Panic

"It was funny how normal things seemed to go on even when everything was so messed up. People could still fall in love, even at the end of the world." - Shelly Crane

One thing that scared him the most was his nightmares, whether he was being hunted by a blackhearted brute or ended up lost in a barren city over run by vines; these are the things that woke Alfie at the break of dawn. That night, Alfie had drifted into his own personal hell, he was running from a repugnant villain, terrorising him with a deathly baseball bat, adorned in barbed wire, that was already painted with maroon blood that used to belong to Alfie’s shoulder. He looked back and then forward. Nearly jumping out of his skin, Alfie saw the guy was ten foot away and he was walking towards Alfie now as if he was playing a sadistic joke on him.

Ill-lighted and inky, in the forest it was now impossible to see a thing. Alfie saw his chance and maybe his only chance to run for it, Alfie fell to the ground, his legs felt paralysed; they didn’t work as if Alfie’s own imagination was screwing his dreams up and turning every situation against him. Alfie’s imagination was full of intense action but yet it was so silent and eerie. There. He was there, Alfie’s heart was beating so fast he feared that he could never control it again. Alfie rested his head against a tree, he had lost all feeling in his stupid legs and there was nothing he could do about it. The frightful figure was probably playing his usual jokes and was creeping up on him. Alfie would be screaming himself awake at this point, but he never let the dream play out, tonight he was going to play it out...

A few seconds later Alfie had controlled his breathing and tried not to whimper with fear and anticipation, it had probably been going on for ages but when Alfie could actually hear again after his thumping heart had calmed down. Alfie heard light breathing behind him, Alfie had his eyes scrunched shut; as if he could block out his fear and play his half-witted dreams out and his eyes were like a shield against all that fear and anticipation. But it all became too much when Alfie finally opened his eyes. A glimmering, shining and maroon coloured baseball bat; only a few inches from his throat. Alfie had had enough and decided to end this dream as he was becoming rather terrified, he screamed “Wake up Alfie!” he hollered until his throat was dry. It was only when Alfie was about to be smashed through the throat with a baseball bat decorated with vicious barbed wire that Alfie shot up from his bed with a bloodcurdling screech that could have possibly woken up the whole town, but it only woke his younger brother Seth “Are you okay Alf?” he whispered “Yeah just go back to bed” It was only five o’ clock in the morning maybe half past; he needed more sleep but Alfie got up and didn’t bother telling anyone where he was going, he just got up. Alfie touched his throat. Still feeling a stinging sensation. Alfie actually worried if the villain had massacred his throat or if it was a psychological thing. Alfie sat at the oak wood table that stood mighty in the kitchen and started devouring a bowl of cornflakes. Alfie sat down and started to try matching up his nightmares as if they were a jigsaw piece puzzle.

Alfie’s mind strayed from reality and he started to think vividly out of nowhere of one of his most spine-chilling ordeals, when he was in his most defenceless state. Night-time, and down the rabbit hole his mind went. Alfie saw faces. Not natural faces, but abnormal faces. Faces with chawed cheeks and gnawed noses. All of them were complete with evil eyes and ferocious fangs. On their heads; locks of hair had been pulled out only leaving red patches on their scarred scalps. Alfie looked at all of them. Flabbergasted, gawking and staring; Alfie tried not to draw attention to himself in case any of those things tried to attack him, like the bloodthirsty villain did. All at once, something was tapping him on his head. Bamboozled, Alfie turned around but there was nothing there. Then there it was again. He turned around once more, but it soon disappeared. The taps on his head soon turned into hitting on his head, but Alfie was stuck in a fictionalised limbo; and couldn’t escape as usual.

Something clicked in Alfie’s head, he visualised him waking up and it happened. Alfie lifted his head up and he felt another blow to his head. His brother and sister were hitting him because they were demonic children and couldn’t think of anything more evil to do than hurt their loving, caring and respectful older brother that cherished them dearly. Seth laughed until his side split from howling at Alfie’s horrified face. “Sorry Alf, you wouldn’t wake up, we thought you’d died” Alfie’s sister Eve said with the greatest sense of endearment in her voice. “It’s okay but i’ll have to eat you alive if you do it again!” Alfie joked, as he grabbed Seth by his black hair, still wet from the shower. Alfie and Eve pulled his hand and tickled him. Laughing. Alfie hadn’t done that in a long time.

That was until they heard their mother shouting to get ready for school and start walking. The twins ran off straight away. Alfie was ready but neither of the twins had made their lunch; so Alfie being the reliable and lovely brother he was, he made their lunches for them. As Alfie sliced a sandwich in two, the unseeingly sharp knife cuts into Alfie and blood drips onto the counter. Alfie swore several times under his breath so that no one else could hear the profanities coming from his mouth. Eve came running down the stairs, ready for school. She glimpsed at Alfie’s finger that was coated with blood, she gasped “Are you okay Alf?!”

“Yeah i’m fine it’s just a little cut”

“No, let me get you a plaster” she said as she was already rushing into the cupboard where Alfie thought they kept pots and pans, but weirdly kept all the first aid kits. Eve applied the plaster and she smiled up at Alfie. He gave her a little ruffle of her hair, they then ran out of the door and started the trek to school. They didn’t even wait for Seth, they tried to run away but he caught up. Sadly.