Shadow on the Window

Chapter 8

"I've not known myself for quite some time now/Staring at the mirror with the lights out" - Silhouette, Jacob Lee

I tried to escape. I tried to call out, but my voice creaked. Tears started running down my cheeks as I tried to cry. Everything went mute suddenly, except the music that started echoing and resonating up my nerves. People's faces were murky. The gleaming night was fading out.

I saw faded silhouettes in uniforms, sliding through the tables with trays in their hands. Their heads, their legs, were smokey. I felt tingling in my legs just that moment, my body stiffened. I felt chilly as my sweats touched the thin air around me.

I felt I was caged, in that shimmer and laughter, in the eternity, in my own dreams. Though I couldn't see Jeremy's face, but I could feel he was smirking at me, like he was happy that I wasn't able to go.

"Here's your order ma'am! Have a nice day!" Someone from my left spoke, I looked at him to see a known smile on a familiar face. I heard my own voice yelling at him – "How do you know my name?".

The boy replied, keeping that eerie smile on his face – "I don't ma'am."

"Don't lie! Who else would call out my name then?"

He looked at something, or someone behind me; but his sight traveled light-years away, as if they didn't belong in here. I felt like I slid out of my body, floating in the air to look down at our table. I saw myself sitting on the chair looking at the waiter's face, and him and Jeremy looking behind my chair. I looked towards where they were staring at, but it was a black void that no one could go through.

Thunder struck hard. My chest felt heavy; I opened my eyes to see the laptop on my chest, low sounds coming from the movie that was playing on it. But I couldn't move.

I whispered, - "Nightmare, breathe." My body unfroze slowly; my mind that was lost in somewhere unreal, started to hit the reality. But it felt same, my sweats touching the air made me feel cold.

It was raining heavily, I got up to close the window and...saw someone in my balcony, like I did last week. Chilly air froze my neck, again!