A Living Nightmare, chapter 1
The stars in the sky were bright that night. Twinkling like diamonds in a black sea. The breeze was delightful after the long, sweaty, hot city day.
He had come to his usual spot. The roof. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city. He came here most nights to think, to clear his scattered mind. He had thought about jumping some nights. This was one of them. He gazed below him, almost going into a trance, the car and traffic lights pulling him in.
'Would anyone notice if I was not here?. Would they care? '
He had friends, well they were more like acquaintances really. They were just hid flat mates but he liked them, they were nice people. They had given him a place to stay when he first came to the city, after there was a huge tragedy in his family. His mother had recently passed away. He never had a chance to know his father properly, he had left his mother when he was still a toddler. His mother had been murdered, shot. Some say that it was his father, but no one knew for sure. The police had been investigating deeply but it later became a cold case.
His old home reminded him too much of the horrors that had happened so he came to the 'big city'... Well ok it wasn't the big city, it was a place called Berkley, but it suited him fine. He was still quite young, only seventeen. This young man's name was Frank Wright but he insisted that every one call him Tre.
He hated the name Frank, it was his father's name. H still hated him even though he didn't remember him!.
He was at his thinking spot looking down at the lights, he knew that he would never jump, he was too much of a coward.
Tre turned to walk away when a dark shadow emerged from the door way of the roof. This person was tall, muscular and seemed so familiar to Tre. The figure stumbled closer, until he grabbed Tre by the arms and turned him around and pushed him forwards so that half of his body was over the edge of the building. Tre's body froze with fear. At that moment there were so many thoughts and memories flashing through his head. Then he felt a push. He was now falling, the ground was moving closer and closer as he let out one final scream.
**
Then he woke up, cold sweat dripping from his temples. He heard a bang on his bedroom wall followed by the faint sound of Billie, one of his house mates telling him to shut up because some people were trying to sleep.
That was the third time in a week that he had had that nightmare. He never sees his attacker's face though and this frustrated him to the bone.
He managed to fall back to sleep that night even though it was difficult. But when he woke up the next morning he felt fine, rested.
Billie was just leaving for work, he worked with his mother at a local restaurant. He didn't make much but it was enough to pay rent. Mike, his other house mate was still in bed but that was simply because of the party he had been to the night before. Let's just put it this way, he was going to need a lot of aspirin when he woke up.
Just as Billie shut the front door the phone rang, which reminded Tre that he still had to put his share of money towards this month's phone bill. He walked over to the phone hanging on the wall, he picked up but before he could say hello, a voice came on. It was a rough, unpleasant sounding voice.
"Did you enjoy you're 'fall time' last night Frank?."
What the..., how did this guy know what I dreamt last night and how the hell did he know his name?
Tre was getting scared but the voice just laughed and then hung up. Leaving him standing in the middle of the Hall with all of the colour drained from his face.
Mike came out of his bedroom to find Tre still looking shocked. He just walked past him because frankly he thought that Tre was a little messed up in the head.
You see, Tre is the kind of person that covers up his emotions with humor, and it works because he is the kind of person that can get away with it. Billie was one of the only people that Knew what Tre was really like. Everyone else knew the clown but Billie knew the person.
Later that day after Tre had got over the shock of the phone call, Billie phoned to say that he had some tickets to the local club, The Gilman. There was a new band setting up there tonight so he thought they should go and have a look. Billie and Mike were currently in a band called Sweet Children but they were thinking of changing the name. They used to play at the Gilman most nights. Their drummer Al was leaving soon and Billie was not happy about that. Furious in fact. But Tre was soon to become the newest member of the band as the fill-in drummer, not sure if he would be good enough. But Mike and Billie both heard him play and agreed that he was perfect.
The Gilman was actually where Tre met the other two. One drunken night but that is another complex story.
Billie said that he would be home at 6. 30 and the gig was at 8. 00
8. 00 soon rolled around and once Mike's girlfriend, Chelsea had arrived, they all clambered into her car and set off for the club.
When they got there, they could already hear the loud music of the band bursting through their amps. They gave over their tickets and the bouncer let them in, giving each of them a luminous ink stamp on the backs of their hands. Tre could never make out what the stamp said though.
The music was hypnotizing, the crowd moved backwards and forwards together. Tre was getting hot and soon felt the urge for a cigarette. He squeezed through the intense teenage crowd until he came to an open fire exit. By this time he had already lost Billie and the others in the riot inside. No doubt they were off talking to the last band that were on or some thing.
He stepped outside and the cold air filled his lungs, making his throat feel prickly. He felt around in his pocket for his cigarette packet and lighter. He found the lighter, it was silver and square with a picture of a shark on the side of it. His mother had bought it when she had gone to Australia on business and it reminded him of her so he kept it.
He was about to light up his cigarette, when he felt his feet being pulled away from under him. He was being dragged further away from the fire exit and into the shadows of the other buildings. He had dropped his lighter and was seriously angry and totally scared at the same time in that moment.
Once again he hoped that this was not happening and any time soon he would wake up in his bed. But that was not the case this time.
He felt a very sharp pain in his stomach, he had been kicked, fairly hard too and it hurt like hell. He was dragged up to his feet and was now resting against the wall. That was when he saw his attacker. It was the man from the roof, the man from his nightmares. There was something shining in the moonlight. It was a gun!. The man stepped forwards and for the first time Tre saw his face. Tre knew it so well but he just couldn't place him.
The first words that came out of his mouth were "You're the spitting image of your mother!"
How did he know his mother?. How was this lunatic getting into his dreams? No, no, no he wasn't in my dreams I'm just going totally crazy now.
"Do you know what you and your mother did to my life?, you destroyed it!. I was happily married and then your mother came along and soon after so did you. You were the biggest I ever made.!"
No, this could not be right. This was his father standing in front of him?.
"Got it in a oner, that's ma boy!."
"How did you get into my dreams and why are you trying to kill me? I don't even know you!."
"Well it is pretty easy to get into some ones dreams when you're dead!"
"Dead?" Tre had never known of his father's death. Hell he barely even knew of his father at all
" Well if you're dead how can you hold that gun?" Tre was trying to buy some time while he thought of how he was going to get out of this.
"When you've been dead for a while you pick up some tricks."
Tre was starting to really panic now, there was no way out of this situation.
"When your mother kicked me out I tried to get back with my wife but she wouldn't take me. Don't blame her really. I couldn't take it any more so I ended it my self over three years ago with this very gun."
Tre was starting to piece together the mental jig saw that this phantom was throwing at him. He was the one that had killed his mother. That was why it had become a cold case, you can't charge a ghost with first degree murder.
"So why do you want to kill me too?."
"You were the reason your mother kicked me out, you were the reason my wife left. You were a mistake and you don't deserve to live!"
Those words cut through Tre like a sharpened knife. He knew that he was a waste of space but now something from his past was making it very clear.
Just as his father raised the gun towards Tre's head a group of people came out of the club, it was Billie, Chelsea and Mike. Tre's and Billie's eyes met in fear.
Then the trigger was pulled.
He had come to his usual spot. The roof. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city. He came here most nights to think, to clear his scattered mind. He had thought about jumping some nights. This was one of them. He gazed below him, almost going into a trance, the car and traffic lights pulling him in.
'Would anyone notice if I was not here?. Would they care? '
He had friends, well they were more like acquaintances really. They were just hid flat mates but he liked them, they were nice people. They had given him a place to stay when he first came to the city, after there was a huge tragedy in his family. His mother had recently passed away. He never had a chance to know his father properly, he had left his mother when he was still a toddler. His mother had been murdered, shot. Some say that it was his father, but no one knew for sure. The police had been investigating deeply but it later became a cold case.
His old home reminded him too much of the horrors that had happened so he came to the 'big city'... Well ok it wasn't the big city, it was a place called Berkley, but it suited him fine. He was still quite young, only seventeen. This young man's name was Frank Wright but he insisted that every one call him Tre.
He hated the name Frank, it was his father's name. H still hated him even though he didn't remember him!.
He was at his thinking spot looking down at the lights, he knew that he would never jump, he was too much of a coward.
Tre turned to walk away when a dark shadow emerged from the door way of the roof. This person was tall, muscular and seemed so familiar to Tre. The figure stumbled closer, until he grabbed Tre by the arms and turned him around and pushed him forwards so that half of his body was over the edge of the building. Tre's body froze with fear. At that moment there were so many thoughts and memories flashing through his head. Then he felt a push. He was now falling, the ground was moving closer and closer as he let out one final scream.
**
Then he woke up, cold sweat dripping from his temples. He heard a bang on his bedroom wall followed by the faint sound of Billie, one of his house mates telling him to shut up because some people were trying to sleep.
That was the third time in a week that he had had that nightmare. He never sees his attacker's face though and this frustrated him to the bone.
He managed to fall back to sleep that night even though it was difficult. But when he woke up the next morning he felt fine, rested.
Billie was just leaving for work, he worked with his mother at a local restaurant. He didn't make much but it was enough to pay rent. Mike, his other house mate was still in bed but that was simply because of the party he had been to the night before. Let's just put it this way, he was going to need a lot of aspirin when he woke up.
Just as Billie shut the front door the phone rang, which reminded Tre that he still had to put his share of money towards this month's phone bill. He walked over to the phone hanging on the wall, he picked up but before he could say hello, a voice came on. It was a rough, unpleasant sounding voice.
"Did you enjoy you're 'fall time' last night Frank?."
What the..., how did this guy know what I dreamt last night and how the hell did he know his name?
Tre was getting scared but the voice just laughed and then hung up. Leaving him standing in the middle of the Hall with all of the colour drained from his face.
Mike came out of his bedroom to find Tre still looking shocked. He just walked past him because frankly he thought that Tre was a little messed up in the head.
You see, Tre is the kind of person that covers up his emotions with humor, and it works because he is the kind of person that can get away with it. Billie was one of the only people that Knew what Tre was really like. Everyone else knew the clown but Billie knew the person.
Later that day after Tre had got over the shock of the phone call, Billie phoned to say that he had some tickets to the local club, The Gilman. There was a new band setting up there tonight so he thought they should go and have a look. Billie and Mike were currently in a band called Sweet Children but they were thinking of changing the name. They used to play at the Gilman most nights. Their drummer Al was leaving soon and Billie was not happy about that. Furious in fact. But Tre was soon to become the newest member of the band as the fill-in drummer, not sure if he would be good enough. But Mike and Billie both heard him play and agreed that he was perfect.
The Gilman was actually where Tre met the other two. One drunken night but that is another complex story.
Billie said that he would be home at 6. 30 and the gig was at 8. 00
8. 00 soon rolled around and once Mike's girlfriend, Chelsea had arrived, they all clambered into her car and set off for the club.
When they got there, they could already hear the loud music of the band bursting through their amps. They gave over their tickets and the bouncer let them in, giving each of them a luminous ink stamp on the backs of their hands. Tre could never make out what the stamp said though.
The music was hypnotizing, the crowd moved backwards and forwards together. Tre was getting hot and soon felt the urge for a cigarette. He squeezed through the intense teenage crowd until he came to an open fire exit. By this time he had already lost Billie and the others in the riot inside. No doubt they were off talking to the last band that were on or some thing.
He stepped outside and the cold air filled his lungs, making his throat feel prickly. He felt around in his pocket for his cigarette packet and lighter. He found the lighter, it was silver and square with a picture of a shark on the side of it. His mother had bought it when she had gone to Australia on business and it reminded him of her so he kept it.
He was about to light up his cigarette, when he felt his feet being pulled away from under him. He was being dragged further away from the fire exit and into the shadows of the other buildings. He had dropped his lighter and was seriously angry and totally scared at the same time in that moment.
Once again he hoped that this was not happening and any time soon he would wake up in his bed. But that was not the case this time.
He felt a very sharp pain in his stomach, he had been kicked, fairly hard too and it hurt like hell. He was dragged up to his feet and was now resting against the wall. That was when he saw his attacker. It was the man from the roof, the man from his nightmares. There was something shining in the moonlight. It was a gun!. The man stepped forwards and for the first time Tre saw his face. Tre knew it so well but he just couldn't place him.
The first words that came out of his mouth were "You're the spitting image of your mother!"
How did he know his mother?. How was this lunatic getting into his dreams? No, no, no he wasn't in my dreams I'm just going totally crazy now.
"Do you know what you and your mother did to my life?, you destroyed it!. I was happily married and then your mother came along and soon after so did you. You were the biggest I ever made.!"
No, this could not be right. This was his father standing in front of him?.
"Got it in a oner, that's ma boy!."
"How did you get into my dreams and why are you trying to kill me? I don't even know you!."
"Well it is pretty easy to get into some ones dreams when you're dead!"
"Dead?" Tre had never known of his father's death. Hell he barely even knew of his father at all
" Well if you're dead how can you hold that gun?" Tre was trying to buy some time while he thought of how he was going to get out of this.
"When you've been dead for a while you pick up some tricks."
Tre was starting to really panic now, there was no way out of this situation.
"When your mother kicked me out I tried to get back with my wife but she wouldn't take me. Don't blame her really. I couldn't take it any more so I ended it my self over three years ago with this very gun."
Tre was starting to piece together the mental jig saw that this phantom was throwing at him. He was the one that had killed his mother. That was why it had become a cold case, you can't charge a ghost with first degree murder.
"So why do you want to kill me too?."
"You were the reason your mother kicked me out, you were the reason my wife left. You were a mistake and you don't deserve to live!"
Those words cut through Tre like a sharpened knife. He knew that he was a waste of space but now something from his past was making it very clear.
Just as his father raised the gun towards Tre's head a group of people came out of the club, it was Billie, Chelsea and Mike. Tre's and Billie's eyes met in fear.
Then the trigger was pulled.
Page 1/2 | Next
