1.Torture

1.TORTURE

“Remember the good times...” I whispered softly to myself. It was useless though I did this everynight before I went to bed. I’d break out in a cold sweat and fall asleep halfway through my reassuring words. Then I’d wake up screaming and crying within a current of hot strikes, and a dull pain, and my body is taken captive as I’m engulfed by the Dream.

Darkness. It always starts like this and then I see him.

“Daddy,” I called. They were in what seemed to be the kitchen, arguing the same way I’d seen it a thousand times before. Their shadows dancing across the wall, I’ve had this dream enough times to know what happens next. The scenes play across my eyelids, anger, sadness, fear, and pain all race for a grab at my soul. Doubled over in an overwhelming sensation and I cried out in a silent scream hoping someone would hear it.

Breathless, I lay on the floor curled into a ball and clutching my sides for support. I couldn’t breathe and it was all I could do to force my lungs to swallow the air. Seconds seemed like minutes, minutes like hours, and hours like days but still I lay there finding no strength or energy within me to move. So the darkness began to eat away at me more and more I found myself feeling emptier than before. I didn’t need a phone call or a witness to know what had happened. I failed him again I thought to myself. He was gone.


Syeena... Syeena…? Wake up! I see… Later... I’m leaving now... I’m closing the door now… here I go…

I heard the door creak shut still in my half dreaming state my eyes fluttered open. I was writhing in my sleep and when I felt his warm embrace encircle me a shock like electricity it coursed through my veins making every part of me tingle with delight and I ached for more. Like he read my thoughts he held me close and I immersed myself in his warm glow. I tried to think about what it would be like to wake up without his warm impermeable arms to grasp me and confine me to him. I felt a wave of gratitude towards Rick. I loved him with every fiber of my being I didn’t want this to end. I never did but everything ends they always do.

Always. The word echoed bouncing off the walls of my mind. Then it started to sink in I would always have to go through this pain this dull scorching throbbing aching pain until my body couldn’t bear it until I finally let it win, until I let it control me, and like a child I started to sob big fat juicy cry-baby tears rolled down my cheeks and onto his shoulder. I cried until my body quaked with the intensity I cried until it hurt I cried until my body went completely numb from shaking. When I was done, my voice hoarse from the tears, he just pulled me tighter to him and we stayed like that until the sun set in the sky and we could see its orangey light shine from behind the tall corporate buildings of New York and disappear behind them into the west.

“You woke up really late, missed breakfast I made French toast, bacon, and eggs. Even a fruit salad for you…” he told me. I didn’t think I could talk yet without my voice croaking, so I nodded in reply.

“Was it that dream again, Syeena?” he asked his voice thick with worry he cared and that much was obvious in the way he touched me, it was clear in everything he did that he loved me. I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t. I wanted to deny it to let him know I was strong that I could handle myself that the Dream didn’t make me as tired as I seemed. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t weak that it had nothing to do with any of that, that my Dad dying didn’t affect me in anyway. I needed to tell him sorrow wasn’t the cause. But that didn’t matter he already knew the answer. He knew my truth.

“It’s already time, huh?” I said solemnly. He tensed.

“How can you tell?” he asked voice strained and looking down at me. I looked back at him only to feel a lump rising in my throat instantly dissolved by the power that radiated through the room. I thought I saw shadows swirling around me taking a form all too foreign to me. They were ready to consume me in the pain that the Dream always brought.

Taking away whatever shred was left in any hope of ever feeling safe. The pain struck me flooding my skull and darkness clouded the edges of my vision. The last things I remember seeing was Rick kneeling over my body pleading with me begging for me to stay just a little longer. A frightened panicked look, and tear lines streaking down, etched into his perfect face. The moon in my favorite shape the Crescent smiled its good -bye down at me from the black void of night. I smiled back and left the world behind me.

Reviews

[R. L. Hill]

This is an amazing concept so far. I think this has potential to become something really good. I would not begin with a quote though. An opening line should hold a punch. It needs to capture immediate attention. "Darkness. It always starts like this." You can develop your thoughts from there. I think you should also attempt to shorten particular sentences that may become muddled with grammar/punctuation. A dream is easily manipulated.

[Meraki]

Oh I see I'll take that into account. Thank you so much.

[Laur]

I really love this, it pulled me right in. Great descriptions! I look forward to more :)