Pole Dancing In The Dark

It's a long 'un

It seemed as if I were having another one of my insomniac bouts last night. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and could not get back to sleep. So I decided that the best course of action was to go into work early… really early. And in keeping with the whole illogical theme, I decided to walk, even though it's a 15-mile trek. But the weather has been comfortable of late, so it seemed like a perfectly logical decision. Until I realized that I was walking barefoot down a major expressway in my PJ's, in the dark. It was then I realized that something wasn't right. I also noticed that none of the lights were on over the expressway and I was having a difficult time seeing where I was going.

Just as I was realizing how susceptible to injury (or stepping in something) I was by walking around in my bare feet, I felt the inevitable gag worthy squishing of something unidentifiable in between my toes. I also felt the sharp stab of some hard foreign substance getting lodged in my right foot, just below my big toe towards the side. Instinctively I pick up my foot and reach towards the offending object to realize with disgust that I had just stepped in some unidentifiable pavement pizza, and it was said unidentifiable roadkill's tooth which was now embedded in my foot. I manage to pull the offending tooth out of my foot and calmly try to figure out when I had my last tetanus shot. At this point I also became aware of the fact I was actually asleep in my own bed at home. The clincher being how calm I was in my dream: compared to the fact that I am gagging right now as I talk about it. If it had really happened I would probably be tossing cookies non-stop… hell, I would probably have wound up in a loony bin somewhere.

Anyway, despite the fact that I was on some level aware that this was a dream, it still felt pretty damn real, despite the fact that things kept getting stranger and stranger. So, I continue my trek down 104, but I am now looking for someplace to stop and get some poor kind soul to take me to the hospital so I can have this wound clean, stitched and get the tetanus shot, because I knew that it had been about 13 years since the last one (sliced my finger open with a cat food can - the kitties immediately went on a bagged food diet after that.) So, I run into this really sweet couple that are looking at apartments (at 4:30 AM, mind you.) They let me take along because they want ot make sure that I arrive someplace safe. We find this big yellow house with it lights on, and a kindly woman sitting on the front porch. I tell them that I know this place and that I will be all right here. (In reality, I recognize the house because I pass it every day coming home from work, but I have no idea if an axe murderer lives there or if it's someone sane.)
I thank them, they say goodbye and this kindly grandmotherly type welcomes me into her house. She takes a look at my injury and immediately takes me to the hospital.

At this point in my dream, some sort of time-lapse thing happens because we all know that in reality, I would have been waiting for eons in the emergency room.) As it was, the doctor came in, looked at my wound, checked it (which was semi-painful) to ensure there were no… bits left in it, put a band aide on it and let me go. No shot? Apparently not. AS I was checking out, I checked the time. Suddenly it was 5:30 PM and hubster had no idea where I was. So, I called him to let him know what happened.

He answered the phone in a snit and was extremely mean. He basically told me that I had been a thorn in his side and he was leaving me. There were many other mean things said that made me cry. I hung up the phone, extremely upset. I was weeping a little as I was walking out of the hospital, so I didn't notice how unusually crowded it was. There seemed ot be a huge mob that wanted in. I looked up just in time to see a blond haired man with a grey face looming towards me. There was malice in his eyes as he glared at me with hunger. He lunged with his mouth wide open as if to literally bite my head off when I realized that he was a zombie. (During the dream itself, I thought… oh great, another zombie dream…)

Just has he lunged at me, the crowd around him seemed to swarm around him as if to keep him from harming me. Next thing I know, the kindly granny that took me to the hospital, grabbed me by the hand and we started to haul ass out of there.

Being a dream, the next moment we were standing in her backyard. Her backyard is almost like a fantasy with its picture perfect beauty, riotous colors and chirpy birds. The wind picked up and the bright sunlight disappears, the clouds rolled in, low hanging and bloated. The colors fade and the birds fell silent. A low moaning was coming from the front of the house. First it was just a single voice that grew quickly into a cacophony of undead. The moaning grew louder and louder until I felt my head would burst. The sound crippled me, I couldn't move and I felt my heart was ready to explode from fear. My brain was screaming, "RUN!!!! RUN YOU MORON!!!!" but my legs would not move as I fell to the ground clutching my now bleeding ears and underneath it all I could feel the shuffling of feet growing closer.

I wake up. I'm all achy and clammy and cold, despite the fact that the internal temperature of the house is 75° and I am wrapped in a blanket and comforter. I'm shivering, not so much from the nightmare, because Zombie nightmares are old hat to me, but I am not feeling that well. My throat is soar, my body aches and my head is really pounding. Probably sinuses, I think. I check the alarm clock. It's 5 AM, and I feel horrible. So I close my eyes hoping to get one more hour of sleep in before getting up to go to work. Last thought that I am aware of is "Well, at least the Zombies are out of the way."

Apparently not.

I found myself in a large dilapidated warehouse. I am surrounded on all sides. One side had a quickly disappearing chain link fence being pushed down by masses of Zombies trying to nosh a bit on me brain, The other side a large swarm of military / scientist (whom I am beginning to suspect are responsible for e the former problem) and finally there is a throng of other people bearing weapons that look like they want nothing to do with either of the other groups. A resistance group perhaps? I don't find out, as I suddenly knocked unconscious (in my dream, no less).

I wake up again, this time to the alarm clock. I still feel wrung out / flattened by some unseen Mack truck. I literally fall out of bed. I swear that I have the flu or some such thing because no one could feel this ill and not be sick. I stumble upstairs to grab the phone and call my boss. I call in late. I tell him that I am feeling horrible (and at this point, my intestines feel as if they are filled with snakes squirming all about) and I will be in as soon as I am able. After all, we are working mandatory over time, and we are down two people. Dren (Farscapian for shit) needs to get done. I crawl back in bed.

I woke up in a laboratory like setting. I was stuck in this human sized cage (like an oversized lab rat.) I recognize other people in surrounding cages as being some of those in what I had mentally referred to as a resistance group. (I am also aware how odd that a dream has been so frelling persistent - this has never happened to it and me before's freaking me out a little.) One of them looked over at me and put her finger to her lips in the typical shushing signal. It was unnecessary as were are soldiers tromping around as well as many white-coated scientists, muttering amongst themselves.

End of Part I & II

Posted by Ethne at June 23, 2005 07:19 PM