Dimensia

by Steven Thornton, Jr

  *

  I mulled over his proposition, letting everything I had seen and heard sink in. For the first time I began to question my role as a Light Worker. Having not known a lot of the extreme division, I considered taking him up on his proposition as my reasoning kicked in. As Tribulation paced my apartment, I could sense he was growing impatient. He seemed to get more and more agitated with each passing second. It was tempting, yes. What would you do? With a perplexing choice at hand, I weighed my options and remembered what my Mother had instilled in me growing up: 'When something sounds too good to be true, it's because it is.' I arrived at my conclusion, a decision I hoped I would not come to regret.

  "I'm sorry Tribulation, I appreciate this opportunity, but I'm going to have to pass."

  "Well, if you change your mind let me know," he said as he smiled, shaking his head in disapproval. As he turned to leave, abruptly stopped and turned back towards me. He looked at me like I had waged war on a Country with the avidity of oil.

  "Oh! Before I forget, one more little minute factor to consider," he said.

  "If you think the dark beings you encountered were bad, they were nothing. I was holding the others back. But now that you have chosen your path, the others will be delighted to make your acquaintance." I kept waiting to wake up and realize this had been a dream, but I knew this was too real. As I sat in bed I stared into Tribulation's eyes and watched them begin to glow red as he laughed deviously. In a moment's breath, he lifted his right hand, and with a snap of his fingers, disappeared into thin air. I looked around the room and saw no signs of him anywhere. Seconds later, after taking a couple of deep breaths to regain my composure, I heard Tribulation's voice. I turned toward the voice but saw no one.

  "Get ready my friend, we are going to become close friends, you and I." Then I heard a sinister laugh from my left. I slowly stood up out of bed and tried to be as calm and as still as possible. As my window flew open, letting a strong flow of air into my room scattering papers. I took a step toward the window and felt a heavy blow against my chest, taking my breath and sending me flying backwards through the air. I landed hard on the wood floor, struggling to breathe. I slowly stood and felt light headed, falling into my bed. Hunched over now holding my stomach, I felt a throbbing pain as I scanned the room.

  After roughly twenty minutes, fortunately for me, I did not receive any further aggressions, iHere, I came to realization that this dimension thing was crazier and far more in depth than I had ever imagined. I also had a suspicion that the worst was yet to come. Lying down in bed, I closed my eyes thinking that I need to get some rest. With my mind racing, I felt another presence in my room.

  I felt a crawling sensation on my legs that came from beneath the covers. Tossing aside my comforter, snakes were covering my sheets and slithering on me. I jumped out of bed and hit the light, to find snakes everywhere. They were coming out of the sink drains, falling from cabinets, covering my counter tops, underneath the doorway, coming through vents and from inside the stove. Within seconds there were thousands that had managed to cover every square inch of my apartment, and all coming towards me. Having a fear of snakes is one thing, but having a fear of snakes and having thousands of them slithering towards you can be overwhelming. Absorbing the scope of the circumstance, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and tasted the effect of pre-vomit.

  Scanning my room I became aware of an old guy in the corner holding a staff with a crystal ball mounted on top. He wore a dark cloak and the shadow cast from his hood covered his face. Only his lips were visible to me, and I watched them mutter something to himself. I strained to listen but couldn't make out any specific words. I then noticed the crystal ball on top of his staff flashing much like a strobe light.

