The Badlands

A reoccuring dream that I just -had- to write down. It's freakish... it felt much too real... and it drove me mad. Not that I wasn't already insane but, yeesh... It was intense. *shakes her head* Bloody madness. If you're wondering what a Nameless is... it's one of the creatures in my little realm. You see them in the drawing, "Bait." This dream actually reoccurred more than once between September 9th and 27th, 2005, it also reoccured later, in more detail, Fear and Desire.

I wake up looking at the stars. After a minute, I sit up and just stare at the scenery around me. A red dusted plain dotted with burnt trees twisting towards the midnight sky. A rabbit, caught in a rusty snare, writhing and cringing in agony until his little heart finally stops its frantic dance. I watch it lay there as blood spews from its nose and eyes and ears. A shiver snakes up my spine and I decide to stand. It's too quiet, too bare, in these badlands. There's no moon in the sky but no clouds either. It's unsettling and I find my mind spinning. For no particular reason, I start to walk vagrantly. I don't really want to go anywhere but I feel that edgy sensation like someone's watching me.

I pass by the decrepit trees and see them shifting. Gruesome faces appear and disappear in angry screams and grimaces. A sick smelling wind whispers passed and then roars to life behind me. It gives me a disgusting tremor and my blood runs ice cold. I'm compelled to climb one of the bigger trees that's suddenly right infront of me even though it doesn't look all that sturdy. I can't remember the last time I climbed a tree but I seemed pretty nimble. From that vantage point, I can see nothing but miles of flat, reddish chestnut earth and the claw-like branches of many trees that seem strategically planted. The wind suddenly stops, all goes silent, and that's when I hear the sound of something rushing towards me. I barely have a chance to look back before the black mass collides with me. I cling to the branch and it stays intact but as soon as I open my eyes I wish it would have broken. The Nameless is perched in the branch beside me, it's featureless face inches from mine. It slowly, almost seductively, brings its hooks towards the small hole in its snout and pulls back the flesh over its jaws to reveal the sharp, startingly white teeth. It pauses, flashing its demented grin, before roaring. The hot air is so putrid it stings my skin and my eyes water. It takes me all of a heartbeat to pounce away and I hit the ground running.

It keeps shrieking for a few more seconds before taking off after me. I don't need to look back to know its gaining on me. Six legs are better than two and I've seen the things hunt before. The weight of its flawless body propels it faster than any beast I've ever come across. They don't eat unless they're hungry and when they're hungry, they never stop. For a split second, I wonder why, if this is a dream, I don't have control. As I start to feel the sharp pain in my lungs, I've no more time to think. I just have to run.

My legs ache as each foot pounds into its precise point on the rusty ground. Each footfall bringing me closer to the ledge in the distance. Before I know it, I'm swan diving into a canyon. I twist in the air to see the nameless leaping down after me. They might be smart most of the time but when they're hungry, they'll chase food to death. I expect to feel the impact of solid rock but instead, I fall heavily into lukewarm water. I somersault in the liquid waiting to see the nameless splash into as well but nothing follows. The water's very dark, something's covering the surface, only letting a little white light in. I surface and stare up at the cloud-covered sky. Looking around, I notice the water is covered in oranges. As soon as I start to swim, the whole lake is nothing but peeled oranges. I try to pull myself up on the surface and find myself still elbow deep on all fours. I try to crawl but the fruit just sucks me down and I struggle to keep myself up. Finally, I collapse on my back with a squish. I can feel the juice hit my bare stomach. It's an interesting feeling. I lie there for awhile until I feel a new sensation... wriggling. I twist about to try and see what the hell is...

Maggots. Millions upon millions of tiny, white, wiggling little maggots. I scream as the malleable solidness of the oranges gives way to the sea of mealworms which don't hold up my weight quite so well. I fight with everything I've got to keep myself from drowning. My stomach lurches and my body convulses while I try to find something, anything, to get me away from the maggots. I see a branch and try to bounce my way towards it. I try to jump for it with very little result. My nails just scratch the filthy bark. I keep trying, desperate to get away from the worms, my heart pounding as I start to feel them bite me. I feel something tug my foot and I almost go under. I thrash more and more but it yanks me under again and I spit viciously when I resurface. It pulls one last time and takes me through the ocean of wriggling bodies. I scream a mouthful of maggots and everything goes black.