In the profound darkness of night, where the veil of consciousness dissolves, nightmares materialize as lurking monsters in the depths of the psyche. They are not merely unsettling dreams, but the embodiment of our greatest and most hideous fears, forming terrifying images that send shivers down one's spine. You find yourself pursued by mysterious entities, trapped in inescapable places, or losing what you cherish most before your eyes, helpless. The sleeper awakens, heart pounding violently, a cold sweat covering their brow, yet the deepest impact of the nightmare remains clinging to the soul. Fear transforms into a shadow that pursues their steps in wakefulness, making their life difficult, filled with doubt and apprehension. A terrifying sense of presence begins to haunt them, as if those nightmares are observing their movements from behind another veil, whispering that the boundaries between dream and reality have begun to blur, and that those lurking fears might one day find their way into their real world.
A small soul flounders between two worlds, dream and reality, lost in the echo of faint whispers. She steps with heavy feet towards a dim light, only to suddenly find herself bound by the chains of bitter reality, rusty chains that weigh her down and stifle her breath. She realizes that the sterile hope she desperately clung to will vanish, just as the golden threads of our dreams fade as soon as we open our eyes to the harshness of day. The voice of dreams, which was once a sweet melody resonating in her depths, began to recede, slipping through her fingers like grains of sand, dragging with it the last remnants of her hope for salvation.
In this dense fog of despair, the fear of reality infiltrates like a slow-acting poison. The reality we live, with all its harshness and darkness, reflects as a distorted mirror within herself. She feels as though she is arming herself with a futile, false hope, to confront a ruthless, bitter truth. Loneliness strangles her, and despair clamps down on her heart, leaving behind a deep sense of loss and disorientation, as if she has lost a cherished part of herself in that short journey between dream and wakefulness.
The voice of dreams… fading before me… little by little…..
"Why… why is my other self here… why do you send me, Pain?" A scream within that void, no echo to reflect it, and no refuge from this suffering. Just close your eyes, perhaps you'll hear my voice again.
*******
With a sudden shock, Alice awoke, gasping heavily, her face drenched in cold, clammy sweat, her breath gradually shortening. She surveyed the room with eyes that concealed a gruesome scene. Alice calmed down slightly, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with trembling hands.
Alice turned to find a tube attached to her wrist, connected to a plastic bag filled with clear liquid.
"What… what happened?" Alice turned to the other side, to find a covered glass of water and headache tablets. She took them, finding a small white note underneath.
Alice was surprised and picked up the paper, turning it over to find a note written on it: "Take them.."
"So… Otto isn't here." Alice said, wiping her forehead.
*******
The receptionist was finishing writing a patient file when someone called him. He looked up to find Alice standing on her tiptoes.
"Ah… Alice… you're not supposed to leave your room without permission."
"Good morning… Is Otto here?" Alice, trying to balance, holding onto the edge.
"Ha… certainly… He has work today… according to the task distribution schedule… I almost forgot… How are you now?… Alice…"
"...I'm fine... '...I think so...'" "That's good… Is he in his office?"
"(Sudden surprise)… No… He's currently in a session… with a patient."
"What?" Alice in astonishment.
"And you thought he only treats children with nightmares?"
'I thought he was just obsessed with treating them and nothing else.' Alice, shyly and foolishly.
"But… there's something strange about his patient… this time."
"Ha… like what?" Alice asked.
"Like (realizing)… Go back to your room…"
'Heh… he caught me…' Alice, swaying and failing.
******
"Damn… who's that strange patient..?" Alice said, pacing the hallway, sighing in frustration, then stopped, looking at the ceiling, lost in deep thought.
'I'm leaving today… I must talk to him…' she said, wiping her forehead.
******
That place, the darkness there was not just an absence of light; it was a living, thick, viscous entity, wrapping around me like a shroud. The air was heavy, slowly suffocating me, and every attempt to inhale seemed like drawing air from an eternal void. A subtle sense of presence permeated my pores, hidden eyes watched me from every corner of this absolute nothingness, making my skin crawl with fear. Beneath my bare feet, there was only emptiness, an infinite void that absorbed every sense of grounding.
It appeared, turning towards me, and terror tore at my nerves... The eyes! Not just eyes, but festering openings in that darkness, glaring at me with a distorted pupil, oozing hatred and corruption. Muffled, disgusting laughter emanated from every direction, surrounding me as if a host of demons were celebrating my torment. The sounds approached, intertwining and rising, implanting in me a terrifying certainty that I was not alone in this dark tomb.
Suddenly, a thick black putrefaction erupted from beneath my feet, wrapping around my legs like slimy snakes, binding my movement, stripping me of any hope of escape. And from this noxious putrefaction, it formed, my demonic self, its entire body covered in this decaying blackness, exuding the stench of death and decay. It moved slowly towards me, its eyes glowing with evil, gazing at me with a dark triumph.
Its decayed hand rose, touching my cheek with a slimy coldness, leaving behind a feeling of absolute defilement. A distorted smile, revealing black, pointed teeth, spread across its slimy face, followed by a muffled, terrifying laugh, emanating from its depths as if an echo from hell. The putrefaction of its hands seeped onto my cheek, penetrating my pores, then its cold fingers slid to encircle my heart, besieging it with shackles of pure fear, making it beat wildly, as if on the verge of exploding.
Numbness crept into my limbs, my body becoming heavy as a corpse, my chest tightening severely, air refusing to enter, every breath a bitter struggle. This seemed to be the end, the end in this dark void, the end under the gaze of those festering eyes and the laughter of demons, then.
