Epiphany of Dreams

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Blind Hemingway

Ancient Iwaku Scum from 2006.
Original poster
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
NEVER
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Douche
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Surrealism, Surreal Horror (Think Tim Burton), Steampunk, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Spaghetti Westerns, Mercenaries, Dieselpunk, Cyberpunk, Historical fantasies
[Episode One: complications

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flt6JLIglSc"]YouTube - Elfen Lied OST - Yureai[/ame]

Provere City - The city steeped in culture and history, filled with buildings and monuments from various eras. It is an old town, said to have grown from a village of mystics and seers escaping oppressive rule from the east.

Bogart O'Cleene is the most recent victim found related to the Morpheus Case murders - his corpse hanging from Saint Harper's bridge and being ravaged by the Gondola River's currents. A rope made of what was confirmed to be a weave of human hair was tied around his neck.

clifton-suspension-bridge-bristol-g.jpg

Weighing at a hefty 250 lbs, Police reports suggest that his neck was snapped with some great force, revealing that he would have been tossed head first towards the raging river below.

Police are taking DNA tests of hair gathered from the rope now - but unofficial reports state that each strand taken from the macabre rope belongs to a different person.

alg_grind-stern.jpg

Bogart O'Cleene is a Taxi Driver who was reported missing after an empty taxi with his number plate was found empty in a highway tunnel at the city limits.

The Morpheus Murders are the general term for a baffling string of murders happening recently with no real unifying feature - other than that they are done in the middle of the night in this city. A curfew has been set up to counter this, as well as increased police patrols - but they still continue, claiming victims who have been reported missing for a few days.

Approximately a day after the murder of a Bogart O'Cleene, another night of strange occurrences took place alongside these murders...
 
Jacob had just returned from a particularly long day at his high school's stage, crafting some cut-outs for the upcoming production. He was forced to walk home because he missed the last bus to his area - and thus was exhausted; Chamberlin High was more than four miles away.

He entered the living room and met his mother with an apathetic look. The woman likewise did the same - reading a newspaper with a tired look on her face.

"G'evening." He simply muttered. "Don't worry about dinner, I had some on the way back."

"Oh, okay." His mother simply replied, her tired eyes returning to the paper. His family had lost it's energy somehow-his sister had moved out to college and his father had split the scene altogether about five years before that. It could also be Jacob's attitude towards his mother in general - he was apathetic to her because she had been rather distant since he graduated middle school.

And if confronted with problems, he'd fix them as soon as possible or say screw you to the world and focus on things that interested him. Hobbies were an escapism and thus, his mother had no reason to discuss things with him.

Jacob simply slumped on his bed. His room was filled with books on Shakespeare and other famous playwrights, his sketches and figurines lined his desks and cabinets - and his computer took the center stage, stacked with game disks, magazines and books.

In those days when his sister was still living with, it would have been cleaner, more organized. She liked making the home seem more lively, now it was merely a gloomy shack two people called home for a few hours out of the day.

And as the thought crossed his mind, he angrily stood up and began to pick up whatever stray object was on the floor. He then piled them into his closet haphazardly and shut it quickly. The room was now cleaner than before.

However, with a look of frustration he groaned, slumped back on to bed, and fell asleep with his school clothes still on.
_________________________________________

His eyes opened, and he found himself on what seemed to be a dusty stone floor. He began pulling himself up, obviously distressed at the filth that now clung to his clothes and face. The next thing he did was dust himself off, carefully looking around.

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This wasn't his room. The architecture reminded him of the industrial age - with the brick wall and the old obsolete machinery covered in cobwebs. Light from a thick glass window behind him revealed the moon in a starless night sky.

He remembered the old factory from his past string of dreams.

After cleaning himself a bit, he realized that there was something about his situation that was off - everything felt real, but at the same time, he could not bring himself to believe the existence of this world. He was in the dream from last time - but this time... he was aware and in control.

He walked up to the door, slightly shaken. Yet, prodding himself to believe that this was nothing but a dream, he shook the knob and forced it open. The wooden frame screeched against the floor and the rusty joints creaked loudly.

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From there, he saw a large hallway, with doors on one side and a set of windows on the other. Walking up one of the windows, he could see the familiar contour of a city at night.

