A Dream Within A Dream

Freud

"Gabriella, hey. Uh where is everyone?" Beth says hesitantly hands raised to gesture across the room.

"Oh you mean where's your football team? Or the Jackson 10? I've been thinking of some new names." She giggles donning a shit eating grin.

"Where is Rio?!" Beth demands looking behind Gabi with flushed cheeks.

"Oh no no" Gabi tsks, "It's just me and you Bethie!" Gabi mocks. Her face seems to glitch transforming into the face of Dean. Before glitching again, "You don't recognize me ma? Awe darling, that's cold." Again the glitch happens, her face transforms into Rio. Gab-Dea- whoever! They step further towards Beth.

'Rio' puts his right hand behind his back pulling out a gold gun, aiming it right at Beth's head. His face glitches again, half Rio, half Dean "It's just business darling," "What are you gonna tell the kids, Bethie!? That you left their dad for some drug dealing gang banger! With a nEck taTtOO!" The face begins to melt and shift, along with the voice. Beth steps further back, the dinning table hits her lower back.

"What the fuck?!" Beth screams out.

"Look I do as I'm told, that's it. Bosses orders" Beth looks up to see the new transformed face looking at her with a slight pained expression before a loud shot rings out.

Beth dazedly looks down to her left arm seeing the graze gushing blood. Her fingers run over the fresh hole. She looks back up to see his face before she slides to the floor in darkness.

————

"And can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Two" She muttered back dejectedly. "Where are the kids?" She questions Annie from the other side of the kitchen.

"At the neighbors, don't worry. Let them do their jobs." Annie says with a flick of her wrist.

A dream. That's all that was? An incredibly vivid, revealing dream? Looking towards the counter, all she can see is the image of her sitting on the stool, sifting through the bills.

"Mrs. Boland did you hear me?" She hears from above her, to the right. She looks up to see the middle age white police officer, note pad and pen in hand.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said are you sure you don't have any idea who could have done this to you? A pissed off employee, an old friend, and ex lover?"

She has to stop herself from snorting at the sheer irony. She looks up blinking slowly, shifting her gaze to Annie then back to the police officer, "No, I just assumed this was a break in gone wrong." She shrugs avoiding Annie's glare.

"And you said you didn't get a good look at them correct? No distinguishing features... like uh if they were white or uh brown-

Beth's eyes cut to his, slanting in disgust. "Excuse me?" She questions leaning around the EMT crouched in front of her.