When Dreams Bleed Into Reality

Long, clawed fingers reached for her, extending from all directions. She tried to run, but her feet were rooted to the ground. A figure stepped out of the shadows that suffocated her. It had black pits for eyes and a too-wide mouth with needle sharp teeth.

“Seven minutes past midnight,” it informed her, voice scratchy. “Time for you to die.”

Fingers reached for her throat squeezing. Again, she tried to move, but her limbs were frozen. Her vision went black.

***

She jerks upright, shaking from the nightmare that felt incredibly real. Reaching for the light switch beside her bed, she squints her eyes in the sudden bright light. Her slowly dissipating horror skyrockets again as she realizes two things.

One: there’s a constant tapping coming from somewhere in the bedroom.

Two: the time on her alarm clock reads ‘12:06’

Her gaze searches for the source of the tapping and freezes on the mirror opposite her bed. It’s pitch black and is emitting the knocking sound. Instinctively, her eyes shift back toward the alarm clock.

Thirty seconds.

Her pulse skyrockets, thoughts racing a mile a minute, looking for a way out. She tries to move, then realizes that her body is frozen.

Ten seconds.

There’s nothing she can do.

Three.

Two.

One.

The glass of the mirror breaks with a sickening crack. Dark fingers extend as a figure steps out. It’s the same one from her dream.

“Seven minutes past midnight,” says the scratchy voice. “Time for you to die.”

THE END