I dream frequently. I sleep with the TV on as a method of distracting my brain and it's anxieties long enough for me to actually fall asleep. I recall having a dream where there were monsters that would come out after dark and try to eat you. We were in a remote mountain town, too far out in the wilderness to make it to safety before the sun set again so my friend and I were trying to up-armour his Del Sol so we could thunder-rush our way to safety after dark.
I awoke and thought "that's neat" and grabbed my notebook to jot it down. As I was scribbling the details I finally noticed the TV. Pitch Black was playing.
... nevermind.
A more recent one that stuck out to me was pretty interesting.
My alarm went off and I stumbled out of bed. I work 3rd shift so in the winter the sun has already set when I wake up. I set about my morning routine as I normally do. Bathroom, throw some clothes on, start preparing lunch. The power goes out. Sigh.
I grab a flashlight, I just need to finish making my sandwich then I'm out the door. The flashlight is dead. Figures.
I grab another. It's dead too.
I rummage around in a drawer for a third. Also dead.
I walk outside. The entire neighborhood is dark. Even the ever present orange glow from the nearby airforce base is absent. I can see the milky way in the sky. There is so much light pollution in my city that you cannot usually see but a few stars. I stand and marvel for a few minutes then remember I do still need to get to work, so I head back inside.
There is a faint voice crackling from my emergency radio, somehow the only piece of electronic equipment that still functions.
"...we repeat. Shelter in place, barricade your doors, and do not let anyone inside even if you think you know them. Stay tuned for further instructions."
What is happening?
I lock both locks, check that the windows are locked and the rods are in place. I head to my closet and select a rifle. What is outside? Who is trying to get in?
The front door rattles. There's pounding. It's my wife. I reach for the door. She's panicking. I think about the voice on the radio. Even if you think you know them.
"LET ME IN" she screams and something hits the door with a massive crash.
My alarm goes off and I woke up covered in sweat. My heart pounding. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on. I actually enjoy nightmares a bit. I enjoy the rush I get waking from one. This one was wild though. It was so realistic, I genuinely didn't know I was dreaming. I wanted to write it down, but I didn't really have time. I had to get ready for work.
Halfway through making my sandwich the power went out...
I'll save us all some time, I incepted myself. The events of the dream replayed themselves in a second layer of dream which just like the first one, was eerily realistic. The same odd events, compounded with the unease that I had just seen these events. I didn't stay outside for more than a second but still only caught the tail end of the radio message. When my 'wife' hit the door I was again awoken by my alarm going off. In reality this time.
I hope.
My brain used the narrative device of a precognative dream within a dream to scare the E36 out of me. I didn't have to write it down. It's been over a year. I haven't forgotten it.
