3am
"Jesus!"
Nikki comes abruptly awake in a tangle of damp and clammy sheets, her heart beating furiously, and it takes a few minutes for the dream-images to fade from her vision. When they do, when she is finally able to see the dim, lurking shapes of her furniture, she breathes a small, shaky sigh of relief.
Her furniture, in her room. Her bedroom, in her home, here, which is miles and years away from the ghosts who haunt her dreams. That's all they are -- ghosts, with no more power to harm her or anyone else. Gradually, her breathing eases and her pulse slows.
Still, sleep is little more than a distant memory at this point. She takes the spare blanket and pillow out to the living room, and sits in her favorite chair to wait for the sunrise.
Nikki comes abruptly awake in a tangle of damp and clammy sheets, her heart beating furiously, and it takes a few minutes for the dream-images to fade from her vision. When they do, when she is finally able to see the dim, lurking shapes of her furniture, she breathes a small, shaky sigh of relief.
Her furniture, in her room. Her bedroom, in her home, here, which is miles and years away from the ghosts who haunt her dreams. That's all they are -- ghosts, with no more power to harm her or anyone else. Gradually, her breathing eases and her pulse slows.
Still, sleep is little more than a distant memory at this point. She takes the spare blanket and pillow out to the living room, and sits in her favorite chair to wait for the sunrise.