My shrieks of agony reached a pitch and volume I didn’t know I was capable of as the enormous demonic-looking creature sank its huge razor-sharp teeth into my shoulder tearing through muscle and sinew. I refused to release my grip on the truck’s door handle, so the monster chewed through my shoulder and ripped my body away from it. As it dragged me into the woods, kicking and screaming, blood pouring from my shoulder, I looked back at my arm still hanging on to the door in desperation.
Once it had dragged me so far into the woods that I could no longer see the lights of the truck, it released me. I tried to run, but the loss of blood weakened me. I got halfway to my feet before stumbling back to the ground. I tried again and again, but gravity kept yanking me back down. I didn’t have the energy to make a run for it. Every time I tried, more blood poured out of my mangled shoulder.
It watched me struggle with that nightmare mouth formed into a smile. It was enjoying this. It was toying with me. My breaths came in ragged gasps as my body grew dangerously low on blood. I knew I was barely clinging to life.
My will to live was gone. I had no fight left in me. Desperation had set in but there was nothing left to act on. All I could do was lay there and wait for the inevitable.
I guess I was no longer amusing if I wasn’t trying to escape. It stepped over and picked me up by the neck. Pain screamed at me to do something, but there wasn’t anything I could do. It grasped the top of my head and turned it sideways, pulling my face into its maw of blood-stained teeth.
I could smell the horrid stench of death and decay as it closed its mouth on my face.
***
I woke and sat straight up in bed gulping massive breaths of air. I felt like I was drowning in total darkness. My head swiveled around so quickly that I nearly gave myself whiplash as I searched for anything to show where I was. Eventually, my hand landed on my bedstand. I felt the hard wood and recognized it. My hand crept silently along until it discovered my cell phone. I turned the light on and shone it around.
My wife lay in bed beside me sleeping peacefully. If I wanted to keep it that way, I would be quiet and stop shining the light on her.
My sweaty palms and brow were the only remaining evidence of the nightmare I had woken from. My side of the bed was wet, but I told myself that it was sweat. My breathing slowly returned to normal as my mind told me it was a dream. I reached up and touched my face to make sure it was still there. Once that was confirmed, I reached for my shoulder and found it still attached to the rest of me.
I got up and went to the bathroom, then splashed some cold water on my face before checking the time. It was four-thirty in the morning. Only an hour before my normal time to get up. I debated staying awake, but in the end, decided a little more sleep would do me good. After all, it was just a dream.
My morning was like every other weekday morning. I got up, showered, and had some breakfast. Just as I was getting ready to head out the door, my eight-year-old daughter Angeline came downstairs to get ready for school. She insisted I give her a hug every morning before I left for work and promise to be safe.
The morning run was nothing out of the ordinary. The same headaches as every day delivering car parts to garages. I joked with one of the managers that my week went Monday, Monday, Monday, Monday, Friday. He laughed and agreed that sometimes it felt like his weeks went the same way.
In the afternoon, it was my turn to do the late run. Twice a week I had to drive the big box truck down to the main warehouse in the afternoon to pick up the parts for the following morning’s run. I didn’t really like the late run, especially in winter when it started getting dark early. I usually got home around eight, which was Angeline’s bedtime. I would get home just in time to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight. If I ran late, she wouldn’t go to sleep until I tucked her in.
That afternoon wasn’t much different than any other, with one exception. I couldn’t get the nagging feeling of déjà vu out of my head. I knew I had done this run countless times before, but this time seemed different. Like there was a growing expectation that something was about to happen.
Traffic didn’t seem any worse than any other time, although I knew that there was always a danger when dealing with drivers. Accidents happened fast, and you couldn’t always avoid them. I kept a wary eye on the other cars and trucks around me. But still, there was a growing dread in my mind. It increased with every mile I drove.
Finally, it hit me. My nightmare. It had been on this road, and I was coming up on the area where it happened.
I tried to laugh it off and tell my brain that it was just a coincidence. That I traveled this road twice a week for years. Of course, I was going to dream about it sometime.
Trying to laugh it off or deny it was having the opposite effect. I was only a few miles away from the spot and my heart was racing. I tried turning on the radio to calm my nerves, but the song playing was Metallica’s ‘All nightmare long’. That wasn’t helping.
I was only a mile away now. I remembered seeing a specific bridge in my nightmare and I knew it was coming up. My fingers white-knuckled the steering wheel. My eyes darted back and forth looking for anything out of the ordinary.