"Alice… you will see… once I get out of this void… you will see… you will see… I will drag your damned corpse to my world…"
*****
Alice felt a shiver at that moment, her body trembling.
"These aren't just nightmares… This time… imagination has materialized into reality… I hate to admit this to myself… but we have the same goals, Pain… right?" Alice said aloud to herself, touching her forehead with her clammy fingertips.
"I'll go to his office… to wait for him."
******
Alice headed towards Otto's office, curiosity occupying part of her thoughts, as she touched her forehead with her hands.
'Huh… no one walks in this hallway… this section of the hospital has become almost empty…'
"Hey girl…" A shout from behind Alice startled her strongly. She turned quickly to find the elderly cleaner approaching her with heavy steps.
"Ah… Good morning…" Alice, nervously.
"Patients are not allowed to wander in the hospital unsupervised… Go back.-"
"Ah… I was going to have breakfast… I felt hungry…-"
"You should have asked the nurse in charge of you…-"
"Don't worry… Sir.. no need for that.. Goodbye." Alice said, rushing forward quickly.
******
Alice entered Otto's office, closing the door.
"Huh… I'm not used to this…" Alice, tired and panting.
"Anyway… I'll sit and wait."
Alice sat on the chair, caressing the rough surface of the desk with her fingertips, catching sight of a pile of papers and files on the desk. Alice sat in Otto's chair, looking at the files, to find an X-ray image of a brain section. Alice picked up the image, finding her name written on it.
"Since when did I get an X-ray… The condition… normal… Comparison… slight swelling in the amygdala… gradual disappearance of the swelling… 'Wait… is there a tumor in my brain..?'.." She said, wiping her forehead.
Alice picked up another paper on which 'Analysis Results.' was written.
"..Medical analysis… 'Analysis results… Eve… brain tumor… blood circulation in the brain… normal… blood analysis… nothing strange… nutrients in the blood… normal nutrient percentage… Alice… almost the same thing… tumor condition… results… tumor growth observed gradually in Eve's brain… but the growth was slow.. but it became rapid…. First result… malignant tumor....tumor removal at this stage is impossible… after falling into a coma.'... Wait… what does this mean… '… The condition… unknown… Alice… a regression in tumor growth was observed… The condition… not yet recorded…."
'Otto doesn't know anything then… Well…'
******
Alice closed the door, walking down the hallway, noticing a door at the end of the corridor. Alice felt a slight dizziness, but it didn't prevent her from advancing, catching sight of a woman coming out of that door. She had short, messy brown hair, and features that suggested time had passed on her face. She was wearing a long black women's coat and classic black trousers.
Alice stood for a moment, looking at the woman in confusion, then Otto suddenly came out.
'Is this the patient the worker mentioned?' Alice, puzzled.
********
"Doctor… I don't know if that's true… but I really felt that every place suddenly changed and then returned to its normal state…" The patient, with worry and calm.
"Ms. Covert… I told you it's normal due to your work… the great pressure on you sometimes makes you feel this way… just one tablet every day… and you'll feel better."
"Okay… Doctor."
******
Alice kept watching the scene. The woman turned towards the end of the hallway, saying: "Well… I must go." The woman left, placing her hand on the back of her head in discomfort.
Alice noticed that, catching the woman's attention for a moment, but the woman didn't utter a word, continuing to walk past Alice.
Suddenly, Alice felt a strange shock inside her. She turned to the woman, worry and astonishment filling her heart.
A strange feeling suddenly came over Alice; her skin began to prickle more as the woman moved away. Then she suddenly felt a pat on her right shoulder. She turned to find Otto smiling as usual.
"Good morning, Alice… How are you today?" Otto said, but Alice didn't answer the question, looking at Otto's hand, moving it away from her trembling shoulder.
Alice walked towards Otto's office, telling him: "Finish your session with the new patient… then we'll talk."
Otto didn't comprehend Alice's reaction, as she moved away from him, a feeling of helplessness weighing heavily on her.
*****
Time passed. Otto entered to find Alice waiting for him, sitting calmly on the chair. Otto felt strange about Alice's behavior, so he sat on his chair. Alice preempted him with her question: "Who is that woman?"
Otto was surprised by the question: "Why do you ask that question?"
"Just curiosity."
"She's a new patient… I've been treating her since she arrived… Mike gave me her file."
"Can I see it?" Alice, puzzled, wiping her forehead.
"Of course… (handing her the file)… But why?"
Alice didn't answer his question, reading the file carefully: 'Selena Covert… Age 48… Hallucinations… Headache...'
"What made you oversee her case?" Alice asked.
Alice raised her head, finding a look of surprise on Otto's face.
"Don't worry… just a question." Alice sarcastically.
"(Sigh)… The symptoms she's suffering from are similar to the symptoms my sister experienced."
"(Surprised)... Oh… 'Right… I almost forgot he has a sister…'.." Alice, delving into Eve's memories.
"But Alice… I wanted to talk… What did you want to say?"
"Ah… I almost forgot that… Otto." At that moment, Alice lifted her bangs, saying: "It followed me…"
At that moment, Otto froze in place, shock evident on his face.
"Impossible." Otto, shocked.
The symbol of the eye with the broken, distorted pupil was on Alice's forehead, and black putrefaction flowed from it.
"Otto… my nightmare is following me into my reality."
The nightmare is no longer just whispers from behind nowhere; it has become more like our bitter reality.
*****
Fear overtakes my heart, and despair takes my dream, and my nightmare makes me forget what it means to dream. Something stalks me, seeking my futile imagination, making me feel death taking my life.
The nightmare has become my other self.