I’m running aimlessly, unsure of which direction I should go. It feels as if the world around me is spinning , and I can’t tell which way is up. With every stride I take, my legs feel more like bricks than they do limbs on my brittle body. This extra weight slows my pace, and pulls me to the ground.

  All is silent around me. No sound to be heard, except for the rapid thumping of my heart. I grasp for air, but holes in my lungs prevent me from regaining my ability to breathe. My hand glides across my chest, and clenches onto my shirt. Sharp pains arise inside me, and my heart feels like it’s on fire. I reach my hands out around me, searching for something, anything, to relieve the agony I feel.

  However, there’s nothing, not one single thing insight, It’s only now, this very moment, that I realize how utterly alone I really am. I am stuck in this empty and dark infinite void. The space around me is pitch black. Only a small light illuminates above me, but I can’t seem to find it’s source.

 The ground around and below me is wet. A thin layer of clear water lays upon the black floor. The light above me casts onto the water, creating a glossy reflection. My fingers run through the water, causing tiny ripples to occur. I feel my heart begin to settle.

 Then a tug at my shoulder pulls my attention to what now stands behind me. Two rigid old doors, facing one another. Both are painted in a dark red tent with streaks of brown from the broken wood. The doors urge me to come closer, but a voice inside screams no. However, being the naive and innocent girl I am, I step closer. I stretch my hand out, wrapping it around the cold metal hand, and pull the door towards myself.

  Shivers run up my spine, and I freeze. I hold my breath, so no noise creeps out of me. It can’t know I stand behind it. The silhouette in front of me stands perfectly still, frozen. Hair reaching to the shoulders, body frail, wearing clothes that don’t fit. I lift my hand and the figure follows in the same motion. I watch as it trembles in fear, like myself. This isn’t just some random being. This is me.

  I look behind to see the other door wide open, and another version of myself staring into my eyes. I can’t take this anymore. I slam the door in front of me and the other follows. The closing of the doors causes the floor to shake, and I fall to the wet ground. My body and hair drips, and I feel a cold breath of air blow past my ear.

  “Hello darling”, a disturbing voice says to me.

  Fear and anxiety flows through my veins, and my skin crawls. Adrenaline pumps though out my body, and I am running once again. With every step I take, water hits my skin, and I am reminded of the unknown world I am in.

  What is this place? Why am I here? This isn’t right. I want out. Then it hits me. Over and over again, a sense of realization overcomes me. This isn’t real, it’s a dream.

  “This isn’t real!”, I scream into the infinite void.

  I shut my eyes, and I wish and pray to be out of this horrific place. But when my eyes open, I see nothing has changed . The darkness still surrounds me. I’m stuck in this unwakeable dream.