I had a very odd dream last night. Because of the heat, sometime in the night I moved into the living room to sleep in the air conditioning.

Most dreams I have are usually comprised of several story lines that, though are sometimes unrelated, seem to easily flow into each other. Instead of using the words “story line” though, I like to call the different segments of my dreams, “dreamlines”.

The first dreamline that I can recall from last night are really just images, perhaps photographs, that tell a story of a horrific murder of a mother and two children. The mother though, was only kin to one of the children, a daughter. Both were white. The other child was a boy and was black. The photographs showed the three of them brutally beaten and repeatedly stabbed to death. The murderer though was never revealed to me or to my knowledge was ever brought to justice.

From the photographs, the dream moves onto another dreamline that brings me outside of a two story apartment complex. The apartment building resembles an outdoor motel more than it does an apartment. All the doors of the residents face an open air courtyard. The building wraps around the courtyard in a U shape. Maybe its located in California somewhere. It is dusk, and the sunlight seems to be muted by clouds. I find myself standing on the second level walk way. I am holding a video camera and am recording the actions of two people standing outside of an apartment door. I don’t know these two people in real life, but within the dream we are coworkers. Though I don’t believe I completely understand what I am doing or why I am recording them, I continue to do so. It seems that we are looking for a specific apartment but we do not know which one in the building we are looking for.

At this time a third person emerges from the open doorway. There is talking among the three but I can’t hear them. Suddenly the newcomer drops some sort of device on the floor. In my dream memory I see this device as a large spool. Like one that would hold thread, but much larger. As soon as the spool hits the floor it begins to roll down the walk way. Though I don’t understand it, the spool seems as if it is being pulled. As it begins to turn down a corner we all rush after it. I try as hard as I can to keep the rolling spool framed in my camera. Eventually we come up to another apartment door. Quickly someone opens the door and we all walk into the apartment. Now, somehow our party has grown in size. There are now three other members with us making a total of seven. I do not recall personally knowing any of the six people I am with, though I do know that we are a team.

Inside the apartment it is quiet and dimly lit. No lights are turned on as the falling sun outside seems to supply enough light through the windows. I notice that one other person in the group is also carrying a video camera. We are both simply recording the actions of the other members of the group. The apartment is not very large; there is only one level to the apartment. There is a large space in the center of the apartment that makes for the living room and kitchen. It is divided by a see through wooden bookshelf. There is a large opening in the shelf that allows you to see clearly through to the other room. From what I can see, there are three to four doors that lead to other rooms.

I decide to open one of the doors and explore a room by myself. As I enter the room I quickly notice that it is a bedroom. Slowly I pan my camera from one wall to the next. It is around here that the images of the mother and children enter my mind and I realize what we must be investigating their murder. Through I am alone in this room I do not feel afraid nor do I see anything that would give me cause to be.

It is not until I go to rejoin the group in the living room that I witness something peculiar. As I reenter the living room I aim my camera through the shelf into the kitchen. I focus at one of the women in the group. She is checking a closet, perhaps a pantry. As she opens the closet, I notice a mirror hanging on the back of the door. As I begin to focus on the mirror I can see her body reflecting off the mirror but I can also see a male figure behind her. I know instantly that this is not the reflection of someone in my group. The being’s skin is grayed and discolored. Certain parts of his skin are pealing off at random places. Quickly I walk toward the kitchen zooming out to see if the reflection is of someone standing in the kitchen. Though I do not actually see the being standing in the kitchen I do capture yet another reflection in a mirror on the other side of the kitchen. This time it is a woman with similar decaying features. Though through the camera I can see these beings that would normally scare me I am surprising calm though very excited. I do not alert the rest of my group to these images, though it does not seem that I have to as everyone seems to be reacting to the reflections. There is no fear in the room though, only anxiousness curiosity.

In an instant I find myself recording in darkness. Though not complete darkness. There is a figure in the center of my frame. It is a girl, a member of my party. Somehow I know that she is telepathic and I am recording from within her mind. “What do you want?” she asks aloud. A deep male voice replies “How many are you?”. “It is me and six others” She responds. In a flash I am again recording from within the apartment, still focused on the kitchen while standing in the living room. Though this time, as I record the other members in the group I can now see these undead beings standing behind everyone, in the way that I would have expected to see them in the reflection of a mirror.

My breathing beings to quicken as I pan my camera from one undead figure to the next. There are maybe three or four of them now. They all seem to be able to pass through the bodies of my team. Now there is shouting as people begin to react to the beings passing through them. My realization that these being are ghosts seems to be reflected in the reactions of everyone in the room. Though I am surprisingly still focused on recording everything. Then darkness.

Suddenly I am laying on the couch in my apartment. I am tired but awake. I can hear the hum of the air conditioner running behind me. But when I open my eyes, I find myself staring at someone sitting in the black leather chair. It is a man and he is looking back at me. I quickly avert my eyes to the ceiling and then close them shut. When I open them again, I can only see the VCR’s blinking light reflecting off the black leather. I am restless for a few hours before I can get back to sleep.