Lucid (#wattys2016)

Five (Revised)

Isaac was staring directly at Andre like he had three heads. "What do you mean, 'you should go to a mental institution?'" He stared Andre directly in the eye, and he looked back, but he didn't seem to be looking at Isaac. He appeared to be staring off into a void, struggling to find the right words to say. Isaac asked again, and he snapped out of his trance, saying, "Sorry... it's just that you're... interesting. You're the first human that I've ever been interested in." With that, Isaac knew what he meant, no matter how messed up it was. 

That night, Isaac was staring at his ceiling, trying his best to stay awake. His parents had forced him to go to bed, even though he was afraid to, but he knew that he wouldn't sleep. He would never sleep again. He knew that this was irrational, but maybe he could limit the dreams to only a few a week. It would be difficult, but it would all be worth it. 

Isaac was walking to school, and a black car drove along slowly next to him. He craned his neck to the left, and saw that the windows were tinted just enough where he couldn't see inside. This can't be good, he thought. He quickened his pace, and so did the van. He began to sprint, and it drove faster. It turned directly to the sidewalk, and he turned around and started running in the other direction. Before he could get anywhere, the driver climbed out and grabbed him. He bit the man's arm, and the man let out a shriek in pain, releasing Isaac, who ran for his life back to his house. The man followed him, grabbing him just as he was in front of the house. The man held up a wet rag to his nose, and he tried his best to hold his breath. It didn't work. He had to breathe, and before he could scream he fell asleep.

Isaac woke up cramped and trapped. He was in the trunk of the car, and he could barely move. He felt the road beneath him, and by the speed he assumed they were by the highway. He was forced to think quickly, and he tried opening the lid.

It didn't work.

Isaac didn't know what else to do, so he wailed at the top of his lungs. He did it for what felt like an eternity, but no one came and he didn't hear any police sirens.

Finally he shot his fist through one of the lights in frustration, and it fell right out of the car and onto the street. He was right; they were on the highway. He shoved his hand through the hole, continuing to scream, but then he became quiet in the fear that the driver would hear him. A police car was eventually behind them, but its siren wasn't on, and he continued to stick his hand through. The car trailed the van and sounded its sirens momentarily, telling the man to pull over. He didn't, continuing to drive, moving a bit faster. It was a few minutes before the morning rush, so there was little traffic. The police car sounded its sirens again, but this time they didn't stop. A voice boomed, yelling pull over on a megaphone. The vehicle that Isaac was trapped in sped up, and more police cars showed swiftly behind. They eventually rammed the van, causing him to feel a sharp pain in his side. However, he could tell that nothing was broken. The man sped up, but the police cars blocked him, and he was forced to stop.

Isaac sat up in his bed and looked at his clock, which read 7:00. It was time to get ready for school again, but he was afraid to go. He did his usual morning routine, but he waited for five extra minutes before he left to walk to the bus stop. Whenever he did, he was extra cautious to look at the road for every second that he could 

Boof!

Isaac ran directly into a jogger, and he almost fell down. He apologized, saying that he wasn't thinking, and he didn't mean to. He then continued on, determined to make it to the bus stop. He looked to his left. A black van with tinted windows drove next to him. He sprinted back home, but the man caught up to him, holding a rag over his mouth, and, of course, he woke up in the trunk. He also noticed something very peculiar: the man was wearing the same dark hooded outfit as the guy who chased him back to his house and later robbed him.