illusions

"NOOO JEREMY!!!" I cried out to my falling friend, it was raining, and it felt as if time had suddenly slowed down. Jeremy was screaming as he fell backwards off the roof. We were on top of one of those city building, messing around, pushing each other and getting drunk. Until I pushed him too hard, he tripped and fell, fell over the edge of the roof.

I reached out to grab him, but he was too far. He was already 3 feet down at least. I fell to my knees, I screamed, "NO JEREMY!"

Suddenly I felt my body launch forward, I was sitting up, in my bed. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the dream memories, but it felt so real, and the memories weren't fading.

My phone pinged, informing me of a message, or a notification. I started to reach for my phone. But I stopped. What if that wasn't actually a dream, what if I had really killed my best friend?

I was interrupted, by a knocking on the door. I slowly got up, stretching as I did so. They knocked again, this time more violently and hard, I walked over and opened the door.

Jeremy was there, but not in a way that was possible. His body had been flattened, his head was split open, and he pointed at me. Screaming, "YOU DID THIS! ITS YOUR FUALT!" I stumbled backward, it felt like my throat was closing up, but it was probably just fear.

Jeremy walked inside, his footsteps staining the floor with his crimson-red blood, "Stay away!" I yelled at Jeremy, he merely chuckled, chuckled in a way that felt almost taunting, and malicious. he continued walking, reaching for me slowly. I walked back into a wall, but he didn't stop closing in.

He walked so close he was right in front of me, before he grabbed me by the shoulders, and he leaned in, his broken jaw hanging next to my ear, "Wake up, wake up, wake up. WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"

My vision went dark, I felt something moving me around in something. It felt as if I was being thrown around in an ocean of black. Soon light began to shine, and I heard something, someone saying something.

I awoke to Jeremy shaking me, saying "Dude wake up already, you've been asleep for HOURS." I sat up, quicker than ever. I looked Jeremy dead in the eyes, "Are you real?" His head flew back, and he guffawed, "What are you talking about dude? Of course I'm real, how else would I have just woken you up?"

I nodded, looking around. It was pitch black outside, not even the streetlights could be seen from outside my window. I turn to Jeremy, he was smiling, but not his usual smile. His grin looked wider than normal, his nose had seemed shrunken, his eyes seemed beadier, and I felt anxious as he just stared at me, grinning ear to ear.

"Uh, dude? You ok there?" I asked, my voice laced with painfully obvious fear. He nodded, grinning wider, "Why of course I am! why wouldn't I be after that fall?" His voice had changed, it was deeper now, his voice was slurred. "What fall?" He opened his mouth, still grinning, but now flashing his teeth, which seemed sharp, like a dogs, but they seemed too big for his face.

"You know what I mean, you pushed me. You killed me, and now I'm gonna kill you." He lunged at me, grabbing my neck, stabbing his fingers into my flesh, going through the skin. I tried to grab his arms, to push them away, but his fingers were already in my neck, I felt warm liquid pour down my body.

I watched him open his mouth wide, his mouth opened wide enough to swallow me whole. He lunged, everything went black, the pain disappeared, or not so removed, but replaced with a feeling.

My body felt as if it was static this time. As if my entire body had fallen asleep. Then I woke up staring at the ceiling, the streetlight barely illuminating my room. I sat up slowly, I looked around.

I couldn't tell anymore, how was this one fake? Knocking on the door startled me a second time, but this time I didn't want to open it. I sighed, knowing that if this was fake, I would wake up once more. I walked to the door, seeing Jeremy.

He walked in, laid in my bed, he sat up and looked at me, his face was stern and concerned. He looked like he was determined to get an answer of something, he took a deep breath and asked, "So, why'd you do it?"

I knew what he was asking, my body felt hot, I started sweating, "Do what?" I asked, turning away, avoiding his penetrating gaze.

"Throw me off that building, why'd you do it? Was it really an accident? Did you have a grudge against me? Did you ever like me?" I turned to him, but his face, wasn't his own anymore. His face was replaced with that of an old man, looking around 45-60.

I stepped back, this was different. This dream didn't have that "Dream-like", aura, that feeling, that feeling you get when you wake up, or start lucid dreaming, where you realize. "Oh, this is just a dream"

I didn't feel that, not this time. my room was in perfect order, but he wasn't Jeremy. "Answer the question, Nathan." I turned to the door, only to see it closed and locked with chains and boards. I was trapped, but something told me this wasn't entirely a dream anymore.

"Nathan, answer the question please." I shook my head, "No, you're not Jeremy, what's happening to me?" Soon, the person didn't look like Jeremy in the slightest, his body had become slightly taller, and his stomach bloated slightly. The room looked like it was melting, turning into metal and glass, brick and plastic.

I wasn't asleep, but I wasn't awake entirely either. I blinked and flourescent lights blinded me. I gasped, I looked in front of me. I saw the detective, and the memories washed over me.

I had been taken in for murder, and I don't regret it for a second.