Perchance to dream.

[charisstoma]

Title: Perchance to dream.
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 335
Content: Nightmare.Zombie.
Note: Darn you Dibbs. NaZoWriMo. There are better things for me that I should be doing. Like sleeping the sleep of restfulness.


The store is brightly lit in echoing emptiness if only the canned music would end it’s mindless din in the background. Food laid out for the takers. Dead turkeys already picked over and now taking too long to roast to produce dead flesh that chokes going down dry throats. Hams of various sizes with spoons for scooping out the bone that had been left in. All a bad dream.

A cart loaded with only a few things pushed to the store’s front for checkout at the automated terminals. Terminals that won’t work properly after scanning the basket’s contents. Will the bank card have been charged or if we leave now will we be guilty of stealing a few things necessary to put a meal on a table filled with empty celebration. Where is the lonely clerk who makes right the mistakes? Where are the others who fill up a store with last minute rushing? But it is dark outside.

The clerk comes out from behind the locked blank walled office cubical to go peak into the darkness outside. Glass is our separation from the night’s monsters. Inadequate even if the automatic doors could be prevented from inviting in any that venture close.

A lone figure moves, backlit by street and the expanse of hollow parking lot lights. Even as the figure stumbles into one of the cones of harsh light the body’s details are cast in shadow. It moves inexorably forward towards the building and the clerk whimpers. There is no leaving his station. The store must stay open through the remaining night’s hours and he is not allowed to escape. He is the meat of choice.

Outside we load our vehicle quickly. We could not convince the clerk to come with us. The figure stops then turns its stumbling towards us. Rolling closed our windows the van lurches into motion away from the figure that once more progresses towards the entrance. The glass painted now gaily red, hides the food’s screams. Just a dream.

Comments

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Well that was disturbing as hell. I really am sorry now. :(
*hugs you better*

Also that first paragraph: never has meat sounded so very unappetising.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Unappetising, yes. The turkey at the faculty feast was dry and I did choke.

Wraps you around me to keep away the monsters. "I'm in shock. See,I have a blanket."
*grins* "Disturbing as hell." That's a compliment from the person who has written the inside a zombie's mind.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Yes, but that was me amusing myself, as opposed to your brain being scary while you slept. It was very impersonal inside the zombie's mind, he didn't even have an identity (he nearly did, his name was going to be Keith) - much less scary than from the POV of actually facing a real threat, and knowing someone dies. D:

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who is working on his dissertation for a doctorate in Psychology. Sent him the sea urchin story to torture him. He analysed it after saying he liked it. *evil grin* So I've sent him this one too. *blinks innocently* He wanted to read more of what I've written.

Gay males can be so prudish sometimes. Can you imagine him with the Lustful Liaisons fics?

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

You are a mean, mean friend. Evil.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

*snickers* *is innocently innocent* *whistles*
You are bored.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Um, yes. But you are entertaining, so it's okay. :)

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

(I know, but there is no more appropriate icon!)

This is creepy, man. Well written, and I love the way you've described the store and the meat and the sense of a building at night. But this was creepy. Well done!

*sends you sleep-well hugs*

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

*pulls you into the hug of 'shock, blanketness'*
Dream and Dibbs fiction are to blame. Exorcism at work here. Needed all the gruesome to make the miasma go away. Vegetarian seems really good right now, so perhaps it was only partially successful.
Thank you. *tries for better dreams*

edits: ugh. Subs in Vegetarianism. The other sounds too much like Vegetarian is on the menu.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Cute fics over at sundaysnuggles - go read, stat!

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

I needed that. Thank you.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

How about we all just go out for a salad? :)

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

I really like that idea. Salad is good. Fresh bread and salad with lots of vegetables,black olives, cheese, and minestrone soup. Eating out seems the way to go.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Can I go and eat where you're going? Pretty please?

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Restaurant chain is called The Olive Garden. They even pour you a complimentary inch of wine for you to sample. It's goooood.

Come to Dallas-Ft.Worth. Be prepared for full body scans that show everything, enough that people are concerned about invasion of privacy but that's better than the other. Pat downs that include the genitals.
They're still working out the sensitivities of public outrage of groping that knows no age limit, young or old.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Forgot. Yes. You're invited.

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Yay! Let's go!