‘Out of the ordinary?’ I chuckled. ‘Like a demonic beast chewing my arm off and dragging me into the woods to devour me?’
I had just reached the bridge when my phone rang, nearly giving me a heart attack.
Once the ice had melted out of my veins, I turned it on speaker so I wouldn’t get pulled over.
“Hello?” I said.
“Daddy?” Angeline said.
“What’s up, sweetie?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way down to the warehouse.”
“When will you be home?”
“Probably around 8,” I said.
“Can’t you come home now?” she said with quiet desperation.
“Why? Is something wrong?” I said suddenly feeling very nervous.
She paused for a long moment.
“Are you and mommy ok?” I said.
“Oh no, we’re fine,” she said.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said. “I just wanted you home.”
“Ok, well I’ll be home around 8. Love you.”
“I love you too, daddy.”
She hung up the phone as I smiled and shook my head.
‘I’d love to be home earlier,’ I thought.
The road stretched out in front of me suddenly felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on it but something had changed. I drove the rest of the way to the warehouse trying to figure out what. It wasn’t until I had loaded and was halfway home that I realized, I had missed seeing the spot where my nightmare happened because I was talking to Angeline.
I chuckled to myself thinking how worked up I had gotten over a silly dream.
I pulled into the driveway a few minutes before 8 and went straight to Angeline’s room to tuck her in.
“Daddy!” she said jumping up into my arms.
“Whoa, someone’s glad to see me,” I said hugging her, then laying her back in bed.
“You made it,” she said.
“Don’t I always?”
“Did you see him?” she said.
“See who?”
“Oh… umm, no one,” she said. “I love you, daddy.”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” I said. “Goodnight.”
I closed her door feeling more than a little confused.
I walked into the kitchen where my nose and eyes were equally treated to the smell of the delicious food my wife was getting out of the microwave.
“What was going on with her today?” I said as I sat down at the table.
“What do you mean?” she said. “The phone call?”
I nodded my fork halfway to my mouth.
“She came home from school and said she needed to talk to you right away.”
“She didn’t say why?” I said between bites.
“Nope, just that it was important.”
“Weird.”
“She’s eight,” she said smiling. “She probably just missed her daddy.”
“Yeah,” I said sighing. “I get that, but she makes me feel so guilty for getting home late. I wish she understood that’s just how life goes sometimes.”
“She’ll get there,” she said reaching across the table and taking my hand.
I smiled and enjoyed the rest of my meal as we talked about our days and then went to bed.
***
The next morning, Angeline acted as if nothing had happened. She got up, got ready for school, kissed us goodbye, and got on the bus.
My day was frustrating, tedious, and long, just like usual. I didn’t have the late run and didn’t get any phone calls from home.
The day after that, however, was another matter. She got out of bed and immediately asked if I had the late run.
“Yes, sweetie.”
“Do you have to do it?”
“Yes, sweetie.”
“Can’t someone else?”
“No, sweetie.”
“Please, please, be safe.”
“I will, sweetie.”
She was very distracted at breakfast and nearly missed the bus. She kept staring at me. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but I was half afraid of the answer.
My morning run that day was easy and I was able to get started on the afternoon run a little early.
‘I’d love to surprise the family by arriving home early,’ I thought, smiling.
My smile evaporated as I approached the bridge. All the terror of the nightmare came rushing back, along with Angeline’s cryptic comment about seeing someone.
I slowed down a little and once again my eyes were on swivels. I searched the trees along the side of the road as they rapidly passed by.
I was about to shake off my feelings as stupid when my eyes locked on something and my blood froze. In the trees, I saw a set of eyes. My mind tried to write it off as a deer but there were a few problems with that. The deer would’ve had to be seven feet tall, or standing on its hind legs on the second rung of a ladder. Since I didn’t believe either of those things was probable, I had to go with the last option. There was a giant creature standing in the trees, staring at me.
All of this processed through my mind in a flash as I drove past. I saw it step out of the trees just before I passed it and bend down as if ready to spring out in front of me. But there was a car right behind me, so it dove back into the cover of the trees.
I shook myself mentally as though waking from a dream.
‘That couldn’t have been real,’ I told myself, wishing I believed it.
The rest of my trip down, including loading the truck seemed like some surreal vision. It was like I was floating through a daydream.
The trip back made me nervous as I approached the bridge, but I realized I was on the other side of a divided highway. There was a lot of open area between the lanes going north and the lanes going south.
Regardless, I kept my eyes trained on the other side of the highway when I came near the bridge. I didn’t know if it was my imagination or if I had really seen eyes watching me from the other side. I didn’t wait around to find out.
