I was still pondering over that nightmare I had two nights ago. It was dark and gloomy out and I

was alone. I was kneeling besides my father’s grave, setting down his favorite, blue poppies. I was crying and sobbing when I saw a finger stick out from the dirt. I snatched a nearby stick and poked it. My breathing and heartbeat sped up as a body unrooted from the grave. Three eyes in the form of a triangle came at me first with its arms outstretched. It screamed a loud piercing sound that left me near deaf. The dream cut there.

“Bye sweetie!” Mom said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I was visiting my grandmother for the day

while my mom left for a business trip.

“You better take good care of Sam for me.”

Sam jumped out of the car excited for the fresh air and to finally be outside. She was my

mother’s dog and she loved her to pieces. She’d kill me if anything bad happened to her.

Sam’s irrational excitement beat me to the door. She sniffed it out then turned back at me and barked impatiently.

I smiled at the happiness radiating off of her and started a light jog.

I knocked on the door and waited a while before I gave up. I remembered that she left a spare key

under the flower pot placed next to the front door.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Sam took off down the hall and disappeared into another room.

“Grandma!” I called out as I hung my coat and hat on the coat rack.

It was cold inside which was unusual; grandma hated the cold. She usually had the heat blasting

comfortably around the house while the smell of her oven baked cookies consumed the place.

“Grandma!” I called out again. I walked straight towards the kitchen and oddly enough the lights

were off. This room was her favorite room in the entire house, it was where she practically lived. If she wasn’t sleeping or watching TV and knitting then she was baking but the kitchen was empty. Maybe she was sleeping?

Sam met up with me again out of nowhere and followed me upstairs. I flipped the switch to turn on

the hallway light. It was so dark in this house. I wondered why she had all of the lights off.

“Grandma, you awake?” I called out before I swung her bedroom door open. I turned on the lights to

find an empty bedroom. Sam walked in and sniffed out the entire room.

“Let’s go Sam!”

I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone to call mom.

“What’s up baby?” She answered.

“Hey mom, do you have any idea where grandma might be? She’s not here?” I skipped down the

steps and idly walked around the house.

“I don’t know sweetie. Jamie should be there, unless she went out somewhere.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe she’s at her shop?”

“I forgot she owned that place.”

“How could you forget, you basically ate up her entire shop when you were little. I’m surprised she didn’t start charging me.”

“Oh right, now I remember.”

“I’m sure you do.” She chuckled. “Why don’t you see if she’s there?”

“Alright, I’ll see you later.”

“Okay Sam, lets go see grandma.”

She barked in excitement and followed me to the car parked in the garage. It was my grandpa’s car

and she hasn’t drove it since he died but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me doing so for this occasion. The trip to Frin’s wasn’t too long, just a ten minute trip to town. It was originally named Sider’s Space back when my grandpa and grandma opened up the shop together but when he died she renamed it after him.

 I parked in the small parking lot and walked inside the bakery, followed by Sam. The place changed

a little since I was last here. There were new tables added for people to eat and a little tv right above the serving counter. There was however the same old design of the place and wooden staircase that led to the second floor reserved for grandma.

“Grandma!”

“Oh my God, is that you Jaden?” Her eyes cut away from the television screen.

“Yep.”

“You’ve gotten so big.” She pulled me into a hug. “You were only four feet when I last saw you. You’d

run around with that high pitched voice of yours and eat up all of my food.” She laughed and then it faded off. “I was about to start charging your mama you know...but then” she said sadly “then you guys moved and I haven’t seen you since.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “It was rough when dad died. We couldn’t afford the house anymore so we had to

move.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I just miss you guys is all...my son was a good man.” She said before sitting

down on the stool next to her.

“Dad really was.” I agreed.

“Who’s that sniffing around?” She poked her head over the counter to get a better view.

“Oh yeah, I brought along Sam.”

Right on cue Sam barked and ran around the counter to greet her.

“Sammie!” She yelled out excited.

Sam sniffed grandma and just as she went to rub her head she growled at her.

“Sam, get over here!” I yelled out appalled. Sam loved grandma ever since she was a puppy so I

was surprised that she snapped at her.

“I’m sorry grandma.”

She waved the sympathy away. “It’s okay.” She said, then towards Sam. “You just won’t be getting

any of my special treats.”

“Maybe she forgot you.” I shrugged.

She shook her head. “German Shepherds are very loyal, she didn’t forget.”

“Sam what has gotten into you?” I bent down and cupped her head into my hand. She whined until I

released her then ran upstairs.

“I was thinking about selling the house.”

“Really, why?” I sat down at the counter.

