for Xander
The nightmares came much less frequently after so many years here on the island, but they still came. Perhaps it was instigated by sharing a bed with someone after not having done so for so long. But curled on the bed between Helen and Xander he was, and when he'd finally drifted to sleep he'd felt safe. It was only after waking abruptly from a dream, part nightmare and part memory, that a panic caught inside him that he couldn't seem to shake.
Sitting up in the bed, the sheet slipped down to his waist, he was breathing heavily, trembling, heart pounding, and covered inexplicably in a thin layer of sweat. He tried to calm himself, but images flashed through his mind unbidden. He was only glad he hadn't screamed and woken the woman sleeping beside him.
Sitting up in the bed, the sheet slipped down to his waist, he was breathing heavily, trembling, heart pounding, and covered inexplicably in a thin layer of sweat. He tried to calm himself, but images flashed through his mind unbidden. He was only glad he hadn't screamed and woken the woman sleeping beside him.