The Nightmare

I had barely drifted off when I felt the icy hand wrap around my throat. I tried to pry the hand away from me, but that only caused my attacker’s grip to tighten. I kicked at my attacker as he lifted my body off the bed. My arms flailed as I struggled to find something to hold on to. This is a dream. If I open my eyes, I’ll be in my bedroom. My eyes popped open, but I may as well have kept them closed. The room was so dark that I wouldn’t have been able to see my hand in front of my face. I felt my ears stand up when I heard what sounded like water crashing below me. A wave of exhaustion hit me when I realized that I was dangling above a body of water.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked.

My attacker didn’t respond, but I could feel the malice radiating from his body. Dread filled me as I realized that he was going to kill me. I strained my eyes, trying to make out the man who was attacking me. His face was nothing more than a featureless blob. I kicked at him and clawed at his hands, but all I managed to do was scratch my own neck. I felt fatigued, as my arms dropped to my sides.

My eyes darted around, in search of a weapon, but everything around me was an inky black color. My clothing was the only thing that stood out against the darkness that had overtaken my bedroom. I looked down to see that I was wearing a red hoodie and black jeans. Taylor’s clothes. Why was I dressed like her?

I tried to call out for Taylor, but the grip on my neck had tightened so much that I couldn’t speak. Soon, it was impossible to breathe. I was vaguely aware that my attacker said something to me, but it came out as a single inaudible sound. My hair whipped around my face with enough force to bruise my skin. I felt something move past me, splashing heavily in the water. The hand around my throat loosened, allowing me to take a deep breath. I could feel myself falling. My legs and arms flailed as I reached out for something to pull myself back up with. I gasped when I hit the icy water. Panic filled me as I realized that I didn’t know how to swim. I moved my arms and legs, struggling to get to the surface, but I was frozen in place. My lungs burned as they filled with icy water. I’m dying, I thought. I struggled to pull myself to the surface, but the water kept pushing me under.

The darkness lifted enough for me to make out four blurry figures standing above me. I heard one of them laughing, but it was a tinny sound. I couldn’t tell whether the voice belonged to a male or female, but I knew it didn’t come from my attacker. It came from someone standing to the left of him. The figures that surrounded my attacker were smaller and had a more feminine shape to them. I couldn’t hear what they were staying, but I knew that they were talking about me. Why had they hurt me?

I watched the emptiness dissolve before my eyes. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking and a layer of cold sweat covered my body. I blinked rapidly, trying to force my eyes to focus. When they finally did, it took a few minutes for me to realize that I was back in my room. My heart was still hammering in my chest as I pushed myself into a sitting position. My ears perked up at the sound of water hitting my wooden floorboards. Had something followed me back from my dream? My eyes scanned the room, only to find that it was empty. A drop of water hit my shoulder and I realized that my ceiling was leaking. The rain grew harder, beating against the outside of my apartment as if it were angry.