Sliding my feet across the floor as to not lift my heel up and fall off or into anything. The caution that my body was feeling was something like I had never dreamt of before, but with no senses other than the ability to hear in order to find my way out of this nightmare I knew I would have to be strong. As I was listening to the steps lingering in front of my spirit I started to picture what this being or life form could look like. The thought of a small young girl popped into my mind just kind of trotting or skipping if you could imagine all innocent like without a care in the world. All the troubles in my mind just started to melt away as I was just following the sounds and this little girl who couldn’t have been more than five years old with a dolly in her right hand and her left hands fingers just kind of brushing up against the tiled wall as if she was inside of a school building heading back to class from the restroom. I continued to follow her as if I wasn’t controlling myself anymore once again and as if I was being controlled or even possessed to keep being drawn to this little girl.

The sounds started to get slower and softer as she started to come to a stop and turn into what seemed like a classroom. Without even knowing where I was going I continued to move forward and inside to find her as our bond seemed to grow stronger. When I reached the room I saw her sitting on the floor just twirling her dolly around in a completely empty room with nobody but herself. When reaching out it seemed as if at that exact moment my eyes were free and opening up more and more to see what my ears and mind were showing me. When I grabbed her right shoulder she seemed to just vanish into dust leaving her doll behind on the floor. Shocked by what just happened I just stood up as tall as I could to notice that the dust left behind was like an ink blot paper which immediately formed a set of butterfly wings, but not like any other butterfly wings which would normally be known to man. After the instance of noticing the relevance to the wings they almost seemed as if they were flapping right before my eyes blowing away all four walls in the room leaving me there in a brightly lit room that nearly blinded me. I followed the light as my eyes started to dilate to the new scenery to realize that the nightmare was over and I had woken up staring at the ceiling. When I tried to put the pieces together there was nothing there besides the fact that I was still in the mental ward cuffed to the bed with nobody insight.