The Omniscrolls

  Days were passing and Christmas was nearing, but I was barely prepared. I knew that at that rate, I would be busy setting things up even on Christmas Eve. I wish mom was here; things would’ve been so much easier and fun. Mom used to take care of everything because my work always kept me occupied. It made me wonder whether I appreciated her enough while she was still around. “Earth to Violet, do you copy?” I almost jumped out of my chair; I didn’t realise my coworker Ralph was standing next to me. “Oh, hey! Sorry, I was spacing out.” “The GM wants to see you. Looks like you may be stuck here on the 24th, too.” “Tyler isn’t going to be very happy about it.” “If you don’t have any plans for Christmas, you can bring him to our house. My wife and daughter would love to see you two.” “I’ll let you know.” When I entered the GM’s office, someone I did not expect was there with him. “Violet, it has been a while. You’re looking good.” “Hello, Clive. And yes, the divorce has helped a lot. W...

  It was Christmas eve: the most difficult day of the year to send my son, Sammy, to bed. Every year, he tried his best to stay up for Santa. He always complained that he never got to do anything he wanted, and that being a kid was unfair. “Grown-ups can stay up till late all they want, but I can't even see Santa. I can’t wait to grow up.” “You won’t care about Santa when you’re grown up, Sammy.” “No, I’ll always care about him!” Sammy went to bed after hugging me a few minutes later, but he was still annoyed. I wished my brother Peter was still with us; he knew all the right things to say, and how to bargain with Sammy. Afterwards, I finished my chores and joined my husband Jeffrey in bed. I was falling asleep when there was a sudden noise from downstairs. Jeffrey jumped out of bed and grabbed his baseball bat. “Check on Sammy; I’ll go downstairs.” I rushed to Sammy's room; he was fast asleep. I locked his room door and went to the kitchen; I picked up the meat cleaver and rus...

  It was two weeks before Christmas, but I was far from being prepared; the tree wasn’t put up, and nothing had been bought. With the constant lockdowns this year, I had just lost all interest and energy, but I still wanted to shed the negativity from my body. When I went downstairs, however, I found that my husband, Preston, and son, Joshua, had already put up the Christmas tree and even decorated it. “Mommy look at what we did!” “It’s beautiful, hun. Good work!” The three of us then fixed the wall decorations and the crib. Even though it was a simple task, doing it with my family was rejuvenating to my soul. I was called in for work the following day, even though I was on leave; lockdown or not, law enforcement found no rest. To make matters even worse, we were understaffed as seventeen of my colleagues were already under quarantine. It was heartbreaking seeing my son plead with me to stay, but I had no choice. When I got back home that evening, Joshua was asleep on the couch; he...

I was trapped in darkness. I moved my hand to switch on the lampshade, but what I found was a vertical wooden frame. I panicked and sat up, only to hit my head on the cover. It was then that utter dread took over me. I was locked in a coffin. What’s going on here? Where am I? I began to hyperventilate. Beating on the coffin bore me no good, and neither did screaming. My throat was hoarse; I could barely breathe as my body trembled uncontrollably. It’s over for me... I’m going to die here. I did not know how much time passed, but it was an eternity. My head was weary, my eyes were heavy; I could feel my energy drain away each second. Then, when I was slipping out of consciousness, I heard a faint creak. I felt hands pulling me out and trying to revive me. Seconds passed and I was looking over my lifeless body. Right then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to find my mother standing behind me. “Mum? Am I dead?” “No, Tatiyana, it’s not your time. You need to go back to your fa...

  I heard the sound of dogs barking and peeked through the window. Chills ran down my spine as I saw a man with a gun standing over a body. He saw me and began to walk towards my house. I rushed over to the safe and pulled out my gun. I heard the front door open and rushed downstairs to find the killer already in my living room. I tried to shoot him, but my gun jammed. He shot me instead. I felt my life force leave me as I hit the ground, but right then, the alarm rang and I woke up. I felt tired. I hadn't been able to sleep properly since that recurring nightmare started. That was the fifth day in a row I had it. I couldn't understand why it was happening, so I called my grandmother; she had an acquaintance called Samara who was a psychic, so I thought I could get her help. I called Samara and scheduled an appointment with her for the following day. I took my gun with me as well; I didn’t feel safe travelling alone since the nightmares began. When I arrived there, she just sto...

  The idea of being stuck in a parallel universe, away from my family, was terrifying. I crouched and held my face; I didn’t know what to do. “How are we getting back?” Alice crouched next to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “We’ll figure something out, Clarissa.” Right then, a passerby handed five bucks to Alice and walked away. “Wait, did he think we’re…” “I guess so,” said Clement. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and Alice and Clement joined in. For a moment there, we forgot about the situation we were in because of the kindness of a stranger. “Maybe this is how we get our funding now,” said Alice. We went back to our table and had finished our meal. Afterward, we set out not knowing yet where to go or what to look for; but right then, a car stopped in front of us. A lady got out of the car and hugged Alice.  “Who are you?” “Alice, it's me, Lana: your mother.” “I lost my mother eighteen years ago.” “I didn't die; you did. How are you alive?” Alice tried to ex...

  “Clarissa, hurry, it's an emergency!” called out John from the other room. I left my desk and rushed over to find the lights flickering and the machine running wild. “Oh, no, we need to leave!” I reached for the alarm on the wall as John rushed towards the door, but we were instantly covered in a blinding light. I woke up with a headache, and a ringing in my ears. The world around me appeared as a haze; only smoke and faint glimmers surrounded me. I stood up as my vision returned and found John a few feet away from me. He was still unconscious. “John! John, are you alright?” I asked as I knelt next to him and raised his head. John wasn’t waking up, so I checked his pulse: I felt nothing. I tried performing CPR, but it was too late. I had lost him. Many of my colleagues laid lifeless around me. However, all hope was not lost; a couple of them were still alive. “Alice! Clement! I’m so glad you both are okay!” “Clarissa, what in the world happened?” Clement asked. “The machine grew ...