I look around for places to hide. Underneath the bed would be ideal. I drop to the ground and crawl underneath. A pounding on the front door alerts me. It could be someone come to help. Should I make a run for the door, or stay where I am?\n<[[run for door]]> <[[stay hidden]]>

My high school, and a prestigous one at that. It expects nothing less than the best from me and the rest of the student body. It is the closest school in my neighborhood which is why my mom said I had to go.

I decide to keep quiet. It's probably for the best anyway. He'd probably think I was crazy. He drops me off at my school and gives me his cell number, saying to call if I think of anything or need help. I thank him and watch as he drives away. Looking at my school, it suddenly seems much less friendly. The muted red brick stands out like a menacing machine. I feel faint for a moment, but it passes. Maybe I should see the school nurse. After all, I'm not sure I'm up to the chalenge of facing my peers. But I also want to talk to Misaki. \n\n<[[Go to the nurse's office]]> <[[Go to class]]>

a { color: red !important}\n

My mind races over what to do. I've never felt more helpless. I remember how I learned CPR the year before, but I'm not sure it applies here. Either way, I can go get help. A sound behind me makes me whirl around. The lady in ice. My heart pounds as I realize the implications of my dream. She might still be in the house. Maybe hiding is the best option. Or calling the police. \n\n<[[try to help parents]]> <[[hide]]> <[[call police]]>

I run to the door, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. I open it, noting that the lock is still engaged from the night before. All that greets me is empty air. Laughing nervously, I close it and sit down on the couch. Maybe I'm going insane. With a phone in my hand, I dial the emergency hotline and explain what happened. My voice is shaking, and I can barely hold the phone to my ear. The police are on their way, a woman says sadly. The police are on their way... [[-3-]]

The hallways are empty and desolate. My sneakers make little sound, and all I can hear is my breathing.

I decide to tell Kenji the truth. While I explain how the murder almost exactly matches the woman in ice from my dream, his brow goes lower and lower. When he talks, it is with dread. "I really think that could help", he said. I notice that we have passed my school. When I ask him about it, he says he has to grab something from the office. I worry but say nothing. We reach the station a few minutes later. More officers quickly surround the car. Put you hands on your head, Kenji says. I am confused but do so. Kenji slaps a pair of handcuffs around my wrists and squeezes it tight. "What are you doing", I ask incredulously. "I think you were the one to murder your parents", Kenji says, "And tried to B.S. us with this story". "He doesn't even look sad that his parents died", one officer says. I struggle but they drag me inside. I can't think of anything, and my mind goes blank. \n-BAD END-\nRewind and try again...

The flames are the first thing I see. They engulf my bed and spread across my sheets. Pieces of the roof are crashing down and I know it’s only a matter of time before one knocks me unconscious. The smell of burning flesh meets my nostrils and I scream, flinging aside sheets and running from the room. I choke as my lungs breathe in smoke. What was it the elementary school teachers used to say? Stay low to the ground, I remember. Crawling, I can’t help it as the tears stream down my face. I reach the long hallway the leads to my parent’s room. Dreading what is to come, I crawl on, noticing that the flames stop at their doorway. In their place, icicles hang from the ceiling. The smoke cannot penetrate this place so I stand up and breathe in. \n My breath comes out in short panicked gasps, swirling in the frigid air. I pass my mother’s vanity mirror, cracked and showing a fragmented version of myself. I take a deep breath despite the scrawny boy that stares back at me. Liquid pools beneath my feet and I can almost taste the sharp metallic smell of… blood. The graphic images hit me all at once as I see my parents. My mother has been impaled by two icicles, her body arched in a warped version of a contortionist. My father is frozen solid, his arm outstretched towards empty air. Both of their mouths are frozen in silent screams. I fall to the ground and stumble backwards, feeling something solid behind me. I try to scream but no sound comes out except a choked whisper. My head swivels so fast it makes me dizzy but I see that she stands behind me. Solace. The lady cloaked in ice. \n She looks like she might have been pretty once, the standard of [[Japanese beauty]]. But all of that has been lost in her face. Her eyes have no pupils, and jagged teeth protrude faintly from behind her lips, which are drawn into a tight smile. She reaches a bony hand towards me, her long fingernails scraping my cheek. I want to run, to wake up from this nightmare but she only brings her head closer, and-\nI sit up straight in my bed, covered in sweat and panting heavily. My head throbs and as I pull out my cellphone I give a groan. It is barely 1pm. Following the ritual for this, I peel back my covers, and head to my bathroom. A half-bath, it contains only a sink and toilet. I turn the right knob and watch the cool water pour out of the faucet. Washing my face, I keep glancing at the mirror expecting the woman to be right behind me. But she isn’t. Finally, I turn off my bedside light and try to get some sleep. \nIt is morning. Sunlight streams through my window’s blinds and I know it is going to be a tough day. With only four hours of sleep, I’ll have to rely on my friend [[Misaki]]‘s notes. I quickly get dressed, spending a while looking at my reflection in the mirror. While not as haggard as in my nightmare, I am still underweight by any comparison. The doctor said I’ll fill out and get taller as I grow older, but even his voice sounded doubtful. So I guess I’m stuck looking like a stick figure. I glance out of the hallway and look at my parents door. They are still sleeping so I have some time. I rummage underneath my bed, removing a thin leather-bound notebook from between the slats. Opening it’s dog-eared pages, I write down the latest nightmare in vivid detail. Once finished, I look at the previous page, an exact duplicate. \nYou see, I’ve been having frequent nightmares for months now. Usually once a week, but recently every day. The same downcast doctor that told me I'd get taller also said they were nothing to worry about as long as I didn't cause physical harm to myself. He recommended that my parents watch what movies and tv shows I watch. It was just my luck too, because the new slasher movie had just come out. Faster than you could say 'lockdown', my parents limited me to kids shows and pg13 movies. \nI put my journal back in its hiding place and get dressed for the day. My school is [[Minasaki High School]] and the uniform required is a dull gray blazer, and black dress slacks. The dress code kills all creativity and is supposed to encourage students to focus on their studies but really zombifies them. Either way, I get decent mark so I don't care. \nBy the time I eat breakfast it is late, far to late for my parents to be sleeping. My dad has a bad habit of hitting the snooze button in his sleep though. I walk into their room and stop short. A half-eaten piece of toast drops from my hands and falls to the floor, staining the carpet with bright-red jam. Before me, my parents look exactly the same as my dream, without the ice all around. I pinch myself until I draw blood. But I have to face the fact that this wasn't a dream. [[NEXT-]]\n