Jacob looked down to see if there was an exit. He saw only the wide courtyard from which he entered in his past dreams, with the rusty gate open. Approximating his height, he knew he was about 3 stories from ground level.

Just then, a breeze blew past behind him. He jolted, and naturally covered his face with crossed arms. When he lowered them a bit, he saw nothing there but shadows contrasted against the moonlight. The wind blew yet again, this time occurring naturally from the window.

"Come hither."

A voice beckoned from the darkness down the hall.

"Come here, and awaken."

Jacob slowly took steps forward into the shadow, picking up a rusty pipe from a nearby stack of metal parts as he did. He gritted his teeth, and disappeared into the darkness.


Summary: We meet Jacob for the first time. Original Post by Paorou Sama
 
Seraph was making her way home from work. Her phone read 11:11 and subconciously she made a wish like she did when she was younger. However in the front of her mind Seraph was focused on making it to her apartment before curfew. Thanks to work she had no time to have an evening walk tonight and the result was an upset Seraph.

Hanging off of her right shoulder was a bright goldenrod purse that was slightly oversized but perfect for carrying all of her belongings comfortably. In her left hand Seraph clutched her phone tightly, keeping it lit up so that she could see the time with ease. In her right hand Seraph was concealing a can of mace for protection...just in case.

After a few long minutes Seraph reached her apartment complex and made her way safely inside and up two flights of stairs to the third floor and into her apartment. She closed the door behind her and was greeted by a large white boxer. Seraph smiled and dropped down to one knee and began stroking the animal as he slid his tongue over her cheek repeatedly.

"You hungry, Jace?"

Seraph's face lit up in a way that no human had ever seen before. A moment of lively energy filled her as she rushed alongside her pet to an empty food bowl. She filled it rapidly and the brute of a canine inhaled the spoils.

The clock on the stove read 11:48. Seraph sighed and made her way to the bed room and debated whether or not to change for bed. She did. She also washed off her makeup and brushed her teeth and decided she would shower tomorrow. After all she had the day off.

Jace came trotting into her room and took his place at the foot of her bed. Seraph smiled and cuddled with the dog shortly before sliding beneath the covers and falling victim to the throws of exhaustion.

***

Seraph's eyes snapped open. She was staring up at a sea-gull filled sky. It took a moment before the caws of the birds could be heard and finally the crash of the violent waves that were nearby. Seraph rose up and dusted the sand off of her before looking about.

She'd had this dream before but...what had changed? She ran her hand through her locks to think. It was clear. She was in control rather than an omniscient viewer.

Despite her new discovery Seraph made her way up the beach and across a boardwalk into a stone hall. It was old and coated with lush ivy and multiple doors lined the hall. Seraph hesitantly made her way down the hall and through a tall rusted gate and into the courtyard she had seen so many times before. This time the brush was more vibrant and somehow real. She halted for a moment and strong gust of wind tossled her hair. Seraph through her hands up and a voice said to her:

"Come here. Lakshmi, beautiful soul. Come hither."

Seraph looked up not understanding and confused. She hesitated for a moment and then made her way forward into the shadow coated courtyard.

We meet Seraph. Originial post by PersonaH.
 
"How about a movie?"

"No."

"A milkshake?"

"Not interested."

"Study group?"

"Do I have a sign on my back today that says 'Bother Me'? I have to get home." Jessica let the library door slam in the guy's face as she rushed outside. Rude for sure, but he could have taken the hint thirty minutes ago. What really irked her, was that he wasn't even asking her to go out on a date because he thought she was hot or was interested in her. His words were 'Hey, Jessica, are you okay? Do you need some company?' Was there something wrong with a person just wanting to sit alone and read? Why was it that people always assumed she was upset or lonely?

Taking a brisk walk home, it was after sunset when she finally arrived. Jessica wasn't surprised to find her grandmother asleep on the sofa with the TV still left on. Flicking it off, she tossed a quilt over the old woman and drifted in to the kitchen to make some dinner. A bowl of microwave pasta wasn't much of a meal, but it was fast and when she was done Jessica didn't have to worry about washing any dishes.

