.
.
Falling from impossible heights.
Being hunted down.
A sudden, blood-chilling scare in the dark.
These are the kinds of dream scenarios that jolt people awake without warning. It's not random—it's the brain's survival instinct kicking in, unable to tell fantasy from threat. Especially during REM sleep, where the line between dream and reality is paper-thin, a moment of fear is all it takes to snap the dreamer back into the waking world.
.
.
.
"Why am I not waking up? This has to be a nightmare... it has to be..!" But the rotten weight pressing down on his chest said otherwise.
A guttural, wet gurgle bubbled up from the corpse's throat, like liquid sloshing in a clogged pipe, before a broken, rasping growl cut through the air. The doctor's fingers clawed at the creature's crumbling shoulders, struggling to keep his grip as dead flesh flaked away between his palms.
"Get off... please, get off me!" he gasped, voice cracking with panic. Maggots wriggled free from the monster's slack jaw, dropping cold and slick onto his trembling face. He choked back a gag, heart pounding in his ears.
The creature's throat made another desperate, choking gurgle as it tried to drag his face closer, its rancid breath hot and wet against his skin.
"Somebody—help me!" The doctor's hands slipped; his nails scraped uselessly against rotted bone. His voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper now, soaked in terror.
"This can't be real. It can't."
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.
.
"Haa… haa… ngh… I'm losing strength—this bastard...do you even tire?!" the doctor panted, every breath shallow, every muscle burning. He needed a way out, fast.
The monster's dead hands pinned him down, squeezing with relentless force. Its throat gurgled with wet, choking sounds as it tried to drag his face closer.
Slowly, the doctor slid his left hand toward the creature's neck. The rotten flesh on its collarbone crumbled under his tight grip, but he held on.
"No way I'm dying here..!" he growled.
With a sudden burst of strength, the doctor grabbed the monster's neck and pushed hard to the right, wrenching his right shoulder free from its grip. The corpse shifted, slipping to the side.
The doctor took advantage of the movement, following through and flipping their positions. Now, the monster was pinned beneath him, still thrashing wildly.
"Haa..Haa.."
"Graahglglgg..!!"
Its right hand lashed out, claws scraping dangerously close to his face, but the doctor ducked just in time.
He slammed his knee down onto the monster's chest, driving his full weight down hard. The creature let out a wet, choking gurgle as its upper torso compressed under the pressure and caves in , black liquid starts pouring from every open crevices on its body.
The monster's movement dulls , it's growl weakening , even it's arm are flailing weaker and weaker.
Moments after , it seems to have "died". He slowly pulls his knee from it's decaying chest and waits..
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.
.
No movements.
The Doctor let out a shaky sigh of relief and dropped back, sitting on the damp soil as he struggled to catch his breath.
His eyes drifted to his hands—slick with the monster's rotting flesh. The sight was too much. He doubled over and vomited, gasping between heaves. When it finally passed, he leaned over a shallow puddle, splashing water onto his face and hands, shivering from the sheer revulsion coursing through him.
"...Why is this happening to me?" he whispered, his voice cracked and thin as tears traced quietly down his cheeks.
But the moment was brief. He forced the emotion down—self-pity wouldn't keep him alive if another one of those things showed up.
The Doctor had killed it by sheer luck, and he knew it. That's why he turned back to the corpse, determined to examine it, hoping to uncover some clue about its weaknesses—some way to kill it properly if it ever came to that again.
But then he froze.
A strange sound drew his attention. He turned—and what he saw sent a cold jolt up his spine.
"What the..."
The corpse was breaking down—fast. The ground beneath it seemed to devour the body, breaking it apart like paper soaked in acid. In mere seconds, there was nothing left. No trace. No remains. No answers.
Gone—along with his only chance at understanding what he was dealing with.
The Doctor stumbled back, eyes darting around as the unsettling silence pressed in around him. Every inch of this place now felt hostile, unreal.
"What the hell is this place…?" he muttered, heart pounding, mind reeling.
.
.
.
The Doctor slowly pushed himself to his feet, steadying his breath and gathering what little resolve he had left. This place—it still crawled under his skin. Every inch of it felt wrong. But he didn't have the luxury of staying still.
He began scanning the area, searching for anything he might be able to use. It was strange—unnervingly so. Sparse patches of moss and a few shrubs dotted the landscape, but beyond that, the ground was bare. No rocks. No insects. No fallen branches or sticks. Nothing.
Then he saw it.
"A stick…?"
Lying right on the spot where the corpse had dissolved, a single stick sat on the soil—almost too perfectly placed.
He picked it up. It was oddly clean. No dirt, no wear—nothing. It looked untouched. Suspicious. And worse, it was too small to be useful.
He let out a tired sigh. "Haa… I might be losing it. Getting paranoid over a damn stick."
He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head—only to freeze as he turned around.
Another one.
It stood just a few paces away. Its skin was pale, bruised, but otherwise intact—almost healthier than the first one. Except this one had no arms. That didn't stop it.
The moment their eyes met, it lunged.
The Doctor stumbled back and fell hard, landing on his rear as the creature slammed into the ground just inches from him. Its face crushed on impact, but it barely seemed to notice. Without hesitation, it lunged again, head-first, like a rabid animal.
"Stay away from me!" the Doctor shouted, panicked, flailing the small stick toward it in desperation.
Then it happened.
From the tip of the stick, a brilliant white light burst forth—blinding, radiant, like a miniature sun flaring to life. A ball of light shot out, trailing rays behind it, and slammed into the monster mid-leap.
In an instant, the creature was gone—reduced to dust, scattered on the wind.
The Doctor stared, wide-eyed, heart pounding, the stick still trembling in his hand.
"What just happened..?"