1 Odd Feeling

That morning felt unusually cold, my breath visible in the air, a lingering reminder of the unsettling dream that had left me uneasy. As I sat up, a sense of dread settled over me, lingering from the odd dream and whatever else was going on. Annoyed, I kicked the blankets aside and grudgingly stood up, cursing the cold hardwood floor. Yanking the curtains open, I revealed the same dreary mist that had enveloped the landscape for days.

Everywhere I looked, everything was shrouded in a soft mist. Blinking made everything look darker, and the familiar landscape became nightmarish. The trees in the yard loomed ominously, their branches resembling menacing silhouettes. In that moment, I couldn't help but feel both frightened and captivated. "What am I so afraid of?"

I continued staring at the mist, feeling lost in time. There was something captivating about this misty morning. The air felt thin and heavy, my breathing rapid. As I moved my arms around, it seemed as though my body was floating. I held my breath and closed my eyes to regain a sense of normalcy, an indescribable blend of awe and unease washing over me.

Snapping back to reality, I opened the window, inviting the cool mist to drift into the room. It caressed my skin. Closing my eyes once more, I allowed the sensation to wash over me, feeling as though I had stepped into another nightmare. It was a stabbing feeling, yet nothing happened; I was still awake.

Finally getting ready for school, I stepped outside, losing myself in the mesmerizing misty scene. I suddenly heard a familiar voice call out my name, "David!"

I pivoted to see Emma, my neighbor and crush, coming toward me with a joyful smile on her face. Her presence was like a dream materialized in the tranquil mist, and as she reached me, she leaned in and gave me a soft peck on the cheek. It snapped me back to reality, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment as I looked at her.

My heart was racing; her laughter was intoxicating, and I couldn't help but chuckle, the awkwardness of the moment dissipating. "Hey, Emma," I greeted, my voice cracking.

Emma grinned shyly, swinging back and forth. "Hey, David, how was your weekend? I missed teasing you like this."

"Yeah, sorry we couldn't see each other more often. I've been busy. My weekend was okay," I said while trying to look away. "It's crazy how time flies."

Emma nodded as she took off her glasses to clean them.

After talking for a while, something strange happened. For a brief moment, I saw a smear of blood trickling down her cheek. My gaze shifted to her hands, which were cleaning her glasses—they were decaying, from her wrist to her fingertips. My heart skipped a beat, and a wave of panic washed over me. 'Emma, what's wrong with your hands,' I said too quietly for her to hear.

I closed my eyes and started rubbing them, and just as quickly as it had appeared, everything I had seen was gone. Emma stood before me, her expression unchanged, a puzzled look in her eyes.

"You okay, David?" she asked, concern etched on her features.

I forced a smile, my mind racing to make sense of what I had just experienced. "Yeah, just got lost in my thoughts for a moment," I replied, my voice a touch unsteady.

Emma's smile returned, and she playfully nudged my shoulder. "Stop daydreaming about me, will ya? And let go of my hand, please. Or are ya gonna propose?" she teased.

I chuckled, a mix of relief and confusion swirling within me. "Guilty as charged, just don't have a ring yet."

We stood there for a moment, the mist enveloping us in its soft embrace. As I looked at Emma, the odd feeling persisted, but I pushed it aside, attributing it to the remnants of my disrupted sleep. As the mist danced around us, there was an unspoken rule about this strange situation, I just couldn't put my finger on it.

With a shake of my head, I banished the unsettling images that had briefly clouded my vision. I met Emma's gaze with a gentle smile, just wanting to stare at her as she rested her head against my balcony pole.

Walking alongside Emma towards school, the air seemed to grow heavier with every step. The unease that had gripped me since waking intensified, casting a dark shadow over the morning's serenity.

As we moved forward, the world itself seemed to warp and twist in subtle ways. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a dog, its fur matted and its eyes vacant, almost lifeless. The creature moved stumbling, as if it belonged to another realm. My heart raced, and a chill ran down my spine as I watched the unsettling spectacle.

I glanced around, expecting others to see what I was seeing. But the people around us passed by as if the eerie dog was nothing more than a regular pet. My grip on reality seemed to waver, the line between the ordinary and the macabre blurring before me.

Emma chuckled, making her way towards the dog, petting it, and bringing me back to reality. As I watched Emma's gentle interaction with the animal, a sense of relief washed over me, momentarily easing the nagging feeling that my life was in danger, one way or another.

The misty air grew colder, as if mirroring the growing unease within me. Should I confide in Emma? Should I burden her with what I had witnessed? I felt isolated and alone at that moment, that odd feeling wouldn't leave me alone.

Emma stood up and the dog left, fading from view, the mist swallowing it whole. I took a shaky breath, my mind racing to make sense of the inexplicable.

"Emma," I began, my voice hesitant. "There's something strange happening. I... I saw something earlier, something I can't explain."

As she chatted on, oblivious to what I was trying to say, I struggled with my decision. Would she believe me? Would she think I was losing my mind? In this eerie morning, darkness and uncertainty lingered, and I felt like a solitary figure navigating through a world skewed by the unexplainable. Some secrets, I realized, were better left unsaid, lest they shatter the fragile reality we clung to.

As Emma and I reached the school grounds, the dense mist that had shrouded the morning disappeared, as though it was never there in the first place. But the shadow was still there; I could see it, I could almost feel it. "Hey Emma, wasn't there a mist this morning?"

"Do you have a fever? There wasn't."

My best friend Dionte approached, a mischievous grin on his face. He clapped me on the shoulder, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Hey, David, still daydreaming?"

I chuckled, relieved to hear his voice. "You know me too well, bro."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hey lover boys, I'm still here. If you're gonna kiss, do it far away from me; I'm still single, you know." I knew she had a crush on a guy named Andrew. Every time Dionte would appear, she would search for him.

Dionte and I continued chatting, and he nudged me with an exaggerated wink. "So buddy, when are you gonna ask her out?"

I shot him a death glare. "You know I have no chance with her. Besides, it's hard to talk to her about it."

Dionte smacked my face. "Hey, you've been dancing around it for ages. It's not the end of the world."

I could hear Emma giggling, like music to my ears. The moment hung in the air, a precious connection that I wanted to hold onto.

That same uneasy feeling returned. When I blinked, there was no one in sight. Running around, I looked everywhere, only to find no one. I ran around for a while, but there was still no one in sight. I was about to panic until Dionte snapped his fingers. "Yo, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost. Keep staring at Emma like that, you'll never get a date with her."

"Oh, shut it, would ya?" I replied, chuckling nervously.

Dionte's tone turned more serious as he steered the conversation toward a different topic. "Speaking of, dude, I've seen how strong you are. You should join the weightlifting competition."

I hesitated for a moment before answering. "I don't know, Dionte. It's not really my thing."

He leaned in. "Come on, man, the competition could be your chance to shine."

I considered his words, my unease resurfacing. Then it happened. I started hearing voices, as if the world itself was whispering, "Kill me, save me." No, I was hearing whispers. I shook my head, trying to shake off the voices, but they were still there. I met Dionte's gaze with a forced smile. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass." Before I knew it, Emma was gone; I saw her with Andrew.

"Damn, man, keep bottling up your feelings like that, and she'll be gone forever."

"I know."

For the rest of the time before the bell rang, I was still hearing the voices, getting louder and louder. Dionte changed the subject, talking about a game I'd never heard about. I kept blinking, growing drowsy.

The bell's discordant ring reverberated through the air, signaling the end of the break. "Yo, see you after class," Dionte said.

"Sure thing."

I settled into my seat at the back, a feeling of heaviness weighing down on me, my mind unable to shake off the unsettling events of the day.