Jessica yawned as she stepped in to her room, kicking off her shoes and throwing her clothes haphazardly on the floor. She changed in to her pajamas before dropping on to the bed and pulling up one of her books. It was late before she finally fell asleep, but sleep did come...

Opening her eyes, she took in a deep relaxing breath. Fresh forest air mixed with the scents of wood and moss smelled so much vibrant. Even the color of the plants around her had intensified. Her hand reached out to grazed across the trunk of a pine, a sensation of rough bark scraping across her skin. This was a dream she had often. One she was beginning to look forward to every night.

"Come here."

Jessica paused, glancing around at the trees. The voice was one she never heard before.

"Hecate, Lady of the Magiks. Come hither."

Again. Curiosity got the better of her. Jessica moved forward, following the natural path through the trees. Fear didn't cross her mind at all. This was a dream, she was fully aware. But like any dream, she was the one in charge. And she always wanted to see more.

As the trees thinned, a building came in to view. Old and beaten, it looked much like an abandoned factory. Jessica approached it.


Jessica is introduced.
 
Josh suddenly had his pants thrown at him and felt a sudden rush when her heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Quick! In the closet!" A blonde girl in panties and a bra said, pushing him into a clothing-filled room. He smiled and slipped his pants on as the door closed and he heard a rough voice asking his daughter what he had heard. After about 10 minutes, the voice was gone and the door opened.
"You better go..." The girl said, reluctantly. Josh ran a hand up the girl's inner thigh.
"But I don't want to," He replied in a sultry voice close to her ear. The girl took a sharp breath in.
"I don't want you to either," she whispered. "But you have to. Daddy is getting suspicious."
"Then I shall return another night, my lady," Josh kissed her hand and walked across the room to her window. He opened it, climbed out, and blew a quick kiss with a wink.
"Call me!" He heard as he slipped down the drain pipe and onto the lawn. Josh smiled and peeled into the street in his blue, '69 stingray. It was the last sound she would probably hear from him. This happened almost every night. Hardly with the same girl each time. How could he help it? It would be a shame to waste his good looks and great sex on a monogamas relationship.

He turned into his driveway and walked in the house. Everyone seemed to be asleep already so, he walked up to his room and took a shower before going to sleep. He laid down on the bed, stark naked, and fell asleep almost instantly.

******
Josh woke up in a midevil courtroom, donning a jester outfit. His audience was a king and queen and several more members of the court. He smiled and snapped his fingers, producing a flame.

He had this dream almost every night and had become to like the differsnt things this alternate self could do. He preformed several different things for the royal personage in front of him, most being full of mystery and fire.

The queen suddenly stood up and adressed him.

"Come here."

Josh stopped preforming and took a step closer.

"Loki, Lord of Flame and Tricks. Come Hither."

Josh walked forward and suddenly the queens face turned into darkness. He touched her hand and dissappered into it.

Josh is Introduced. Post by Pattypixie.
 
Jacob had disappeared into the darkness. Something was trying to draw him somewhere in this broken house. He had a hard time seeing anything, for all he knew he could have been walking straight into tables, chairs, or other things and not even realize it. And much to his dismay, he did end up walking into something. A wooden door frame.

He blinked a few times and muttered to himself, "Of all the places to put a damned door!"

Jacob did not expect to hear a voice from the other side. "Doors are put up to block fools from entering places where they clearly don't belong. Do you think it is wise to wander around in the dark? Or should I say in a place that has dangers around every corner?"

It was a young woman's voice. From behind the ancient wood, she sounded distant and in some respect like a machine. Inhuman and apparently uncaring in tone or structure.

"Who are you?" Jacob's first response was. Like any normal person in a dream, Jacob felt that he could try and control what happened in it. Besides, he had a rusty pipe in his hands.

"Who am I? Feheeh, that is not important. All you need to know is that I am with the Moon Mother." Her voice was again distant and vague.

Now Jacob was growing impatient. "JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE!"

"With a tone like that I don't see why I should." The voice retorted, "You seriously need to take a chill pill."

Jacob then saw the door slowly creak open. Since it was dark, he fled back. If this was a monster, he would smack it to kingdom come with the metal pipe in his hand.

