Dreams…
She woke with a start sat up pushing the duvet away. She stared hard into the dark seeing nothing gasping for breath, her heart beating loudly. The sound filled the room her ears rang with it. The methodic thud rocked her as she hugged her knees. Her skin felt clammy from sweat. With time objects in the room began coming into focus: a bookshelf at the left wall, the arm chair with yesterday’s clothes draped over at the foot of the bed, dancing window sheers she even imagined she saw the screaming red paint on her wall.
Five minutes passed as she listened to her heart beat and watched the shadows dance on the window sheers. Nearby someone was playing a ballad, she wondered what time it was for others to be up playing music so loud. Maybe they too couldn’t sleep, or they were having a party. No she ruled out a party; there was no chatter or usual party noise. She listened harder to confirm that it wasn’t a party.
Her mind moved from one thought to another, one sound to another, any slight movements real and imaginary. Anything but what she knew she ought to be thinking about. It was getting cold now she straightened her knees and pulled the duvet around her to her chin. Laying back her heart much calm she let her mind idle dabbling over mundane this or the other before she finally allowed the sneaking thoughts daring to engulf her take over her mind. The same dream had waked her for the umpteenth time since she came back to the city. There had to be a connection between the project and what had happened that night that she barely remembers. She had been to a therapist a few months ago but the dreams would not go away and her memory was not back.
The same chapped bony hand clamped around her throat, the turquoise eyes gazing right through her soul, the menacing smile with no teeth, hot breath hitting her cheeks and some into her open mouth. She was mouthing a soundless scream frantic for dear life. The only thing missing was that acrid smell of ammonia. Alexia was going back to her dream she knew the details by heart now.
The night noises, shadows and movements faded away.
