The old nightmare

I’m in the living room of an old house, rain falls through the many cracks on the ceiling, the door to the outside world is nothing more than planks and lies open, the windows have long lost all their glass and are just empty frames and, through the many openings all around, a sickly green sun shines. There’s only two pieces of furniture, an old TV set and an even older leather armchair, on the armchair  I can see an old man sitting staring at the static on the TV. I walk towards the man, trying not to step on the broken bits of glass on the floor, and as I get closer I realize the man isn’t staring at the TV but at the broken door. I gently rest my hand on his shoulder and he slowly turns his head to me:

‘I’ve lost it all... everything’ the old man sobs ‘And as the end draws near I am alone... completely and utterly alone.’ I can feel a deep emptiness in his words.

The old man lifts his right arm to meet my hand and I can see the tattoos under his old bedroom robe sleeves, my own tattoos. He slowly lifts his head to meet my gaze and his face rots in front of my eyes leaving only the skull underneath. I start screaming and the world begins to turn on itself.

 

I wake up screaming alone in my bed, my body is completely drenched in sweat and through the window of my room the full moon shines high and bright in the sky. I sit and let the tears fall for a while, those images would always be burned into my mind since that day.

I get up and hurriedly get some clothes on.

Where do you think you’re going? Sepheron asks inside my head.

‘Out, it doesn’t matter where I just need to get some air.’

But it was just a dream you fool, go back to sleep.

‘Like the ones you keep showing me?’

That’s different! I don’t show you dreams I show you my memories, our memories.

‘Same shit, I really don’t wanna listen to you right now. Just fucking leave me alone, I don’t wanna hear any of your bullshit.’

I get the house keys and bang the door as I leave without intending to, I have no idea where to go but I just couldn’t stay put. I get lost in my own thoughts and when I come back to my senses I’m sitting with a beer on my hand on a makeshift sofa against a wall in a well known alternative bar. Metal music blares loudly making the walls seem to vibrate and people all around are having fun with their friends.