Things to Run Away From Really Fast

★★★★☆

01/16/10

I coax my motorcycle to its maximum speed, streamlining my body as I approach the closing elevator doors. The elevator cab has already left for the top floor, and I strain to hold the metal doors open. In half a second, I'll crash into the back of the open elevator shaft and hurtle half a dozen stories into the secret basement of the compound.

Pause.

No reason for that. I don't have to follow the rules, after all. I stand in the open air, looking up at the elevator cab as it slowly escalates to the top floor. That's where I'll find her.

Go.

I fly through the doors, over the pit below. The front wheel of my bike hits the far wall, and I twist

Speeding up the elevator shaft at maximum, up the vertical wall. Vertigo. Disassociated from gravity and catching up to the elevator cab, about to impact. I jump away from the vehicle; it fades away. Suspended in the air for a moment, and I reach toward the closed doors leading to the floor second-to-the-top. I pull myself in, catch on the small ledge there, hang for a moment, looking at the bottom of the elevator cab. It's moving towards me now.

Jump. Over the elevator, clinging onto the doors leading to the top floor. With a wave of my hand, they're opening...

I wake up. Damn it guys, could you break up a little more quietly?

Action Movie Physics. Scare Factor: 3.

★★★☆☆

01/14/10

She pours cream in her coffee, and I know she's the spy.

The woman sips at the drink as she turns and pushes into the crowd of people in the mall. I pull away from a conversation, follow at a distance. I can make out her long black coat, her long curtain of blonde hair. She breaks into a run, and I'm speeding after her. I'm falling behind, reaching out and (force pull) she's flying back into my arms. Hair falls away from her face - the wrong face. A body double. (I'm letting go of the woman, blending into the crowd.) Good.

She's going to make it fun.

I Spy. Scare Factor: 2.

Blondes and coffee seem to be a recurring trope.

Do you think this counts as anachronistic naming, or am I just getting lazy?

WBTB after #148 (which was better), so I'm posting this one on its own.

This may have almost been a WILD.

09/18/10



When I come to, I'm lying on the floor. I'm also dreaming. I place my hands on the floor in front of me and run them through the grey shag carpet, trying to stabilize.

I get up, and go to walk out the door. I notice the lights are off. I decide to test whether I can turn them on and off, since light levels often change during my dreams. I flick the switch, but nothing happens. Huh.

I'm walking through the hallway, feeling the rolled on paint, trying to remember what I was supposed to do.

I pop my head into a bedroom. There are people lying all over. There are a few on the bed, a few more lounging on the floor.

"Hey," I ask my in-dream roommate, a girl on the bed who looks like Halle Berry. "Have you seen Zoe?"

"She said she'd be at the party tonight."

The dream fades into the party. I'm somewhat surprised; that's almost like teleportation.

Lose recall.

My parents drop me off at an apartment in downtown Calgary. I have two half-empty cardboard boxes with me. Both my mom and my dad are very disapproving about my decision to move to Calgary.

We're driving through downtown, away from the skate park my brother wanted to go to. I see a couple of the people from the No Limits parkour group (I don't know them IWL), practicing as we drive by. I point them out to the other people in the car.

Different dream.

Zoe has a little brother, in this dream. I steal a set of Janitor's keys from him and he chases me through the building.

Scare Factor: 2/10
Rating: 3/10

Everyone's dreaming about carpet.

Hello, I'm on sleeping pills. This should be interesting.

09/01/10



I'm in the midst of an ill-defined series of sex dreams. I remember switching genders at least once. Something clues me into the fact that I'm dreaming, but I'm feeling a little distracted at the moment.

The dream is morphing. I feel disconnected, and there's a whole bunch of white space. A DC turns into something two-dimensional. A person-sized poster? A mirror? The image in the glass-slash-paper is still the same man. He doesn't seem concerned.

I'm sleepy.

Mirrors. Nomad. I wander outside, unconcerned with how I get there. There's a lonely cluster of pine trees, surrounded by a mish-mash of buildings associated with my childhood. The dirt has been tilled recently; there's not even a bit of debris left on the ground.

"You're in a forest, surrounded by black-barked trees." I recall, "There's a path. Something left." I pause, trying to remember. "Late summer."

I give up at this point. I was hoping to call up the requisite imagery just by reciting the words, but it looks like that plan's out.

