My dreams don't usually have a beginning per se, or a set-up. If they do, then I really don't remember. Maybe those aren't important in the context of dreams. Anywho, the first thing I remember is that I am standing in a condo with my whole family, at ground level, looking out towards the beach. This condo was literally on the beach, like on the actual sand. I could see beach-goers passing by the windows, they were very close.

So I'm looking out towards the ocean, and the waves are tall and rough despite it being sunny and nice outside. Suddenly I see something that looks like a fin cut through the swell of a wave, and a giant mass was being carried with it. Soon, a massive creature burst onto the shore, swinging its long neck about. I then cried out enthusiastically, "A plesiosaur!"

My dad then appears at my side, staring out towards the beach in disbelief. More prehistoric aquatic creatures begin to invade the shore, and the reaction to them is mixed. Some beach-goers scream and flee, others just stand and stare. I'm pretty sure a couple of them got eaten. I then turned to my dad and exclaim for some reason, probably because I'm stunned, "They're extinct!" His response was along the lines of a sarcastic, "Nooo, really?"

Up until that point, the dream was whimsical and pretty cool.

BUT THEN...

Of course, it had to take a dark turn. A particularly large creature throws itself onto shore, bursting from the impossibly high waves like a torpedo, and a detonation is heard. Apparently, a nuclear bomb was strapped to the frigging thing. The whole condo shakes, as does the beach. At this point, everyone screams and runs from the beach. Startled, I turn to face my dad who had backed up a few steps. His eyes were wide, and silently he slumped onto a chair and placed his hand against his forehead. That's definitely not a good sign. My dad then said slowly, "It's too late. We're going to die...we only have fifteen minutes." He sounded so defeated, so lost, which is horrifying because my dad is the pack leader of my family.

"No, we can get out of here on time!" I screamed, not believing a word I said. I begin to cry uncontrollably, and even in the dream I can feel my body shudder and my throat closing up. The prehistoric creatures are gone, and in their place is the gloomiest atmosphere you can think of, and people clinging to each other outside, sobbing.

I can't really remember what happened after that, but I do remember the despair and helplessness that I felt. My dreams like to tease me. I get to see some frickin' awesome prehistoric monster, and then whoops, nuclear bomb! Fifteen minutes to live! That may be attributed to my fear of dying, but I dunno, it seems pretty random to me.