The Ladies of Horror

Exit the World Dreaming
by Bailey Hunter

I don’t know when it began; I only know that it grows steadily worse.  Entire days seem to flit past and I, catching only glimpses of them, struggle to maintain a tenuous grip.

That part of my life—the part that goes on without me—has always been there.  I drift to sleep and he takes over.  He leaves me with mundane, simple images of the monotony of work, families, dinners and conversations.  They were never more than a slight interruption in my world.

Things have changed.  These interludes last longer and are becoming increasingly more shattered.  Darkness and hunger permeates every shard of these missing moments.  I try to force myself to stay awake but I am unable.

I fear I am losing my place in this world.

When I do finally wake, the images of those lost hours sit rancid upon my tongue.  They attack me in brilliant flashes of clarity.  Fiery hair splaying, crimson nails clawing, swollen and ruddy lips twisting, dragging me down into sanguine rivers, into the red. Red, red… everything red.

All that was, is laid to waste.

Trapped in this madness, no amount of struggle will free me.  My whole existence has gone insane. He will not sleep. I cannot wake.

    I am vanishing,

      gradually fading away,

        and soon,

          I shall cease to exist at all.

Fiction © Copyright Bailey Hunter
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

About Author Bailey Hunter:

Bailey Hunter is a woman who doesn’t believe in one boring hat or a single iron in the fire. Outside of the day job, she currently writes short fiction (with a penchant for flash), does cover and inset design for books and promotional material, and MOST IMPORTANTLY is the owner of DARK RECESSES PRESS, a publishing company for dark fiction of all types.  This year is proving to be a big year for Dark Recesses, which was born in 2005 and has undergone a couple of metamorphoses in that time. She suggests you keep an eye on it if you know what’s good for you.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Dark.Recesses/shop