I walk up the dirt path. There's an idea in my mind, that I need to shed my clothing to complete a ritual. The mirror is in the trees. I throw a light-coloured button-up shirt to the side and brush my hands over a tank top. I'm hoping that my shapeshifting won't go out of control, because I'm pretty sure I'm stuck halfway between forms. I'm not in the mindset of my character. Everything is out of focus.

Another distraction. I'm running down an alley, towards someone. Jumping a white fence. Trying to find trees at the center of a labyrinth.

Scare Factor: 1/10
Rating: 3/10

Attempt at WakingNomad's Serial Dream RPG.

Sorry that I haven't been reading anyone's dream journals, by the way. I don't have the energy right now, so I'll get at them when I can.

Cheers.

08/17/10



I'm in a nightclub, laughing at something a woman is saying. We have to shout to be heard. There are strobe lights, black lights, and coloured lights changing in time with the music. It's great fun, and utterly normal. There's a lot of alcohol involved.

I spot the tattoo while I'm sitting at the bar. A woman walks by, wearing a top that reveals her torso. There are Chinese characters tattooed above her navel and to the side, which translate in my mind to "Transformation". I leave the club.

The tattoo represents a group that I belonged to in a previous life, a school of martial artists. I need to find out what the hell they're doing here, in my city.

It's daylight. The group has rented out the local campground, and set up a temporary building. When I step inside, I find that the interior is open and airy and entirely out of place. It's set up like a dojo martial arts studio, with hardwood floors and paper windows along the back. The students are lined up, practicing their forms. An old man stands at the front of the classroom. I step into the midst of the group, beside a young woman whose hair is pulled into a high ponytail. I flow through the familiar movements, as easily as I did centuries ago.

We come to a stop, and I turn to the woman beside me. "Master Lin," I say, inclining my head respectfully.

She laughs, and the rest of the group files out of the room, following the old man. "Am I a Master?" she asks, eyes twinkling. "You are here to see Princess ___, yes?" She says the name of the princess, but my mind automatically translates it to the English "Blossom".

I meet her in front of a waterfall. She's on the other side of a narrow stone path, caged on one side by a raging river, and on the other by a treacherous fall. Her long hair flies free in a gentle breeze, and her silk gown flows with the air currents. She turns to look at me, smiling, and I read trickery in her bright aura.

End Recall.

Scare Factor: 2/10
Rating: 5/10

Hey, Subconscious! China =/= Japan.

08/15/10



I stand on a narrow walkway, facing off against the creature I've been hunting. It's been hiding among the humans, wearing the face of a beautiful redhead. Right now, she's snarling, defensive, and her fangs are in full view. The Doctor, meanwhile, is hovering over my shoulder, looking like he might intervene.

I'm distracted for just a moment, and the vampire turns her back and jumps off the landing.

I glance back at him. Wordlessly, we agree on a course of action. The Doctor moves away from the edge, goes back into the main building to save the day.

I survey the area, quickly. It's a six-story drop, at least. It dimly registers that I'm dreaming, and before I can change my mind, I'm jumping after her.

The ground rushes up to meet me. I hit the tile floor, narrowly missing a set of wooden pews. I look around, noting that I'm in the sanctuary of a large church.

End recall.

Scare Factor: 2/10
Rating: 6/10

No recall whatsoever from last night, so here is my only recent lucid.

08/16/10



I'm in a house with many rooms, interlocking and placed at odd angles. My surroundings are mostly wood - hardwood floors and ceilings, solid oak banisters as I climb the stairs. There's a darkness here, I can feel it, caused by a multitude of tortured spirits trapped within the rooms.

I'm looking for one in particular.

At the top of the stairs, on the second floor, I come to a bathroom. I nudge the door open. It creaks as it moves, opening into a plain bathroom. The floor is dark tile, and there's an empty jacuzzi tub to my left. On the right side of the bathroom is the vanity, and on the far right of the room is a shower stall.

I step into the room and close the door behind me, knowing that this is where my clue is. I stand straight and compose myself, reaching for a particular feeling. I focus on cold, inky blackness, on the unyielding terror of a nightmare, and pull it from inside me. I watch the paint on the walls peel, rust streaking across water-soaked walls.

It has something to do with the water, I think vaguely, allowing myself to move on autopilot. I have to drown. I step into the shower stall, and watch the door close behind me. Water begins to gush into the stall, held in by the waterproof seal on the doors. It won't make any difference if I try to escape now. The water is up to my knees now, filling up fast. It takes only seconds to reach my neck, and in no time at all, I'm completely submerged.

