bad dream! nightmare?

i just decided to share this with the public, so bear w me here alr? T.T
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why did i have a bad dream, wake up from it, and still feel the heaviness in my chest? the worst part is that it's 6am, and my room feels so gloomy and quiet. it’s like i never left the dream. i’m still sitting on my bed, too terrified to move, paralyzed by fear. i can't even be my logical self right now. i just wish i could forget what i saw. that was the first dream i had where everything made sense, and the storyline was so clean, it was almost real.

so, here’s how it went:

there’s this new show—whether it's a kdrama or an american series, everyone’s watching it. even my mom got hooked. she told me the sound on her phone wasn’t working, so she couldn’t finish the first episode. i tried it first to make sure it was okay. but when i went to fix it, i didn't even realize i was watching it.

in the show, this girl was carrying a huge black luggage, looking frantic. she was walking fast, almost running, like she was escaping from smth. then, out of nowhere, someone shot her in the head.

that's when i got pulled into this damn drama.

i tried to catch her. she fell into my arms, and we both hit the ground. ppl started gathering around us, watching. what i couldn’t believe is that even though it was just a dream, i could feel everything. i felt her hair, the weight of her head—it was all too real istg.

the shooter came back for a second round, shooting her in the head again to make sure she was dead. then he left. the girl was still in my arms.

the ambulance showed up, and that's when i suddenly found myself at this school. the one from my bad dreams. (although i went to this school my entire elementary days irl so it's probably the reason why it never left me) this version of it was dark and eerie, surrounded by fog, and it felt like a bad omen. i was sitting in a classroom on the fourth floor, listening to my professor discuss something.

at first, everything seemed normal until i realized i was the only student there, and there were seven teachers. the surroundings started shifting, becoming something more unsettling. there were tables in every corner, each holding glasses of water filled with internal organs. i know it’s supposed to be some kind of science thing, and i should’ve convinced myself it was a laboratory or smth, but it shocked me when i first saw it.

i only had my black backpack with me. i checked it—phone, wallet, and school supplies. but suddenly, all the teachers were staring at me. so, i tried to act casual and pretend i was listening.

then the break bell rang. everyone got busy, and i stepped out of the classroom. the other students were in their own rooms, looking happy, some even playing in the hallway. i peeked into the classroom next door, and my heart almost stopped. they were pulling someone’s eye out while the person was lying on a hospital bed. seven ppl dressed like doctors—just like my teachers.

was that foreshadowing what was going to happen to me?
were they here just to gain my trust?

i made up my mind—i needed to get out of this school. tonight.

while i was washing my face in the girls’ room, someone spoke to me from a cubicle. at first, it was just mumbling, but then i could understand her. she told me that if i was going to escape, i had to keep it quiet.

there was a school rule: you can’t run away, or you’ll never be allowed back. if you come back, you face a consequence. i didn’t want to find out what that was.

the girl also told me not to show any emotions, not to smile at the guards, and to act normal when i reached the gate. the thing was, everyone’s eyes showed what we felt. if we were scared, our eyes would turn yellow, like a cat. if we were neutral, our eyes turned gray. she warned me to stay gray.

she also told me to avoid crossing paths with any of my teachers in the stairway. and if i made it to the gate, someone would be waiting for me. i had to find him. she said his name was owen wilson (and it kind of reminded me of the movie no escape).

the last thing she said was not to cry, because it would be an insult. then she fell silent. i turned to look but all the cubicles were empty, doors wide open.

then the fire alarm went off. chaos broke out, and everyone rushed out of their rooms. i took this as my chance to escape. i stayed calm, blending into the crowd, moving like liquid flowing through them.

i kept my breathing steady, kept my face neutral.

as the students went back to their schedules, i found myself standing at the top of a massive wooden staircase. it was a bit diff from the ones in my dream version of the school, more like smth out of a castle.

i slid down the railing, feeling a rush as i reached the ground.

