The other night I had a nightmare. I don’t blame myself for having it, considering I write about zombies, and I’d gone through a Walking Dead marathon recently. But yes, I had a full-blown nightmare waking up in a cold sweat and trying to catch my breath. I fell short of screaming–thank goodness for that. Then again, what would I consider scream-worthy?
For today’s Monday Mayhem, let me tell you about this nightmare.
Some of my friends have asked me pointblank where do I get my ideas. In all honesty, because I write every day, I figured it had to do with the writing habit. But more and more I’m finding I draw much of my inspiration through my dreams, and yes, nightmares. I have yet to experience night terrors, such as those few unlucky people I’ve met in my lifetime, however my dreams are so vivid at times that when I wake up I’m confused as to what is real and what is not.
Knowing this, let’s get back to my nightmare.
One night I find myself running through a wheat field. I could hear the stalks breaking under my footsteps and I could feel the grain scratching my hands as I attempt to make my way to an exit of some sort. The night is cold. It feels more like the end of October, early November. I can see my breath. I remember wearing my jeans and sneakers, but that’s not important until later. And there’s very little light, although I can see ahead to what is coming next.
I then find myself at the mouth of a cave. At least it looks that way. The rock outside glistens in the moonlight. Now that I think about it, I wonder why everything looks brighter than the wheat field. I notice the rock appears wet to the touch. I can’t understand why it seems wet, yet I can’t see a source of water anywhere.
Inside the cave, I look around and notice that the walls are also wet to the touch, much like the outside. I move forward until I stop next to a crag where a small shaft of light appears. I find this weird, but I’m not afraid. Then the light disappears only I find the tunnel ahead contains a fire burning in the background. I can smell the charring wood and can feel the warmth from a few feet away.
I can’t move, though. I try to lift my feet, I try to pull my legs from where they stand, but something’s keeping me there. It’s funny, I feel as if I have lost my will to use my lower half.
When I peer at my feet, expecting I may have stepped into glue, I see things crawling on my sneakers. They are black. They have legs. Now, I’m afraid. Their legs bend as would a spider’s legs bend. It’s not a spider, though. The hand-sized bug has seven legs, three on two sides and one in the back. It crawls around and has now begun climbing my legs.
Having regained the use of my legs, I run. I scream. I shake. Yet I don’t go anywhere other than two feet from where those bugs had attacked me. I turn around and stare at them. I find I had stood frozen in place under their nest.
Then I hear a familiar growl. The undead. I’m sure of it.
That’s when I wake up.
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Have you had any nightmares lately? What was the last one you remember?
Looking to God 
That was terrifying and brilliant at the same time!
I’ve not had any nightmares lately, but I have a feeling I’m going to after reading this. I rarely remember my dreams, but I’ve heard so many people say they get their ideas from dreams, I wish I did remember them!
We have to be related!!! I get my ideas from dreams, too. But, I have to tell you, I’d rather face zombies than those spiders in the photo:) May I use that photo, Jack?
Ha! We may be related! About the photo: I found it on a hundred+ sites. If it isn’t public domain, I don’t know what is!
Haven’t had a nightmare for a while, but the other night someone pointed to damage on my car. When I took a look someone else had torn the engine out of the engine bay and driven off across a field. It felt like the sort of weirdness that would happen in real life.
Chris
That’s a nightmare, Chris. I think any damage to the car is living through a nightmare!
First off, thanks for the accompanying photo. That’s sure to trigger something in my dreams tonight. Plus this is “Walking Dead” night for us, so that will add to the party. Third, thanks again for the photo. To paraphrase Indiana Jones: “Spiders. Why did it have to be spiders?” Sweet dreams. 🙂
I added the spiders pic as a way to creep out my readers out. I guess it worked, huh? 😉
Well played, sir. 🙂
Zombies I can handle, but spiders? No way!! I can barely keep from screaming when looking at that pic attached to the post.
I don’t tend to get nightmares thankfully, though I am a severe arachnophobe, so that picture made me shudder!
Don’t remember the last nightmare. They fade relatively quickly. Though that spider pic might do the job tonight.
With me it’s roaches. They look like something from ” ALIEN “. I feel the urge to call the Colonial Marines & Ripley if I see one. Urrgghhh.
Especially the flying ones.
Oh, god. Nightmare fuel.
To paraphrase See Threepio in Star Wars : ” I can’t abide roaches. Filthy creatures “.
Several of my short stories had their genesis in my dreams. Fewer nightmares more ghosts stories.
I haven’t had a nightmare in a long time. The closest thing to a nightmare was dreaming about being an archeologist in the future.
We were digging up a 20th century – style home, & there was a mummy – like creature in there, but it was more of a NUISANCE than a threat. It appeared in a refrigerator that the team apparently brought with him, & after that, no one wanted to touch the lunches in there. 🙂
I can still remember this after 10 – 15 years.
That even creeps me out, Zathra!
It was weird. A mummy playing pranks like popping up in future fridges. 🙂