"Halt or I shall say it again!"

"Halt? Hahah, what do you assume I am?"

"You are clearly the being calling us all here. Each night I encounter a woman behind a broken window. This is the first time, I have seen you move from that window! How do I know, if I can trust you or not?" Jacob mentioned in an aggressive tone.

"Well, it is clear that you are an impulsive idiot. I am a woman, yes but not this invisible girlfriend of yours. Now get the hell out of MY dream."

"…..?" Jacob was now irritated. Was this girl a monster or just some sort of fetish from the eroge game he had considered playing earlier that morning?

"Your dream!?" Jacob muttered, a bit annoyed. However, the sight of the gaudily dressed young woman was a welcome surprise - she looked nothing like the woman in the dream. Furthermore, her insistence that this was HER dream made him assume that she was every bit as clueless as he was.

How silly - this woman thought his dream was hers as well. He resumed his lethargic demeanor.

"There must be a mistake here." He sighed. "How could I be in your dream in my dream?"

"I should be asking you that question-" The girl looked at him coldly. "Are you a dreamwalker or something? Did you take some of my hair for a macabre ritual to stalk me in my sleep?"

"Geez." Jacob shrugged. "I don't know where you're getting that idea. I'm no kooky Native American Hippie shaman wannabe."

He then scowled. "... And I have never seen you before. In fact I should be asking you what you're doing in MY dream."

The woman put a hand to her chin, pondering in thought.

She looked like the type of girl who would be practicing weird stuff like that, her goth attire and all. Even then, her unnatural calmness made Jacob suspicious.

Suddenly, before she could continue, a shout was heard from the courtyard just outside.

Jacob turned his back on the girl, lightly gripping his metal pipe and looking out one of the windows. The courtyard of the industrial complex was barren - all except for one man.

He looked like a white collar worker - judging by his long sleeved white shirt and tie. Funnily enough, he had that family man look - he was in his late 30s and wore glasses.

"Anyone there!? Please answer me!" The man called out.

"Hello!?" He yelled again, now noticing the man in the window on the first floor.

Jacob raised a brow. Rooftop?

He then poked his head out and looked up. There were definitely more floors above - and something else.


Summary: Jacob meets Jessica and they don't exactly get along. They argue but it is clear neither of them are in their own normal dreams. They then overhear an office worker in the court yard below. He is an NPC.
 
The court had a light breeze. Odd for a wall surrounded enclosure but there it was none the less. Seraph stepped forward, deeper into the darkness and flinched as a harsh shout echoed against the brick walls. She backed up and frantically turned in all directions looking for a source to the noise.

Her cobalt eyes came to rest on a working man. Subconciously Seraph thought: Salary Man. He seemed like one of the typical busy business man who never made time for the right things.

Seraph furrowed her brow.

"Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you shouting about?"

Although Seraph too was a little on edge due to the eerie surroundings she knew better than to attract unwanted attention through screaming. Before Seraph could even finish her queeries the man was at it again. She traced his line of vison to a silhouette in the window. Someone else was here too. Why were all these new nuisances in her dream? Seraph had grown accustomed to coming here and enjoying the time she spent exploring down by the shore and up against the building itself. These new "characters" were ruining her good thing and she didn't like it.

Going against her better judgement Seraph proceeded to do her own shouting. She called to the man in the window.

"Why are you in my dream?!"

She pulled her fists back and lowered her body as if preparing to fight. She bellowed her words to make them easily heard and a little more fierce. Seraph narrowed her eyes into an angry glare and waited for an answer from anyone.

Seraph meets the NPC and leaves a few open questions to be answered.
 
[size=-2]
"Come here. Scota, Veiled One of the Winter. Come hither."

Ellie tossed and turned, her sleep was heavy, slightly drugged, the only way she could sleep. She bit her lip, drawing blood, but still not waking from her fitful slumber. Her dark hair, in soft mane around hr face, spread like a halo across her pillow as she stilled, letting her dream wash over her like icy water.

"Come here. Scota, Veiled One of the Winter. Come hither."

She seemed to be floating through the air, the breeze chilling her to the bone as she slipped gracefully around tall buildings of glass, spires like looming fangs of a giant creature bent on enveloping her being for no more than a whim.