when i got to the gate, i was about to walk through the main exit, but the guards were there. it wasn’t dismissal yet. i took the back gate instead and climbed out. i moved quickly, but once i was outside, i slapped my forehead. i realized i didn’t have my phone or wallet. how was i supposed to get home?

i stood there, stuck in a dilemma. after wandering for a while, i realized i wasn’t making any progress at all.

i went back.

i acted like i’d never left. i showed up to my next class, sat down, and pretended everything was fine. i kept my phone and wallet hidden in my pockets.

my teachers were discussing how to slit open a human chest. they even demonstrated on a mannequin.

when class ended, i told them i was going to the restroom. they let me go, which i thought was weird.

i did the same thing as before—sliding down the stair railings, walking through the corridors, and finally, it was dismissal. i acted as neutral as i could and made it out the main gate.

just as i stepped outside, i saw owen wilson sitting on a bench near the station. i was about to walk up to him, but he waved me off, signaling not to approach. i understood. there were guards nearby. so, i crossed the road and waited for him to come to me.

he reached me, but this time, someone else was with him. the guy who shot the girl with the luggage.

we walked into an empty lot, and i asked him how he could help me. i didn’t know how to get home without my wallet.

he showed me the luggage—a big black one. i thought they were going to put me in it, cut up into pieces. but he opened it, and inside were fish. he told me a joke about them that i didn’t get. then he showed me another luggage with packs of noodles in it.

they asked me to choose one.

i thought carefully. i picked the noodles because it seemed lighter and cleaner. plus, i remembered the girl who had been shot—the one who smelled like fish. i didn’t want to make the same mistake.

they explained that if i wanted to escape the school, i had to complete a challenge with the luggage. “listen up, kid,” the shooter guy got my attention. he touched the right side of my waist. “the noodle stack must not go the level below your waist.”

i took a look at the luggage, it was higher than my waist by just like 5 inches. the noodles are placed standing one another and they’re all tied up. 

"that’s it?" i felt relieved.

owen shook his head. "you must earn 700 for a total. once you reach that price without hitting the limit height, then, and only then, you’ll be free."

i was lost in the air. this is impossible. there are only 3 noodles above my waist. how am i supposed to sell an ordinary local noodle for this price? ppl would not like seeing me for sure.

i should’ve chosen the fish.

he, then touched my head. “you must accomplish this within a month,” he formed his hand into a gun. “or else.”

i sighed. “whatever. by the way, what happened to that student? i saw them get killed.”

owen just shrugged. “he came back to the school after leaving. he couldn’t. no one can return once they leave. a lot of students tried, and now their body parts are displayed in the classrooms. you’re lucky you didn’t get caught.”

so... if i got caught... 💀

“o-okay,” i muttered, trying to calm down.

i looked at him and asked, confused. “wait, i didn’t see you the first time i left. do you only show up at dismissal?”

“no,” he said quickly. “i didn’t show up because you didn’t bring your wallet with you.”

“but what does my wallet have to do with this?”

“you need money for change when you sell these.” he gestured to the luggage.

i stared at him, blank. “really?” (-_-)

the shooter walked over and said, “never underestimate us. you can’t cheat your way out of this.”

i nodded quickly, smiling weakly as i walked away, clutching the luggage.

fast forward...

i had been walking for days, trying to sell the noodles. i begged people, and went from market to market, but nobody wanted to buy. they just shouted at me, some even throwing water at me, but i kept holding onto my luggage.

now, i was walking down a quiet street, sunny but chilly. then i saw a girl carrying the same kind of luggage. we smiled at each other, relieved.

“can we buy something from each other?” i asked.

she smiled back, nodding. “i’ve been walking for weeks.”

i couldn’t believe how exhausted she looked.

“what do you sell?” i asked, eyeing her luggage.

