Blood and memory

chapter8: Nightmares

The old woman had finally been discharged from the hospital.

Although she still could not speak, her condition had improved greatly. She could move around on her own and take care of simple tasks. The doctors assured Miracle that with time, she would recover.

For several days, Miracle stayed with her.

She cooked.

Cleaned.

Helped her take her medication.

And whenever the old woman needed to communicate, she simply wrote in a notebook.

Despite her inability to speak, one thing remained unchanged.

The fear in her eyes.

Every time she looked at Miracle, there was always a warning hidden behind her gaze.

A warning she could no longer put into words.

One afternoon, before Miracle left, the old woman called her over.

She slowly picked up her notebook and wrote a short sentence.

Be careful.

Miracle forced a smile.

"I will."

The woman shook her head and wrote again.

No. Be very careful.

Miracle's smile faded.

The old woman pointed toward the talisman hanging from Miracle's bag.

Then she underlined another sentence.

Never lose it.

For a moment, neither woman spoke.

The room felt strangely heavy.

Finally, Miracle nodded.

"I won't."

The old woman seemed relieved.

But somehow, not completely.

As though she knew something terrible was coming.

Something neither of them could stop.

A few hours later, Miracle returned to her apartment.

The moment she entered, she felt a sense of relief.

Home.

Her own space.

Her own peace.

Ever since bringing the talisman home, everything had changed.

The strange disturbances had stopped.

Objects no longer disappeared.

Doors no longer opened by themselves.

Nothing moved unexpectedly.

Or at least, normal on the surface.

That evening she cooked dinner, watched television, and tried not to think about everything that had happened.

But her mind refused to cooperate.

The warning from her aunt's friend lingered in her thoughts.

The mysterious attack.

The damaged vocal cords.

The unfinished truth.

Every time the woman got close to revealing something, disaster struck.

Why?

What was so dangerous?

What secret was everyone trying to tell her?

And why did it seem as though something was preventing them from speaking?

The questions chased each other endlessly through her mind.

Eventually she gave up trying to find answers.

She switched off the lights and climbed into bed.

The talisman hung quietly near the door.

Its small shape cast a faint shadow on the wall.

Miracle stared at it for a long moment.

Then she closed her eyes.

Sleep came quickly.

At first.

---

The dream began normally.

Too normally.

Miracle was walking home from work.

The afternoon sun warmed her skin.

Cars moved through the streets.

People walked past carrying shopping bags.

Children laughed nearby.

Everything seemed ordinary.

Familiar.

Safe.

She recognized every building.

Every shop.

Every street corner.

Then she noticed something strange.

Nobody had a face.

Miracle slowed down.

Her eyes widened.

Every person around her was faceless.

Their heads were smooth.

Blank.

No eyes.

No nose.

No mouth.

Nothing.

Just empty skin.

Her heartbeat quickened.

"What is this?"

Nobody answered.

The faceless crowd continued moving.

Completely unconcerned.

As if nothing was wrong.

As if they couldn't hear her.

Miracle backed away slowly.

Fear crept into her chest.

One of the faceless people suddenly stopped walking.

Then another.

And another.

One by one, they turned toward her.

Miracle froze.

Dozens of blank faces stared in her direction.

Then the nearest one smiled.

The skin split open.

A mouth appeared.

Too wide.

Far too wide.

Stretching from ear to ear.

Rows of black teeth filled the opening.

The smile grew wider.

Then another faceless person smiled.

Then another.

Soon every faceless figure wore the same horrifying grin.

Miracle screamed.

And ran.

---

She ran as fast as she could.

Her footsteps pounded against the pavement.

Behind her came laughter.

Low.

Distorted.

Wrong.

The city began changing.

Buildings stretched upward impossibly high.

Windows multiplied across their surfaces.

Roads twisted like snakes.

The sky darkened.

The sunlight disappeared.

Black clouds swallowed everything.

Miracle continued running.

The laughter followed.

Everywhere.

Nowhere.

Then came the footsteps.

Heavy footsteps.

Behind her.

She looked back.

Nothing.

Nobody.

Yet the footsteps continued.

Following.

Watching.

Waiting.

No matter how fast she ran, they remained behind her.

Never closer.

Never farther.

Always there.

A cold breath touched the back of her neck.

Miracle spun around.

And woke up.

---

She sat upright in bed.

Gasping.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

Sweat covered her body.

For several seconds she couldn't move.

The dream felt too real.

Too vivid.

With trembling hands, she switched on the bedside lamp.

Light flooded the room.

Nothing.

No faceless people.

No laughter.

No footsteps.

Only silence.

Miracle rubbed her face.

"It was just a dream."

But somehow she didn't believe it.

The fear remained.

Lingering.

Like something had followed her back from the nightmare.

---

The following night brought another dream.

And another.

And another.

Every night became a new nightmare.

In one dream she found herself trapped inside a room with no doors.

The walls slowly moved inward.

Closing.

Crushing.

No matter how hard she screamed, nobody came.

In another dream she stood alone in a dark forest.

Whispers echoed between the trees.

Calling her name.

Mocking her.

Following her.

When she turned around, she caught glimpses of figures hiding among the shadows.

Watching.

Waiting.

Smiling.

Another night she found herself standing in front of her apartment building.

Everything looked normal.

Until she noticed blood flowing beneath the door.

A river of dark red blood.

Slowly spreading toward her feet.

When she opened the door, the apartment was empty.

Except for a single figure standing in the darkness.

Watching her.

Its glowing eyes fixed on hers.

Then she woke up screaming.

Night after night the dreams continued.

Each one worse than the last.

---

A week passed.

Then two.

Miracle's condition worsened.

Dark circles formed beneath her eyes.

Her skin grew pale.

Her patience disappeared.

Simple tasks became difficult.

At work she struggled to focus.

She forgot appointments.

Lost track of conversations.

Dropped important files.

Several times her manager had to repeat instructions because she wasn't paying attention.

One afternoon she accidentally entered the wrong figures into a report.

Something she had never done before.

Her coworker frowned.

"Miracle, are you alright?"

She forced a smile.

"Just tired."

But tired didn't begin to describe it.

She felt drained.

Broken.

Like something was slowly eating away at her strength.

---

One evening, while washing dishes, she suddenly froze.

A strange feeling swept over her.

The sensation of being watched.

Slowly she turned around.

Nothing.

The apartment was empty.

Yet the feeling remained.

Strong.

Uncomfortable.

She quickly looked toward the talisman.

For some reason, seeing it made her feel safer.

The fear lessened immediately.

Miracle frowned.

That was becoming another problem.

The charm.

Part of her wanted to dismiss it as superstition.

Yet every strange event seemed connected to it.

The old woman believed in it.

The creature feared it.

And somehow, Miracle was beginning to trust it too.

---

Outside the protection of the talisman, hidden within shadows that ordinary people could not see, the creature watched.

Patiently.

Its glowing eyes burned in the darkness.

The charm protected her body.

Protected her home.

Prevented it from reaching her directly.

But dreams were different.

Dreams belonged to another realm.

A place where fear ruled.

A place where protection weakened.

And every nightmare strengthened its connection to her.

The creature smiled.

A terrible smile.

Soon.

Very soon.

The girl would begin to break.

Everyone broke eventually.

Even the strongest.

---

That night Miracle lay awake in bed.

Afraid to sleep.

Afraid to dream.

The room was silent.

Yet her heart refused to calm down.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

She could feel it.

Every instinct warned her.

The nightmares weren't random.

They weren't ordinary dreams.

Someone.

Or something.

Was causing them.

And deep down, Miracle knew one terrifying truth.

The nightmares were only the beginning.