  "Stop doing this to me old man! Leave me alone!" I yelled. I waited for a response of some kind, but received none. I then took a few steps toward the door of my apartment to get a better look and saw that he was very old. His eyes were crystallized over, resembling smoked glass and similar to what I had seen earlier. 'He, too, must be blind,' I thought. Well, with snakes covering every inch of my room, I decided to make a run for my marble, thinking it may help. Scanning my apartment, I caught a glimpse of the marble rolling along the backs of snakes at the counter. Quivering at the thought of grabbing it, I conjured the courage to try. The marble was a good ten or so feet away. I took as large of strides as possible, stepping on snakes and feeling them squish between my toes as they coiled and hissed beneath me. When I arrived at the counter I slowly reached for the marble. As I did a snake assumed an S curve and made a strike for my hand. Jumping back, I retracted my hand just in time to not get bit. I had to get the marble. With snakes coiling beneath me, hissing filled my ears. I built up the courage for a second attempt and quickly snatched the marble. Meanwhile, a snake managed to anchor its tail around my forearm. I formed a fist and clutched the marble tightly in my hand as I struggled to rid the snake. I shook my hand a few times but the snake would not break free. With my free hand I grabbed the snake's tail and jerked it free of its hold, sending it flying through the air before hitting my wall. I closed my eyes and thought of being at the park, on a bench. I opened them hoping to be at the park, but nothing had changed. I was still at my place. The snakes somehow seemed to be multiplying. I tried to stand perfectly still, hoping to avoid being bitten. I felt the snakes as deep as my ankles. As I looked down, I could no longer see my feet. The snakes had multiplied at such a fast pace that if I didn't do something soon, I could literally be up to my ears in snakes. I turned and looked at the old guy still in the corner of my room muttering to himself. I held out my hand, palm up with the marble in the center of my palm and yelled,

  "Leave old man." Only my command facilitated nothing. The snakes had now piled up to my knees and in the same stance I closed my eyes trying to focus. 'No more snakes old man.' I focused on the thought. When the marble began to spin as a sense of excitement rushed through my veins. Witnessing the marble begin to levitate off of my palm. Light began to emerge, and with my now-closed eyes I felt an increasing heat from the marble. Upon opening my eyes to see the light grow into a blazing ball of white light. Not capable of withstanding the intensity of the blaze, I closed my eyes becoming aware of the blaze deploy. With a blast of heat along with a surge of wind as the light consumed the room. Seconds later the marble descended safely to my palm. As I opened my eyes and turned in a three hundred and sixty degree motion, I saw my apartment both now snake-ridden and old man-less. Wow! Talk about taking out the trash. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. In a delayed reaction, my body quivered at the thought of all the snakes as I placed the marble in the front pocket of my sweat pants and headed for the fridge. At the fridge, I opened the door and grabbed a water bottle, chugging it. (Now would probably not be the best time to disclose that the world is running out of water.) Finishing the water in record time, I walked to my bed, took a seat at the foot, and fell onto my back.

  As my heart settled to its normal rhythm, my mind was stuck on socraze. Looking up at the sky, I thought I heard someone laughing. Sitting up in bed I scanned the immediate vicinity but saw nothing. Accepting the fact that my alphabet soup was missing a few of the letters, something was about to go down. Sitting motionless I heard it again, but this time much louder and much closer. Closing my eyes, I wanted to pinpoint the direction the noise had originated. But heard a loud scream as if right in my ear. The scream was horrific, like feedback from speakers. With my eardrums ringing, I covered my ears with my hands and opened my eyes, observing a woman standing in my room mere feet from me. I scooted backwards in my bed and stared at the woman who portrayed a panicked look about her. She had the same bright-red eyes that glowed. I was momentarily caught off guard as she raised her left arm with her index finger, extending toward me while saying something to herself. Nervous and a bit afraid, she had nappy hair with chunks missing
. I could see that it was from pulling it out herself, as loose strands of hair dangled between her fingers. Wearing a peasant dress, it reminded me of what the first settlers would have worn (Victorian era). The dress was frilly, with lacing around the neck and long sleeves with ruffles at the cuff. She paced the floor of my apartment, twirling her hair with her right hand while staring right at me. Uncertain as to what may unfold, I saw what appeared to be a cat (or what was left of a cat). The cat, mimicking the lady, paced along side her but was nothing more than a skeleton walking upright. Seriously? My world was really not making sense. This cat messed with my head.

