Nerium oleander

Nightmare

The sweet stench emanating from the corpse was intoxicating. Ivan could feel himself detaching from the moment, the movement beside him was nothing but the trees rumbling from the wind.

He was glued on the spot, his eyes could not part from the sight in front of him, the body was assembled meticulously, the fence was used as a structure to display the victim. From afar, Ivan would have thought the body was a sort of ornamental statue, hanging from the fence.

Why would someone spend so much time and effort on arranging the body like that? The stiff posture of the body was secured by the fence. How much force had the murderer used to incrustate the body in the metallic fence? Lifting the heavy weight must have been a pain, unless there was someone helping.

The victim's body was rigid by now, the right arm bent upwards, the fingers stretched together as if sheltering the eyes from the sunlight, a bloody red tie placed on the pale neck, calling for attention.

Ivan managed to approach the body with slow steps, his feet sinking on the wet leaves, upon further inspection, it wasn't a tie, it was a tongue, sticking through a cut in the throat, such a strange addition to an already rotting corpse, a glance at the left hand made him shiver, a flower shaped carving on the skin.

A silver ring glinted as the hand twitched, the flower turning scarlet from bleeding as a faint choked cry resounded. The babbling grew louder, audible gasps and shrieks in an overly familiar voice made Ivan look up harshly, meeting widened blue orbs as he reached out his hand to grasp her face.

"Vanya, what are you doing?" The wailing voice exclaimed, moving her head away with no avail. "Please,don't do this."

The words were echoing on Ivan's head but his hold grew tighter, forcing the woman's head higher, with his other hand Ivan felt her trachea, his thumb pressing on the skin, as the woman grew desperate.

"Please, It's me, Katya!" Trashing her legs and moving her arms, the fence pierced deeper on her, just the way Ivan kept pressing his fingers around her neck, her voice lowering. "I'm your sister! Vanya!"

At those words Ivan flinched, closing his eyes tightly, his hold on her was lost as he stepped back. Gurgling sounds came from her mouth and blood poured out of the lacerated throat, bathing her chest with the scarlet liquid.

Ivan gasped, the air was heavy and his lungs were burning, he passed a shaky hand through his hair. Not the nightmares again, he had been getting better, the last time he had a nightmare this unsettling was three months ago, why was it happening again?

The empty room was dark, the moonlight seeping through the window, Ivan felt heavy, as if he was tied or chained to the bed, anchored in place.

Count your fingers, that's what his doctor had told him to do before, he gazed at his trembling hands, too exhausted to count.

Letting his arms fall to his sides, he closed his eyes, tightening his hands into fists. The cool feeling of the sheet's fabric on his fingers was real. He opened his eyes slowly, taking deep breaths, the glass of water on his nightstand was real. Going through the drawer he found a bottle of pills, the unopened lid mocking him, this was his own fault.

He stayed still for a while, staring at the wall, his drowsiness replaced with a growing anxiety, what if that nightmare held some truth? what if it was really Katya the person they'd found? what if... what if, that's was the question repeating like a broken record in his mind, he stood up, looking out of the window.

What if he took a walk?

Grabbing a coat from the closet and putting on his boots, Ivan shivered as he felt the cold air, a fluttering feeling on his stomach as he stepped out of the house. His feet worked out of habit, taking step after step without him paying any heed to where he headed.