It's too dark and too quiet; my vision filters in a haze as I move around the hollow void surrounding me, searching for anything to anchor myself to. I widen my eyes, trying to see through the darkness, only to be allowed to rely on my sense of hearing. The sound of old wood floors creaking behind me brings my quivering bare feet to a halt. I slowly turned to conjure the thing or person the noise was coming from.Heavy soles clink across the room, nearing my proximity. Forcing a bubble of air down my throat, I stop the screams from catapulting out of my mouth, giving my existence away. The air thickens and fills my empty lungs like lava and glass in a frail balloon. The darkness leaves me nowhere to run and no hope of getting out.
'He's here, he has found me.' I panic to myself. Trying like hell to move or run, anything to get away. My body fails me, and I'm immobilized to the center of the void.
My stalker has me trapped. I feel him getting closer and hear the damning power of his steps getting louder. My chest rises and falls in rapid motion as I try to find an inkling of hope, a way to make it out of here in one sane piece.
My attention is brought to a soft whisp sound at the end of the void, a possible end to my terror. A figure glistening like the moon's reflecting over water emerges from the darkness, flowing slowly towards me. I reach out with a shaky hand that burns the color of the sun. The more I reach, the more intense the burn becomes. But I cannot stop; his presence feels safe and like hope.
"Hope." The word comes out in a faint whisper.
I ignore the pain from the burn, pushing past the possibility of near death. The incubus leaches his body to me, pulling my hand back down, away from hope. "He'll never make it. And no one can keep you from me." The man's promise is a sinister whisper in my ear. Laying damning strokes along my shoulders, I shiver at the familiar touch, at words I have heard so long ago.
With this knowledge, I know who my mystery dream walker is.
"Run, flower!" the snaillike figure calls out. His voice is distant but echoes its' lost tone through my body with urgency. The perturbation that sets residence in my mind constantly reminds me of the danger that lurks behind me. I'm frozen, unable to move under the touch of the man stroking my arms.
"You can run all you want, Mia Rosa, but we both know you'll always run back..." He lays a burning kiss on my cheek, allowing his words to linger in the air. "To me." he hisses out, laying another torturous kiss on my neck. Drawing my feeble body back to his chest, my head, feeling trapped in a tornado spinning out of control with no signs of stopping, falls to his shoulder. I shut my eyes to stop the dizziness from taking over my will to survive.
"Flower?" my eyes shoot open at his pensive voice. He made it. I am released from the hindrance of my captives' arms; I draw myself forward to reach out for him once more. The hands that formerly caressed my body entangled around my neck. I wince at the sudden sharpness of teeth puncturing my throat. And I am pulled away.
Darkness.
~
"Petals! Wake up, Akina, wake up!" The incubus covers me in a cloak of rage as I fight back to uncover his mask. I draw my fangs, and my eyes spring open, ready to destroy the demon who haunts my dreams. "Get the fuck off of me!"
"Whoa, it's me!" The image of the incubus fades into ash, and my savior appears in doubles. I Rapidly opened and closed my eyes to clear my vision and muddled head. With the burning of my palm slowly cooling, my hands cling to him for life, pulling myself away from death's embrace. Piecing reality back together, I reassure myself he is not a hallucination, the dream is over, and I can release the air from my dry lungs.
"Koa?" The dry, doubtful whisper of his name falls from my lips. I retract my fangs and choke back my tears as his face becomes visible. I look over his face, shadowed beard, marbled eyes, and bare chest under my hands. Half disoriented, the effects of my nightmare still lingering inside me, I quickly examine our bedroom; its silence is merged in darkness, except for the dim light of the moon peeking through the curtain-covered windows. "I was there was-." I shake off confusion, trying to find words to explain why I am a fucked up mess. I lifted my hand away from his chest in shock to see four long claw wounds across his chest. "Oh my gosh! Koa! I am so sorry. I did not. I'm sorry, so let me help you." Frantically trying to get out of bed to retrieve a first aid kit from the bathroom and a wet cloth to clean the blood, he brings my movement to a halt by gently grabbing my hand and pulling me into his arms.
"Stop. It's ok, I'm fine. It's just a scratch, trust me. I've been through worse before." Listening to his calm, uncertain tone, my combative will to keep my guard up will not surrender and let him shelter my mind. We embrace another moment as I continue to search and listen for any unwelcome presence concealing itself in the shadows. No one is here besides us and the heavy breaths of our dog downstairs.
His chest loosens the duration of time I am in his arms.
Once I am sure we are alone, I slightly back out. A sigh flows through me, and I bring my hands up and rub down my face to release the rest of the dismay from my mind. "I'm so sorry for waking you and the scratch." The wound may not be deep, but they are there, open and covered in his blood. And I am the culprit of the aggression.
"I'm not worried about the scratch petals. You could claw me a thousand times, and I still would seek solace for you." The V shape between his brow tightens, and I can't help but feel guilty. I turn my head away from his look of concern.
"It was just a bad dream." I quote the lie, slipping farther up the bed, allowing him some distance to study what I was just done to him. To my surprise, he moves with me, reassuring my nervous system with his benevolent touch, although I hear the firm tone.
"You mean nightmare." His grip loosens, and I look at him to see a questionable look on my face. "What's the difference?"
"Petals, you were having a nightmare, not a fucking bad dream. Bad dreams don't leave you kicking and screaming. so let us stop calling it that." His jaw clenches and then releases, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He sits back on the heels of his feet with his hand placed on my thigh. I gaze down at how massive his gentle hand is positioned on me, and I feel weak and breakable under his touch. I can't bare his protective nature right now, not after what I did to him. I'm not made of glass or some fragile porcelain doll that needs saving. He is the one that needs protection.
And he does not even realize it.
I raise my head to him, wincing the thoughts away. "No, I couldn't piece together any details right now. Lets just try to get some sleep." I remember it all, every insignificant detail. The heavy hands that gripped around my neck like a vice, familiar voices that orbited me like ghosts, the small glimpse of hope in the dark ripped away too soon.
I remember it all too fucking well.
"Fine, but only if you sleep in my arms." His hand glides away from my leg, pushing the comforter down the bed. He lies on his back, looking up at me with a boyish grin, and widens his arms for me. "That may have sounded a lot like a request, it's not." Now more than ever, I want to feel safe, and I do, in Koa's arms, in this bed, in our tiny bubble. Even though I am discomposed under the pretend safety net we have threaded together, I feel relieved.