Delusion
I’m helpless due to my ludicrous condition of becoming immobile when I experience
fear. Ahead of me, my roommate Kelly quivers, her hand covering her chest, her eyes wide in
shock. She’s unaware of my presence. Tears run down her pale cheeks. Her mouth fumbles
for words, but none come out. I glance to my right; the lady’s advancing toward Kelly so
languidly that my mind doesn’t register the second she snaps and plunges the butcher knife
right through her hand, her heart, and emerges drenched in blood on the other side. Kelly’s
murderer stabs her repeatedly in the neck, her face and shining crooked teeth splattered with
blood. Thud! Kelly’s body drops to the floor. I feel nauseous. It’s so strange. I recognise
Kelly’s killer. That twisted grin. It is—
I jolt awake from my nightmare. I’m soaked in sweat. I sigh, and contemplate
drinking a glass of water, so I head down to the kitchen. In there, I find Kelly, her back facing
me. An image of her twisted corpse flashes through my mind. I whimper. Kelly whips
around.
“You scared me!” She chuckles, but quietens when she examines me.
“Debbie? Are you alright?” Kelly asks me, and though I never intended to, I
eventually share my nightmare with her. Unexpectedly, Kelly took it really well and we
laughed it off.
I decide to clean up the basement since I was free. I’m dusting the floor when one of
the fibres get stuck on something. I gasp. I realise I just stumbled on a hidden trapdoor.
Curiosity consumes me as I tug on it. It springs open, revealing a few steps leading to a room.
When I peer inside, I stop dead in my tracks.
There’s a body sprawled at the bottom. The floor is stained with blood. So much
blood. The stench is unbearable. I recognise who the person is. It’s Kelly.
Thousands of emotions consume me. I frown, confused and terrified…and then it hits
me. My nightmare. It wasn’t a dream. It was a recount of what occurred yesterday at
midnight. I did helplessly witness the murder of Kelly when I thought I heard a noise from
the basement. I survived as I was inconspicuous amongst the shelves. Realisation dawns upon
me. It was our neighbour, Mrs. Hudson. She murdered Kelly. If I’m right, Mrs. Hudson
unintentionally abandoned her distinct flamingo keychain in her hasty escape.
I contact the police the second I confirm the evidence. Once they arrive, I explain the
entire incident, including my hallucination about Kelly. The officers eventually arrested Mrs
Hudson and she was convicted of homicide. In the following days, I ended up organising a
funeral for Kelly with the help of her grateful friends.