Strange Happenings
Midnight. They always came at midnight. The chimes from the old grandfather clock in the den jolted Daniel out of his restless dreams. It wasn't the chimes that woke him so much as the knowledge that They were coming. It was the same horrifying ritual, every single night.
The room was illuminated by an eerie pale green glow. Three figures in haz-mat suits stood around his bed. One of them held a large briefcase, another held a gun, and the third--the apparent leader, from the way he acted--was making entries into a large handheld computer. Daniel tried to escape, to run, to even move, but some unseen force held him in place, as immobile as the bed itself. The leader looked up from his computer and signaled to the one holding the briefcase, who set the case down and began to open it. Daniel strained to see its contents, but couldn't from his position. If only he could move...
The leader reached forward, grabbed the bedcovers and--
The shrill blast of Daniel's alarm clock filled the room. He'd had that dream again, the same one he'd been having every night for nearly a month. Except that it didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt more like a memory, but one that had been partially forgotten. Anyway, Dan had more important things to worry about, so he pushed whatever it was aside for the moment. Today was the last day of school, finally. All he had to do was survive his last few final exams, and he'd be home free. He wasn't about to let a creepy dream get him down.
***
Dr. DiCaoz glanced over his biology classroom. "Is anybody still working on the final?" he asked tiredly. He paused for a moment, then said, "If everybody is finished, you may talk quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of the period." As the class erupted in chatter, he went back to nursing his hangover.
Daniel loved his biology class. It wasn't just that he was good at it, or that it was the last class of the day. By some bit of luck or fate, he happened to be in the same class as his four closest friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake. Gassan, David, and Pammy had become absurdly popular since coming to high school. Gassan was Lebanese and therefore "exotic," David was a star swimmer, and Pammy was a cheerleader. In retrospect, popularity was an inevitability. To the other popular kids, Jake an avid follower of the Furry subculture (he called it a craze, but nobody else did) and Daniel, the introspective writer, were social liabilities. Still, Gassan, David, and Pam never let their newfound "friends" keep them away from Jake and Dan. Privately, Daniel was grateful that he had managed to befriend the four people who appeared to be immune to high school drama.
"So, what'd you guys think?" Pammy whispered.
"I'm pretty sure Dr. Di is a nutcase," Gassan answered quickly. He was met with a chorus of approval from his companions.
"Anyway," Pam continued, "are we having our annual Thank-God-The-Schoolyear's-Over party tonight?"
"I can't go," Jake said, "I've got a convention."
"I can't go either," said David, "My dad's taking me camping. He's on a back-to-nature kick."
"I'm visiting my grandma," Gassan said. Pammy rolled her eyes.
"Alright," she sighed, "when do you guys get back?"
"Sunday"
"Sunday evening"
"Sunday, but it'll be late."
"So," Pammy continued, "is Monday night alright with everyone?"
***
The days passed quickly. By the time Monday arrived, he had gone an entire weekend without his mysterious dreams. He was mostly relieved, but part of him wished the visitors would come back so he could find out what they were up to.
The streets were charged with an eerie calm. A summer storm was coming. As Daniel reached Pam's door, he couldn't help but feel a strange foreboding. Something was decidedly wrong. He rang the bell.
"Come in," called Pammy. Dan opened the door and found friend sitting on the floor in a tidy circle. They were all staring at him, an unsettling hunger in their eyes. "We are playing Truth or Dare," Pammy intoned mechanically. "Please, join us. Truth or Dare?"
"Please choose Dare," Gassan said, in the same unearthly voice.
"The Truth is never any fun," agreed David, still in the same tone. Throughout the exchange, none of the four took their eyes off of Daniel.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You all seem...different."
Pammy answered in the same monotone as before: "We are collectively unnerved at a series of recurring dreams we have been having. Perhaps you too are experiencing these visions?"
"Yeah," Dan said, "but I'm not acting that weird about it."
"Perhaps," Pammy said, "All will be made more clear if you answer this simple question: Truth...or Dare?"
Written by Zodiac on 31 May 2008
Dare (bark like a dog)
“Dare,” Daniel said as he stepped into the living room, looking around Pammy’s house. Things seemed off. The circle of his friends sat, all eyes on him. He eyed around the house, the others so very, very still. There was silence. It was almost tangible in the air, as Daniel walked around the group of them, Pammy, Jake, Gassan, and David, he felt their eyes on him.
The game of Truth or Dare seemed innocent enough, but the events leading to it, the empty streets, the blank stares that met him from his friends, made him almost regret having said it.
“You have to go outside and bark like a dog.” Gassan said, blinking those soulful brown eyes of his, a false smile crept across his face. “You have to do this for a minute.”
Daniel nodded as he walked outside and rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous, he had just agreed to it almost on instinct. The street he and his friends all lived on was still so very barren, no people in cars, no one outside, nothing.
“Guys, this is stupid, I’m not going to play,” was what Daniel meant to say. However, upon exiting the house, and breathing in the faint mist and fog that clung to the neighborhood like a glove, sent a shivering sensation down his throat. It was cold like menthol, and burned ever so slightly, like diluted mouthwash. When Daniel opened his mouth to speak, only canine growls and barks emerged from his lips and throat. His hands shot to his throat and he screamed, or rather, howled. The words just were not coming, and no matter how he tried to manipulate his speech, all the came out was barking.
Daniel blinked and looked at the closed door, hearing someone lock it from inside. “You have to go outside and bark like a dog. You have to do it for a minute.” echoed in his mind. He growled, still worrisome, but as he counted and reached near a minute, he felt that cooling stinging sensation go over his throat again, and in mid growl he felt his vocal chords stretch in his throat and his human speech was returned to him.
Daniel ran towards the door and as he went to pound on it, it swung open, Gassan’s face visible behind it. Daniel stopped himself short before heading back in, Gassan following behind him. The rest were still seated as they had been, staring blankly forward, Gassan joining them shortly thereafter. Pammy moved slightly to the right, giving Daniel some space to sit with them.
“Truth or Dare has been a significant bit of fun today, Daniel.” Jake said, staring forward before turning his head to meet his gaze. “It’s your turn, buddy.”
Written by Jack Ripper on 26 November 2015