His cold, grey eyes stared into mine, feeling like he was piercing into my soul. He wore a dark brown trench coat which was ripped at the hem and above the sleeves. His worn, baggy, black jeans had tears at both of the knees and they covered the top of his mud-covered, leather boots. His short, dark hair was filthy and carelessly tucked beneath a black, woolly hat. His cheeks creased as a wicked grin appeared on his grubby face and he began to stride towards me, never breaking his gaze from mine. My whole body was frozen in place; I couldn't move and he was becoming closer and closer, until he was merely inches from me. His breathing was slow and heavy, the strong smell of liquor surrounded him. He raised one of his hands to touch my face as I held my breath.
My eyes snapped open as I shot upright. Beads of sweat covered my forehead and my heart thudded against my ribcage. After spending a minute trying to calm my frantic breathing, I reached for my phone on the bedside table: 03:24. I sighed heavily, closing my eyes as I wove my fingers through my tangled hair and then resting my head in my hands. Who was that man? What was that about? My mind is reeling over this unusual nightmare, I cannot push the memory of his disturbing grey eyes from my mind.
As my heart beat gradually returned to its normal pace and I had slowed my breathing, I let out another exasperated sigh. Throwing my legs over the side of my bed, I pushed myself up onto my feet and headed for the door. I tugged at the hem of my t-shirt until it was covering the top of my thighs and ran a hand through my hair, flipping it to one side, before gripping the handle of my bedroom door, pushing it down then pulling it towards me. Carefully, I crept round the door frame and searched for the banister in the darkness. Memories of the nightmare continued to circle my mind, every individual detail of it, as I slowly placed each foot down on the next step of the staircase.
I approached the living room door and silently pushed it open and continued through to the kitchen. Twisting the handle of the tap, a surge of cold water quickly filled the glass held in my hand. I shut off the tap once again and slouched on the sofa in the living room, placing my glass on the floor after taking a sip and then bringing my knees to my chest. My mind wandered back to the nightmare that I had earlier. Bile rises in my throat as the thoughts of the strange man multiply; the glint of lust in his grey eyes as he stared at me, the sinister grin on his face, the way he approached me, his grubby hand reaching for my face... A shudder coursed through my body and I violently shook my head, desperate to force the memories of the nightmare from my head. Tears began to pool in my eyes as I pressed my hands on the sides of my head. I remained curled up on the sofa, my eyes wide and staring at the floor.
Minutes passed, feeling like hours, as I glanced around the room, the dawn light breaking through the cracks between and around the edges of the curtains. I released my knees from my tight grip and rose to my feet. Abandoning my water, I headed for the living room door and stumbled up the stairs, returning to my room and clicking my door shut with my back. A deep breath left my mouth as my eyes drooped and I allowed my whole body to lean against the closed door. As I turned my head towards my mirror and opened my eyes once again, I took in my appearance. My long hair was ragged and tangled, hanging over one of my shoulders, my eyes were slightly bloodshot and had dark circles beneath them and my face was pale.
I clicked the lock button on my phone, causing the screen to flash on, revealing the time: 5:48. Mentally cursing, my hands reached for my towel and proceeded to the bathroom to take a shower.
