DARK DIMENSIONS: of a Damaged Mind

~~*~~

In the depth of sleep these nocturnal beasts came, at first I pushed them off as the result of late night indulgences due to my lifestyle. But as time progressed there seemed to be a definite pattern to the collection, that was mounting each night.
I began falling into a black well, I was screaming reaching for a side or bottom.
There were voices, but they were not understandable.
I could smell a foul almost gut wrenching odor, and there were eyes starring me down. I could sense them but not actually see them.
 

~~*~~

Every night this dream would reoccur. it was always the same, with no bottom to the pit. The hair on the back of my neck would rise as did a ridge in my back.
I thought I would get use to this nightmare, but with each occurrence, I would awaken to a voice telling me to do so.
My heart would be racing, and my sheets and body soaked with sweat.
 

~~*~~

I got out of bed the curiosity so great. I could hear a crying sound in the basement of the house. It sounded like the crying of a child. I was full of intense fear. How could a child be in the basement of this old house and crying?

Was I still dreaming. In some strange nightmare and not wanting to wake up from it?? No, I was awake.
Chills running through my veins so icy and so cold. Yet I was sweating profusely.

My hair seems to stand up on my head from this unreal and controlling fear.
Every night I live this nightmare and now I hear this crying sound in the basement.
I feel like maybe I am losing my mind. Wait!!!!!!!
The crying is now a loud shrill scream !!!!!!!
 

~~*~~
 

I ran down to the basement with my flashlight, nearly breaking my neck coming down head first at the bottom of the stairs.
I could hear it but where was it, I searched all around the basement moving boxes and looking in holes in the sheet rock.
Then it became louder as I was about ready to dismiss it as maybe I was just dreaming all this.
Then I heard a scratching near the back of the washing machine, I moved it and knocked a small hole in the wall.
Maybe it was a cat caught in between the drain pipes or something.
Then putting the light closer to the opening, kathump!! a head with four eyes and teeth, knarling dripping putrid saliva accompanied by a hellish indescribable stench. My heart pounding, I could not get up the stairs fast enough.
With my heart nearly leaping from my chest I said to myself, what the hell, is this real, some fantastical dream, a surreal daydream maybe, induced by too many late nights.
 

~~*~~

I called a friend, there was no answer so I just went down to the motel on the corner and rented a room for the rest of the night to get away from here.
I got me a bottle of brandy and had a few slugs until I relaxed and fell asleep again.
Thump, thump I jumped to my feet and finally realized it was the cleaning lady at the motel telling me it was check out time.
I wanted to tell someone, but would they believe me.
I first went back to my house, I gradually made my way down to the basement.
I could not find where I had made the hole behind the washer, in fact it looked like it had never been moved. Damn, was I losing my mind or what?
 

~~*~~
 

I felt as if someone was watching me while I was in the basement. Steely eyes looking at me. Watching my every move. An icy shudder passed through my veins. I felt frozen on the spot, all of a sudden I could not move.
Again I could hear crying, that of a small child. So soft and so quiet, crying and crying, but where was it coming from?

I felt so dizzy and so confused and once again I felt chills searing through my body. Icy and so cold. The basement was now freezing cold and I could see my breath.
The crying was getting louder and stronger, LOUDER and STRONGER. I searched the basement and could not find a thing, not a clue as to where this crying was coming from.

My head was pounding hard. My eyes felt so blurry and I felt as if I was being watched again then all of a sudden the crying stopped. Silence prevailed. Everything was very quiet. Not a sound, so very quiet until *BANG!
I jumped, so startled. What was that? I looked and the hole behind the washer was open again. Open again!! This is unreal.
 

~~*~~
 

I stuck my hand into the hole to feel around, and suddenly I SCREAMED!
something was holding my arm tightly and not letting go. I began to SCREAM!
but who could hear me?

I pulled my hand out of the hole behind the washer. Blood was dripping down my arm and it looked like big gashes in my aching arm. I felt so weak, so cold so close to fainting and so very dizzy. Why was all of this happening? Why?
I ran up the stairs and the door would not open.
After many failed attempts at opening I finally decided to take a crowbar to it, and got it open.
I called Dave a friend of mine and told him what happened, He said stay right there and call an ambulance.
I washed my arm in the sink with cold water, wrapped it in towels and called 911.
 

