Chapter 3

As Tyler sat up in bed, the horrible events that took place in his dream ran through his mind again, like he was watching a terrifying movie for the second time.

Tyler's tiny legs propelled him at full speed. All he knew was that he was being chased by a bad, bad man. He didn't know why the man had come for him. He didn't know who the man was. Tyler just had to get away.

His heart pounding in his chest, Tyler turned a corner and darted into the woods. After a few minutes of running, jumping, and dodging through trees, Tyler stopped for a short rest. The incessant thud-thud of his pursuer's feet stomping the wet ground behind him had ceased minutes ago. Just to make sure that he was as far away from the man as possible, young Tyler had kept running.

And now, there was silence. His eyes scanned the forest around him. There was no sign of the man that had chased after him.

But, as he was pondering what to do, he heard the unmistakable snap of a twig being stepped on. At that sound, his heart almost leaped into his throat, but he forced himself to spin around.

As he had guessed, the man was directly behind him. He held a wicked knife in one hand and there was a demented grin on his face.

...And that was where his dream had ended. Even though this experience had happened to him years and years ago, the images were still vivid in his mind. Nightmares came almost every night. They were getting almost unbearable.

Looking at his watch, Tyler realized that it was almost 5:00 in the morning. There would be no hope of ever getting back to sleep, so he clambered out of bed at that moment.


Later that day, he was hunting for a decent hot dog, when he came up to a stand saying "Best In New York! Buy 3 Dogs And Get A Free Coke!" Tyler couldn't resist the offer.

The stand wasn't too far from Central Park, so he strolled over to the park and sat down on a large boulder on one side of the lake. There, he finished his meal. As he was getting ready to leave, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

He flipped it open. Sam was on the phone.

"Wassup, man? You left without telling me and the rest of us."

"Sam, I had to leave. I was getting sick of you guys. I seriously needed a break," Tyler explained.

"Dude, you can't take a joke!" Sam laughed. "We were just messin' around. You freak out over nothing!"

"It's not funny, Sam. You know I don't like that kind of stuff. I hate it when--"

"Wow, I can't believe you, man. We were just havin' fun. You don't have to take everything so seriously! You're so paranoid!!" Sam interrupted.

"Shut up, Sam," Tyler growled, hanging up. Tyler wanted to say so much more, but this wasn't the time. He was in the NYC to relax.

But, at that moment, Tyler saw something that ruined any relaxation he hoped to have...

~Nixx