Supermarket Showdown

I haven't posted in a while, but I just had a very disturbing and vivid nightmare.  I wanted to write this one down because I actually remember a lot of details even hours after waking up from it.

I was doing some grocery shopping at a supermarket that I didn't recognize.  It felt like a mix of Target, Grocery Outlet, and Costco.  I picked out some veggies, milk, and eggs and head to the cashier.  The cashier made some small talk but I couldn't respond and I realized I was feeling hungover.  I paid for my stuff, but when I looked down I found out I just bought some rotten tomatoes and gooey molding corn.  I didn't feel like arguing and started heading out the door. 

A squad of about 6 police officers rush in from the automatic doors.  4 of them were in navy blues, and a couple of them were in civilian clothes.  They pushed us back towards the center of the supermarket.  There was no time or room to escape because this place only had one doorway.  It was a long 10 seconds until we heard a gang of 4-5 armed individuals storm in. 

There was so much commotion, I figured I couldn't trust anyone or assume anything.  So I hid among the shelves behind boxes and tried to avoid running into anyone.  I couldn't risk getting accidentally shot by the cops either.  It was a frantic scurrying from aisle to aisle trying to find the next hiding spot.  At one point I was cornered and boosted myself above the shelves in the middle of an aisle to hide on the top. 

From there I was able to get the lay of the land and see most of what was going on.  I saw cops in active shooter maneuvers and stances.  Very few shots from either side were hitting so the shooting went on for a long time.  Eventually the cops were able to subdue most of the shooters.  I saw injured and traumatized people hiding in corners of the store.  Then I looked toward the front row of the store where they sold camping gear. 

There was a guy in a hunting vest and a baseball cap casually drag a lawn chair onto the top of the shelving.  In his other hand was an automatic shotgun.  It was kind of a funny image because he was so calm among the chaos.  He slowly set up the chair and looked up.  I was a sitting duck.  He sat down and held his weapon in both hands.  Adrenaline shot through me and I rolled off the shelf and sprinted to the end of the aisle.  A rhythmic pulse of pellets started spraying in every direction.  Everyone: shoppers, cops, employees took cover and waited for the maniac to reload. 

A moment of silence and I looked up and saw the chair.  The place was a mess all around me.  Pellets, shells, shredded boxes and motionless bodies.  Where did the guy go??  I heard boots stepping just around the corner in the aisle next to me.  Another shopper is cowering and whimpering "oh god oh god".  I see the guy steadily walking toward me reloading the shells.  In my head I thought, "this is my only chance, I have to try to tackle him or something?" But like most of my dreams I can't get myself to move to fight him.  I hear a shotgun go off, but it was from the right side slightly behind me.  It was a cop and he was aiming straight for the maniac's head.  I was expecting to see his head blown straight off, but I woke up in my bed.  Chest was POUNDING. 

Phewff it was just a dream.  I looked at my phone. crap it's only 3am.  2 more hours till I have to wake up. I wake up at 4am, 5am, and finally 5:34.  10 minutes to brush my teeth, kiss T, drench my bedhead, get dressed, make coffee, and hit the road.