“fish,” she opened it. “i need to sell three kilos, but they have to stay above my waist.”

i thought her situation seemed easier than mine. “yours seems possible.”

she chuckled. “i don’t know. nobody wants to buy it because it costs 100 bucks per kilo.”

i was like (-_-) wtf?!?

i opened my wallet to see how much i had in there and almost screamed in happiness when i saw i had tons of money.

“i can do you.” i said, smiling.

she smiled back. “i’ll do you,” she opened her wallet. “what do you sell by the way?”

“noodles.”

“how much?”

“3 for 700.”

she took 700 from her wallet. i carefully picked out 3 noodles from the luggage and checked their height. gosh! they were up to my waistline.

i took her payment and then took my money out to pay her next.

she laid her weight on the ground and sat down while weighing the fishes.

i suddenly noticed water leaking from underneath her luggage.

“um, girl, i think your luggage is broken.” i tried to warn her while peeking at it.

“no, don’t do that, you might get dirty,” she told me not to look. “the fishes really do that; they vomit water.”

“well, i’m just worried it might pull the height down.” i furrowed my brows.

she smiled and continued what she was doing. “it’s okay, haha, look at your face!” she laughed as she put the fish in a bag.

“don’t do the last kilo,” i stopped her from doing the final weighing. “check your height first, please.”

she rolled her eyes at me. “fine!”

she got up and checked.

we both moved out of the zone when we saw the fishes flowing out. the water was leaking under the luggage too.

...it went below her waistline.

“i guess this is a goodbye then,” she said, full of sadness.

“no,” i refused. “just lie to them.”

“we can’t do that,” she shook her head. “they placed bugs and wiretaps on our luggage. they know what’s happening.”

“let’s go,” i grabbed her arm and took her running. i left my luggage hanging there and carried hers. “let’s run away.”

she stopped running and looked behind her. i glared at where she was looking and saw the shooter! i passed her her luggage. “run, i’ll distract him and buy you some time!”

she walked so fast with her luggage beside her. “don’t look back—“ i paused when i heard a bang. i turned away. she got shot. i ran toward her and caught her before she fell to the ground. her eyes were still open. i can feel the weight of her head and the strands of her hair! i swear.

i didn’t know what to say. i didn’t know how to help her. i just stayed there watching her die as the shooter shot her one more time.

people started circling around us. the ambulance came. the next thing i knew, i was back, watching a kdrama. my mother was beside me whispering something.

i tried to listen to what she was saying, and she was repeating everything the girl had told me in the bathroom. i just realized it was her. i looked at her, and she was shocked and glad to see me.

there were people inside the house, watching on their phones. they were starting to turn into stone.

“it’s up to them if they survive or not,” my mom murmured.

“what happened?” i asked, confused.

“there’s a bug in that video, where we get put into a life-and-death situation. we all got trapped,” she explained.

“and you too?!? how?” i couldn’t believe my mom got trapped too. all i could remember was her asking me to fix the sound.

“you were in the trap, so i took the phone from your hand and followed you there. but there’s a rule that we can’t show ourselves to someone we know. so i warned you about the rules in the restroom because i couldn’t make it in that school either. i went outside the school with wilson. those moments, i thought you were with me, but you went back. wilson made me choose one luggage, and i chose the fish because the noodles looked suspicious. he told me to sell them. all i was thinking at that time was you. but i couldn’t save you if i didn’t save myself first, so i had to do the selling ASAP. i asked wilson to who i should give the sales to, and he said i would give them to him after i finished. so, i opened my wallet, bought the fish, and gave him the money. i was about to go back for you, but i got sent back to reality too fast.”

my mum's smart, tf?!? 

“d-did you also meet the girl?” i asked, sadly.

my mom gave me a confused look. “what girl?”

“the girl in there?” i pointed the phone.

“no,” she responded. “i didn’t meet anyone there, aside from wilson.”

“oh,” i sighed. “okay…”

i walked a little toward the people in the house who were still in the trap. you could watch what they were doing and what was happening to them on their phones. i wish i could go in and save the girl, but it was too late.

it was a bad dream, but i'm grateful it happened to me.