  Out of nowhere the skeleton cat jumped up on my lap and stretched out as if wanting me to pet it, letting out a soft purr. As it nudged its head against my leg, I reached down to pet it, not knowing what else to do. But felt nothing as my hand simply passed right through it, much like the past spirits I had encountered. The lady showed a look of realization that I could see. When she fell to her knees and began to cry aloud. She buried her head into her hands, shielding her face. Moments later she dropped her hands and with her head angled down to the floor she stood up. Raising her head slowly, she began to foam at the mouth and sweat profusely. Seconds passed as blood started to stream from the ducts of her eyes and simultaneously from underneath her fingertips, as she let out an excruciating scream. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman whose face seemed burdened with all the sadness of the world. But there was nothing I could do. Just as she dropped to the floor launched into convulsions as she swung her arms around erratically. Tossing and turning, she scratched her head and pulled out chunks of her hair. I cringed at the sight. Abruptly she came to a stop and stared right at me with the skeleton cat at her feet. Waiting for the other shoe to fall, she slowly stood and walked toward the window. With complete focus she opened the blinds and looked out. Seconds later she turned toward me with blood-filled eyes and reached for her neck, my eyes drawn to a small gold chain with a small charm dangling from it. She wrapped her slender fingers around the charm and formed her hand into a fist and yanked, sending pieces falling to the ground. With the chain grasped between her fingers she extended it toward me. I stood up out of bed and slowly walked toward her as tears of blood raced down her cheeks. I grabbed the necklace, which felt hot, and opened the charm to reveal a picture of a younger her. The other picture in the locket was of a man who I assumed to be her husband or lost love. The pictures were old, black and white and hard to make out, but it was unmistakably her.

  As my eyes glazed over, I looked up as she had withdrawn her arms in tight while interlocking her fingers and placing them over her heart. She revealed a faint smile, I reached toward her thinking I could comfort her. As I did she started to shake wildly, like one being electrocuted, and combusted in a furry of flames. In shock, I slowly stepped back. It was as if someone had covered her body with gasoline and lit a match. I struggled to watch as she fell to her knees, then to all fours. She began scraping the floor of my apartment, digging her fingernails into the wood flooring. She was gouging the form of a cross I realized. 'Why isn't she screaming now?' She simply looked up at me with bloody tears racing down her face. I then heard her emit a nightmarish, blood-curdling scream that was louder and more intense than before. I stood, mortified, as the woman shriveled before my eyes. She appeared to be in agonizing pain, and I turned away unable to bear the sight. When the screaming was no longer heard, I glanced down at the necklace in my hand, but it wasn't there. All that remained was a small pile of ash in the center of my palm. I looked for the lady or the cat, but both were gone. For the love of God. She was burnt alive! Feeling upset and sick to my stomach, I headed to the restroom while thinking, 'what a life. She seemed tortured, miserable, and always crying. Why had she come to me? What was that about?' I looked at the clock that read three-thirty-three a.m. and realized that I was not going to bed. Well, I could go to bed, but I wouldn't be able to sleep, that much was obvious. As I walked toward my bed my mind raced as the most recent encounter flashed in my head. I sat in bed looking around the room, wondering what more was to come.

  I wanted to stay awake but knew that I couldn't fall asleep. I had no interest in being startled by yet another unexpected visitor. In bed I scanned the local neighborhood in hopes of seeing something entertaining but found nothing of the sort. Everyone I saw was fast asleep as they should have been. Beginning to feel my eyelids weigh heavier, I could no longer deny my state of exhaustion. In bed, I closed my eyes, but at the moment I still found myself bargaining with the sleep dealer. I now heard movements outside originating from the nearby trees. I looked and visualized two dark figures. I strained my eyes to focus but couldn't make them out, due both to the darkness and my lack of concentration from lack of sleep. I saw the tree limbs shaking and could hear the rustling of leaves in the dark. As I got out of bed and slowly walked toward my window. Just as the movement coming from the branches had stopped. Frustrated at this point, I decided to throw on some shoes and proceed downstairs. Not sure what to do or what to expect, I wished again for this night to be over.

