Extraordinarily Vivid Dream

An Extraordinarily Vivid Dream

that I just had

during a nap on a Wednesday afternoon.

Enjoy the trip through my subconscious head.

There was a cat. She had a short tail and she puttered out into the street where a car ran over her. I yelled “stop” I screamed and waved my hands but they sped over her like nothing. I turned away before the impact but heard the sound.

Squidsh

I forced myself to run towards her, her leg was bent back and broken. Bleeding from the impact. The car sat a few yards away smoking.

I yelled over to the driver who was frantically pulling himself out of the car

“call 911 damn you!”

I heard no response and when I turned around I saw him running full speed away from the scene.

I dug my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911. “Hello? Yes there is a cat, she got run over, please someone come and help her. I live at 9068 Selway. Yes. Please”

my voice trailed off because I heard cue music play ahead of me.

Three men walked in seemingly slow motion towards the car. A deep desire to run started to pull in my gut but I did not want to move and leave the cat behind. One man pulled out a silver gun raised it to his side and fired one shot. Immediately I gathered up the cat into my arms and bolted towards my house. Why would the men chase me?

They didn't know me

They didn't know what I could do.

I laid the injured cat on the table. Told my mother to hide.

Went out the back door where the three men now stood at the end of the driveway.

The one on the far left hung a cigarette from his mouth. He turned his head to the middle man, whose brown hair flopped into his eyes, barely hiding two round black irises. And then I knew.

They were coming for me.

The cigarette man turned away from me and ran after the hit and run, the guy with the car. I felt inside that I had known he had something to do with it.

That's when the middle man started after me.

The man with the gun stayed put, positioning the gun towards my house.

The window.

My mom.

I ran. Back towards the woods behind our house. I jumped up onto the fence and started to pick up speed before jumping off into the sky. I flew. I was flying. Freedom soared through my heart but as I looked back panic took over.

The man did not stop.

The man continued to chase me.

I slammed into the earth after exhaustion and dug my feet into the loose dirt to run. I dodged trees and rocks but knew with every step he grew closer. Dirt splayed over my legs. I could feel it. I heard the river as I ran past.

I took my own risk and ran back to my secret tunnels.

The ones no one must know about.

Because they are where I hide.

I opened the hatch and crawled inside. Closing.

I burrowed through the tunnel ignoring the heat, ignoring the suffocation.

I felt like being buried alive while crawling for my life.

I burst out from the tunnels into my house. Again. Silent house. I shook the dirt from my hair but it had combined with sweat and streaks of mud now stained my face and clothes.

I slid into the kitchen, and checked on the cat.

She still breathed. I hurried around trying to make her comfortable.

My fingers shook.

My chest rattled.

I looked out the window where the man stood aiming the gun at my head. I screamed at him, “the police are coming! They're on their way! Don't you understand?”

He faded off into the distance, but the gun shone from the light and I knew he still aimed at my head.

I heard a ripping sound from the other side of the room. The man who had chased me had opened the hatch and his mouth had begun to widen.

Rows of sharp multi-layered teeth grew in place of his mouth and he snarled in my direction.

I had to protect them. I had to protect myself.

I shoved power off of my heart into his path.

My heart skipped a beat.

He flew backwards and collapsed.

I heard a gunshot and ducked. Glass shattered around me and I heard my Mom scream.

“Stay where you are!” I yelled.

Please, for the love of God, stay away.

I clutched my fingers until the bled and finally got up from behind the counter. The man with the cigarette stood outside, clutching his bleeding multi-toothed friend and was shouting commands at the man with the gun.

The man with the gun stood.

He aimed.

I screamed.

Power surged from behind my teeth. A stream of electricity flew from my insides. The world turned red.

I continued to scream until the police showed up and cleaned up the glass.

Until they comforted my mother and patched up the cuts on my arms.

Until they said that the men had left.

And that they'll take care of it.

They asked me.

They asked me how I knew that the men were going to be there.

“I didn't. I called because of the cat.”

“Why” they asked.

“Because she was hurt from the hit and run”

They paused and looked confused. They brought me over to the short-tailed cat.

“She's not hurt, she wasn't hit, there is no blood anywhere.”

There wasn't.

How could I have seen that happen.

Although it makes sense. If I wasn’t outside when the three men had come.

What would have happened?

And then I woke up.

-Ella Hastings

….I have no idea.