Reality (Part 3)

Tracy got up after laying in bed for a while and couldn't understand what was wrong with her shoulder. She fully remembered the dream, but it was just a dream. How could a dream hurt her?
A shutter ran through her body as she sat on the edge of the bed and held her shoulder. She remembered the voice saying, "I am real".
Shaking her head she thought to herself it was just a dream and she slept on her shoulder. Just give it time and it will not hurt. Standing up she reached and turned on the bedroom light and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She figured she wasn't going to be sleeping any more tonight.
After her shower she was drying off and found that there was a very shallow bruise on the back of her shoulder. It was tender to touch and she wasn't sure how she got it. She was always a deep sleeper and never was known to move much during her sleep.
Getting dressed she decided to go to work early and just get the day started.
Throughout the day she had flash backs of the dream. Her should pain bit in protest each time she leaned back to pull off print from the printer. Once all the stories were approved, she gave the okay for her sections of the paper she was responsible for. Before she left for the day there was a buzz that started from another section of the building.
She was getting conflicting stories. The edition for tomorrow was going to be haulted, and others said it was going to continue and the news story was going to be postponed till the next days paper, but the director finally gave the go ahead to go with what they had on the story to get it out first if possible. It was certainly going to be in the news tonight so they needed to get it out. Tracy figured she would hear about it tonight on the news so she left and went home to put some ice on her shoulder. It had started to feel like it was burning as the day went on.
Once home, Tracy threw her clothes in the corner and pulled her favorite sweats on and tossed in a microwave pizza and flipped on the tv. Maybe now she could relax and have a peaceful night.
The microwave beeped signalling the pizza was done. Tracy got up and walked to the kitchen and she hear static on the tv for a moment and didn't think anything of it. The cable company has always been fuzzy at night when more of the apartment residents were home.
Coming around the corner and into view of the tv, Tracy saw the static of the tv. It wasn't black and white snow. The plate of pizza in her hand fell to the floor, the pizza flipping and sticking cheese side to the carpet and the paper plate drifted to rest just to the right of the slice. Tracy caught her breath and was unable to continue breathing. The static color was a yellowish-red like the light hue from her dream.
Finally remembering to breath she moved to the couch only a step to the left and sat on the arm. She waited a few moments to see if the cable would come back. No such luck. Her mind returned to the pizza and she took her eyes away from the tv and looked to the floor. It was then that she heard the chuckle. It seemed to come from the tv.
Her eyes darted back to the tv and all she saw was the static still, with the yellowish-red hue snow. Tracy couldn't believe what she was thinking.
"Good evening, Tracy...", the voice paused to take a breath in as it thought for a moment before speaking again.
"Looks like we have the night to ourselves, huh? You don't do much, do you? No parties or friends to go drinking with." That chuckle echoed again.
Tracy stood up from the couch and stepped to the kitchen, never putting her back to the tv. She stopped at the threshold between the two rooms and simply stared at the tv. She wasn't about to speak. Surely she was imagining this. She felt the burning in her shoulder before the tv spoke again.
"It burns, doesn't it." It was said not as a question, but as a comment.
Tracy stammered a moment and then laughed nervously, but quietly.
"Oh, it's okay, dearie, speak all you want. I can hear you. Say what you want to say. Ask me anything. Of course, I might not answer you, but you can ask." The tv speakers rumbled lightly from the bass of the deep gleeful laughter.
All Tracy said was a quiet mouse of a voice, "Hello?"
"Well, I suppose that's a start. There you go. Hello, Tracy. I've had much more inventive greetings in the past, but this will do. Tell me. You didn't happen to see the story your coworkers were whispering about today, did you?" After a long pause, Tracy was unable to speak at all still. Not because of any other force than fear and disbelief.
"Of course not. So silly of me. I know, you were busy and preoccupied. It's okay. I completely understand." There was another stifled laugh.
"If they only knew the things that floated around in your head at night when you sleep. Hell, if you only knew what floated around in your head. I don't think you'd leave the house. It's amazing what your brains can do by keeping parts of itself hidden from you. You know, I bet I could tell you anything right now and you'd forget I said anything to you by tomorrow morning. What do you think?"