  Now outside, I looked up from the base of the tree to see two weird, troll-looking creatures looking back at me. Eyes red, them snickering. Their laugh was wicked and unsettling.

  "We got you, we got you," one of them in a low raspy voice said laughingly. I froze as one of them descended toward me while laughing, grunting, and breathing hard with excitement. The other creature clapped excitedly, as if encouraging him. The approaching creature arrived at the tree limb nearest me and swooped down as a monkey would in a tree, now suspended from the branch above with one arm locked in position and the other dangling. The creature, while swinging back and forth, maintained an icy stare. Not wanting to show fear, I stared back.

  "We got you, we got you," the creature declared matter of factly, and then laughed a peculiar and wicked laugh. The creature had long, muscular arms and teeth like that of a possum. It had horns that curved out of its foolishly disproportionate head. Unable to look away and wanting to stand my ground, I locked eyes with the creature. The creature tilted its head back and in a head butt motion, swung it forward while simultaneously releasing green mucus from its mouth. It had happened so fast that I could not react. The mucus hit me square in the face, covering my eyes and blinding me. I quickly bent down and tried to wipe whatever it was off. It felt warm, slimy and thick, like snot. It also left a bitter taste in my mouth. Somehow in the process I had managed to get some in my mouth, as I gagged at its unbearable taste.

  I quickly turned and made a beeline for my building. I ran up the stairs to my apartment, and once inside went to my bathroom and ran water in the sink. I submerged my head and with both hands began to wipe the mucus from my face. After drying my face with a towel I grabbed some mouthwash and took a chug straight from the bottle, swishing the mouthwash around in my mouth until I could no longer taste the unsettling mucus. I then ran to the window and peered out in search of the goblins/ demons/ leprechauns/ troll-like things, but they had vanished. Upset and not wanting to be a participant in any further charades, I closed the blinds to my window and walked to my bed.

  Sitting in bed, I waited for whatever was next. Running through everything that had happened thus far in my mind, I couldn't stop wondering why this was happening. I mean, what's the point? I knew however that it would only be a matter of time before I would receive another visitor. Sitting upright in my bed, twenty minutes had passed when my lights began to flicker in and out as if the power were fading. My computer monitor began to flicker as well as the lights continued to fade in and out. My heartbeat began to escalate as my sixth sense told me that something was about to happen. All of a sudden the door of my apartment swung violently open. I felt an intense gust of wind as a mini-tornado entered my room. In an explosion of activity, my mind drummed with the caws and coos of ravens, and saw along my walls the physic
al outlines and shadows of hundreds of birds. Only, I couldn't see any physical birds, just their shadows. Judging from the shadows reflecting on my walls, there had to have been hundreds of them circling my room, all cawing persistently. In spite of the constant gust of wind, I raised one arm in attempt to shield my face. Somewhat of a blur, but I saw a man enter my apartment. He wore a black cloak and stood over seven feet tall. Shielding his face with a long hood, I could not make out any particular facial features. I was forced to blink in order to keep my eyes from becoming dry as he took a step into my room. As he did the light bulbs began to burst as if under intense pressure. I shielded my face with my hands for fear of the shrapnel-like glass. I could hear whomever it was, walking towards me: Step?step?.stop. The gusts of wind began to die enough to where I was able to open my eyes. I could see the figure's outline as it reached up with both arms, extending them toward the sky. I saw large, white powdery hands with long pointy fingernails. I stared in awe as it slowly began to lower its hood. A shaved head, with long, narrow red eyes that pierced the darkness came into focus. The creature took a deep breath of air as it tilted its head back, and with steam rising from its body, I saw its white, fog-like breath.

  "You should reconsider your choice, Fisher," the creature said in a dark, hoarse voice.

  "I am one of many," it continued.

  "And there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop us." I looked into its red eyes and instinctively knew who he was. In sight of the sores and boils covering his face,

  "Who are you?" I asked, waiting for confirmation. Finding humor in my question, he laughed as if I had shared a joke.