She shrugged nonchalantly. “I practically live here now and with Frin gone the house is just too big

for one person. I figured I could stay upstairs and open right on time every morning. It beats driving back and forth and besides I don’t have to worry about two mortgages.”

“I had so many memories in that house.”

“I remember you running up and down the stairs and your mother and I had to yell at you to stop, if

that’s what your recalling.”

“Good times.” I laughed. “You still going back to visit the house before you sell it?”

“Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, but if you’d like we could go back for the night.”

“And bake your famous cookies?” I added.

“Fine but you’re helping out now that you’re older.”

“Of course.”

“Alright well I’m gonna close in a little. Would you mind heading upstairs and grabbing my jacket?”

“Sure thing.”

I walked up the long staircase and was immediately brought into the living room. There was a small

tv and two blue medium sized sofas with white carpet and a very high ceiling to fit the tall windows that sought out a beautiful view of the town. Sam found an old slipper and was chewing on it. I grabbed my grandma’s jacket and called on Sam to follow.

“Get that slipper out of your mouth.”

I grabbed the slipper and threw it back in the living room before coming back downstairs.

“Alright grandma I’ll see you when you-“

She was gone but her car was still parked outside.

“Grandma?” I called out and almost had to do a double take. There was an opening behind the

counter to one of the walls that has been pushed to the side.

Sam barked twice and ran inside the dark opening.

“Samantha, no!”

I hesitated going in after her but I eventually made up my mind. I turned on my flashlight and

steadily stepped through. To say it was dark would be an understatement. My flashlight was barely doing its job against the dark setting. I couldn’t even see myself, that’s how dark it was. The tunnel was really long but there was an odd light coming from the other end. I wasn’t particularly scared of the dark but at that moment I wanted nothing but to get out of this strange loophole.

I finally made it to the other end and walked through. My brain was silent for a minute before I could register any thoughts.

I was back in the exact room I had just left. Was this some sort of weird dream I was having? It was like I haven’t moved a muscle and I had possibly dreamt going through that tunnel a few seconds ago.

But I knew that couldn’t be it, something was off about this place. It was a lot darker and dust particles that usually couldn’t be seen were floating everywhere. I tried to flip the light switch on but nothing happened. It was oddly quiet too, at least the floors creaked before but now, nothing.

I checked outside and both cars were still parked.

“Sam!” I called out warily hoping she’d run to me like she usually does.

I jumped as I heard something fall to the floor upstairs but then I automatically assumed it had to be Sam or even grandma.

I slowly walked upstairs with my flashlight guiding the way. My heart was beating so fast, it’d be safe

to assume I was hyperventilating. Sounds of someone humming played softly throughout the entire upstairs. It sounded something like honey but with a dark edge to it.

“Grandma, is that you?”

No one answered. I was barely walking but I did so with caution even though everything in my body screamed for me to turn around. I didn’t know what my gut was trying to tell me but I wasn’t going to ignore it. I needed to find Sam and get out of here.

“Sam?”

The humming got louder the closer I walked down the hall towards my grandma’s room. I detected sounds of whining mixed in with the humming. The door was open and the second I stepped in the humming stopped but the whining remained. I shined my phone towards the sound and found Sam under an end table, shaking. It looked as if she were hiding from something. She looked at me, her eyes shining in the bright light then turned her head at something in the dark.

I slowly turned my phone in the direction Sam was looking in. Three luminous eyes in theform of a triangle stared back at me before opening its mouth to scream. The scream resembled the pitch of a kettle when boiling water but it was much more intense. I screamed and dropped my phone. My feet was moving faster than I thought was possible as I ran down the hall. I could hear Sam’s footsteps behind me. I started to run down the stairs but when I got halfway down I felt a huge gush of air push me. My hands broke my fall and I experienced only a slight brush of pain. Sam barked at me to get up just as I  made the mistake of looking back. It stood motionless at the top of the steps. The only thing visible was its three eyes glowing bright white, its face submerged in the darkness coming from its black cloak.

It started to float down the steps at a slow pace. I got up and paused only to hold the door open for

Sam. I ran to the car with ultimum speed before starting it up. It was absolutely dark outside, even more than inside. I started the engine up and sped down the road. I looked at Sam and smiled, we were finally free. Something seemed familiar about that thing back there. It’s almost as if I’ve seen it before but I couldn’t place it. I looked back at the shop through the mirror. Ultra white lights shined through windows, making it impossible to glance through. It wasn’t up until that point that I noticed something wrong. The further I drove, the darker it got. It was like driving through the black hole. It was the second strangest occurrence today. First the trees went away, one by one until there were none, then the street signs. The road pavement was next followed by the road itself before the clouds in the sky then Sam and finally me.

