Vanishing Desires: Nim's Surreal Journey

I was walking home, enjoying the night air. It had just started to get chilly again, and I welcomed it. The cold made me feel alive in a way that the heat never did. A cool breeze against my skin. There were leaves rustling as I walked. The trees were starting to turn, and every flash of orange or yellow made my heart flutter a little bit more.

It was a good night. My day had been good too. Better than usual, even. I'd gotten an A on my essay, and an invitation to join the Honor Society. I decided to walk home instead of taking the bus, because hey, why not? What could possibly go wrong?

I heard a car approaching behind me, and put up my hand to tell him to slow down. He didn't. The horn blared loudly instead, and I jumped in shock. The driver yelled something at me out of his window as he drove past, but I couldn't make out what it was over the wind rushing past my ears and the roar of the engine. I rolled my eyes and turned back around to continue my walk home.

Suddenly there was a bright light in front of me that seemed to cut through everything else like a knife through fabric- no, like a tornado through trees- no, like *that*! That's what it felt like anyway. Then everything went dark for a moment, then back into focus again... but different this time. Everything was darker around me now; not just because it was late at night anymore. There were no leaves rustling in the wind anymore either; just dead grass underfoot as far as the eye could see around me in all directions.

What *was* going on? Was that man driving drunk? Had he hit me or something? Where was he now? And where was *I*?

I looked down at my hands and saw them fading from view in places; disappearing before my very eyes! What the hell?! Was this some kind of acid trip? A nightmare? I pinched myself hard enough to leave marks on my arm and yelped when it hurt for real - both indicating that yes, this was most definitely real life and not a dream - but then how could it be real life if I could see myself fading away before my eyes?!

Someone screamed nearby - it sounded like it came from above me, so maybe from one of those windows lining this street somewhere? Or maybe someone screaming from an alleyway further down... wait! Could this be one of those creepy "tourist trap" towns people told stories about sometimes where they pretended they wanted to scare you with haunted houses or something? That would explain everything!

I ran towards what looked like a corner store with its lights still on over one of its windows at the end of the street ahead of me, desperately hoping that whoever owned it would have some answers for me or at least a phone I could call 911 with to get help - but as I got closer I realized nothing was right about this place. For one thing, it wasn't painted blue anymore; instead it seemed more gray than anything else now... but more than that there were no doors! Just blank walls with boarded up windows! The only thing left standing open were those heavy chains bolted across its old glass-paneled front door frame!

As hope began to fade from inside me I barely noticed how much colder everything felt before suddenly another loud noise shook the ground beneath me - demanding my attention far more than before! This time though there was no mistaking what it was; this time there was no mistake about who had caused it: tires screeching against pavement as someone slammed their foot down on their brake pedal with all their might! I turned around just in time to see a large pickup truck careening around the corner right towards *me*!