Pass this all, she seemed bent on a destination, a single building with stained windows, high buttresses, intricate working along the walls in the stone. It was in ruin, the windows broken and sparkling in the half light with the brilliant intensity of looming ruin.

It was through these widows Ellie caught another glimpse of her, that woman. With a start, Ellie turned in her bed, her leaden eyes lifting only slightly with her sleep still retaining the drugged weight of the pills she took each night.

Reaching a slender hand out, Ellie felt for the clock.
[/size]​
 
Josh fell onto a cold, concrete floor. He picked himself up and dusted himself off. He was wearing his normal clothing instead of the jester outfit. Looking around, he noticed he was in some sort of run down building. He walked over and touched the inside wall and felt that it was as cold and clammy as the floor. Josh turned around and saw that he had apparently come in through the window. He walked over to it and looked out, seeing someone screaming in the courtyard below. He looked directly down and saw someone looking up at him. Josh squinted at the figure. He looked vaguely familiar. He knew he'd seen the guy before. As Josh tried to place him, he saw a girl yelling at the screaming man. He snickered, seeing that it was pointless. He looked over and noticed a drain pipe close to his window that lead down to the other boy's window.

He slid down the pipe and stopped to the side of the boy's window. "Don't I know you?" Josh asked, hopping into the window.
 
Ellie had landed perfectly in the room. The window had been left open - and if one would examine it, it had been warped and rusted beyond repair. Throughout her travel she felt light - but she also felt like she was only being dragged along for a ride.

In contrast, she now felt heavy - and her body was truly hers now. This was one of 4 open windows on the highest level of the building she had been invited into.

Her thoughts drifted to the woman behind the glass - but she had disappeared as she appeared. Now, all that lay before her was a large, empty room filled with shelves holding nothing but cobwebs and dust. The only light came from the three windows - one of which she entered from. 

She could make out 2 doors on the opposite end of the room, and a window on the far end which looked down to the courtyard.

Elle heard faint shouts from the courtyard.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Seraph had just crossed the rusty gate - of which she had a really hazy recollection. She looked ahead in what seemed to be a courtyard. However, the barren field had one figure in it's midst this time.

A middle-aged man in his work clothes. He looked like a white collar worker - judging by his office attire and black tie.

But the most apparent fact was that he was being smothered by something. He gagged and struggled in front of the woman's eyes. Seraph tried to shout, thinking maybe it would make the attacker flee. However, the young woman could not make out what exactly what was wrestling with the man, but it looked like some kind of black, goopy mass.

Just then, the rusty gate behind her locked into place with an ominous clang.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Jacob saw someone slip in from the window above.

"What the?" Jacob stared on, trying to make out what was happening. 

"Name's Joshua, a pleasure to meet someone else in bat shit crazy place. Heard a young woman shouting. Couldn't tell for sure, seeing as the only girl I see is the one with you."

Jacob's attention was now on the figure outside. Two people were shouting.

"Hello?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Welcome." Jessica mentioned as she crossed her arms around her chest.

Jacob turned back to look outside the window and saw the shouting man now being smothered by something.

The black mass suddenly withdrew with the man, literally disappearing into the shadow cast by the building. It was gone, as if it never had been there in the first place. He scanned the courtyard again, seeing another woman just standing there looking on with a sense of horror and anger on her face.

"This is turning pretty weird for a dream." He ducked back into the hallway.

Suddenly, an amalgamation of howls was heard from the far off distance - It seemed to come from within the darkened halls of the complex. The eerie sound resonated and echoed throughout the industrial dreamscape.

A warning for those inside.

In the word of dreams, things can change in an instant and the people now trapped inside of the fortress like ruins of the factory knew they were in dismal jeopardy. 


shadows.jpg

Slowly taking form in front of them, were shadow beings. If size had any relevance in the dream world, they would have dwarfed even the tallest of men. As they began to grow in the little room, Jacob and Joshua both decided it was time to run. Jessica had a better idea in her mind. 

"She's been a pain the butt, so far." Jacob mentioned to the newcomer. Josh just raised an eye brow.