Tracy simply shook her head. Not wanting to voice an answer. Maybe hearing herself answer would mean this is real.
"No, I don't think so either. So, how about we have a show and tell? What better way to get to know one another? Well, you need to know me better, but...hehe...I think I know more about you than you do. Anyway, that's a whole other story. Lets take this one step at a time."
Tracy stepped a moment from the kitchen and turned down a standing lamp light in the entranceway dimming the room instantly. Now the soft glow from the tv was almost the only light, other than the kitchen.
"Ahh, that's better, now, isn't it, Tracy. Thank you for doing as I asked."
Tracy stopped and looked to the tv then the light.
"You didn't..."
"I know, I know. I didn't ask so your ears could hear. It's a little benefit that I have. Just call it a direct line. Did you know, Tracy, that your brain is a very intricate thing in your body? So intricate that you don't know everything about it. What would you say if I told you that your brain isn't you? Would that confuse you?"
"Isn't....isn't me?" Tracy spoke with slight curiosity. Her own voice startled herself. Apparently she wasn't hearing the tv with her ears.
"Yes, isn't you. Your brain is a parasite. In the beginning you know nothing but what is natural for you to do. You call that instinct. Humans by your very nature are reactive creatures. Much like the animals that you say you have dominion over. That's one of the veils that have been placed. Your brain is a parasite that has been with you since birth. It's with you all since birth. Each time you have a baby, the parasite is passed to the child. If the child is born without the parasite it will die except in very few cases. Those cases that are left don't have the sense to look after themselves. They have focus problems and can't survive in a normal nature in your society. It's very ingenious actually. The parasite has created a seeming normal societal acceptance of behavior. Anything different and you as a society shun the malfunctioning human." The voice paused to let that sink in some.
"This parasite grows and nutures in itself the ability to partition itself off. It lets your body start to use one portion as a storage device and make itself seem a natural part of your body. Your unconscience part is the true form of the parasite. It keeps that part spared from your "human" portion. It has had so long to perfect the neural paths and networks that it seems a natural part of your body. As humanity advanced and technology moved forward you learned more about your bodies and the brain was understood as your main processing. But in your little understanding you missed the mark. Your brain isn't yours. It's a part of you that controls you. You're essentially a puppet. You do what it wants. If you don't believe me, think about why you can't do things to harm yourself. You think it's a natural instinct, don't you. No, it's the parasite. It's breaking into your conscious efforts that it grants you to deter you. Some people are able to bypass that and successfully harm themselves or worse. But in the long run, it's not worse. It just depends on your perspective."
"Enough. I don't want to listen to you any longer or your lies." Tracy was getting nervous. This was going on longer than a hilucination. Maybe she needed to go to the hospital.
"Tracy, you'll understand soon enough. No, don't go to the hospital. All that will happen there is they will watch you and transfer you to a mental facility. You don't want to go there. They are usually run by those humans that have stronger parasites and are able to help keep your natural state from becoming too uncontrollable by the parasite in your head. You think they help keep you sane. They make you less believing of the truth." After a long pause, the voice continued.
"I supposed I've gone over enough with you tonight. You might remember this tomorrow morning, but I doubt you'll remember it. When you sleep your parasite will file the memories away in the area it controls. You'll forget. Where do you think those things you forgot goes? They don't disappear. The parasite has had so long to learn to work with your body that it doesn't lose anything. It chooses what to make you lose. It's ingenious actually. It has made you think that your brain is a natural part of your body. It's basically hiding in you in plain view. Run it through a cat scan and you'll notice it like you notice the sun in the sky. But hey, that's your brain. No worries there. No more talking, Tracy. Go sleep now and we'll talk more tomorrow night. It's late and you need to let your parasite sleep."
Tracy was suddenly tired and wanting nothing else but to go to sleep and rest.
"Don't worry about a visit from me tonight. You'll not see me."
Tracy seemed to be in a trance and her mind barely focusing on what was said. All she knew was she needed to get to sleep.

