I’d really hate for this to just sort of fade from my mind so I’m writing it down here before it’s all gone. I don’t have a particularly good memory, but after what happened to me I was convinced I’d never forget it. Since then though I have found my mind slipping in and out, I’m struggling to type this, even this short bit has taken me a solid 10 minutes because I have to keep fixing the weirdest typos. Hopefully this doesn’t just vanish into the folds of the internet, and someone out there remembers me and what happened.
This was about a week ago, Sunday evening I believe, like I said it’s hard to remember exact details. I had spent all day at a locul park, my nephew plays little league baseball and I am a volunteer referee. My memory of that day is shockingly perfect, I remember all the games and scores. I think of it now almost like… when it gets oddly sunny right before a big storm, but the air has that green tint to it. I don’t live faar from the park so I decided to grab some dinner and then walk home. I hit up one of my favorite local places, and then got caught up chatting with the owner, and by the time I was heading home, it was already pretty late, well past their closing time.
I stepped out onto the street, and immediately felt off. My foot hitting the pavement gave me the oddest sensation, like there was a slight give to the ground. I wrote it off as just me being tired. I looked around, and the city was eerily silent. I know it was late, but usually in this neighborhood there are cars and the occasional pedestrian even at this time. I saw one figure, far down a side street, bearly illuminated by a flickering street lamp. I zipped my jacket and began to walk home.
This is where things get really weird, and also where I tell you that I only had one beer with my dinner. From this restaurant, it should have MAYBE been a 10 minute walk. From this restauraaant it should have maybe.aaaaaaas;en
This is where things really get weird, I leave the restaurant and start walking home. The walk usually takes about 10 minutes but I swear I had been walking for almost 20 when I stopped on a corner and looked around. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for years, almost twelve now, and I knew it like the back of my hand. I knew which corner I was on, Damen and Southport. That corner should have a large white house with a gazebo in the backyard. Directly across from it, should be a bluish gray gray gray gray gray gray gray house. Next to that should be the Andersons, the Crenshaws, the Kims, and then the Porters. None of the houses were right. The street signs were correct, but nothing was the right shape or color.
I think at athat point that i just kept walking along not really thinking much of it even thoughtherewasdefinitelyasmallpartinthebackofmybrainthatwasscreaming, and I just kept going on because I was so certain that any minute i’d see my house. I kind of blacked out at this point, and I apologize for being hazy going forward, this is where things start to sort of leak out of my brain. The next thing I knew I was standing in a circle. Not like a glowing magic one or anything, just one of those spots where a street dead-ends in a neighborhood, a strange glob at the end of an appendage. I looked around, confused and admittedly a bit scared. I was hit by t2wo simultaneous thoughts. One, 1, won, wan, ONE: there are no circles like this in my Neighborhood. 2
All the doors of the houses were open staring at my like eyes and mouths at the same time i felt both like i was being eaten and watched and eaten and smelled and chased and eaten and swallowed and chewed and i stood there without a breathfor a 2nd and then started to breathe again very shallllowly and with grate e4t
I span around and sssa w a man at the mouth of the circle. I felt as if the houses were closing in on me, as if they were inching closer, but not by inches by feet… footing closer?. : (
I knew immediately that it was the man I had seen walking earlier, even though I had been able to see no details either then or noew. I took a step forward, and brought my hand up, reaching out to him, a final rock of help in this confusing moment for me and my b br bra brai brain rain ain in n
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He reached up too, same cadence as me, same movement as me, i tried to speak to ask who he was but my words caught in my throat and i heard a soft coughing gag come from the figure.
Then he got…. Pulled? His feet and legs flew out from under him like there was something tied to his ankles that suddenly yanked back with increidble strength. The figure fell forward and faceplanted so hard i hear a sickening wet snapping sound, both solid and liquid at the same time. I knew from some skateboarding experience the kind of pain that would be, but no sounds of hurt came from the figure. It just lay liamlay[pa limply on the now bloody concrete. I began to sprint forward to see if he was okay but each astp amad eame afeel aliky ai was
I sprinted forward i ran to him because i i i i i i i i ii i i i i i ii i i i i i i i i i i i i i
I wanted to helppphim because I
The houses all around me towered overhead and the world felt like it was spinning and collapsing on itself, i felt dizzy and thought i might threw up, so I did, but nothing came out, i knew i was bone dry empty inside, hadn’t eaten in days od xourse, i just new that but nonetheless my body attempted to throw up so i just curled up and heaved for a moment.
I heard another scraping and looked up to see the body being dragged across the concrete. Bits of flesh and teeth being left behind from the force of the movement. I was frozen to the spot, watching the nothing nobody body being pulled by nothing into the darkness beyond the street lights. The wet crunchy dragging continued for a while after it vanished into the dark… and i just sat there curled up feeling like I was the last person in the whole universe
I don’t remember anything else except waking up in my bed, apparently three days later. I had dozens of missed calls from family, friends and work.I told them all I had been sick with bad food poisoning and had dropped my phone, braking ait
I hope i start to feel better sometime soon… i find that siomeple atthain;s a re a loat hard aerfor me right anow and i cant’ areally emember mucha bout my dayt to day, like i asaid tying this hasd been really hard but i think; I got alla eth;typos. I guess I will post andy update;s if I armebae ra remmber anyhiklonag else. I hoae you’e all aodoing bettera athnla me
tahnks 4 reeeeeeedinagn : )