Out of the Darkness

82

I awoke in a cold sweat, sitting straight up in my bed. The nightmare, the image of Anna screaming in anguish, blood running as freely as tears from her eyes, burned itself into my mind. Pain shot through my fingers, so I looked down to see my fists clenched tightly on my blanket, my knuckles turning white. I relaxed my hands, noticing the ache in them. Sun was shining through my glass balcony door, since I had forgotten to close my black out curtains the night before. Seeing the bright light surprised me. I didn't feel like I had slept at all. My headphones had come out of my ears at some point, so I set them on my nightstand and picked up my phone. I had been asleep for 4 hours. That would have to do for today. I had gotten by on less, and I knew that I wouldn't be sleeping any more with that dream still very vivid in my mind. I thought about what Sam had said as I got dressed. That dreams could be just another alternate reality and maybe Anna was able to reach it too. I rubbed my temples with my fingers, wincing as a headache started. I felt like shit. Kind of like I had a massive hangover. My head ached, my body ached, my mouth was dry, and I just felt weak. God, I hoped I wasn't getting sick. I jumped in the shower, hoping that the hot water would help alleviate some of the soreness, and maybe just make me feel better. When I got out, the condensation was thick on my mirror. I swiped it away with my hand and stared at myself. I looked tired, the shadows under my eyes more pronounced than usual. I sighed and shrugged at myself in the mirror. "What's new?" I muttered, grabbing my toothbrush. Once I was finished, I headed downstairs to see if there was anything to eat really quick. Sam was already downstairs, sitting at the island with Katrina. "Morning sunshine!" Kat exclaimed, smiling brightly at me. "Morning," I replied hoarsely, throwing my hand up in greeting. "You look like shit," Sam said, raising his eyebrows. "Did you sleep at all?" I shrugged, and grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket. "A little." I didn't feel like making idle chit chat so I turned to take my apple outside. I also didn't want to go back to my empty room. I found Corey and his friend Chazz outside on the basketball court, practicing their dance moves, the bass from his speakers thumping a steady rhythm. My head gave a sharp throb against the noise, so I turned and went back inside. I walked past Sam and Kat, straight to the front door. Sam caught it before I could close it behind me. "Colby, brother, are you sure you're alright? I know this Anna thing is eating at you, but if you're sick or something, you're not going to be help to anyone if you don't take care of yourself." His eyes looked worried as they raked over my tired expression, and messy hair. "I'm fine Sam. I just have a headache. I didn't sleep much because I had nightmares. God, that sounds so stupid," I replied, running my hand through my hair. "Like I'm a damn 6 year old or something." He shook his head. "It's not stupid. We all have nightmares sometimes. It doesn't make them any less scary, just because we grew up and know they aren't real." I met his gaze for a second, debating on whether or not I should tell him that I wasn't sure if they were real or not, but decided against it. He was worried enough, and I didn't want to make it worse. "Yeah, you're right. It just sucks," I answered. "Was it about Anna?" he asked. I shook my head. "No, just your typical nightmare. Getting stuck in a small cave with killer clowns while we were out exploring." I shrugged and pasted a smile on my face. "You know, the usual." He cracked a grin, but the worry was still very prominent in his eyes. "Killer clowns, huh?" I nodded. "Red noses and all." "Okay well, maybe take it easy today. As soon as Katrina leaves, I'll come find you and we'll get started on our research. If you're feeling up to it," he added as an after thought. I nodded. "Thanks man," I said, before turning and walking to my car. I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing, but I just felt the need to get away for a little while. To be alone with my thoughts. When I got into my car, I noticed the Anna doll still sitting in the passenger seat. I sighed, and picked her up. "I think that I might be going insane," I muttered to myself, as I pushed the doll's hair back. "Damn it, Anna, where are you?" I set the doll back down, turned my key, backed out, and hit the road. I had no destination. I set my playlist, rolled down my window, and just drove. My body was on autopilot, not really paying attention to where I was, but still watching the road. My mind was going crazy, thinking about that damned dream. It made me think that Anna was in trouble, and I didn't know what to do. I knew that I needed to go back to that house, but I didn't think that I was ready. I didn't know what we would be facing, Sam and I. I didn't want to put him in danger. I wasn't really surprised when I saw the beach, the waves crashing against the shore. I pulled into the parking area, and killed the engine. I got out and walked to the sand, keeping my eyes on the peaceful, glittering water. Once there, I stripped off my socks and shoes, and walked barefoot to the coastline, where the water met the shore. My dream came back to me again, the good parts. Then I thought of when I had actually brought Anna to the beach. That was such a great day, until she disappeared. I should've known that something like that would happen. Something bad always seemed to ruin the good. I backed up away from the water and sat down in the sand, staring out into the vast ocean. I tried to think of anything that I could do, running over different scenarios in my head, that might possibly help Anna. They all ended with me not knowing what comes next, or death. Death was beginning to seem more likely and that scared me. We didn't know what the horrible Darkness was. We didn't know how to fight it, so it made sense to wait and learn. But that left Anna in that horrible place, probably being tortured beyond comprehension. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, but my phone vibrating in my pocket brought me back to reality. I pulled it out, seeing Sam's name on the screen.