That night when I got home, Angeline met me at the door and nearly knocked me over in a tight hug.
“You made it!” she said squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe.
I carried her inside and put her to bed.
“Ok, Angeline, what’s going on?” I said.
“You’re home safe,” she said. “That’s all that’s important.”
“What do you mean?” I said. “Has someone been telling you I’m in danger?”
She lowered her eyes. “Yes.”
“Who?”
She looked up and locked eyes with me.
“You saw him tonight.”
I stood and backed away without realizing I had.
“What do you mean?” I said. “Saw who?”
“You know. He watched you. He tried to get you but he couldn’t because of the other car.”
I dropped to my knees beside her bed.
“How did you know that?” I whispered.
She reached down and touched my cheek.
“I saw it in my dream.”
I sat there silent, in shock for a long time.
“Daddy?” Angeline said.
I looked at her.
“Can you turn off the light now, I’d like to go to sleep.”
Automatically, I stood, kissed her forehead, and stepped out of the room turning off the light as I went.
I went out and collapsed into a kitchen chair.
“What’s wrong?” My wife said. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
My eyes locked on hers. For a long moment, I didn’t understand what she had said.
“Are you ok?” she said sitting beside me and putting her hand gently on my shoulder.
Finally, I roused myself out of my stupor.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m fine, just Angeline being concerned about me again. Where do you think that’s coming from?”
“I don’t know, but she really is worried about you,” she said. “When she got home she said she was tired and wanted to take a nap. A short time after she laid down I could hear her yelling in her room. I ran to her and she was asleep, but screaming, “No, he’s my daddy and you can’t have him!”
I tried not to turn white as a sheet. Instead, I chuckled.
“Kids, where do they come up with this stuff?” I said with a smile.
“She loves you,” she said. “You’re her daddy and she doesn’t want to see anything happen to you so she gets herself all worked up.”
“You’re right,” I said smiling.
I kissed her, then ate my supper. After I was done eating we went to bed and kissed her some more.
***
The next day once again was like nothing happened. It wasn’t until the following Tuesday, the day I would have to take the evening run, that Angeline was beside herself in the morning.
“Please don’t go today,” she begged me.
“I have to go to work,” I said.
“You can’t.”
I saw the desperation in her eyes. It frightened me beyond anything. I fought to hide my fear.
“Ok, honey,” I said. “I haven’t called off in a while. I’ll take today off.”
I saw the weight lift from her eyes as she yelled, “Yay!”
Then she hugged me tightly and ran out the door to catch the bus.
“Are you really taking the day off?” my wife said.
“Are you complaining?” I said.
“Not in the least,” she said. “How about a movie?”
“Sounds good. I don’t remember the last time we watched a movie together.”
Of course, my boss wasn’t happy. He told me that if I was faking I’d better update my resume.
***
That was one of the best days I’d had in a long time. The next few days were awesome as well. It wasn’t until the following Tuesday that the wheels came off.
“You can’t go,” Angeline squealed as I headed for the door.
“I have to, honey,” I said trying to calm her. “If I don’t, they’ll fire me.”
“Daddy, please, don’t go,” she said grabbing my leg and holding on for dear life.
“I’m sorry, I took the other day off. If I don’t work, we don’t eat.”
I pulled her off my leg and handed her to my wife as I started out the door.
“Calm down, sweetie,” she said holding her tightly as she struggled to get to me.
“You don’t understand, he’s waiting for you.”
I stopped and turned back to her.
“Who’s waiting?” my wife said.
I stared into Angeline’s hopeful eyes.
“No one,” I said. “I have no idea what she’s talking about. Must be her imagination going off the rails again.”
Her eyes met mine and betrayal leaked out and down her cheeks. I turned away to keep my heart from breaking.
“Daddy!” she screamed.
I got in my car and drove away, drying my eyes on my sleeve.
I tried all morning to get Angeline’s look of hurt and betrayal out of my mind. It wasn’t until I was halfway down to the warehouse in the afternoon that her words really sank in.
‘He’s waiting for you.’
My veins turned to ice.
I was hurtling toward my doom as I got closer to the bridge.
Did I really believe there was a monster waiting for me? Or was this pure coincidence force-feeding me my daughter’s paranoia?
My truck was devouring miles faster than I wanted, forcing me into a decision. Should I pull over? If this thing is waiting for me, would it even matter?