I decide to help my parents. After all, this could be a joke. An incredibly sick, twisted joke. I find the first-aid kit right away and check them for a pulse. Finding none, I try CPR. Even though I know there's no hope, I continue to count off chest compressions. Finally, I stop and grab the phone. I call the number for emergencies and choke out the information. Then I hang up and wait for them to arrive. [[-3-]]

My best friend. We met in junior high one day after a fire drill. Everyone was walking, not taking the thing seriously. Misaki ran at full speed and urged everyone to do the same. When she saw me, she said, "Don't you want to live". I later figured out she'd been in a real fire before, and has burns all over her back. She is really funny and always looks out for me. She is a straight A student and teachers often tell her not to let me rub off on her.

Blood of the Innocents Part 1\n[[Prologue]]\n

When the knock finally sounds on the front door, I am relieved. I open it to see two officers in stark contrast to one another. One is tall and pale, with bad acne covering his face. The other, short and stocky. They look sad and ask me a few questions before entering. I don't think they expected to see such a brutal murder because when they entered the room the pale one threw up in the sink. The other started to make calls, asking for an ambulance and anything else they could send. "Just stay over there", he grunted when I tried to listen in. I waited, feeling stangely numb to the situation, like it wasn't really happening. Maybe it was another nightmare, only longer this time. I sure hoped so. It was past noon when I remembered school. The pale officer asked whether I felt like I could go and I said yes, eager to get away from everything. Then when I came back I could still imagine seeing my mother greet me with dinner, and my father arriving a little late from work. \nThe pale officer's name is Kenji. He explained in a very solemn manner what the next step was if my parents were murdered. I shivered at the use of the word. He asked if I'd seen anyone leave the house, or if any windows or doors had been unlocked. I answered as truthfully as I could. Kenji shook his head. "Then this doesn't look good", he said. "No murderer means it couldv'e been a suicide". I clenched my hands into fists. How dare he accuse my parents of ending their own lives. I remembered that I had heard a noise. Maybe if I told him about my dreams he would have something to go off of. \n\n<[[Tell officer about dreams]]> <[[Keep quiet]]>

I enter the classroom just as the teacher has finished a point in her lecture. She smiles at me and asks me to join them. I see Misaki in the back, holding up a copy of her notes. I sit beside her. \nMisaki is very observative, and picks up that something is wrong. "Why were you late", she says. "I don't really want to talk about it now", I say. Maybe during lunch. To keep my mind off of home, I dive into my work and actually take decent notes.

Blood of the Innocents Part 1: Nocturne

Dreams are a powerful thing. With them, a man can be more than himself, the master of his own realm. Without them, our minds become starved, consuming themselves until we are driven to madness. It is in these dark places that our story begins...\nStart [[here]]

I run to the kitchen and grab the phone. It feels cold in my hands and my fingers numb. I manage to dial the number for emergencies and am greeted by the voice of a technician. "What is your emergency", she says, in a voice that says she's been through this before. The fact that she isn't taking me seriously angers me. I begin to cry, relaying everything that happened since waking up. I leave out my journal, and the striking resemblence to my dreams. She pays attention and says an emergency dispatch is on its way. I stay on the phone until they arrive. [[-3-]]

I stay hidden until the knocking goes away. Somewhere between all that has happened today, I realize someone has to know. I cannot just leave my parent's bodies there. They need a proper burial. So through tears, I find a phone and call the emergency number. I wait for the police to arrive while hiding under the bed. [[-3-]]

By: Ian McEachen

Osaka, Japan. This is my home town where I've lived all my life. It's pretty boring here most of the time, and I am anxious to move away after college. My parents want me to get a job close to home, and settle down with a family. \n