A Repeat Dream

The place I find myself in this dream is so familiar. It's because I've been there so many times before in similar dreams. They are very similar but never exactly the same.

The only thing that's the same is the layout of the place and the fact that I'm either always being chased by someone or something.

This time I was encountering big cats... like mountain lions and such. Only there was one beast that was so slow that it obviously couldn't catch you if it tried cause it's legs weren't even long enough to get it's chubby belly off the ground. I had an wide body that made it appear to be flat on the ground with legs that were merely inches long. It's head was broad with fangs like a bat, no neck to speak of, and ears similar to a pigs.

I was inside this enormous building that reminded me of a great Colosseum or perhaps a huge cavern with dormers constructed all along the walls. They were built out of huge stones with staircases that lead up to the many different levels, each of which had a massive balcony like overlook.

There were other people in this place, all were scrambling to get to their rooms before the beasts got too close. It was like nightfall, even though, I don't recall ever seeing light in this place in any dream I've had of it before.

I was running across the common area through obstacles and fire barrels when the cat jumped me. I don't know how I came to have my pocket knife in my right hand, but I did and it was already opened.

The cat had my left are just below the shoulder in it's massive mouth shaking me like a leaf as if it was trying to rip it from my body. I started stabbing it in the neck just behind it's left ear. I was amazed by the fact that it even penetrated the cat's skin, but with each thrust I drove the blade in to it's full length, then twisted it out instead of pulling it straight back. Two, three, maybe even four times I hacked at it's neck before it finally let go of my bloody arm and wilted to the floor.

I quickly crawled out from under it and got back to my feet while keeping a steady eye on the beast in case it should rebound and come at me again. I was both pleased and shocked to watch as it raised off the floor and staggered off into the darkness. It looked back at me only once before it faded out of sight and surprisingly enough I felt sorry for the beast.

Suddenly there was a snort behind me and I turned to find that short legged grey beast dragging it's body across the floor toward me. It raised it's stubby head off the floor and snarled at me, showing it's fangs and I reached down, grabbed it by the ears and lifted it off the floor before it had a chance to use it's posture to try to wrench it's self free.

I spun a full 360 degrees and released it to the momentum, watching it fly back at least 20 feet or so, but still far enough that I had no worries of it catching up to me, even if I merely walked away.

Once I started moving again I realized the beasts were already coming the dormers, searching for anyone that might not have made it to their rooms yet. The staircase that led up to my room was crawling with them so I tried to run to the closest floor level dormer hoping to find sanctuary.

I knocked lightly on each door I came too, hoping not to attract the attention of one of the beasts, but everyone knew the possibilities that that was likely to be the case and refused to open their door for fear that a pack of beasts would be waiting for that opportunity.

I was at the end of that row of dormers and quickly moved back to the wall where I knew there were pipes and webbing that I might be able to climb up to the roof. I made it without being spotted and struggled, with my injured arm, to climb as fast as I could to get up off the ground.

I was about halfway up the wall when I heard the large cat trying to follow me up the webbing. I paused long enough to watch it struggle upward a few feet before it fell back to the floor.

Finally I reached the top and reached for a handhold so I could pull myself up when I spotted another cat poised to leap at me. Luckily it was still far enough away that it couldn't just pounce on me that instant and I released my grip and dropped back down the wall far enough that it shouldn't be able to reach me.

It tried desperately to reach me with it's extended claws slicing the air scant inches above my head. I glance down to find there were more of them there just waiting for me to fall.... and that's when I woke up.