I blink through the cloudy green haze that encompasses my vision. I feel calm, the quiet confidence that accompanies lucidity. I take a breath, and feel clean fresh air enter my lungs. My breathing pattern is steady.

I step out of the shower stall as the water drains away, and look at the tub across from me. It isn't empty.

Blood overflows from the white acrylic tub, spilling over the side and staining the tile floor. In the water is a body, twisted and mutilated. Its skin is flayed off, and its stringy hair hangs limply into the water. The creature grasps weakly at the side of the tub and lifts its head, trying to crawl out.

I meet the thing's eyes, and go to kneel beside it.

"Your employment ended poorly, I take it."

I saw this man in an earlier dream. A mercenary. He and his brother worked for an enemy of mine. They tried to kill me at the time.

He mumbles something.

"You're dead." I inform him.

A hollow, rasping laugh.

"Tell me where to find him."

He does.

I leave the apparition to his torment, and let the nightmare fall away. I'm standing in the hallway, looking out into the bright sunlight.

Maybe I'll go flying.

The Otherworld. Scare Factor: 3.

I actually couldn't remember any specific task I wanted to complete at that time. I ended up searching in my long-term memory, and thinking of Walms. I actually managed to teleport somewhere to look for him, but no actual success.

I am, however, getting better at teleporting.

I ran into the person I was chasing later, as well. There was a lot of talking that I don't remember.

08/09/10



I'm standing in the shadows, talking quietly with the owner of a tavern. I lean casually against the open door frame, and the owner seems nervous, as if he'd very much like to tell me to leave. I ask him for information on my target, an older man who knows secrets that someone is paying to keep hidden.

The front door slams open, and most of the bar turns to look. My target is standing at the center of attention, panting. He looks around nervously.

I put a finger to my lips, warning the owner to keep silent, and step back into the night. Remotely, I see the man look at the open side door, before shaking his head and descending the stairs at the center of the room. I walk into the bar, through the front door this time. The target turns around and eyes me suspiciously, but my dark brown cloak is unremarkable, and I'm making my way to the bar.

When he turns a corner, I'm down the stairs after him. I see him slip into the dormitories, the beds that the tavern rents out, and I enter the room after him. He's not there. Unconcerned, I head towards the bed that an old woman, who used to work for the tavern, said was his the last time he stayed here. I strip the bed and see subtle signs of stitching at the seams. I rip into the mattress, sending stuffing across the room, and taking what's hidden there.

The stack of papers is old, but well preserved. I focus on the title.

These are the carvings of the things I saw.

The rest of the information needs to be translated. I carefully place the manuscript in my bag and fasten it shut, slinging the bag across my shoulder.

The old man must have escaped through the Shadow Ways (portals?), but I have what I need. I walk down the hallway and find an exact copy of the room I just left. I think about searching it, but decide that the phenomenon is entirely normal, since this is a dream.

What one person will pay to keep hidden, others will go to any length to reveal. Curious and excited, I take the stairs to the main floor, ready to meet my contact.

Questions. Scare Factor: 2.

I didn't get to find out what the manuscript was, and I wasn't lucid even though I knew I was dreaming. What a frustrating ending.

There's a wedding or a funeral in the family, and we (the "kids") are getting ready. I'm in a store, wondering if I dare to wear a tie. I do, deciding on a light blue dress shirt. I go over to the mirror to try it on, but I can't pull it closed over my breasts. Damn it, I think, annoyed, I shouldn't have to deal with this in my own dreams.

I'm in the Ixburg apartment, doing a hand RC. Everything is slightly blurry. It's hard to move. The RC worked, and "I'm lucid," I repeat to myself, "I'm lucid, I'm lucid, I'm lucid." I look in the mirror of my bedroom door, and see a dark grey blob standing where I am. I peer to the side, and the blob doesn't move. I see myself, currently male. I have dark brown hair, longer than it is now. I'm wearing dark clothes, a black dress shirt unbuttoned over a t-shirt. No ties, apparently. Thank God. I see strange things in the background, and open the door before I get freaked out and this turns into a nightmare.

I walk out of the apartment, fighting to stay grounded as everything blurs around me. I keep RCing and muttering that I'm lucid, until I'm halfway down the stairs and looking out of an east-facing window.

