It is a large concrete building, built like a parking structure, but inside it is open, with pipes everywhere running up and down. It is drizzling and dark, and it has been this way for a long time—at least a week. I am entering the building with a group of about five guys, and we are talking about this as if it’s a great adventure. The building appears abandoned, with only pipes and steel stairways filling the interior. We go up, and it’s dark and damp inside. A doorman tells me to only go up because going down might lead to encountering some kind of dangerous creature. We go up, but I decide to go down. My friends refuse to go with me and continue upwards.
I descend and see that the building extends far underground. There are people heading up, and they warn me not to go down. I am scared, but I decide I must face my fear. As I reach the ground level and begin my descent below, I almost can’t move due to the fear. However, I get a strong sense, a knowing, that overrides my fear—I know that as long as I can control my fear, I will be okay. But if I give in to the fear, I will fail; this is certain. If I quit, I will miss out on discovering a secret that will change my life for the better. I know completely and utterly that my future depends on this knowledge.
I pass the ground floor and keep going down. There are no other people around, and even the sounds of those above fade into silence, broken only by the noises I make. I am alone. I continue descending many levels. My fear lessens as I get used to being on my own. I have a flashlight, though it’s getting dim, but I can still see well enough. Suddenly, a creature emerges from the shadows. I see he is a vampire. He comes at me, and I see that he is tall and growing taller before my eyes. Terror grips me as the vampire reaches for me. I can’t retreat, and I start to panic, losing my ability to think clearly. I force myself to stay calm, knowing that as long as I can think, I can figure out how to survive. I gain control of my fear. At that moment, the vampire stops.
I realize then that the vampire feeds only on the terror of his victims. He begins to shrink before my eyes, morphing into a creature shaped like a bowling pin, about three feet tall. His hair looks painted on, and his blank expression makes me laugh—he looks like a cartoon character. A caricature painted on a bowling pin. I mirthfully laugh at him. Seeing this, he merely stares at me and backs into a corner. As I pass by, I glance at his face up close. I am still somewhat fearful, knowing the power he had over me and how his kind could regain it if I let them. But I no longer fear him. I pass safely and continue downward.
I hear the noise of work—machines operating not far below—and I see a red glow along with heat. I stop. I look back up the stairs and then down toward the red glow. I can’t decide whether to go back or forward.