"Pretty Boy, Moron. Get over here!" Jessica demanded as she began to dig through an office desk, "Quickly. I need a pencil and paper." Jacob didn't trust the girl fully but if he was going to die, he'd rather it be by the hands of a fellow human than some gribbly goop. 

"What the hell are those things?" Joshua asked as more of the shadow like monsters appeared.

Jessica was busy concentrating on finding paper. "Here we are." She mentioned as she successfully rummaged through the dusty desk. 

"Hello? He asked you a question!" Jacob mentioned as the shadows seem to grow in size.

"Oh. They are probably some form of the Egyptian monster Ammit. She was the minion of Anubis and ate the souls of evil people and shitted their remains into a fiery lake."

Jessica now stood up, making Jacob even more nervous, "I am going to cast a protection spell." She then tossed a sheet a paper that read:

Hear us spirits of the day.
Protect me from the evil.
Of these bad beings."

Jessica then muttered the words aloud. 

"That's your BIG master plan?" Jacob said rancorously, "That's it? You had us stop running to say a chant?!!?" Jessica just blinked in her eerily calm manner. "For the love of God, it didn't even rhyme well!!!" 

"Shut up. Magic isn't about casting spells like some wizard in a book series by an annoying British woman!" Jessica retorted.

"Me, shut up? You are going to get us killed!!! Just because you are into death, doesn't mean I am!" 

"Guys, guys! Stop yelling, I'm sure there's some rational thing going on here." Joshua said.

Jessica shrugged and for reasons unknown, Jacob grabbed the teen's arm and forced her to start running as well. "I don't care, what you think those blobs are but we don't have time to waste." 

Jacob moved forward, Joshua followed suit. The oversized metal pipe in left hand and the annoying goth girl in the other. The ever growing shadows still forming behind them and most likely forming in other regions as well. It was now or never.

[Summary: Super-post bringing everyone into a similar situation. Both Jacob and Seraph see the NPC office man get absorbed by shapeless monsters. Joshua ends up meeting both Jessica and Jacob. The gate that Seraph entered in from the beach has now locked itself up. Ellie has entered the ruins wooed by the Lady in the Window, only to find herself in an office room hearing the faint shouts of the office man and Seraph. As the office man is eaten more and more of the monsters appear. Jessica attempts to use a "spell" and it fails. Both Joshua and Jacob decided now is the time to retreat and they force Jessie to come with.]
 
Seraph halted her steps towards the man as she noticed a shadow develop behind him. She arched awkwardly to maneuver around his figure and get a better look at the shadow but it flitted out of sight. Seraph began scanning the area for it when she heard more screaming; this time it was muffled.

She looked to the man to question him yet again. Her jaw fell slack and her eyes widened. The poor man didn't stand a chance. A beast made of shade was wrestling him to the ground and he was submitting. Seraph watched in horror unsure of what to do. She didn't dare attempt to help him, God no. On top of the beastly attacker the man was too far away and it was far too late.

As she watched the scuffle Seraph had neglected to notice the new shadows forming in the courtyard. She heard a high pitched squeak as the rusted gates closed behind her and turned to see what was there. Nothing. Seraph turned back to see the progress of the scuffle. The man was gone as was the beast.

An eerie silence fell over the courtyard. Seraph dared not move. She licked her lips and swallowed as quietly as she could manage. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She waited...waited...waited. She opened them and nothing new had appeared.

"I know you're there? But where are you?"

A pressure secured itself to Seraph's feet. She flinched and her vision snapped downward. A pool of shadows surrounded her feet. Her wide stance held her balance as the oily beast or beasts began clammering upwards towards her knees.

"Shit!"

Seraph tried to fight the beasts off. She pulled at her feet and swatted away at the tentacle like extremities of the creatures. A loud noise from above caught her attention. Seraph took a precautionary glance and saw ooze sliding down the courtyard wall from an open window from above. Other windows followed suit. Back-up was on the way...

Seraph begins a struggle against the Ammit-creatures. The courtyard gates have locked shut and she is held hostage by the beasts.
 
"And what exactly did you think you were going to do? Clobber a SHADOW over the head with a pipe? I certainly see that working out." Jessica replied with sarcasm. After being dragged down one of the halls for several paces, she finally wrestled her arm out of Jacobs grip and walked of her own accord.

