EPT![[image loading]](http://i46.tinypic.com/w80r4n.gif)
A Perfect Life
He had a picture perfect life. He was married, he had children, he had a lovely family in a nice house. There was a white picket fence. There was a dog. There was everything he needed and desired. Every day was perfect for him. He got a raise the day he asked for it at work, he got a promotion too.
But there was something very wrong. He couldn't shake the feeling his life was too perfect. He woke up every day and looked at his beautiful wife. She seemed to get more beautiful everyday. Maybe she did. He walked downstairs and ate breakfast with his children. They were the sort of children he always wanted, the kind of children that never caused trouble. His boy was the star of his baseball team, his girl got perfect grades in school and played the piano with skill and grace.
He soon became sure that something was very very wrong with his life. He went to bed that night feeling uncertain. When he woke up he looked at his wife. Somehow she didn't look as pretty as he remembered. Her hair had darkened, her eyes were a dark blue instead of that piercing blue he loved so much. Her skin was worn and wrinkled. He held back a gasp, faking a smile as he looked at the decrepit creature that had replaced his wife.
"Is something wrong dear?" She asked. Her voice was raspy. Her expression wasn't curious or worried, but....it was angry.
He shook his head and stumbled down stairs. His eyes widened when he saw his children. Their clothes were ragged and stained, their faces grey and shrunken.
"Hi Daddy!" they cried out. He said nothing. He wanted to vomit. He stumbled out the door and gasped in horror at what he saw. Everything was dead. The grass was dead. The homes had the paint peeling off the walls. There were no cars except his own. There was nothing.
He got in his car and drove to the place where he worked. He somehow knew he had to play along. That he had to pretend everything was normal. Maybe it was, maybe this was all a dream or a hallucination. He stopped his car and stared at his office building. It looked like it hadn't been used in decades.
He sat in the drivers seat, panting. He wanted to vomit but all he could do was sit there and sweat. This was too real to be his imagination. He flipped on the radio, but it didn't turn on. Of course.
He entered his office building. He was shocked the elevator still worked. The walls were tattered and brown, paint peeling off the ceiling. Dust covered everything, it was hard to breathe. Was this reality? Was his perfect world just a dream?
His heart froze upon seeing his so-called "co-workers." They gazed over their cubicles and stared at him with glowing red eyes. The light was dim, perhaps only a single small generator powered the building. The brightest light was the glowing crimson of their eyes, following him as he shuffled slowly to his desk.
There were footsteps behind him. He knew who it was. His boss had just given him a raise, he was grateful, but was he one of them?
A hand on his shoulder. It was cold. He looked at it. The skin was blue and rotting, the fingernails twisted and sharp claws.
"Very good work you've been doing lately" The boss' voice was a growl, something inhuman and dark. He couldn't speak. He managed to stammer out an answer.
"Why th-th-thank you, sir..." he stammered. Shit. He knew he wasn't acting the same. The Boss tightened his grip on his shoulder. There was pain.
"Are you alright?" The Boss asked. Again, his voice wasn't worried. His voice was angry, menacing, overflowing with ill intent.
"No, I'm not!" He smacked his Boss' hand away and ran for the door. Maybe if he just ran forever he cold escape. Maybe he would wake up from this nightmare, to his beautiful wife, to his beautiful children.
Two creatures he once called co-workers jumped in front of the door. This had to be a dream. It couldn't be real. They tackled him to the floor and one of them pulled a syringe out of his pocket. Their faces were a pale blue, their skin pulled tight against their skulls like rubber. The creature on the left. Was that Jack? His smile was full of malice, his teeth replaced by rows of fangs.
"Why!? Why?! What is this world?!" He screamed.
His Boss stood over him as the others pinned him down.
"You're the only one left. You're the only one left alive. We need you to feed. To survive. We can't let you die, we can't let you run." The Boss seemed almost sad. "Don't worry. Everything will be as happy as can be."
He struggled and thrashed, but it was no use. The needle plunged into his arm and everything faded to black.
He woke up the next morning next to his wife. She was so beautiful. Her long blonde hair always shimmered against the sunlight. He felt a bit frightened, he had a horrible dream that he was in a world where everyone he knew and loved were monsters. Maybe demons.
"Honey, I had a bad dream." He turned to his wife dripping cold sweat.
"Don't worry about it dear, everyone has nightmares. This is what's real ok?" She was right. Of course this world was real. She looked a bit worried, what a caring wife.
"By the way dear, isn't it your day to donate blood?" She asked, quite out of the blue.
"I get the feeling I've done that already..." He said.
"No, I don't think you have. It's very important that you do, just think of all the sick people who need it!" She said quite seriously. What a wonderful woman who cares so much about others. He trusted his wife, of course. He walked down the stairs to be greeted by his beautiful children. His son had just won MVP for his little league! How wonderful his life was. He drove down to the hospital to donate blood before heading to work. He couldn't help but smile at how grateful the doctor was for his donation.
Maybe he'll ask for another raise.
![[image loading]](http://www.fresnobeehive.com/archives/upload/2007/03/keanu-reeves-big.jpg)
Thank you.
