Freaky Dreams

This is going to be a weird post, so consider yourself warned!

Okay, I've had some weird dreams in my life, but never have I had a dream that was so real that it carried over into my life. Rarely do I dream about the details, or remember them, which is why this one upset me so much.

Last night I dreamed that a man came to our office building and started shooting people for the hell of it.

The dream opens, and I'm sitting in the conference room in a meeting. It was definitely our office building, though the layout of our office suite was different than it really is. But I specifically remember the people who were there...for example, our receptionist Jan was there at the front desk, but her hair was different. I remember what the spreadsheet looked like that we were going over. We had clients in the office going through some contracts with us, and our HR guy warned us of the shooter by printing out a memo and handing it out casually, like he shouldn't interrupt important business going on.

The shooter was on the 5th floor (I know, like why would I remember that?). I started to run, but I remember going back to my desk to get my purse so that I'd have my car keys. I could hear the elevator ding signaling its arrival on a floor below us, and heard yelling and gunshots.

I remember climbing out a window with a few other women in the office (even though we're on the 12th floor and our windows don't open), but anyway, we crawled out a window and down a brick wall that sloped down to the street. It was dark outside, even though it was mid-morning. Once we got to the sidewalk, you could hear this guy yelling from inside the building, and I turned and looked up at the building and could see the spark of the gunshots through the window because the lights were off in the building. We started running.

There were people laying face down in the grass and hiding all over the place right outside the building. I kept thinking, why are they still here, why don't they keep running? It's like it was a car accident, and everyone has to slow down to see what's going on. Everyone was glued to watching it unfold.

Then almost instantaneously, he was outside shooting those same people, and since we kept running, he came after us because he could hear Judy's heels hitting the sidewalk (remember, it's dark so he couldn't really see us). I kept trying to tell her to run quietly so he couldn't hear us, but she wouldn't listen so he kept following.

We got to my car and I was desperately trying to unlock it, but he was right behind us...then I woke up.

I laid awake for a long time, too scared to fall back asleep because I could still see him in my mind. He was ethnic, though I can't say if he was Asian, or Hispanic, or Middle Eastern, though he did not have an accent, but he was wearing a black ball cap and a yellow shirt and jeans.

After I started to drift off, I was back in the office again, frantically looking for a place to hide (it's like one of those books where you get to choose the ending...I got to choose a different reaction). I first thought that I need to turn the light off in my office so he thinks I'm not there to look for. Then I grab my purse for the same reason, and then debate which is the better hiding spot...the file room that has a lockable door and lots of boxes full of paper to hide behind, or underneath my desk. Then I woke up again.

I laid there a little longer, then drifted off again. This time I was back at my car, but not with my co-workers, rather girls I grew up with and haven't spoken to in years. The shooter hadn't come outside yet though. We were hiding behind my car because I was afraid that trying to drive away would just attract his attention. But Lindsey wasn't keeping quiet or hiding. She was sitting straight up trying to have a conversation with us, and he found us that way. I woke up again for the last time and stayed awake all night with scenarios running through my head.

I finally fell asleep at a little after 5:00, and DH's alarm went off at 5:30. I was so scared that it was a premonition, that I had a hard time coming in to work today. How do you call in for that? "Sorry, I can't come to work today because I'm pretty sure some dude is gonna shoot up the place, but y'all have a great day! Hope you survive and I see ya tomorrow!"

I had to call DH and ask him what I should do. Of course, he's my voice of reason and always has to remind me that God is in control. If it's my time to go, then it's my time to go, but I just have to trust Him to protect me. But it was very weird walking into the office this morning with my dream playing out in my head. Even more strange that as I sit here and type I can look across the hall and see that file room with the door standing wide open.

So far, so good, though. No maniacal killers on the loose as of yet.

See, I told you it was freaky.