Nothing

by Kathryn Hart

Darkness. There's darkness all around me. I reach out, trying to touch something, anything. But there is nothing. I'm not that scared of the dark, never have been. But this, this darkness is more frightening than anything I've encountered before.

"Nick?" I hear myself call out. Silence. The worst thing is the silence, the soul crushing silence. Alone, so alone. I want to cry out, scream, and huddle on the ground all at the same time. I feel the darkness closing in on me. And there is no one, no one to rescue me, to save me from this horrible nightmare.

"Help me!" I cry out as I start to lose control of my emotions and actions. I can't take it any more.

Suddenly there is a bright light. I shield my eyes. It is an anomaly. This frightens me too. What could be waiting on the other side? Images of creatures I have seen from the past rush through my mind.

Suddenly I hear a growl, a bloodthirsty chilling sound. Now all around me are the creatures I have seen in my mind. The Gorgonopsid that nearly killed me, the Pterasaur that knocked me out and blinded me for a while, the small killer birds that ripped the flesh to shreds, the angry, out-of-control dodos with the killer parasites. But the worst thing is what's standing in the midst of them.

Her.

Helen Cutter. The woman who saved my life, but yet her presence causes me distress, as if she had an ulterior motive for saving my life.

And then the worst sound I've ever heard reaches my ears. It's the sound of her laughter. An evil, hopeless sound. It was even worse than the silence.

As the creatures surround me, I cry out, scared beyond belief. Where is Nick, the man who instantly makes me feel safe, no matter what's happening? But he is not here, no one is, except for Helen Cutter and the creatures menacing me. Her laughter rises to a crescendo in my ears, and just when I am about to lose control, when the creatures are about to attack, suddenly there is nothing. Absolutely nothing. Like I have been erased.

I quickly sit up in bed, my breath coming in short ragged rasps. Just a dream. I wipe the sweat off my brow, relieved yet still disturbed. The third nightmare this week. It was if a foreboding of something horrible was hovering over me like a storm cloud. And the nightmares were getting worse.

The first one happened a few days ago. I dreamed the Pterasaur was chasing me on top of that building again, and I couldn't escape, and just before it reached me, there was nothing.

The second dream was worse. Nick and I were in the hotel again, but this time he never came back. He had been killed. And then there was nothing.

That's how the nightmares always end, with me turning into nothing.

I climb out of bed, grab my robe, and look at the time. 2 a.m. Great. And today is supposed to be a busy day. I plan to talk with Nick about finding a better way to deal with the anomalies. And I also plan to ask him if he still loves her.

If there is any chance that he doesn't...

When I see him walking towards the anomaly, all the images from my nightmares flash before my eyes. I grab his arm, begging him not to go, but he won't listen. Why won't he listen? Doesn't he love me, hadn't we kissed twice already?

Maybe it wasn't enough.

I try one last time to get him to stay. As I feel his lips against mine, at first I feel from him a sense of contentment, of happiness, of longing. I wondered if he had ever felt like this with Helen.

And then his kiss changes. It turns into resignation. Like he knew he was chained to his crazy wife, like he knew he couldn't let himself love again.

So I let him go.

I watch him walk into the anomaly, the sadness piercing my heart like a dagger.

And then there is nothing.

-End-