Those strange howls echoed again, giving Jessica a creepy-crawlie tingle up and down her spine. She walked a little faster.

"Do you ever know where we are going? What about that girl that was outside?" This was a dream - or nightmare - and unlike most, it wasn't riddled with random projections or incoherent imagery. Aside from this sudden grouping of people invading her space, all of it was very life like. It left Jessica wondering what was happening outside the walls of the building and if they should just run off around corners like a bunch of frightened cowards.
 
"Dammit!" Jacob exclaimed. "If you were really a magician, you would have flung a fireball or two! A ray of holy light would have worked, too!"

"I just informed you that real magic doesn't work that way." Jessica retorted.

"Well, it certainly isn't working now!" Jacob retorted.

Joshua raised an eyebrow. While they had run he had noticed some strange things, not all shadows were 'the same' as the ones the three were running from. Some shadows were just that - shadows - absence of light.

"Excuse me, but these shadows - although scary, they are just dark slime things. These things slid along the floor. Look, they left "footprints" behind." Joshua then mentioned while pointing to the ground. "They are just crawling around like some kind of butt ugly sail. They aren't as omnipresent as we might have been led to believe".

Yet, despite this assumption, Jacob stopped in his tracks as slime appendages burst out from the shadow covering a door ahead. Instinctively, he bashed it with the metal pipe. Jacob half-expected it to fail, and get grabbed by the creature, or dissolve into dust.

To his surprise, it worked. The creature reeled back, as if stunned for a moment. It reeled in shock, much like an animal would. Since both hands were busy, Jacob then began to kick the wooden door open, hoping it would collapse or something.

"Oh, it's probably not Ammit, some kind of goblin...?" Jessica pondered as Jacob struggled to kick the door open.

"Shut up, just shut up!" Jacob snarled. He then kicked again, to no avail. "Stupid door!"

The young man then whacked aside another tendril, and promptly beat the creature with the full force of two hands wielding a pipe. Jessica, simply grasped the knob and opened the door.

"Hey genius." She mocked him, stepping inside.

Jacob left the pipe on top of the slimy mass and ran after her, Joshua following close behind.
 
"Uh, Question?" Josh asked. "Why are you leaving the pipe behind??? It seemed to be very useful."

"Look," Jacob pointed and the pipe was being swallowed by the black goo. "That's what will happen to us. Now let's GO!"

After they had been running for what seemed like an hour, Josh stopped to catch his breath. He looked back and they seemed pretty far away.

"Okay. Goth girl. What the hell are these things?" He said, sitting on a conveniently located wooden crate on the floor. Josh thought it was odd for a moment and then realized it was a dream.
 
Jessica braced her hand against the wall, finding it strange that she needed a moment to breath, herself. Realistic dream or not, that just didn't happen.

"My name is Jessica." she emphasized first. This whole "goth girl" thing had to stop. Leaning her back against the wall and crossing her arms, she put more thought in to the creatures.

"They're shadows, obviously. Perhaps representations of the subconscious taking a more physical form in the dream world. Although, I might be able to know for sure if we took a moment to look at them." If they continued running like they were, they wouldn't find out anything substantial.
 
Seraph then found herself tossed on the ground by giant rough hands.

"You idiot! You've awoken the Beasts with your shouting! You know fucking how hard it is control these assholes?" A man mentioned in a thick New York accent, "They freakin' come out whenever I have a game of pool planned with my bros. I wouldn't have signed up for this shit if I knew I was gonna be cleaning up after Blobboys for years on end."

*BANG!*

The sounds of a gun going off, then rung in the young woman's ears.

*BANG!*

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"Yeah, you fuckers! Get on outta here!" He growled again, "Stop ruining my night shifts!"

*BANG!*

Another blast came from the shot gun.

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The beasts squealed in pain as bright flashes of light continued to be pelted their way by the balding man.

"Missie, you better stay behind me. The fuckers are hungry, first time in nearly a 150 years I reckon. Never seen so many of them roaming around like this. Somethings freakin' em out."

