Alger’s Dimension Part 2
“Alger’s Dimension” is a horror novelette, first published by “Disturbed Digest” in their December 2017 issue. If you’re just entering this story, you can start from the beginning by going here, or if you want to see all available parts to date, you can find them here. A new part of this story will be released every day, with the 13th and final episode coming out on Halloween.
When Declan made it to bed that evening, he found himself on the cusp of sleep when he thought he heard Dr. Kazmarack scream his name. He jolted awake surrounded by the quiet of the night. He settled into his pillow where he wavered between sleep and wakefulness. He dreamed of Dr. Kazmarack grabbing him, whispering something unintelligible, desperate for Declan to understand him. Then, when Declan thought he was awake in his own bed, Dr. Kazmarack lunged from the dark recesses of Declan’s room and pinned him to his bed.
Declan gasped and surged forward, his legs combating the sheets. Tendrils of the nightmare convinced him that Dr. Kazmarack still clutched his legs, preventing him from fleeing.
He scooted into his headboard, the cool surface against his bare skin pulled him fully awake. His quick, heavy breaths refused to abate, his heart rattled in his chest. He rubbed his eyes, pushing the air out of his lungs with more force than necessary. He swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his chest. The hair on his arms, legs, head, and neck stood on end. It wasn’t from being shaken by his nightmare either. He could almost hear the electrified air crackle around him. It penetrated his skin, while the smell of rain infiltrated his nostrils.
At that moment, he decided to travel across the state to Dr. Kazmarack’s office. He had no idea what he would find, most likely nothing at all, but he had to go.
You can find all sections of “Alger’s Dimension” here.
The story is proceeding nicely, Mandie, with lots of good imagery and tension. Great idea, running it in serial form until Halloween. I look forward to reading the rest!
Thanks! Novelettes are a bit long to read in one sitting when you’re talking about a blog post, so I thought I’d make them into sections that are a little more manageable. Hopefully, the break placement works for readers. Thank you for reading, Gary!
“hen, when Declan thought he was awake in his own bed, Dr. Kazmarack lunged from the dark recesses of Declan’s room and pinned him to his bed” I really like this dream within the dream moment. It’s creepy and surreal and creates a strong feeling of “Wait. Did that just happen or is it part of the dream?” (in a good way)
Thank you! It’s a delicate thing dealing with dreams in a story, keeping the sequence short enough to not confuse the reader, but allowing the reader to experience the same confusion and emotions that the character experiences. I often use dreams in stories, and then spend a great deal of time cutting them down to a reasonable size. When a dream carries on too long, I think you get caught up in the story and forget it’s just a dream, and I try to prevent it from being too jarring when the regular storyline starts again. Also, since I write psychological and horror stories, I like dreams to not be a simple dream. I like them to have some importance to the story.