I couldn’t live the rest of my life hiding from fears that weren’t even mine. I kept moving, the bridge nearly in sight.
I tensed up as I passed under the bridge and passed the spot I had dreamed about.
I sighed, chuckling at my own foolishness.
I was still chuckling when the thing from my nightmare stepped out on the road in front of my truck.
Disbelief and terror flooded my eyes as this apparition stood in my way, daring me to hit it.
I stood on the brakes and tried to swerve, but it was no use. My truck smashed into the massive monster and came to a screeching halt as it slid sideways on the gravel on the berm and off the side of the road.
I sat there, blinded by the airbag, waiting for it to collapse as I peeled my fingers off the steering wheel and unbuckled my seat belt.
I slowly opened the door and stepped out of the truck. The darkness was punctuated by the headlights of passing cars. I stepped around to the front still in a daze and looked at the destroyed passenger side of the truck. As I marveled at the destruction, I remembered what I had hit. I turned to get back in my truck but my way was blocked but the huge demon-looking creature staring down at me.
My nightmare came rushing back to me with stunning vividness as the front of my pants suddenly became wet and a yellow river ran down the inside of my pants.
Standing very close to this exact spot, my arm grasping the door handle as the creature’s teeth tore through my shoulder, leaving a bloody arm still hanging onto the door handle as it dragged me off to the woods to devour me.
I stood there remembering my nightmare as if it had already happened and realized it was about to happen.
The creature took a step towards me and I took a step back around the corner of the truck. The only plan my petrified mind could conjure was to keep the truck between me and the creature. If it took one step at a time, we could do slow laps around the truck all night. But I knew it wouldn’t be patient much longer. It wore a feral grin composed of those horribly long, razor-sharp, blood-stained teeth, which told me it was about to strike.
The truck sat sideways, shielding us from the lights of the cars as they rushed past us, oblivious of the life-and-death struggle playing out. At first, I held out hope that someone would pull over to check on me or that a police officer would see my truck and stop to find out what had happened.
I saw the creature tensing up to spring at me and realized I didn’t have time to wait for any law enforcement or good Samaritans. In fact, I had no time at all. I gripped the door handle and waited for death.
I wished I had listened to Angeline and not gone to work. I wished I was home with my wife and daughter. I wished I didn’t know that a creature like this existed.
There was only one thing left to do.
I closed my eyes and mentally said goodbye to my loved ones.
Just as it was about to launch itself at me, I pushed off from the door handle and ran straight into traffic.
The last thing I remember was a horn honking and then pain before the darkness took me.
***
I woke to a white room and machines beeping. Most of my body was wrapped in a cast and there were ropes hanging from a metal frame that held my arms and legs up.
I was in and out of consciousness but caught snatches of conversations.
“Multiple bones broken… “
“Hip replaced… “
“Lucky to be alive… “
Eventually, a policeman did come to talk to me. I told him I had hit a deer and lost control of the truck. I said I had become disoriented by the airbag hitting me in the face and that’s why I stumbled into traffic.
He told me that the first car to hit me bounced me up in the air and then I rolled off the roof of the next two cars before landing on the road. He said I was lucky that the cars had managed to stop when they did, or the next car was about to run over my head.
I told him I felt lucky to be alive.
The next day my wife and daughter came to visit.
Angeline was so happy to see me that she grabbed me in a big hug, sending pain shooting through me. My wife pulled her off of me and explained how much I was hurting.
I asked my wife if she would get the nurse to bring me some pain meds. Once she was out of the room, Angeline lowered her voice and asked the question I knew she was dying to ask.
“Did you see him?”
I closed my eyes and struggled with what to tell her. Do I let her continue to believe in this creature or do I lie to put her mind at ease?
I looked into those expectant eyes and told her what I thought was best.
“No, honey, I just had a little accident that’s all.”
Her look fell from anticipation to disappointment.
“I understand,” was all she said before my wife came back in the room followed by the nurse.
***
Six months later I’m walking again. The doctors say I might be able to drive again soon. My wife got a job that pays the bills and puts food on the table. I’m looking forward to working again and helping out.
I’ll never drive a truck again. I’ll never drive on that stretch of road again.
I find myself questioning if it was real or not. Was there really a demonic creature bent on dining on my entrails, or did I just hit a deer and stumble into traffic?
I don’t know. My mind seems to be trying to protect me the same way I was protecting Angeline.
Angeline hasn’t had any nightmares recently and neither have I. Honestly, I hope I never have another dream. It isn’t worth the risk of seeing that thing ever again.