The Nightmare of Samuel Ward

Samuel Richardson was having a nightmare, as he tossed and turned in his sleep. A horrifying nightmare stirred as he slept. In his nightmare he stood before a large crowd of people, men and women old and young, rich and poor bustled in the street. No one could see him and they passed through him as if he were a ghost. Soon the crowd faded away and Samuel could see a tall figure cloaked in black with long black stringy hair whose face Samuel could not see. As Samuel saw the figure he was nearly overcome with a sense of dread, then a voice echoed in his head, “I have chosen you. Your time has come.” The voice said.

“Who are you? My time has come for what?” Samuel called out to the figure whose voice was the one that he had heard.

“You will know,” the figure’s reply echoed in Samuel’s head as the figure turned and walked away. Samuel was about to go after him when the whole place shifted and he found himself standing in dimly lit room. The figure was gone now and as his eyes adjusted to the light he could see a man whose eyes were wild sitting in the corner of the room. The man’s appearance was disheveled and unkempt, the bristles of his beard glistened in the light. Unable to see Samuel who stood only five feet from him the man muttered incessantly to himself, “He’s coming. Nowhere to run… Nowhere to hide… No refuge to save me…. Jack is coming. The thing with the dead eyes,” the man whispered. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, the blade shimmered in the light. He held it close to his eyes, staring at his reflection on the blade. “Death is coming. Jack is close; there is only one escape that leads to damnation. It’s no use.” The man muttered to himself as the twisted the blade in his hand. A sudden whooshing sound made the man stand up his eyes widened in terror. Samuel Richardson was overcome with a sense of dread, for the cloaked figure from before stood in front of the wild eyed man, his face still hidden. The wild eyed man was shaking uncontrollably now his eyes wide in terror, “Please!” he screamed, “Don’t kill me Jack! Have merc─” The man’s words were cut off as Jack grabbed at his throat with lightning speed. Samuel watched, paralyzed in horror as Jack lifted the man off the ground by his throat. Samuel tried to scream as the man squirmed in Jack’s grasp but he found that he was unable to. Jack help the man in the air as the man desperately gasped for air, Jack cocked from side to side observing the man’s weakening struggle. Samuel watched in horror as Jack’s long skeletal fingers wrapped in strips of cloth tightened around the man’s throat, ''SNAP! '' The man’s body immediately went limp in Jack’s grip as his neck snapped. Tilting his head from side to side as if observing the man’s limp form, Jack gave a nod of acknowledgement towards Samuel then the room and Jack faded away and Samuel found himself in darkness.

The stench was unbearable. It was the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh, Samuel’s eyes watered from it he heaved violently. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could see that he was in a vast cavern deep underground, the dripping of water echoed throughout the cavern as it splashed into a puddle nearby. Wiping his mouth which stung from vomit Samuel tore part of his shirt making a makeshift mask out of it to make the stench more bearable; he cautiously walked towards a small beam of light that illuminated the ground in front of him. Whoosh! The sound echoed in the cavern and Jack suddenly stood thirty yards ahead of him, in his hands Jack carried the body of the wild eyed man from before. Jack stood there for a moment his face still hidden, and then Jack suddenly tossed the man’s body down what appeared to be a large pit. The hairs on his neck stood on end as he heard the body land with a sickening thud. Then Jack was gone, disappeared into the shadows. Samuel fought the curiosity that ate at him, reasoning that Jack was still here hiding in the shadows. But as the saying goes curiosity killed the cat, and after a few minutes of hesitation Samuel cautiously walked forward. Being careful as to not trip and fall into some hidden crevice he moved forward, when he reached the mouth of the pit the stench there was unbearable even while breathing through his shirt. Tears ran down his face as he squinted to see the obvious, then suddenly a light illuminated the pit and what Samuel saw made him scream in terror. Piled by the hundreds in the pit were the bodies of countless people, some whose faces were horrifically contorted from decomposition while others were just a pile of bones. What Samuel had mistaken for water was actually blood dripping from several bodies that were impaled upon stalactites on the roof of the cavern. The body of the wild eyed man lay sprawled on the top of the pile, blood oozed from his gutted form. Samuel screamed in terror as his eyes took in every horrific detail, every new horror brought fresh screams from his mouth. Then he felt it, the familiar feeling of dread crept on him, he knew that Jack was behind him as he turned to run. He was not prepared for what he saw, for the first time within his nightmare Samuel could see his face and what he saw sent him further into terror.

There are countless horrors that are spoken in hushed tones throughout the world, tales of demons, monsters, and specters that are meant to frighten all of those who hear it. Jack’s name is one of those names that are spoken in whispers. He is neither a spirit, nor a demon, nor anything that man can possibly comprehend. The face that Samuel saw was far worse, for the only feature that existed on Jack’s pale face were two large black unblinking eyes. Jack cocked his head to the side as if observing his terror, lifting up its arm Jack’s long skeletal fingers brushed against Samuel’s face. He cried out in terror for the very touch was ice cold, no warmth came from it. Drawing its hand back, Jack lunged towards him.

Samuel woke up screaming, his sheets soaked with sweat shaking feverishly he sat up. It was all just a horrible nightmare, one that he finally woke up from. Relaxing somewhat, he wringed his fingers through his hair, he breathed a sigh of relief. Samuel stepped out of the bed and turned on the light near his nightstand. The light illuminated the tall cloaked form of Jack, and in the small corners of his mind Samuel Richardson finally understood Jack’s cryptic comment. It was his time to die. He understood this even as Jack lunged towards him.