  "I am Beelzebub's right hand, Satan on earth. I am many names, you know me as Meth." Feeling my heart skip a beat, I scooted back towards the headboard of my bed.

  "Don't be afraid. I am not here to hurt or harm you. I'm here to show you our way. You'll see that we think along the same lines," as he laughed. I found no humor in his pathetic attempt. He continued,

  "Well, never mind that. You see, I don't have to get you, I can get to you," followed with yet another sinister laugh. I felt my blood begin to boil. I had witnessed what it is capable of first and second hand as it destroys everything in its path: the countless lives, families, and friendships. Infuriated and knowing that he wouldn't harm me, I jumped out of bed and got right in his face. Looking into his glowing red eyes I saw all the lives and countless families he had torn apart. I saw into its soul. The sole purpose of its existence was to cause suffering and bring chaos.

  "I will never be on your side. You just messed up by coming here. You, of all people, of all things, I hate more than anything. I will someday see you again, and I will someday get rid of you once and for all." As he reached for his hood and began stepping back, he lifted his left hand and ignited a small flame on the tip of his index finger. In a dead stare, he moved his flame-lit finger toward his face and grinned. I stared flabbergasted, as he inhaled a breath of air and blew directly into the flame. The small flame grew into a massive blaze, and it was now heading straight at me. Shielding my face with my hands, I turned in a falling motion to my bed and felt a blanket of heat pass over me. Seconds later, I sat up in bed to find that he had vanished. I then looked out onto the street and witnessed the streetlights overhead, fading in and out and then exploding. As I looked in the direction of the destruction, I hoped to see the creature but to no avail.

  Enraged and pacing the floor of my apartment, I was as mad as a bear that has been robbed of her cubs. I was as mad as I have ever remembered being in my entire life. If there was one demon in this world that I wanted dead, it was he. After a few minutes my nerves began to settle, but only after convincing myself that someday I would have retribution.

  In the bathroom, looking into the mirror I observed my aura glowing much brighter than normal. The questions running through head were: Why? How? How long? I realized that it must have had been when I got upset with Meth. Whatever the reason, I seemed to be shining more brightly than before joined with the feeling that this was a good thing. I then stepped out of the bathroom and saw Comfort standing in my room with the door closed behind her. However, something felt awry. Comfort stood with a blank, lifeless expression on her face. She had no aura and I didn't feel a familiar vibe like usual. She was looking at the clock as she smiled.

  "Fisher, what are you doing up this late?" she asked in a monotone as she started her approach toward me. Nervous and feeling displaced, I saw her begin to pick up her stride into a jog as she jumped toward me. In midair her eyes turned red and her face began to cut away like puzzle pieces, falling to the ground below. As the disguise wore thin, a much different figure emerged. The face was mean and angry. It jumped from a good fifteen feet away and glided across the room with wings that began to expand as the creature extended its arms. With its legs parallel to the floor, the creature had webbed feet that were large in proportion to its body. Frozen in disbelief, I ducked as the figure fully transformed and swung its arm outward toward me. I ducked and rolled as I felt a rush of air above me from the thrust of the creature's arm. Its claws had come within inches of my neck. I rolled over onto my back and the creature flew out of the room. The face I saw resembled that of a Doberman pincher's with ears short and chopped. Looking at the creature from behind, I noticed horns running the length of its spine. The creature's tail was long like a whip with tassels at the tip. I could also make out that its tail was embedded with intertwined razor sharp bones. It moved quickly and with ease as it gracefully flew through the air. With each thrust of its wings it appeared to glide a distance of a few hundred yards. Positioned in front of the full moon, the creature opened its wings, seeming able to levitate midair as it let out a nightmarish howl. With its face trained on me, its eyes shinned red as it retracted its wings close and tight to its body. It then turned, angling its body and falling head first to the ground. Seconds later in an explosion of energy it extended its arms, fully transforming its wings. Directing his momentum toward me releasing a screeching wail. The creature flapped its wings with intensity as it barreled toward me. I realized that I was a sitting duck. I quickly reached into my pocket and retrieved the marble, placing it in my palm. I thought, 'monster leave.' The marble began to spin wildly in my palm and slowly began to levitate. Within seconds the familiar light emerged, then grew into a blaze, just as before. I looked at the flying monstrosity and saw it raise one of its arms to shield its eyes while continuing on its trajectory. With my hand beginning to shake, I clinched my other hand into a fist. The creature was yards away as it growled, snapping its head from left to right. Then, the creature stopped in midair, upright and vertical to me as the light from the marble washed over my attacker. The flying creature seemed to absorb the light as it opened its wings and flexed its body in obvious pain. I heard the creature howl and watched for as long as I could, turning when the light became too bright for my eyes. Seconds later I felt the marble fall into my palm. I turned back to look to now see tiny pieces of ash slowly drifting to the ground. I let out the breath I had been holding and felt tired, weak and thirsty. I was in a daze and headed to the fridge for some water. I felt as thirsty as a child living without running water. After polishing it off I felt revived and thankful to be alive. I then headed to my computer, hoping to take my mind off the obvious.

