I remain unsure what the significance, setting, and characters were. The setting was static, but not easily discerned, as often happens in dreams. I’m sure the dream is significant, but I’m not sure what we were attempting to accomplish in it. Simple survival? I still don’t know.
In the dream we had fortified an abandoned amusement park to serve as our base. The park had high fences which had been fitted with barbed wire. The rides were rusted and old, marked by tattered signs with bizarre, faded pictures that had been rendered illegible by rain and dust. There were signs of some sort of destruction or battle or disturbance, but not enough evidence to make out exactly what had occurred. The sandy, dusty soil had been blown around by the recurrent wind. Our bunks were in rotting shacks that had once been tool sheds. Camp stoves, propane torches, and open fires were used to cook, though I don’t remember eating. I also don’t remember cleaning or checking my guns or sharpening my knife, but a pistol, rifle, and large hunting knife were always at the ready. I remember no relaxation at all. The day was all business.
We would wake without an alarm of any kind, early and full of wary fear. Each morning I would immediately search my surroundings for danger. Finding none, the first event of the day was taking stock of what we had and what we were running out of. Protecting the base was always the most immediate priority, and daily foraging forays and perimeter checks were also necessary. But the cause of the unending fear was unknown. At no time did I ever fire a shot, see an enemy, or lose the fear that gripped my stomach. It was an exhausting dream to be in. One which encouraged insomnia, rather than return to the dreariness and fear within it.
Once awake, I would make some campfire coffee and do a quick perimeter check. Nothing was ever amiss, besides the odd piece of debris blown around by the gusting winds. I would then prepare either a car, van, or motorcycle, and head out. The bulk of the dream was the same. The endless kilometers of empty land, filled with lush trees, blooming flowers and vibrant grasses. I would spend the entire day in silence, searching for signs of life. No animals or humans or monsters were ever found, only abandoned cars and houses and stores. I would thoroughly and methodologically search through each, taking anything that might be useful, including pieces of string, bits of metal and glass, and other seemingly useless odds and ends, as well as anything edible, any water, and any ammunition. At the end of the day I would head back to the amusement park, store my finds, and retire for the night. And that is the end of the dream where I wake up. After that, I could dream a different dream, but there was also the chance that I would go back to sleep only to find that the night had passed and I would jerk awake inside the dream to see the dawn breaking and feel the feeling of fear that gripped my stomach. Another day had begun.
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