Ghosts we leave behind

chapter 7; nightmare

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Returning to the house, Nora felt unsafe that she would be alone that night. She remained in the car for a while longer, battling with her anxiety.

She didn't want to leave the car but she couldn't avoid it forever either. Carrying her things and keys with her, she unlocked the front door and slipped inside the house. Locking the door behind her, she turned the lights on and set her things on the table.

The rest of the house was dark and the sight of a dim orange light streaming in from the open basement door, caught her off guard. In her hurry to get Eleanor to the hospital, she'd forgotten to go back for the door.

Paranoia seeped into the grooves of her mind, her sweaty and cold hands to show for it. But she was alone and there was nobody to hide behind this time. Walking inside the kitchen and turning the light on, she eyed the stack of knives on the counter. She knew where to run to if something went awry.

The careful tread down the flight of stairs into the basement heightened her fears. Her body was on high alert.

Making her way to the light, she quickly found the switch and turned it off. The bulb was extremely hot and she could feel it radiating on to the skin of her hand. Straightening up, she turned and skeptically looked around the basement one last time before returning upstairs. The memory of something or someone, knocking on the basement door entered her mind.

She placed the padlock back in place and locked the basement door. A voice in her head told her to check all the windows and rooms in the house before doing anything else. Making her way upstairs, she checked every nook and cranny. It provided little relief to her, knowing that nobody had broken into the house. What she feared the most, she suspected was still outside the house.

She re-entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out some ingredients to make herself some dinner. Her stomach growled lowly and outside, something moved by the bushes.

Her night had only just begun.

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The dream began abruptly. She rose from the bed to see the walls of her room stained red and an aura of malice in the air. There was a deafening silence, not even the sound of her own breathing would meet her ears. Shadows on the walls felt like warnings as her bare feet met the floor.

She stood up with ease, smoothly taking a few steps forward as something pulled her to the door. The light she had left on downstairs now flickered, desperately trying to stay alight. Nora gripped the railing, looking at the corridor downstairs. Dizziness swept her and her knees almost buckled, making her sway a little.

'Woah', she mumbled to herself but she never heard the word. Instead her ears drummed with a heavy hum.

Nora began to walk down the stairs, her palm gliding over the rail to support herself. There was a presence in the house and for a moment she believed that Eleanor was back from the hospital. It wasn't until she reached the lower most steps that she registered that it was impossible. It was still dark outside and it was obvious that Eleanor wasn't the one standing in the living room by the window.

Nora turned her head so the room was more clearly visible to her. The light reflected, gleaming through the partially lit corridor. She blinked or at least, she thought she did when she could no longer see the shape she was looking at. The living room floor creaked. There were no other signs of a draft and the air, if there was any, was still.

Her eyes lingered on the door, her palms now sweaty, gripped the hand rail tightly. She could feel her heart in her chest. It palpated under her fingertips as she pressed her hand over it for a brief moment as if to check if it was still there.