The Nightmare That Wasn't

I've always had nightmares, ever since I was a little girl. They were mostly about monsters, ghosts, or other things that go bump in the night. But nothing prepared me for the nightmare I had last night.

It started out like any other dream. I was in my bedroom, getting ready for bed. I brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas, and crawled under the covers. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

But then, something felt wrong. I felt a cold breeze on my face, and a strange smell in the air. I opened my eyes and saw that I was no longer in my bedroom. I was in a dark, damp basement, surrounded by rusty pipes and cobwebs. There was a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, flickering on and off.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I tried to move, but I was tied to a metal table, with wires and electrodes attached to my head. I looked around and saw a man standing in the corner, wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard. He had a twisted smile on his face, and a syringe in his hand.

He walked towards me, slowly and deliberately. He said something, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of my own heartbeat. He reached me and injected the syringe into my arm. I felt a surge of pain, followed by a wave of nausea. He said something else, but I still couldn't hear him.

He turned a knob on a machine next to me, and I felt an electric shock run through my body. I convulsed and spasmed, unable to control myself. He laughed and turned the knob again, increasing the voltage. I felt another shock, stronger than before. He turned the knob again, and again, and again.

I don't know how long he tortured me, but it felt like an eternity. I wished for death, but it never came. I wished for waking up, but it never happened.

Then, suddenly, everything went black.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was back in my bedroom. It was morning, and the sun was shining through the window. I sighed with relief and thought it was all over. It was just a nightmare, nothing more.

But then, I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I looked down and saw a needle mark, with blood dripping from it. I felt a cold sweat on my forehead, and a strange smell in the air.

I realized that it wasn't a nightmare.

It was real.