What is Reality (Part 2)

The shaking of the ladder seemed almost frantic now. Almost as if it knew it was getting closer. She took a deep breath and felt her muscle tense as she started pulling herself up the ladder as fast as she could go. The top had to be near. She couldn't imagine why a ladder would be here if it was much further. Why not steps?

Her hand raised at last and felt no ladder rung. The darkness here made the air murky. She could barely see her hands as she felt before her. Concrete with pock marks and broken shards scattered around. She stood up from the last rung of the ladder and felt the rusted metal that dug into the concrete. She was hoping it was rusted enough to break loose and make the ladder fall, but she didn't know how much time she had, for the clinking and clanging was getting so much closer now.

Every now and again she could hear a moaning sound from the ledge. She turned and walked as fast as she could. Because of the darkness she couldn't chance running and bumping into something, let alone maybe falling off a ledge. She didn't know how high she was or where she even was. The pressure that was around her seemed to be so strong now. It had to be very close. She could even hear it grunting with it's toil up the ladder.

Her hands felt a wall in front of her now. Feeling around her she felt no ladder. Just a sheer wall. This didn't feel like concrete though. Felt smooth and cold, like granite. Her mind raced as she felt for a door, or something to let her more forward.

She paused in her tracks. She heard something. She couldn't tell direction or distance. It was something distinctly different than this thing chasing her. She found a corner and sat down in the corner, hoping this thing wouldn't be able to see her once it got up to the top with her. Then she heard the sound again. Was that a voice? Yes, a voice.

"Oh dear, looks like you might be in trouble, Tracy. Oh, the suspense." She could hear the smile in the voice.

"Who are you?" Tracy hugged her knees closer to herself, feeling like burying her face in her knees.

"Who I am is unimportant. You wouldn't understand anyway," the voice said matter of factly.

"What I can tell you is maybe more interesting for you in your current situation." Tracy could almost feel as if the source of the voice was near her. The rattling from the chains had stopped advancing, but she could hear it was near the edge still. But it was on the top of the concrete. She was certain of that.

"Don't worry for the moment, I've stopped it." The voice seemed to get close to Tracy and she felt as if something tapped her shoulder.

"Take a look. Here, I'll help you see it." The voice was very close to her and she wiped her eyes briefly and peered into the darkness.

A soft glow started twenty yards from her, casting a yellowish red hue to the air and the creature that had been persuing her. Rusty, grey chains protruded from portions of the body. It looked human but was deformed in ways that she couldn't fully comprehend. It's head seemed to roll from side to side as it moved impatiently, trying to move toward her. The ends of the chains had hooked ends that for some reason were pulled taught, keeping the thing where it was. Nothing held onto the ends of the chains. The chains protruded from the front of each shoulder, the forearms just above the wrists, and on either side of the hips. The chains were bloodied and looked long ago fused to their locations somehow. It seemed to be male, but she wasn't sure. The light played tricks with her eyes, flickering and changing features to seem more femanine at times and then reverting back in an instant.

"Wh...what is it?" Tracy whispered. Fearing her mere mention of it would release it.

A darker shadow took form next to her and seemed to lean against the granite, proping a foot up behind it. It seemed to have an apple in a hand that it took a bite out of before speaking again.

"It's not mine. I was hoping you'd tell me? You made it a little more - " Tracy interrupted the figure.

"I did no such thing. I'd never wish that. Besides," she couldn't take her eyes off the mutilated figure, " how could I create it?"

The figure tossed the apple, rolling it across the concrete and it disappeared over the edge of the drop off. Then the figure turned what must have been a shadowed face to her.

"You humans don't know everything your brains can do. There's little places that things can hide." Tracy could sense a sly little sneer spreading across the figures face.

"It's strange. You have all this potential, but you can't get past the very basics save for a few of you. Those few are shunned or disregarded as liars and cheats." The figure leaned down and spoke softly near Tracy's ear.

"Most of them are," a content sigh escaped from the figure. Tracy turned her head and leaned as close to the granite wall that she could. The figure stood back up and motion with his hand and the light faded back to almost total darkness.

"But there are a few that are real. Take this little creation for instance. How do you know it wouldn't have been worse and killed more people if it had been given free will? At least this way your subconscience has some control over it. You're not all bad, Tracy." A chuckled again from the figure.

"Nonsense! As I said - " this time Tracy was cut off.

"You haven't the first bit of knowledge about this thing." professed the figure.

"You've felt the pressure from it, right? The weight? That's not me. You need of it. You want it to take you. Your subconscience is wishing for it. We can test that right now. Here, let me release it and if your subconscience doesn't want it, stop it and turn it away." Tracy felt that burning smile from the figure.

Tracy said nothing, she knew she was being played with, but she didn't know how long it would go on.

"Awww, nothing to say, Tracy? Come on. I know you better than that."

Tracy started to get up slowly in the darkness and decided to try to quietly find somewhere to go. A moment before she would be standing up, she was forced back down, an energy pressing on her from the figure.

"Tracy! I'm not ready to let you go yet. The sooner you understand that, the better off you'll be." Broken concrete spread in a circle around Tracy as the force drifted down her and over the concrete ground around her like a hurricane force wind. Tracy started to shutter now. This was more serious than she thought. She was hoping it was a dream, but what kind of dream is this?

"To show you I'm serious, Tracy here's my point." One of the chains broke free of the chained human and darted through the darkness and impaled Tracy in the shoulder, shattering the ball socket of her joint, shooting hot, searing pain through out her body. Tracy yelled out and laid back on the cement, gripping her shoulder and feeling the chain, unable to pull it out.

"You feel that, Tracy? You need more? Don't play with me, Tracy. I am here. I am real," the figure roared in a low gutteral voice. Tracy barely heard any of it with her mind still processing what just happened.

The figure turned and let out a loud roar that shook the ground. Anger was taking over.

