The Art of Subconscious Illusion
1/1
A living nightmare,
Asleep but still aware
He tossed and turned in bed, his expression contorted although he was unaware of this fact. Whether he was aware of it or not wouldn’t matter anyway. There was no changing it.
“Matt!” she called, her voice lost somewhere in the distance. “Matt!”
I can’t do this; I can’t let myself do this again. It’s just not right.
The cool metal of the serrated knife ran across his victim’s throat.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his hazel eyes shooting open. There was sweat pouring down his face and his hands were ice cold.
“You were dreaming,” she said, her voice soft as she placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right. Everything is alright.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a dream,” he murmured, rubbing his face with his hands. He wished his pulse would slow down; he felt like he was about to have the biggest fucking heart attack.
She sighed as she turned on the bedside lamp, getting a good look at him. She could see that he was struggling, but with what exactly, she was unsure. “Maybe you should see someone…”
“And say what? The fact that I’m going fucking insane?” he snapped and flopped backwards into the pillow. He instantly sat back up though, since the pillow was damp with sweat.
“No, you wouldn’t tell them you’re going insane, mostly because I don’t think that that’s the case. But I think you may benefit from talking to someone. ‘Cause Matt, lets face it, this is the third time in four days that this has happened,” she said, her voice soft. She couldn’t even begin to gauge what his reaction may be, so she wasn’t sure if she should even be saying anything at all.
“I’m not going, Alexa. That’s it.” He pulled the blanket off and stepped out of bed, before walking across the room and stripping his shirt off and grabbing the towel off the hook on the back of the door.
“What happened?” she asked, staring at him with wide eyes. Although the lighting in the small room was poor, she could clearly see three deep cuts across his back. She knew that the other night he had gotten into a fight and he had said things got kind of rough, but she thought he would have mentioned an injury like that.
“What do you mean what happened?” he asked, turning around to face her.
Alexa let out a blood curdling scream.
“What? Why are you screaming?” Matt asked, practically begging for an answer. First the fucking nightmare and now his girlfriend was acting just as crazy. Go figure.
Alexa screamed again and attempted to crawl backwards, but of course there was no where to go so she just slammed her back into the headboard. “Do you not feel that?”
“Feel what? Alexa, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He went to run his hand over his face, but as soon as he touched it, he instantly jerked his hand away and looked down at it.
It was his turn to scream this time.
The shock was finally setting in.
“Please, stop,” she begged, her fists pounding against his chest. It made no difference; he could barely feel her. Her pathetic attempts to stop him were comparable to trying to stop a tank with a stick. It would never work.
“Shut the fuck up,” he hissed and the back of his hand easily made contact with the side of her face.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked as blood spilt from her mouth.
“Why not?”
His scream cut off abruptly, a strangled sound lost somewhere in his throat as he collapsed and fell to the ground.
Alexa stared in horror for a moment before realizing she should probably call an ambulance.
“911, please state your emergency.”
“I... he… I…” she stammered as she crawled to the end of the bed nearest to Matt.
“Miss, can you please tell me what’s going on? I’m tracing the call right now,” the operator spoke.
“The nightmare, and the cuts, and— ”
The line went dead.
I know I can do this. I know I need to do this. It just feels so right. It just feels so. It just…
Matt groaned as his eyes fluttered open. “What the fuck is going on?” he murmured, trying to sit up.
“I, I don’t know,” Alexa answered, scrambling off the bed to go and help him.
He went to sit up again, but instead ended up turning on to all fours and retching. He didn’t vomit though, instead blood and maggots poured out onto the floor.
Alexa couldn’t handle it; she got off the floor and ran out of the room.
“Help,” Matt screamed. He turned on to his back and screamed. He had never felt so hopeless in his entire life.
“This way,” a voice whispered.
Holy shit, Matt thought. I really am going insane. I’m going insane and I’m going to die here.
”Just come this way and everything will be all right.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Matt screamed, pulling on his face and digging his fingernails into his cheekbones. The skin broke easily. The blood spilled out as if it were water.
The lights flickered before everything went black again.
Or maybe the lights didn’t flicker. Maybe he just lost consciousness again; either way, everything was dark.
I never meant for things to end up this way. I never meant for so many people to get hurt. I never meant for so many people to end up dead.