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Ha! No. I have it worked out. The hero, unseen by you, was hiding in the store and killed the zombie when it made a grab for the shop clerk, so it was the zombie who 'decorated' the windows, while the poor clerk was screaming because it was all very frightening. But then the zombie is dead (properly this time), and the hero can spend the evening 'comforting' the poor clerk. All is fixed. :)

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

*chuckles*

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

*pets* Oh blankie, you've made it all better. *grins* Thank you.

[abstract-whisk.livejournal.com]

:) I like this.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Because it is Truth!

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

*cackles* OooooRRRRRRR..... gggggrrrrrrrrroooooooooooannnnnnns.

[abstract-whisk.livejournal.com]

Yep. Agree with the above. Creepy. Super creepy. Looking over my shoulder and shuddering creepy.

But also good. The imagery here is strong (and disturbing) and it all sort of flows. Bad dream, indeed.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

We are all in denial. The apocalypse is coming... so I'm told.
*checks to see who wrote this* @_@ high praise indeed.
Thank you.

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

If I wasn't already vegetarian I'd consider it now!!!!

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

theskimblishone suggested that we all go out for salad. I am thinking that that is an excellent idea. The turkey meat that I had at school was chokingly dry and the images from my dream of the color of the ham .. SALAD is great. With fresh hot bread and minestrone soup. Not your traditional Thanksgiving meal.

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

Salad and soup LOL nice.

um when is thanksgiving? wiki suggests it's next week?

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

We celebrate the Pilgrims surviving their first year (actually more then one year) in the new land THIS Thursday, the 25th. Thanksgiving is always on the 4th Thursday, so it floats around on the calender from year to year.

Need to send this story to family and use it to suggest going someplace that serves food where sensitive nerves have an option that does not include meat or we could celebrate separately or I could tough it out and let my stomach decide that 'it was only a dream.. ooooh meat. Chomp'. Salad and bread and soup sounds really too good at the moment.

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

LOL still Sunday here, so it is next week then :)

okies I'll have to remember to wish everyone well.

I'm sure your mind will change when it's all laid out cooked and smelling nice.
*Is happy with nutroast*

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

Well, unless you take the view that Sunday is the first day of the week, which makes it this week. :P

[mee-eep.livejournal.com]

LOL that's just being awkward!

[clodiametelli.livejournal.com]

You're lucky to remember your dreams so vividly and in such detail that they inspire creativity even if this is a mixed blessing. Personally I find the experience of using automated checkouts enough of a nightmare in itself - (shudders at the thought of irrational commands uttered by disembodied voices over and over...) Hope the horror has dispelled by now.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

There are things going on in my life that are sparking these. Normally I can reach in and tweak the dreams so I get some happy closure. Think I need a new mattress too. *sighs*

There is something disturbing and entertaining about automated checkouts. At least I can say nasty things to them without hurting their feelings (am not going to put a djinn in the terminal. am not am not. Dibs would have me hiding one there to make her take on the ending happen. *sighs* It would work but the styles...)

I use to be a disembodied voice over the intercom. *happy smile*
Thank you.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

I got my comeuppance - read 2metaldogs account of her recent ghostly visitor and had myself a nightmare last night. There is something very comforting in waking up and realising that you're in your bed, it's morning, there are no lights acting oddly, no scraping noises outside and you didn't just see a figure leaning against the glass of the front door and fade away. Didn't stop me from testing the lights though. Soo sleepy this morning as a result, but felt better by lunchtime.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

2metaldog I mean. Must've stuffed up my code.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Oh, you will like the next installment of the zombie fic. *cackles*

Yeah, many many many moons ago I read a series of books by a ghost detective, Hans Holtzer. Written when I was young before Ghostbusters and such were available. Something about reading/hearing of Real Life Adventures with Ghosts that aren't cheesy opens one up to incidents or just being more aware of the bumps that happen when you're alone. This is why one has a cat to blame these things on or to use as a guided missle for throwing.

[theotherdibbler.livejournal.com]

At college I used to read a website that had photos and accounts of real life ghost encounters, some were faked and exposed as such, others were apparently real. Used to freak myself right out. I'd spend an hour or two on the site, then let myself out of my snug, well-lit bedroom to wander down the dark, deserted hallway to the bathroom and just kept waiting for something to appear. It was just so addictive.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Can totally relate to this. Safer than bungie jumping I suppose.