30 DAYS OF NIGHTMARES

THE BEAR DREAM

The rain didn’t stop all night.

The raindrops hit the hotel roof like drums.

Black sky over Black Pines. And beneath it, 46 people who felt like prisoners.

Harry Dack lay awake in his room.

He couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, Bella’s face appeared.

And then Edward’s voice. _"Camera boy?"_

He ran his hand over his camera. This was his weapon.

At 5 AM, there was a knock on the door.

"Harry? You up?"

It was Mike. The lighting guy.

Harry opened the door. Mike’s face was pale. Dark circles under his eyes.

His hands were shaking.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Mike came in and sat on the bed.

"I had a dream."

"So?"

"A bad one." Mike finished a glass of water in one go.

"I was in the jungle. The film set. It was night. And... and a bear came."

Harry laughed. "That’s it? A bear? Mike, we’re shooting a horror film."

"Harry listen." Mike grabbed his hand. "The bear chased me. It killed me. I saw my death. Clear as day."

Harry’s smile vanished.

He remembered the light scene from last night.

"Come on, let’s get breakfast." Harry changed the subject. "No point telling everyone."

---

_8:00 AM. DINING HALL_

The hotel dining hall was huge. Wooden tables. Deer heads mounted on the walls.

46 people. But the silence was so loud the rain sounded sharper.

Peter Dan stood up. "People! The road is blocked. But that doesn’t mean we stop. We have 29 days left. Today we shoot in the jungle."

Edward sat with his feet on the chair. Sunglasses on, even though they were inside.

Bella sat in the corner. The small cut on her lip was still there. She was quietly drinking coffee.

"What’s the scene?" someone asked.

Spell Man answered. "Jungle chase. Edward saves Bella. Romantic + Action."

Harry gripped his camera tighter.

Mike stood up.

"I... I need to say something."

Everyone looked at him.

"Last night I had a dream. About a bear. That a bear will attack us in the jungle."

Dead silence.

Then Edward burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Look at this guy. Scared on day one."

A few people laughed too. The tension eased a little.

Peter raised his hand. "Mike, this is a movie. There won’t be real bears. It’s CGI. Relax."

Mike sat down. But his eyes were wide with fear.

Bella looked at Mike. Then at Harry.

Harry gave a small nod. _I’m here._

---

_11:00 AM. JUNGLE SET_

Behind Black Pines was a huge forest. Pine trees. Mud. The smell of wet earth.

The crew set up fake blood, wires, cameras.

Scene: Edward runs into the jungle with Bella. Then proposes.

"Action!" Spell Man yelled.

Edward grabbed Bella’s hand. "Run!"

Bella ran. Edward followed.

The camera was on Harry’s shoulder.

Suddenly a sound from the jungle. _Krrrraakkk_

Everyone stopped.

"What was that?" the sound guy asked.

"Just the wind." Spell Man said. "Continue!"

Again. _Krrrraakkk_

This time everyone heard it.

Something moved in the darkness of the trees.

"Cut!" Spell Man shouted. "What’s the problem?"

Two guys went in with flashlights. Came back 5 minutes later.

"Nothing sir. Probably an animal."

Edward spat on the ground. "Drama queens."

The shoot started again.

By evening the scene was done. No bear came.

In the van on the way back, everyone was laughing.

"See? Mike’s dream was fake."

"The horror movie got to his head."

Only Harry and Mike were quiet.

---

_7:00 PM. HOTEL_

Dinner. Everyone was exhausted.

Mike didn’t eat. He stood by the window looking at the jungle.

Harry went to him. "See? Nothing happened."

Mike turned to Harry. "You think it’s over?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dreams don’t end, Harry. They come true."

Harry joked. "So where’s the bear?"

Right then the lights went out.

The whole hotel went dark. Only lightning flashed.

From outside came a sound. _Gurrrrrr_

Low. Deep. Animal.

Everyone went silent.

"Check the generator!" Peter yelled.

Two minutes later the lights came back.

Everyone looked at each other. Tried to laugh.

"Probably just a dog." someone said.

Mike got up and went to his room.

---

_11:30 PM. NIGHT_

Harry lay there thinking.

_What if dreams don’t lie?_

A soft knock on his door.

He opened it. Bella.

Soaked from the rain. Hair stuck to her face.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"I can’t sleep." Bella said softly. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

She came in. Shivering from being wet.

Harry gave her a towel. "Are you okay?"

Bella shook her head. "It’s... Edward. He’s weird. Ever since that kiss."

Harry stayed quiet.

Bella looked up. "You saved me. In the light scene."

"I... it was my job." Harry looked away.

"No one else ran." Bella said. "Only you."

Silence between them.

Outside, lightning flashed. And at that exact moment...

_GURRRR_

This time the sound was close. From behind the hotel.

Bella moved closer to Harry in fear.

Harry looked out the window. Darkness. Rain. Nothing visible.

"Probably a dog." Harry said. But his voice shook.

Bella left. "Good night Harry. And... thank you."

The door closed.

---

_DAY 3. 6:00 AM_

A scream.

The scream echoed through the whole hotel.

"SOMEONE’S DEAD!"

Everyone ran outside.

At the edge of the jungle. 100 meters from the hotel.

Blood on the ground. Paw prints. Huge. Massive.

And in the middle... Mike’s camera. Broken.

Mike wasn’t there.

Only his shoes. Empty.

Peter’s face went white. "What... what is this?"

Spell Man crouched down. "Bear paw prints."

Big paw prints. Coming from the jungle to the hotel.

Edward tried to laugh. "Maybe he ran away."

No one laughed.

Bella covered her mouth with both hands. Tears in her eyes.

Harry stood silent. Mike’s words echoed in his head.

_"Dreams come true."_

Peter said loudly. "Everyone inside! No one goes out!"

As they went back in, Harry looked at the ground.

The paw prints. They led right to the hotel door.

Then back into the jungle.

Like someone had come to check... if the job was done.

That night Harry wrote in his diary:

_Day 2: Mike dreamed of a bear._

_Day 3: Mike is gone. Only blood and paw prints left._

_The dream was real._

He put the pen down.

Outside, the rain got heavier.

30 days.

And this was only the first death.