Several of us tripped and fell, but the rest kept running. A wire strung across the hall – a predictable booby trap, but yet not so predictable. I was among the unfortunate few who fell, rolling to the side of the hall to avoid the pounding feet, a veritable machine which heralded painful death to one caught in its works. I pulled myself to a crawling position, all the while dodging legs and arms, and made my way toward the wall, where three of my fellow students now lay lifeless. Blood from their wounds had collected on the ground. The beast had already been through here. Such waist! I thought.
Heads turned as a fresh roar sounded from around the bend. What madness caused this to happen? An ordinary day with blue sky and happy thoughts was turned black with fear, despair and death. Who could have forseen it? I reached the wall and braced against it, attempting to stand. My hand found a hold and I pushed to my knees. From there I pulled my feet under me and was able to reach a rather respectable crouch when a massive blow caught my temple. I fell hard to the ground, my vision blurred, lost in a sea of multicolored snow. I barely held onto my consciousness, had I not I’d surely have been trampled. I rolled back to the wall, clutching my throbbing skull and dodging wildly flung hooves. Bodies continued to fall and be trampled in the melee. I saw a girl go down near me – her feet tangled and she fell on her knees. Reaching out with my arm, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward me. Together we pushed against the wall, trying to avoid being sucked into the throng. Time and again shoes, knees and elbows collided with various parts of my body. All attempts to stand were now vain. We simply lay on the ground, fending off blows with our arms, hoping for a break in the flow during which we could resume her flight. I did not know this girl’s name, nor anything else about her, but I had a terrible sense that she would be the last person I’d ever see. We watched as the corner brightened – flames were licking the walls. Screams split my head and the throng intensified. It was a raging river of people now, churning over the bodies of the unfortunate fallen. Our doom was assured.
The ground gave way under me and I fell sharply, my stomach catching in my throat. I awoke with a start, sweat pouring down my face. My wife stirred quietly in the bed next to me, but did not wake. A dream, I thought, it was just a dream.
Mike Lewis is a 2006 Cedarville grad. This is his second submission to Flashes of Speculation. He also claims credit for Berald, a story which he does intend to finish some day, but which doesn’t fall into the flashes category, apparently. He has never really written before. He occasionally gets an itch to write, but has often been daunted by how long it would take to write a novel. When he heard of FS, he decided to start writing short stuff, honing his writing so as to practice. Some day he does hope to write a novel.
Hm, what is this beast of which you speak? Some nightmares do leave you breathless.