— - —

I woke up on the floor inside of Frin’s baffled, and looked around. It was dark but seeable. I searched

around for Sam but a green ghostly figure made me stop. I jumped up and screamed.

“Ssh, it might hear you.”

        I looked closer at the green figure floating a few inches from the floor. I recognized that face.

        “Grandma?”

        She answered me with a smile.

        “Where’d Sam go?” I asked, my attention suddenly back to Sam. She was with me a few seconds ago before I blacked out from...I didn’t even know how to recall it.

        “Don’t worry, she’s safe now.”

        What did that mean?

        She put her hand to her mouth, telling me to hush then waved her hand for me to follow. She lead me behind the counter and for a second I thought we were just going to hide there but then she disappeared through the wall. I stared at it, astonished before a black door appeared. I opened the door and closed it shut behind me.

        It was a lot brighter in here. I looked up wondering where the dull orange light was coming from but couldn’t detect its source. It took me a second but I eventually looked down and found several faceless bodies piled on top of one another throughout the entire room. They smelled too. I pulled the neck of my shirt over my nose to relieve myself of the rotting smell of dead bodies. I looked at grandma and she seemed fine. She was dead so she didn’t have to endure the torturous smell. I envied her just the slightest over it.

       She crossed her legs, hovering above some of the bodies as if she were sitting but in mid-air. I chose to stand.

      “She’s back in the real world.” She finished up explaining once we were inside.

      I nodded my head, thankful she was safe.

      “You’re dead?”

      It was a stupid question but I asked anyway. How was this possible? If she was really dead then who was I talking to earlier today?

      She nodded her head once.

      “Where am I?”

      “You’re in a parallel world Stilt created to trap you here.”

      “Who’s Stilt?”

      “Stilt is a demon, neither female nor male who feeds off of people’s nightmares. First, Stilt invades your dreams. That’s its warning. Then it creates a surrounding that you’re familiar with to steal your soul. Right now, none of this is real, it’s only an illusion that Stilt is making you see.”

       My brain was trying to grasp what she was saying to me but then it finally hit me.

       “I’ve seen Stilt before. I was visiting dad’s grave then it came out and attacked me.”

       I heard a small gasp.

      “He can’t be.”

      I stared at her perplexed.

      “You didn’t know?”

      “Stilt must have killed me before he died.”

      That explains why I didn’t see her at the funeral. I had just thought she was in a lot of grief. I saw the depressed expression on her face and decided to change the subject.

      “So where am I really?”

      “You’re still inside of the shop. Listen, I know you’re confused but you have to keep moving.   The shop is burning as we speak in the real world and Stilt only keeps you trapped for a certain amount of time before you’re stuck, forever.”  

      My eyes widened at that word.

      “But,” she continued. “anytime it steals a soul, the victim’s body follows it. Stilt stores them in this room everytime and so they pile up. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

      “What do I have to do? How do I defeat it?”

      “There’s a mirror in my room that shines a really bright light. Retrieve it then shine it in Stilt’s eyes -- it can’t stand lights. Wait until it passes out then get the key from it’s third eye. Come back here to unlock the chest and inside will be Stilt’s heart, destroy it.”

      “You mentioned a chest. What chest?”

      She floated over to the side.

      “Move the bodies over.”

      I stared at her, waiting for her to laugh or give me some sort of indication that she was joking but she never did.

     “You’re serious?”

     “Jaden, l am dead. I have no time for jokes.”

     I grunted but did as she said and underneath them all was what I had hoped for. I looked around for something to break it open despite what she told me.

There was a rack of metal hooks and other random objects. I grabbed the hook but she shook her head at me.

     “That won’t work. That chest is everything-proof believe me, I and many others before you have tried. The only thing that will open that it is the key itself.”

     I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. How was I supposed to do all of this by myself? I was only 17 for crying out loud. I still had college to look forward to. What about my plan to travel the world after high school? I had so much life to look forward to yet it was just going to end like this?

     “Can the other souls come out and help? Can you?”

     The corners of her mouth turned down as she shook her head.

     “Only if they want to. I came out to help you, you’re my grandson and I don’t want to see you here. This is your battle Jaden. I’d help you if I could but I can’t. Stilt owns my soul and can do anything it wants with me.”

     I nodded my head sadly.

     “I need you to be strong. Fight with everything you’ve got in you. Do it for your mother. You’re all she’s got left.”

     I snapped out of it at the mention of my mother. I couldn’t leave her all alone in this world. I had to do this for her.

