The Nightmares

Moisture. Cold. Darkness. I can feel everything deep inside my bones. My body doesn't respond to any signal sent by the brain. I can't lift even my little finger. Glass shards beneath my body dig deeper. I can feel them slicing through the layers, tearing at my skin. My wounds bleed profusely and a warm sticky sensation spreads. I'm not sure what just happened. I tremble uncontrollably. Each tremor is accompanied by excruciating pain. I wish for it to finally stop. Raindrops shoot down from the black clouds, soaking through my bloody clothes and plastering my hair to my burning face. Each drop feels like needles. Lightning illuminates the darkness and thunder echoes through the sound of rain. I lay on cold pavement, vulnerable and exposed. I'm getting weaker as my consciousness slips away. It's slowly getting easier and I'm not sure if I want to resist it.

Bright flash.

Deafening thunder.

Silence.

I jump as if I've been stung. My back burns a bit from this sudden movement. Breath comes in shallow gasps as I struggle against an invisible weight pressing down on my chest. My heart is pounding so frantically that I can feel it in my throat. The horror doesn't seem to go away and continues to strangle me. I feel lost and confused for a second but I manage to identify my surroundings.

Suddenly, the door opens and the light comes on. I blink against the harsh light a few times.

"Nate, what happened?" Eleonora asks, unusually concerned.

She sits down on the edge of the bed and motherly caresses my shoulder. I also notice Arthur and Kaja standing in the doorway.

Not the slightest sound escapes my lips. All I know is that a moment ago I involuntarily screamed in my sleep. It takes another good minute of deep, steady breathing before the lump in my throat subsides.

"Sorry. Didn't want to wake you up." I apologize in a raspy voice.

"It's fine. A bad dream?" Elle asks worried.

I shake my head. Far from a simple nightmare.

"More than that." I look up at her again. "Seems like I'm starting to remember how I died."

The expression on Eleonora's face changes. Her lips press together in a thin line. As if expecting some kind of explanation, she looks up at Arthur. Standing in the doorway, he thinks quietly for a while.

"You sure? Maybe just a realistic dream?" He finally breaks the silence.

"To be honest, I don't know. Just a strange feeling." I confess.

"If you think something's wrong, you should tell Baltazar about it." Arthur scratches his temple.

Elle furrows her eyebrows. Her eyes sparkle with anger.

"Don't talk nonsense. If this is happening, Nate will be removed. Try to guess what awaits when he can no longer be a hunter." She hisses.

Arthur nods in understanding and crosses his hands on his chest.

"You're right. But it won't be better if he finds out himself. Then Nate won't even have a chance to explain himself." He argues.

Eleonora stays quiet for a second. After the silence, her head suddenly shoots up.

"I won't let anyone touch him," Elle states firmly, pressing my hand in hers. "Even if it means turning Bardo upside down."

"Maybe I was just mistaken." I interfere and try to smile a little.

Arthur raises his eyebrow and stares at me for a while, but soon straightens up and shrugs.

"Looks like the discussion ends here. If something like that happens again we'll talk about it seriously."

Eleonora reluctantly nods to Arthur's words. After talking a little more, my colleagues leave the room.

I'm left alone with my thoughts. I lie still for a long time and stare blankly at the ceiling. At least for now, the Bardo stuff doesn't scare me. There's no evidence that I'm getting my memories back. Yet, it's not my first nightmare, so I try to find a deeper meaning.

Are these actually fragments of my life? Or just a form of stress experienced at work?

My head feels heavy so I swallow my thoughts and try to focus on resting. At some point, I drift into the embrace of sleep and don't wake up until morning.

When I open my eyes again, I take in the familiar sights of my room. I feel completely different. Nightmares always seemed scariest at night when it was dark. Morning sunshine brought comfort and peace to my mind so I try not to think about it more than necessary.

Since the bookstore is closed on Sundays, I'm in no rush. I linger in my bedsheets, reluctant to face the demands of the day. The world outside already bustles with activity, but within my room, time seems to stand still. 

Suddenly, a knock on the door disrupts my peace. I don't intend to answer, but the door opens and soon Kaja falls next to me.

"Good morning, little lady." I smile and playfully mess with her light brown hair.

"Come on, pull yourself together. I'm not ten." She snorts. "It's almost noon. Breakfast is ready."

"Alright alright." I sigh. "Feels like I slept for two hours."

"Another nightmare?"

"Nope. But I couldn't get twelve hours of beauty sleep either." I pout my lips.

"That won't help to get rid of your eyebags." Kaja teases.

"My eyebags are top class." I frown dramatically. "After all, someone in this house needs to maintain a presentable appearance."

We look at each other and burst into laughter. We lay for another minute.

"Do you think everything will be alright?" Kaja asks.

I immediately understand what she means. I'm trying to come up with a suitable response to this question, but I'm completely stumped.

"Probably. Everything always works out in one way or another."

Kaja smiles and punches my shoulder.

"You can start with breakfast." She chuckles.

"Five more minutes..." I grunt and cover my head with a blanket.

Kaja sighs and clicks her tongue. Her footsteps get further. I roll around for a moment before finally sitting up. I lazily stretch my muscles.

Free time in this household is a rare luxury. As much as I'd like to do nothing, I refuse to waste the day. I'm determined to make the most of my free time before it's interrupted by yet another unexpected errand or task.