~~*~~
 

Dave arrived ahead of the ambulance, and when I removed the towel there was nothing to see.
Dave said this was a sick joke as there was not a trace of blood or anything.
When the ambulance arrived my friend redirected them with a story of a mental problem and such.
This may not be to far from the truth I was thinking at that time.
I looked and the door was like it had never been touched, and that elusive hole behind the dryer was as before, nowhere to be seen.
I made an appointment with a shrink, and he said he felt it was just a bad nightmare.
He gave me a prescription for something to relax me and let me rest, and he booked me in for a follow up appointment.
At this point, I was afraid to sleep in that house, so Buddy up the street kindly offered me his Doberman Hektor for the weekend.
I put him in the basement, took a couple of the pills and laid down.
I woke up at 3:30 a.m with the sound of the dog whimpering. I figured he wanted to go out side and wouldn't use the area I set aside for him, so I got my torchlight, went down to the basement to let him out.
When I got there I could not see him, but only hear his breathing, his whimper & a faint scratching sound.
All seemed as if they were coming from inside the walls, next to the tool cabinet.
I continued to listen. I called his name out.
Hektor, here Hektor.
The whimper turned into a faint whining as if a last cry. I went to the wall and as I started knocking on the wood something happened that almost took my breath away.
My arm just went into the wall like thin ice, and when I brought it back out it had saliva dripping from it.
This cannot be I thought, This Just Cannot be.
 

~~*~~
 

Where is this saliva coming from? I was in a state of shock and reeling inside my head.
Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. Shocked and frightened I turned around,
no one was there. I was losing my mind. I must be going insane. I was so exhausted and so drained from all of this. This dream or nightmare was following me and haunting me daily. Unreal but seemingly so true. Always near me turning my reality into a none reality.

Feeling such intense fear, and with the chills still going through my body when suddenly BANG! A resounding crack followed by a succession of further thumps coming from upstairs. At first frozen, then with insane curiosity, I stealthily ran up the steps.
The sound was coming from my bedroom. Heart pounding, I ran into the bedroom and there on the bed, blood dripping all over was the dog Hektor. A knife stuck in his neck and he was bleeding all over the floor and he appeared dead, but maybe not. I could not believe my eyes.
 

~~*~~
 

I grabbed the phone and called Buddy screaming into the phone. Trying to tell him what happened to his dog. I was feeling so weak and totally exhausted. I felt like I was going to faint. With the room swirling around me I hit the floor ..out cold.

When I came to Buddy was standing over me and asking me what had happened. I asked him about Hekor. He said Hektor is not here. What is going on, What is wrong? You phoned me screaming I came over and you were out cold on the floor. What the hell is wrong with you? Tell me...I tried to speak, but words would not come out. I felt a
pressure and a haze of smoke surrounding me.
 

~~*~~
 

Buddy was extremely upset, what have you done with my dog?
Did you kill him in one of your delusional states, I am calling the police you need to be committed.
Then as if the whole thing never occurred, Hektor came barking to the front door, licking at Buddy's hand. Buddy exclaimed what kind of sick person are you, I am your friend and as a friend I'm telling you, you need help.
I felt everything crashing in on me, I was losing my friends, and my mind.
Why was this happening to me?
From then on I was afraid to sleep staying awake by any available means.
I took time off from my job and just watched TV day and night. I would not even answer the phone, friends would come by and I told them I was sick and to come back another time,
Sick, was not far from the truth at all.
Soon lack of sleep was taking it's toll, bags under my eyes, body aches and the constant twitching of my left eye.
I finally felt myself unable to keep up the pace, I fell asleep on the carpet in front of the television.
I do not know how long I slept, but was awaken by a voice saying help me, free me.
I said please no more of this I cannot take it any more.
 

~~*~~
 

The voice continued to call to me, I finally got up and followed it to the attic.
There I turned on the light, and I felt my heart in my throat, and the feeling of insects crawling up and down my back.
I looked again and rubbed my eyes as my heart raced.
There in the wall near the attic window was the arm and face of a man half decomposed.
Set me free take my hand, please help me.
I fell upon my knees, My God help me.
Is this real, what did I do to deserve this? Crying out please take this away, I cannot take anymore.
I walked away, yet my legs felt as they were being weighed down.
And each time I looked back, it seemed as the wall was getting closer.
I tried to run but no matter which direction I went it was if I had not moved.
I was being boxed in, I could feel my heart leaping inside my chest Sweat like beads trickled from my forehead.
Suddenly something touched my shoulder. A hand.. ahhh!
I huddled in the corner staring, it was Buddy.
 

