Nightmares

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The sky was blacker than midnight, it was like walking into a void, not a single sliver of light penetrated its darkness. My heart was pounding, a shiver ran up my spine. Darkness surrounded me with nothing in the distance and nothing behind except more darkness. I spun around several times hoping for some form of light to sneak its way into this dark. I didn't want to step forward, I didn't want to step back, I was afraid I might fall into nothingness.

Suddenly, I was in a hospital. I knew I was dreaming, but still I could control nothing even though I was quite lucid. I walked the halls of the hospital slowly, my body not in my control as my fingers ran along the walls. People were crying everywhere, an old lady grabbed my hand, her grip was fragile and cold, if I squeezed too tightly I was afraid I might just break her bones. "Can't you help dear?" I looked down into her sad eyes and rubbed her cheek. "I wish I could. I just don't know how." she smiled sadly "Dig deep sweetie, dig deep!" Her wrinkled face was broken, how could I help? I was no doctor, no medicine woman. I walked down the hallway looking in each window as I passed. In every window there was a person dying, each inflicted with a different disease. The smell was putrid and nauseating. I was having a hard time keeping the bile from rising in my stomach. It burned my throat as I swallowed it back down.

The doctors were all running around suggesting it might be some kind of terrorism/ germ warfare/ biological terrorism, as for me, I didn't even know why I was there and why did that lady say "dig deep". What was that? How could I possibly help in this situation? Babies, children, young adults and elderly, everyone was affected by this virus. I watched as some lady held her dying husband as he took his final breath. She started screaming in pain, and blood filled her eyes. She fell on his shoulder, hunched over heaving and grabbing at her stomach. Blood and vomit exploded out of her mouth, she crashed to the floor and withered in pain before closing her eyes for the last time. I stepped back from the window of the room, horrified by what I had just witnessed. Looking around panicked, I bolted to the closest exit. Was I finally in control? No I was not. I could feel the emotions of my body and the adrenaline pumping through my soul, but I could not control where my mind was taking me.

I ran out of the hospital, tears threatening to burn my eyes. As I slammed out of the door I ended up in a wasteland, buildings burnt to the ground, little rats scurrying across barren land. The setting sun made the land look as if it were still on fire. As I walked, I realized I wasn't walking on dirt, gravel or even cement, I was walking on skulls and bones of the dead. The bones made sickening crunches with each step I took, no matter how hard I tried to avoid the sound and the dead, I could not. There was no one, the world had burnt down and now there was nothing left.

Four huge shadows appeared in the distance with white glowing faces, no eyes, noses or mouths. I couldn't help but feel they were staring right at me, hunting me. They flew toward me at lightning speed. I turned and ran, slipping and tripping over the bones of the human population. Just as they were about to reach me, my eyes shot open. I was staring at the roof of my house, little glow in the dark stars plastered there from when I was younger. I could feel the sweat dripping down my temples. I sat up and got a drink. Big shock, it was only two am. I tossed and turned for the next 4 hours until I decided to shower and get ready for work. It was clear sleep would not come and I would have a very long day ahead of me.

I shut and locked the door and began my walk to the travel agency. It's a good job. Not too complicated not to busy. During the tourist season a lot of people come to our town, so many that they had to open a travel agency in town just to put up with the demand.

Tourists come here from all over the world to catch a ghost or two. Our town's name was Ghost Hollow, so many have associated it with spirits and sightings. Don't get me wrong, there have been sightings, most of them a long time ago though, and only around the old mining tunnels. In the early 1900's, there was an accident that wiped out almost all of the males in this town; husbands, sons. Anyone who was of age to work in the mines was there. There were a few at home sick or had a day off. Those were the lucky ones. Although some say not too lucky because they were forced to help pull the bodies of their friends and family out of the pit. Everyone had hoped there would be survivors but there were none. Everyone down there was either crushed or suffocated before rescue could get to them.

Some still hear their screams at night, at least that's what is said. The hauntings or sightings began after that, and the town known as St. Hollow changed its name to Ghost Hollow. Many left the town, they couldn't live here after what had happened, but some families like the Johnson's stayed and made a life here. Ms. Johnson said her grandmother couldn't leave her husband here all by himself, without him being able to watch his son grow. She knew he would be watching and here is where she felt close to him, so she stayed. Over the years, people moved in and every once in a while, sightings were caught, businesses opened to prey on the idea of ghosts.

There's a church on the other side of town that isn't really a church, more of a theme park without the rides. They have fake graves, some dug up while fake bodies are torched, making them look like their bones were burned to a crisp like some had succumbed in the mines. Some heaping piles of dirt showing the newer bodies just being buried. They have larping (live action role play) on Saturdays in peak season, hoping to catch a real ghost. They even tour down to the old mines. They never go in. One day though, I imagine someone will buy it from old man Fredrick and give tours inside as well.

Most come because they really want to see, so they can just believe that their loved ones were somewhere, maybe even at home looking after them still. Everyone wants to believe eventually, especially the older folks, but then you get some young people who already do believe but want to see something.

Our travel agency was a little different. We book flights, buses, trains to and from or just to. It was like a one-stop shop. If someone wanted out, I could book their bus, if someone wanted to move here, which was not very often, but if they did, I would find transportation, moving vans and even a house if they needed.

In order to keep the company running throughout the winter months, I had to do a lot of the little things no other agency dared to do. But I still enjoyed my job, it kept my mind off my dreams and away from the men in town, not that they wanted much to do with me.

The selection of men in this town was dismal, there weren't many places to find any that had a better job than the local bar. There were three bars in town, two of which closed during the off season. Four restaurants, a few clothing stores, a theater, a small mall and three grocery stores, a few haunted houses, a couple motels, B&B's and three churches, not including the fake one. So, the selection of men wasn't what it used to be, not that I minded a man that ran a bar or worked in a hotel, but I knew these specific men and they were not many. Arrogance, superiority complexes and nastiness to boot, that's most of the men in this town.

Everyone knows everyone and everyone's business. They call me the freak. But none of them had trouble coming to me to get away from this town. Oddly enough, they all just couldn't leave on their own, well most of them that is.

As I passed the Johnson's house, there was a shadow in the window pacing around, older people tended to get up earlier. It was probably Ms. Johnson, I turned my head and put my ear buds in and walked the rest of the way to work. I opened the door, a cold breeze ran right through me like frost hitting my insides. I swear I could feel my blood freeze over.