  Exhausted but still unable to sleep, I aimlessly searched the web when a Windows' media player video feed popped up. The video at first was fuzzy, but as the picture gained focus I saw a silhouette of a woman walking into frame wearing a silver silk dress. It was Order. I felt the marble spinning in my pocket as I stared at the screen,

  "Fisher, I'm glad to see you're doing well. I apologize once again for not being there to help. It saddens me to think that it may be sometime before we can meet again."

  "What are you talking about?" I asked impatiently.

  "I must see you,
I need help." I pleaded as I noticed a large monstrosity in the distance charging toward her.

  "Behind you!" I yelled into the screen. In reaction, Order turned and began to speak aloud in the Other World tongue. She raised her arms toward the creature as a light developed from her. Mere seconds, when I witnessed the creature shatter into millions of particles of light.

  "Where are you?" I asked

  "It's a place you too will see," she offered with a smile.

  "It co-exists with your planet. A parallel universe if you will, a place that exists of that which doesn't from your perspective. The ones that live here are condemned and cannot pass through into your world. The ones here are growing strong and rebelling more with each passing day. Soon we will have to wage war against them. Until that day we must survive, for without us your world will perish." As the picture began to fade in and out, I heard Order say something but was too garbled. The screen blinked in and out and I was left with nothing more than static. Staring into the blank screen I saw a figure appear in the midst of the white noise. It was a vague outline of a silhouette that I could not make out. Then I heard a voice,

  "Stop now or you too will die like your friend." This was followed by a sinister laugh.

  "You're lying, Order is not dead!" I yelled in anger. Then I heard a woman's voice, which sounded much like Orders,

  "Fisher, you're a Light Warrior. With you on our side we will prevail, it's your calling." the voice struggled sounding as if, in fact, on their deathbed.

  "It is prophecy . . . fulfilled," then nothing but white noise. Out of frustration, I shook the monitor in futility. I felt every possible emotion come over me as I fell to my knees and cried aloud. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I entertained the idea of accepting that Order was dead and face to face with my reality that I had no idea what to do next.

  I felt lost with no one to turn to for help or guidance. I could feel my lack of sleep taking its toll. After moments of sulking, rational thinking began to filter into my mind. I questioned. Was it Order? Did she die? I was upset that I was unable to trust my own rationale. I tried to convince myself that it was a hoax and that it couldn't have been real. After all, if they can appear to look like Comfort, why can't they look like Order, or sound like her too? I paced around the room, running through all the possible deviations of what could have happened. I came to the realization that I was going to follow this to the end, that I was involved whether I liked it or not. If nothing else, I had to avenge all the people that had namelessly lived or are still living in order to give us life, 'the heroes who are too often forgotten.' I become conscious of the fact that without their courageous struggles, the life we know could never have existed.