By proxy

Outro: You're already dead

In the middle of the night, Mona finds herself in the water, she's floating around like a seaweed. She feels small waves brushing against her skin. All of a sudden, she can't breathe. Mona tries to reach the surface but her movements are way too slow, which makes her realise that she is indeed dreaming. 'If this is a dream, then dying will wake me up for sure, I need to open my mouth, let the water fill my lungs.' She thought. In a leap of faith, she lets go, swallowing gallons of water. She wakes up in a pool of sweat, short breathed, her heart beating like drums. Every time Mona wakes up from a nightmare, she can't help but think that the worst things that happen to her are always in dreams, perhaps nothing can ever harm her in real life. Mona's dreams: The royal road to her distress.

But then she stops for a second to think: 'Why does my throat feel so tight, as if I was just strangled... was I strangled, hence the dream!?' She recited the verse of the throne, trying to soothe herself. Afterwards, she picks up her phone and checks her social to get a sense of reality. A message pops up on her screen, since her phone wasn't on mute, it made a loud noise in the quiet of this gusty night. It was Said:

You need to come down

!!!

NOW!!!!!

Why?

What's going on???

Mona puts on her slippers and wraps herself around a heavy blanket, without forgetting her gloves. She finds Said waiting near their door, kind of relieved to have some company after that horrendous nightmare.

- 'What's with you? Texting me like that at four in the morning.'

- 'It's fleabag. Look.'

Mona looked at Said's screen, there was a woman in a bathtub filled with blood, probably her own.'

- 'She's a teacher at the school I work at, she posted this on her story I took a screenshot before instagram took it down.' He drew closer. 'I think I know who fleabag is.'

- 'What are you guys doing out there? At this time?' It was Oumayma. 'Come inside, now. You too,' she looked at Said, ' since we're all here and neither of s seems to fancy going back to sleep, might as well have some tea.'

Said and Mona were sitting on the couch while Oumayma was preparing a light breakfast. The twins kept exchanging looks of confusion. Oumayma came back with a tray that she put on a table next to them.

She then opened a drawer, took out a pack of cigarettes from it and lit herself one.

- 'What... are you doing?' Mona was wide-eyed, was she still dreaming?

- 'You know, when I was your age I used to have these for breakfast almost every day, keeps the pounds off.'

The odd twins got more scared and more confused by the minute.

- 'Would your friend like a blanket?', she said after taking a long streak, ' poor thing's shivering.'

- 'I-I'm good.'

- 'Chill, you kids look like you've seen a ghost, why don't you help yourself to some breakfast before it gets cold. I didn't poison it, don't worry.' She took another hit and blew the smoke on her side. 'I hope you don't mind.' She smiled.

Mona's jaw was trembling and her eye twitching, just what in the world is happening here?

They stayed silent for a while; the silence was almost crushing and filled every inch of the house, until Said broke it: