Last night, my nightmare lasted into the next day. I woke up with a severe headache this morning. The knocking on the door at midnight was not just a dream, but it was also something weird.
I went down to the kitchen and dined with Lorna and my other friends. I needed some change for a pay phone and decided to use Lorna's phone. As I was about to call, the phone rang. I picked it up and the person on the other side said, "I'm sorry," and I could hear voices on the other side. I asked who's there and the voice replied, "Avery. She has fallen into the tiger's mouth," and then hung up.
Sensing something wrong, I went to go to the convenience store to call Avery on the pay phone. The pay phone was out of order.
This was when the knock came. It sounded unusually loud and forceful, as if it would break down the door. I went and opened the door while screaming, "Who's there?" Only to be met with complete darkness.
There was nothing! Absolutely nothing there. I had a really bad feeling about this. I could've sworn that there was someone at the door when I opened it.
As I was thinking about this, I saw a streak of black winding around the corner. A black cat? Maybe, but it did not look like any cat I've seen. The coal-black leopard padded around the corner and entered the hallway. I was afraid of the cat, so I ran back from the door.
The cat was huge and its eyes were red. I read once that a black cat was a bad omen that brings bad luck. Could this cat be the cause of the knocking? Does it want to play with my life? I was being a coward. So I confronted it. The cat let out a low growl and I froze.
Just when I was about to scream, I saw a silhouette of a person behind me. I turned around. There was nobody there. Then I heard a voice, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you."
The announcer was a man. I was delighted for I thought that this was the stranger who saved me from the monster in my dream.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm the stranger who saved you."
"How do I know it's you? There are others like you."
There was a flash, and when it came to I was all alone in the house. In front of me was the cat. I had no idea why it was there. I remembered that a black cat was a bad omen and I should not be afraid. "Scram!" I yelled at the cat and slapped it away. But I did not know that it would attack me back.
"I can see that you hate me. And I'm sorry for whatever I've done to you. I swear that I'm the one who saved you from the being in the nightmare. I am the stranger. I don't know why but I could see you on the playground. What happened to you?"
I remembered what Avery had said, "I'm sorry." Have I done something wrong? Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe I should just listen to it. But it can't be right, could it? There is no way that a werewolf could save me. Maybe it's freezing me out. Maybe I'm going crazy.
"Why did you wolf down my best friend?" I asked.
"I was really scared of you when I saw you on the playground. You were a werewolf and I was afraid that you would eat me."
Of all the lies, the werewolf one stood out the best. Why would that werewolf be afraid of me? It was werewolf that killed Avery. The way it was laughing, its actions spoke louder than anything. So I was not crazy. The cat. It disappeared into the darkness when it attacked me in the hallway. I was sure that I heard its growl. Maybe I'm just hallucinating. I was beginning to panic.
"Don't be afraid. I'm going to take you to a safe place."
The stranger was holding onto my arm again. Well, I was afraid; it would have been sorta idiotic not to be. I thought of running away from it, but it took me to a place of my memories.
We arrived at the playground and the stranger told me to follow him. I was sure that we were at the playground. So I argued that I was confused. He said that I was still in my nightmare. I was taken to a place I had forgotten about. It was Chanterelle's house.
There was a woman in a black cat costume along with her. The cat was speaking to me. "She's in your dream. You should be fine now."
I was actually shocked to see Chanterelle. "Chanterelle--in a cat costume? Why?"
"I want to bring Lucie back," she said. There was that werecat again. I sighed.
The cat said, "Morning."
"Morning," Chanterelle said.
We were in Chanterelle's living room again. Chanterelle said to the cat, "Holly, I don't like him."
"Whatever you say."
"The dream has been going on too long," I said.
Chanterelle said, "You'll be fine."
"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.
"The dream sequence hasn't ended yet. You can still follow it to the end."
I looked at the cat.
"I know that I'm dreaming. Take me back."
The cat stepped forward, a little closer to me. I could see the number and letters on its neck.
"I'm not supposed to leave this place. Otherwise, the sequence would end," it said.
"Take us both back. Now!" I shouted.
The cat shook its head and walked away.
"Just forget about everything and follow the dream."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Just go with the flow."
I felt that it was still following me. I began to run away from it. It took me to a dark place, where the exit was a maze of metal doors. I was afraid of being trapped in there. There was a corner to hide in.
The cat was not there actually. Only the man in the suit. The stranger from the nightmare.