Seraph's nose then reeled in disgust when the 50 year old gunner pulled out a bottle full of outdated car oil.

He then lit the bottle with a rag on fire, "Molotov cocktails are your best friends when they show up." As he chucked the flaming bottle, it caused a large explosion that caused more of the shadow beings to back down for now…
 
"So we need to stop and wait until they're close enough to eat us, or whatever they do? Genius," Josh said sarcastically.

"Well, if you can think of something better, please speak up," Jessica retorted, clearly annoyed at her two comrades.

A slight silence occurred before Josh heard some gunfire and high-pitched squeals.

"Did you guys hear that?" He asked, straining to hear another sound when he heard a slight boom coming from the same area.
 
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"Come Here, Scota, Veiled One of Winter. Come hither."

Ellie felt as though she was waking again, her silken lidded eyes lifting with the emerald irises flitting around, lips of a pearlescent pink pursing as she looked at the building she had come to know so well.

Standing weakly, Ellie felt somehow tired even in her dream. Licking her lips, breath warm in the air blowing through the window that chilled her smooth and pale skin through the delicate white gown shrouding her figure.

She heard voices, ears pricking as she moved through the building. She wanted to find the source of that haunting voice.

"Hello?" she murmured, scanning the building as she stepped lightly to a door of dusty, filthy wood hanging askew on its hinges. Ellie contemplated leaving the voices, angry at whatever was manipulating her and toying with the idea that she didn't care about faceless voices.

With a disgusted look, she instead peeked out the window. Ellie steeled herself, refusing to care about anything she saw.

Everyone will hurt me.

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"Listen Jessica, as much as you may like to study those Ammit Goblin Shadow things; it's not in our best interests." Jacob added to Joshua's earlier statement about waiting around.

"Our best interest?" Jessica said, while raising one of her slender eyebrows, "There is no us. I'm going to do my research and there's nothing you can do to interrupt a scientist."

"A scientist, eh? More like one of those New Age Witches..."

"Moron, I heard that."

"Well, just like how you didn't want to be called a Goth, I don't want you calling me a moron?"

"You haven't given us your name yet, so I will call you want I see most suited."

Trying to bring some humanity to the table, Joshua spoke, "So dude, what's your name anyways? Since you know ours, we should know yours. Cest la Vie."

Jacob looked at the girl and the young man currently in the same mess as her was. One hand, Joshua was right in his last statement. However, distrust was the way Jacob was hard wired and he would be all to cautious to give either of them his real name. The fact of the matter was, Joshua had hinted that he knew him in some shape or form. Jessica, well she was either one of those Feminazis or she was just had a stick shoved up her butt. Maybe he had meet them before in the massive campus called Chamberlain High, but the stress was starting to get to him. Everything about his life outside of this dream world seemed hazy and cloudy. He was unaware if either of his companions were suffering from the same effects.

"Just, call me Ishmael." Jacob merely mentioned.

"Ishmael? Well that's an interesting name. Ain't that like Jewish or something along those lines?"

"Idiot, he's quoting one of the most famous opening lines in American literature. Then again, you don't seem the type to have ever read Moby-Dick." Jessica said.

"Actually, I have. Either, way if he wants us to call him Ishmael, we might as well. Ain't that right buddy?" Joshua then slapped Jacob, now Ishmael, hard on the shoulders.

"Don't do that again," Jacob said as he rubbed his now sore shoulders

They heard more shots going off through the thin mortar walls of the factory.

"It's a shot gun... I can tell you that much." Jacob mentioned quickly while rubbing his forehead. "Odds are maybe someone has figured what the hell is going on here."
 
Gunshots. Now Jessica was beginning to feel uneasy. But, the feeling was squashed away as she bolstered herself back up to the bravado she had decided she had. They might want to run around wild and confused, but she needed to know where this was. What this was.

"They may have figured it out the hard way." Jessica cast a grim smirk. Her comment suggesting the discovery came with a price. Her smirk disappeared just as quick.

"I'm going to see if I can find it." Without waiting for a response, Jessica was already moving. With a wary sense of danger, she chose her footing carefully. Always glancing around her at an attempt to be prepared for any odd dream-things that might pop out. She followed the sound of the echoed gunshots.