It was just supposed to happen once.
Asleep but still aware
He tossed and turned in bed, his expression contorted although he was unaware of this fact. Whether he was aware of it or not wouldn’t matter anyway. There was no changing it.
“Matt!” she called, her voice lost somewhere in the distance. “Matt!”
I can’t do this; I can’t let myself do this again. It’s just not right.
The cool metal of the serrated knife ran across his victim’s throat.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his hazel eyes shooting open. There was sweat pouring down his face and his hands were ice cold.
“You were dreaming,” she said, her voice soft as she placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right. Everything is alright.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a dream,” he murmured, rubbing his face with his hands. He wished his pulse would slow down; he felt like he was about to have the biggest fucking heart attack.
She sighed as she turned on the bedside lamp, getting a good look at him. She could see that he was struggling, but with what exactly, she was unsure. “Maybe you should see someone…”
“And say what? The fact that I’m going fucking insane?” he snapped and flopped backwards into the pillow. He instantly sat back up though, since the pillow was damp with sweat.
“No, you wouldn’t tell them you’re going insane, mostly because I don’t think that that’s the case. But I think you may benefit from talking to someone. ‘Cause Matt, lets face it, this is the third time in four days that this has happened,” she said, her voice soft. She couldn’t even begin to gauge what his reaction may be, so she wasn’t sure if she should even be saying anything at all.
“I’m not going, Alexa. That’s it.” He pulled the blanket off and stepped out of bed, before walking across the room and stripping his shirt off and grabbing the towel off the hook on the back of the door.
“What happened?” she asked, staring at him with wide eyes. Although the lighting in the small room was poor, she could clearly see three deep cuts across his back. She knew that the other night he had gotten into a fight and he had said things got kind of rough, but she thought he would have mentioned an injury like that.
“What do you mean what happened?” he asked, turning around to face her.
Alexa let out a blood curdling scream.
“What? Why are you screaming?” Matt asked, practically begging for an answer. First the fucking nightmare and now his girlfriend was acting just as crazy. Go figure.
Alexa screamed again and attempted to crawl backwards, but of course there was no where to go so she just slammed her back into the headboard. “Do you not feel that?”
“Feel what? Alexa, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He went to run his hand over his face, but as soon as he touched it, he instantly jerked his hand away and looked down at it.
It was his turn to scream this time.
The shock was finally setting in.
“Please, stop,” she begged, her fists pounding against his chest. It made no difference; he could barely feel her. Her pathetic attempts to stop him were comparable to trying to stop a tank with a stick. It would never work.
“Shut the fuck up,” he hissed and the back of his hand easily made contact with the side of her face.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked as blood spilt from her mouth.
“Why not?”
His scream cut off abruptly, a strangled sound lost somewhere in his throat as he collapsed and fell to the ground.
Alexa stared in horror for a moment before realizing she should probably call an ambulance.
“911, please state your emergency.”
“I... he… I…” she stammered as she crawled to the end of the bed nearest to Matt.
“Miss, can you please tell me what’s going on? I’m tracing the call right now,” the operator spoke.
“The nightmare, and the cuts, and— ”
The line went dead.
I know I can do this. I know I need to do this. It just feels so right. It just feels so. It just…
Matt groaned as his eyes fluttered open. “What the fuck is going on?” he murmured, trying to sit up.
“I, I don’t know,” Alexa answered, scrambling off the bed to go and help him.
He went to sit up again, but instead ended up turning on to all fours and retching. He didn’t vomit though, instead blood and maggots poured out onto the floor.
Alexa couldn’t handle it; she got off the floor and ran out of the room.
“Help,” Matt screamed. He turned on to his back and screamed. He had never felt so hopeless in his entire life.
“This way,” a voice whispered.
Holy shit, Matt thought. I really am going insane. I’m going insane and I’m going to die here.
”Just come this way and everything will be all right.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Matt screamed, pulling on his face and digging his fingernails into his cheekbones. The skin broke easily. The blood spilled out as if it were water.
The lights flickered before everything went black again.
Or maybe the lights didn’t flicker. Maybe he just lost consciousness again; either way, everything was dark.
I never meant for things to end up this way. I never meant for so many people to get hurt. I never meant for so many people to end up dead.
It was just supposed to happen once.