     “You’re right, I have to go.” I said.

     She smiled and hugged me.

     “I love you. Please be careful.” She said right before she disappeared in my arms.

     It was colder now that I was back in the main entrance of the shop. I felt my eyes straining to pull its end of the bargain since I no longer had my phone. I walked upstairs with caution and there it was again, the same oozing, honey-like humming. I walked to the end of the hallway and like before the door was wide open. The humming played on like a record as I walked over to where the mirror was place but as soon as I touched it, it stopped.

     Three eyes glowed in the dark before it screamed out but I stayed focused and shined the bright mirror in its face. Grandma was right when she said the mirror would be bright, but even that was an understatement. I had to turn my head away from it to avoid going blind. Stilt screamed again but this time louder than before, almost killing my eardrums in the process. It’s black cloak fell off revealing its disgusting dark blue body before falling to the floor and screeching in pain. Stilt covered its eyes but I got in its face of nonetheless. It pulled its hands away then stopped moving and suddenly became motionless. Stilt’s eye sockets looked swollen and its mouth was wide open showing off its piranha teeth. Its eyes stayed opened, making it hard to focus on its face. It had huge eyeballs and the light shone where its pupils should be. I hesitated going near it in fear of it waking up. My paranoia proved me right just as it suddenly woke up. Stilt stood up—its full height seemed a lot taller with its cloak off. It screamed and held out its hand in front of me as if it were about to grab me. The airway to my throat was suddenly blocked off and I felt my feet leave the floor. Everything started to get blurry and I could feel my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

      I didn’t want to die like this. I couldn’t.

     At the last few seconds, before I would fight for my last breath, I noticed something. Something was off about this place other than the total darkness throughout the shop. It was something grandma mentioned before about this place being a parallel world Stilt created. The mirror with the bright reflection was turned around so that the face of it was facing the wall. All of the other mirrors were facing the wall as well which meant that it’s own eyes would be too bright for it to withstand.I remembered there being a mirror around here somewhere. With all of the strength I had left, I felt around the wall above me and pulled at the mirror before I would pass it on my way up and shined it at Stilt.

     Just as I had guessed, Stilt started screaming again. It released me and I fell to the floor with utter relief but I didn’t let go of the mirror. I was gasping for air helplessly, but, no matter what, I kept the mirror shining at its face. I did that until I was certain for sure Stilt was passed out. I dug into its eyeball, until I felt the key near its optic nerve. I removed my hand and both that and the key was covered in green, sappy blood. I grabbed the mirror again pass and  walked backwards with it aimed at Stilt until I reached the steps then I flew downstairs and back inside of the room behind the counter.

     Grandma was gone this time for real. It was just me and the sea of faceless bodies. I remembered where the chest was and moved my way through to unlock it. The heart was huge and green and weirdly enough, it was beating too. I squeezed it until green ooze seeped out then tore it down the middle. I heard screaming and knew it was Stilt dying but I didn’t stop.

I threw it on the floor and stomped on it until it was a flat mess. The screaming dwelled down until it ceased.

     As a result everything started to spin, like being in the center of a tornado. I got sucked into the wind of dead bodies and spun around until I passed out.

                                                            — - —

     I felt someone shaking me as their voice went from being muffled to clear.

     “...don’t panic. I’m gonna get you outta this mess.”

     A dozen sounds of everything hit me at once. Blurry colors of red and orange surrounded the scene as an intense wave of heat crashed over my body. It felt like someone stuck me in an oven and set the temperature to broil. Smoke filled my lungs, making it hard to breathe, followed by several involuntary coughs.

     I felt myself being carried over near some loud siren. My body hurt the moment I was picked up. Slowly but surely my vision came back to me. I was in front of a firefighter, a medical team and Sam.

     “Sam!” I yelled out excited to see her again. My voice was weak

     She barked then licked my face, excitement flowing through her body.

     “You have here one loyal dog. She ran all the way from here to our station a mile back just to bring us to you. She saved your life.”

     I looked over to Sam and smiled. She was the best friend I could ever have.

     “Jaden!”

     I turned to see who called out my name and sure enough my mother came running through the crowd of people towards me.

     “Mom!” I yelled out thankful to be seeing her again.

     “Jaden.” She said squeezing me tight. It hurt but I didn’t care.

     “I’m so sorry I let this happen to you, I feel so awful.”

     “No mom, it’s not your fault.”

     “I’m so happy your safe.”

     “Yeah, me too.” I smiled in her arms.

In the corner of my eyes I saw a handful of green figures floating away. I was still hugging mom when grandma stopped to look at me. She smiled before joining the others who ventured off into the night air