The Dream Loop

Have you ever felt like you couldn't tell the difference between a dream and reality? That's where my nightmare begins. My name's Tim, just an ordinary teenager at least, I thought I was. One night, I tried to wake up...but no matter how many times I opened my eyes, I never really woke up. I was trapped in something I can only call... the Dream Loop."

I jumped out of bed the way I did every morning: the soft slant of early sunlight through my window, the weight of my comforter, the familiar scent of my room, a mix of old books and laundry detergent. It was just a normal day. So I thought.

I sat up, stretched my arms over my head until my back popped, and swung my legs out of bed. My bare feet landed on the cool, worn floorboards. The sun was just rising, painting the sky in a soft, orange glow that filtered through my blinds. I could hear the distant buzz of a lawnmower from a few streets away.

Mother calls my name

"Tim breakfast is ready!"

"Coming!"

I yelled back at my mother. I felt excited because My mother always made me breakfast every morning before I started my day. I got dressed and opened my door and saw my mother setting the plates on the table.

I pulled on a clean T-shirt and a pair of jeans. I opened my door and stepped out into the hallway, a wide grin on my face. The smell of bacon and eggs was already drifting from the kitchen.

"Pancakes!" I Said to myself. I really loved when my mother makes pancakes. It was like your in heaven. The thought of Pancakes made my mouth water.

I quickly ran with Excitement bubbling in my chest, I started to run down the hallway towards the staircase, my footsteps muffled by the old carpet. But as I ran, a strange, cold dread began to seep into my gut. My stomach, which had been growling with hunger, now felt knotted.

I froze. Something was off.

Everytime I ran the hallway kept growing longer and longer. The wallpaper stretched on and on, repeating the same framed photos every few feet.

My mother was at the far end, still setting the plates on the table, a motionless figure bathed in the light from the kitchen window. She didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong.

I finally stopped, panting, "What the?" I whispered, my heart racing quickly confused on what was happening.

I took a hesitant step forward, then another. The hallway just stretched to meet me, its length mocking me.

My mother, who hadn't moved an inch since I started running, finally looked up. She turned her head slowly, a wide, unsettling smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Are you come eat or just stand there?" My mom asked her voice sounding just as it always did, though it felt impossibly far away.

"I'm coming." I replied i tried again my words feeling hollow. I pushed myself harder,forcing my legs to sprint, but the distance between us only grew. My breath grew heavy, coming in ragged gasps.

The lights above me flickered, casting my elongated shadow behind me. I could hear the distinct sizzle of the bacon on the stove, but the smell was now faint, like a ghost.

My mother's smile widened. “Guess if you’re not hungry…” Her voice drifted closer now, but deeper this time, more resonant—like it was no longer hers, but an echo from a hollow place. “I’ll just eat breakfast myself.”

I looked back at at my mother, she was gone instead what replaced her was way more terrifying Her body twisted and stretched, bones cracking, skin peeling back until she towered above me—a grotesque parody of my mother, with hollow eyes and a mouth too wide, dripping with black saliva. She was a Monster.

Ahhh!” I screamed, stumbling backward, my legs heavy as if the floor itself was holding me down. The hallway warped and twisted, doors slamming shut, the air pressing tight against my chest. My pulse pounded in my ears.

I felt myself slowing, every step dragging like quicksand, while the thing only came closer. Its claws scraped against the walls, sparks flying in the flickering light.

“The thing lunged, claws reaching for me—

—and I shot upright in my bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. The sun was still rising.”

—I bolted upright in my bed, gasping for air.

The sun was still rising.

But the faint smell of bacon still lingered in my room while waking up so i thought....

To be continued....