The town has transformed itself once again, this time into what looks like a creepy green-tinged matte painting. The entrance to the building, which juts out into the gravel parking lot, is in ruins, and the entire field beyond is covered in water. About fifty yards away are a set of stone steps, leading up to a square stone arch. Someone is hanging from it, arms stretched into either corner, feet hanging above the ground.

At first, I think it's a woman, but the scene shifts into someone I'm pretty convinced is Walms. At this point, Walms is down from the arch, probably having escaped the bonds (or rescued someone else from them). I have to hurry if I want to catch up to him.

I look down at the uneven ground and sigh. I don't suppose this will count as a skyscraper? But no. Maybe I'll do the flower thing later. I throw myself off the building, feel my speed building -

Pause, as I consider where to land.

Full-speed, I crash into the remains of the entrance, numbly feeling my ankle bend at an impossible angle. I stand up, feeling no pain, and head east toward the blurry archway.

There's no one here, unfortunately. I sigh, and look beyond the arch. There's a whole bunch of people milling around on the lawn beyond it, so I consider trying the flower task. I pick up a flowering piece of the clover weed that runs rampant around Ixburg, and scan the area for someone my age - most of the people here are elderly.

I focus on the piece of clover in my hand and it turns into a violet. The colours shift and blur and it becomes a rageddy, fushia thing. The flower shifts into a perfect bunch of green and I concentrate, pulling a pink rose-bud from the centre.

I spot a woman my age exiting the Quickton college. She couldn't be a supermodel, but she has long, blonde hair, and something else draws me to her. I hand her the rose, smiling. "This is for you," I say, and turn away.

"Wait!" she says. She looks like she's about to say something important. "Are you Israel."

I don't know what she means, and I answer honestly. "I don't know." I say, and walk away.

I'm play fighting with a dog, probably a Great Dane. I realize that I'm losing lucidity, so I concentrate and RC and start saying, "I'm lucid."

Everything is blurry as I walk into a building and do a hand RC. I can see all five fingers, but they're all attached between the index and middle knuckles. I see a guard, and -

shift

People are talking about animals in pairs. Apparently, there are two such animals that signify love. What about dogs, I want to ask snidely, but I'm not actually there. Jackson thinks the sign might apply to him, but O-Neill scoffs and starts making fun of him.

shift

FA, I scramble for my dream journal, but there's a bunch of different notebooks beside my bed and I can't find the right one. I'm lying on the bed when I realize that I'm dreaming. I push into the waking world (for the first time) so I don't forget the dream.

Dream Goals. Scare Factor: 2.[/QUOTE]

I have the feeling that I ran into a recurring character last night, a woman I suspect might be my dream guide. I'm leaning toward a name along the lines of Elaine/Lane/Lana, and I think I used Elaine while I was talking to her. I don't remember what was said.

The people taking a first aid course become evil vampires and Quickton (nickname for the city I'm living in) becomes Sunnydale.

I'm arguing with a character from Naruto (which is odd, since I don't watch it). I think it might be Sasuke. We spot an ambassador for something and make a bet that I can't catch him.

The man is being driven either by a car or a coach, but it's black either way. I follow from the rooftops and then from within buildings, tracking my progress mentally while I can't see the car.

I take a shortcut, arrivin at his home before he does, coming across hostiles as soon as I do. Before I even realize that I've reacted, there are bodies on the floor. I inspect them, coming to the realization that these people were here to kill the ambassador. I just saved his life - this is an in.

Half a dozen people walk happily through the back door, as I wait around a corner for my entrance. Hm. Too many. Presumably the ambassador's wife and family. The bodies disappear with the lack of a thought, and I step out of my hiding place, all smiles.

Well, I'm the maid, of course! I tell them, playing on my gender, charm, and general blondeness. Who wouldn't trust a sweet, unarmed woman? (I tuck the knife/gun in the waistband of my jeans.) You mean you didn't order maid service? I say to the wife. Oh, dear, I say, the company must have made a mistake. Perhaps you can help me with the directions?

I take out a couple pieces of paper with scribbles on them, making up street addresses as I go.

An opportunity to talk to the ambassador arrives, and I take it. It's time to reveal my true purpose. I propose an alliance of sorts, leaning on his gratitude for saving the lives of his family. We have a common enemy after all. Blackmail is also involved.

The Ninja Maid. Scare Factor: 2.