My Worst Nightmare

I walked the familiar road home from my best friend Savannah’s house later than I normally did. Living out in the country, we were neighbors but my house was a mile away from hers. I usually tried to leave before it was dark because street lights don’t exist out here and I hate walking home when it’s pitch black. Thankfully, the full moon guided my path home. The sound of crickets chirping and the steady pace of my boots crunching against the dirt soothed me until I realized there was the sound of another pair of shoes behind me.

My heart rate sped up a little as I turned my head slightly to see someone illuminated by the moonlight, walking behind me, dressed in black from head to toe. I picked up my speed a bit, praying that I wasn’t being followed by some stalker. I could barely make out the silhouette of the large ranch house where my parents were waiting for me. Crunch, crunch, crunch went the shoes behind me, picking up more speed as I walked faster. They were definitely following me, trying to keep up with my rapid pace. My heart beat faster and a light sweat broke out under my armpits. I looked behind myself again and noticed something silver in one of the persons hands. It kind of resembled a dagger of sorts. Goosebumps covered my body as I started to wonder how long had this person been watching me. Had he been watching Savannah as well? Why did they pick me to follow? Question after question about my current situation circled my head, but never did I lose pace. My home wasn’t too far off, but danger was much closer

I reached the front of the long driveway of my house, realizing my parents' car wasn’t there. It’s date night, how could I forget. I didn’t bring my house keys so I made the best decision I could, and ran. My heart pounded to the rhythm of my shoes slapping against the pavement of my driveway. The only place I could think of was the place I knew like the back of my hand. The distance was much further than I knew my body would allow, especially after I had been slowly picking up pace the entire walk home. I’m not athletic at all -in fact I’m not sure of the last time I actually ran. I guess when your life is in danger you’re supposed to have some sort of adrenaline rush right? Well I must be having one of those because I never knew I could run like this until my life really depended on it. I could hear the person behind me running, but I seemed to have put some distance between me and my apparent attacker. Trying my best to keep control of my legs, I picked up speed and exploded into the dirt of the backyard. I stole another glance behind myself, seeing that the person was still in the front of the house, evidently slowing pace because of the darkness. My family’s old, run down, barn came into view and with my last effort, I slammed open the doors. My lungs screamed at me and I was now drenched in sweat.

I closed the barn door behind myself, hoping they wouldn’t hear the loud creak of the old door. Feeling my way in the dark, I found a pile of hay near the horses stables and laid down, covering myself with it. I tried my best to relax so if they found my hideout, they wouldn’t hear my ragged breathing. I closed my eyes and inhaled deep breaths of the cool night air, finally calming my breathing. I definitely needed to incorporate more cardio into my routine, that’s the promise I’ll keep if I survive this. Then again, how was I supposed to know that after sixteen years of avoiding work outs, I’d be chased by a freaking psycho.

I closed my eyes and waited in the hay, still keeping my breath low. Time was torture, I had no idea how long it had been as I waited, and waited and waited. Still there had been no sound coming from outside the barn and inside the horses slept. How lucky were they. The headliner in the paper tomorrow: sixteen year old girl, slaughtered in a barn. How ironic, but why wouldn’t I think they would mention my name? My name…

Just then my heart went into a panic and my eyes shut even tighter when the sounds started. A light knocking on the walls of the barn, as if alerting me of the stalker's presence. The sound was dark and the very thing you would hear in a horror movie when you knew someone was to be killed. The barn door creaked open, the sound of shoes on the hay filled barn floor grew louder as my stalker got closer to my hiding spot. I couldn’t see anything, but I prayed that my hiding spot wouldn’t be found.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you Janie?,” A menacing female voice said. I recognized that voice. Why did I recognize it…

She rummaged around the barn, looking for me. I could hear the sounds of the stables opening and closing roughly, the horses began going crazy. Their hoofs beat the ground and they neighed anxiously. She shuffled closer, and closer to me until the sound stopped right next to me. My heart beat so hard, I thought it would leap out of my chest.

A hand suddenly reached into my haystack and before I could react, I was yanked off my feet. She threw me to the ground roughly, my face getting scratched on a few stray pieces of hay. Man this girl was strong. I felt like a rag doll. “Such a pity things have to end this way Janie. I really thought we were better at hiding,” the familiar voice said. I looked up, trying to see the face that was shielded by the black hood, still wondering why I knew that voice so well.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” I begged, in a shaky voice. She pointed the dagger at me with one hand and pulled her hood off with the other one. A gasp escaped my lips as I realized why I knew that voice so well. It was me. I stared into the eyes of myself as I plunged the dagger deep into my chest.

I sat straight up in my bed clutching my chest, making sure I didn’t really just stab myself. The moonlight illuminated the barn outside my window. The slow fruition of my nightmare came to me.

I’m not dead.

But apparently..

I wish I was.