Enemies To Lovers

Screams in the Dark

Character names: Lexi and Alec

"Fear can eat you alive."

~

The fear was unlike any other. An endless cycle of running, blood pumping through his veins, sweat streaming down his forehead. He was running out of breath, his chest was burning. Scanning his surroundings, it became clear that he had been running in circles. But he couldn't stop, he had to keep going. He had to get away.

Twigs snapping under each step, constantly pushing branches from his face. Everything seemed to be getting in the way, preventing his escape. If only he was dreaming. If only it weren't real. If only it didn't happen.

He swung a sharp left just as he did a few minutes ago. He dodged the fallen tree limb and jumped over the same pile of rocks. He was trapped, stuck in a loop. Once the cycle had finally ended, he reached a dead end. His only escape to freedom, blocked by a boulder in the road.

He pounded his fists against the giant rock in a pathetic effort to move it, only to break his hand in the process. His knuckles bled and he could see the bone of his left hand. It was so busted that the skin had come off.

He heard a laugh of pure darkness rise from behind him. Already scared for his life, he turned around, trembling before the monster before him. The girl he thought he once knew.

"I like this game, it's been a while since I've chased someone to death." The women grinned a devilish grin. The man that stood before her was no longer the fun boy she had met so many years ago, and that, ment success on her end.

"Did you really ever think that we had something going on between us?" She asked, her voice laced with power. "You were a mere pawn in my game, Alec, and now, instead of killing you, I will force you to live with the curse of knowledge. You will forever know how your parents died, how you were too busy to help then. You will live forever hearing their agonizing screams, their desperate cries for help, calling out your name as they burned alive in their very room."

"No," Alec whispered to himself in disbelief. The girl he once knew used her powers to project an image, forcing the broken boy to watch as his parents burned alive. His mother and father clung to each other for dear life as the flames closed in on them. Circling around them, the girl held a devilish smirk, satisfied by her work. Alec watched as his mother began to pray and his father held her as close as he could. Before the fire snuffed them out, he watched as his mother's lips moved, she whispered just enough to say, "We love you, Alec, never forget that." Then, they were gone.

"NO!" Alec screamed, "Why did you do that to them? They did nothing to you." He whispered, his voice lost for words.

"I told you, Alec, in order to get what I want, sacrifice's had to be made."

"No! No! No! No! No!..."

~

From the other room, she heard his screams of pain. The sound of his emotions pulled at her heart. Having not caused the pain herself, she was determined to see what it was. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and slipped on her shoes. Making the short run to the room that he was in currently, she stood at the doorway for a brief second before realizing that not only was not only asleep but having a nightmare.

"No! No! No!" he screamed. Lexi rushed to his bedside and attempted to shake him awake. His naked torso was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his dark hair was a sweaty mess. The only light she had to see him was the moonlight from the window. The girl shook his shoulders once more, shouting his name.

"Alec! Alec, wake up!" She shook him more and eventually slapped him across the face to snap him out of it. Once he did wake him, he lunged at her in all the adrenaline. He grabbed her arm with his hand and flipped her onto the bed, pinning her underneath him.

"Alec! It's just a nightmare! You're awake, you're not there anymore." She rushed to say, afraid that he might do something. The dark-haired boy paused in his actions, trying to collect himself. His breathing was heavy and tears began to stream down his face.

Even in barely any light, Lexi could see his perfect features. His two dark eyes, his perfect nose, and extremely kissable lips. She could see his perfect jawline and how it was clenched. His expression was just fear before it hardened into seriousness.

Of course, Lexi wasn't thinking about his stupidly perfect face when all that she could think was that she wasn't the person to cause him this pain, and it sucked, but she couldn't help but wonder who did.

It took Alec a minute to realize the position they were in. He had Lexi, the most annoying person on the planet, pinned under him at his worst. His scared, shirtless, sweaty worst. She was never supposed to see him like this, it was a weakness that he could protect.

He looked her in the eyes as he mumbled, "sorry," before removing his hand from her arm and rolling back over to sit up. He rubbed his face with his hands and took a flask of liquor from the nightstand beside the bed. He took a giant swig from the flask before setting his arms between his legs on top of the comforter.

The nightmare had haunted him for years, ever since he was a young boy. He had never told anyone because he never had anyone to tell. It was the horrifying truth, one that kept him from trusting anyone.

Lexi sat in her spot for a couple of moments longer. Alec offered her the flask and she drank from it and sighed. They both sat in silence before she stood from the bed and walked to the doorway.

"Hey," he said hoarsely, making her stop in her tracks. "Thanks for waking me up." She replied with a simple head nod before walking back to the room she was staying in. She knew that was a one-time moment, and that none of them, would ever bring it up again.

Alec lay sleepless for the rest of the night, occasionally drinking from the flask as he remembered the anger he felt as he watched his parents die all those years ago. And he remembered that that devil of a woman would pay for their death and his suffering.

~

{A/N: GOD DAYUM! THE MEN WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!}