~~*~~
 

You need to see a doctor my friend, before you go completely over the edge that is if you haven't already.
No man it's this house, I need to just get out of here before it consumes me.
Your looney tooney sweetheart, was Buddy's reply.
I am telling you these things are happening Buddy. This place is possessed.
OK!! Come over and stay with me for a few days, and get some sleep, and once your rested, we’ll talk seriously about what you should to exorcize whatever demons are in your life.

My first night away seemed as if it was going to be uneventful, and I could sure use the rest.
My eyes were red as fire and they burned too, my chest and stomach hurt from nerves mostly I suppose and the fact I had not been eating to well either.

God please help me I screamed! Then all of a sudden I am back in my own bed, tossing and turning wildly. I get out of bed. I look a mess. Lack of sleep and all of these crazy things happening to me has taken its toll. Hektor is licking my face and pulling on my hand. He seems awful anxious. Take it easy I tell him.
 

~~*~~
 

He runs down the steps and starts scratching at the front door wanting me to let him outside. He is awfully anxious and has never acted this way before. So I open the door and let him out. I step outside to feel sunshine and fresh air upon my face, it feels so good.

I hear Hektor barking wildly. I figure he must have seen a rabbit so I go to the side of the house. Hektor is digging in the dirt wildly and barking so loudly and scratching the ground like crazy. Calm down, calm down fella I tell him.

All of a sudden He finds something buried in the dirt. A red baseball cap. It looks like a cap for a child and almost new looking. I look at the cap and wonder how did this get here? Then Hektor digs further down and after a short while comes running to me.
 

~~*~~
 

MY God, I scream!
Hektor is holding what appears to be the hand of a small child in his mouth. I am in shock, this is unreal. What is happening. Could someone have someone have killed a child and buried him in my yard. I run into the house and phone the police. Begging them to hurry over I have found a body part of a child and a baseball cap.

The police arrive take them outside. Hektor is with them. Hektor I say, lets show the police the hole and the cap and hand I left near the hole for evidence. I look at the spot where Hektor was digging and.. no hole no hat or hand, nothing.

The police say are you totally insane? We are swamped with calls and we come running here to see what? Are you out of your mind? You need to be committed.. But I swear I have seen a hand and a red cap I say. Look!! we will let you off this time, but if it happens again we’ll call the mental hospital for you. Don’t know what your problem is lady but you look like hell. You need some sleep. Maybe you had a bad dream. See a doctor, a psychiatrist coz you need help.. We will let you go this time but this will be your first and last warning.
 

~~*~~

Tears falling down my face, I return to the house with Hektor near me. Come on fella, I have to rest, I am losing my mind. I go into the bedroom and collapse on the bed. I close my eyes and feel like I am dying. The following day and night were very restful, there were no abnormal things and all went well. At last I could sleep peacefully.

I went to a party with Buddy and we got somewhat loaded, and danced till the wee hours of the morning. I had fun. Then we called a cab and went home. At last things seemed to be normal.

I guess it was around three a.m. when we finally got home, bathed and crawled into bed.
I woke up around ten a.m. to find my bed in the middle of a field of yellow and green fauna.
I was so startled and shaken. I screamed for help. I said oh no not again, I thought this was over.
I started walking and finally came to a road, yet even after a long walk I saw no cars, not even the sound of a bird or anything.
 

~~*~~
 

Where was I this time, and where was everybody? I finally came to an old barn, I looked inside and decided to rest a bit.
I looked down and noticed my feet were bare and bleeding, yet I felt no pain. I noticed a doorway and proceeded to see if there was anything there that could help me get back to home. Was there a phone or something, anything to help me. I went inside and immediately began falling, it was dark and I again began hollering.
Please get me out of this nightmare, let me go home.
Then all of the sudden it was light and Buddy was over me saying, Dude you are freaking out again.
I hugged Buddy, and said it's so good to be back. He simply said don't like do that again OK.
I finally went to the shrink again, and he concluded I had some past problem that was reoccurring in the here and now. I even went as far as to have my house checked by a ghost chaser before I would go back.
It passed inspection, but I decided to sell the place anyway.
 

~~*~~
 

I moved to Duggers Junction five years ago now, but the story seems to continue.
The house was up for sale for a long time, and a guy bought it.
My friend Buddy says the neighbors heard him pounding on the basement wall one night and hasn't been seen since.
I am perfectly normal they say, but I still fall every night just a little more.
And I wonder will I ever reach the bottom...Ever ..In my Damaged Mind...