"I'm done with you for the moment, Tracy. We'll talk again. Don't worry about that." The human form seemed to distort and then faded into the blackness. The figure seemed to leave Tracy and she felt the pressure on her leaving. She laid her head back and felt herself starting to black out.

She woke, but was in her bed now. Her shoulder was aching still. Looking around her room she realized it was only about two in the morning and she was laying on the shoulder that was hurting. Her hair was wet with sweat as was her pillow and sheets. That was a strange dream, she thought. Never had she had one like that before.

She turned to sit up and that's when the hot pain shot from her shoulder. Her eyes widened in fear. Her mind raced with thoughts, trying to rationalize. That's when the voice seemed to echo in her mind...I am real.

The End

"Something to ponder. Our conscience has a personality and that makes us who we are when we are awake. Why would our subconsience not have the same rule. Who's to say we are any different from a person with a multiple personality disorder. Their subconscience just comes out when they are awake still. Lets all hope our subconscience is gentle in nature."

What is Reality (part 1)

Easing her hands up the ladder one rung at a time, she felt the weight compounding. Feeling as if her body was being pushed against the ladder and she had to try harder and harder to gain any ground. She paused for a moment, the fear in her telling her to keep going. A strange feeling was starting to take hold.

She wanted to look to the foot of the ladder. Her eyes gently peering down, between her and the ladder, as if she was trying to not let it see she was looking. She couldn't see anything through the darkness. Turning her head to look over her shoulder she could see the flickering street light a hundred yards from the foot of the ladder. The bulb of the street light had been broken free of it's housing and was swaying in the light breezing causing a circle of light to swing along the ground. The dimmed edges of the circle playing against everything it came in contact with. Glints of light seeming to betray movement in the darkness as the light swayed away, only to be duplicated again when the light swayed back again.

Her heart beat eased up as she looked not seeing anything that caused her to feel fear as she had. But the weight was still around her. A pressure that felt like it would burst her eardrums and pop her eyes. Turning her head back to the ladder she rested her forehead against the rung her right hand gripped. Closing her eyes, she tried to will her body to stop feeling the pressure.

A quiet few moments passed and her ears heard the rattling again. Not a sound like a babies rattle, but more of a metallic rattle, like a chain. Her eyes opened and she turned her head letting her eyes quickly scan the darkness. She saw nothing and heard no other movement. Her heart was racing again, adrenaline pumping again. The pressure was again feeling to press on her again. She still wasn't sure if it was just trying to crush her or if it was trying to draw her toward it. A muscle in her shoulder twitched involuntarily and she let out a scream, but only for a second before covering her mouth with her free hand. It had felt like something touched her and her heart felt the startling pain of fear. She heard the rattle again and scurrying of chain accross the concrete sidewalk that ran up to the base of the ladder.

It was then she heard a gurgling, moaning, yell from the distance. She turned her head, still covering her mouth with her hand. All she caught a glimpse of was links of chain dragging along the concrete under the light, disappearing into the darkness again coming toward her. Letting out a yelp her hand covering her mouth returned to the ladder rungs and she started going up the ladder again, skipping the broken rungs.

The ladder rungs were slightly damp and had a moldy feel to them. Her shoes felt slick on the metal and she could feel the flakes crunching under her shoes as she clambered up two rungs at a time. She felt the ladder shake more and more and she hoped it was just because of her movement. The dragging chains were still behind and below her.

She found out why the ladder was shaking after a few more moments. There was a section of rungs that had been broken almost completely. The metal had rusted and broken, the rungs long since fallen to the concrete below. Now she gripped only the vertical sides of the ladder with her hands, pulling her body up and praying her hands wouldn't slip. This slowed her down greatly but she wasn't going to stop. She used what remained of the rungs on either side of the vertical bars to use as footholds.

Sweat was running down her face as she reached completed rungs again. They were as strong as before, but to be safe she now gripped and stepped as close to the sides of the rungs as possible. She wasn't going to let weak metal toss her to the ground below if she could help it. She began to wonder how high this ladder went.

Hearing a loud reverberating metallic clanking she stopped on the ladder. Soon she felt the vibration on the ladder. It had reached the ladder. She heard the chains clinking on the ladder and hoped it would have more trouble than her. She started up the ladder more, her forehead creasing and her mouth opening in a silent scream as she felt the ladder jerk and the clinks starting to echo from below her. It was climbing now. (to be continued...)

It begins...possibly.

I'm starting this blog as a place to write bits of stories that come to mind or maybe do some episode-type stories. Not sure if I'll continue them or how often I post them. Just depends on how the feel hits me. I used to enjoy making stories when I was in high school and I guess I'll try to get back into it. Maybe it's an outlet that I'll enjoy after having stopped for a long while. Well, we'll see. If you read it, I hope you enjoy.