Sleep State

Chapter 10

- Ana -

The man in white, when would she see him next? And why was she seeing him at all? Who was he? And what did he want?

Ana sat on the curb of the barren street as she fiddled with her fingers and looked down at the pavement purposely. Three. Three times she had seen the man in white and each time it felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. The first time was outside the bar as she had so wonderfully spiraled down from her high thanks to Christian. The second time had been in the door way of the bedroom, which nearly scared the shit out of her as she awoke to find that she was being watched. And the third time had been just now.

"Go away." She mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes shut.

He never said or did anything. The man in white just stood there with no expression on his face. It was as if he were a hologram. Not completely real, but whole enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Please."

Unsure whether to keep this spook to herself or not, Ana knew that despite her fear of the man in white, who seemed harmless, she did not want to burden Christian with her problems. He had enough of his own as it was.

Ever since that day, when he fell to floor unconscious and awoke distraught and shaken he had not been the same. The unspoken battle that conflicted inside him had shattered his existence, and she wished she knew why, but remained hushed about the matter. He wasn't a man who liked to talk. In fact, they hadn't done much talking at all. Warmth rushed to her cheeks at the thought of how they had truly occupied their time, and any thoughts of the man in white had washed away.

Sex had become a distraction. A welcoming one at most. It took their minds off the illusion of their reality. It was an escape that magnified their senses and focused on the now. It was a body shattering high that was addicting and just the thought of his mouth, his touch, his body pressed against hers was enough to make her crave the distraction more.

"Ana." Her name reached her ears and she was quickly swept away again from one thought to the next. The man in white had vanished, just like he had the two other times before as she reopened her eyes to find the street empty again, except for him. Christian hovered behind her and she rose to her feet brushing her hands against her backside.

"Are you okay?" His concern was laced with knowing. Deep down she knew Christian was aware of what was going on, maybe more so than she did. Deep down she knew whatever ugly truth he held safe inside was bad. Deep down she knew the possibility of her fate, her reality, but was too scared to say it out loud. Announcing what she knew as the worse case scenario would make it real and right now she didn't want to face reality. She wanted the illusion, the chance to be free of responsibility, and the emotional connection that her and Christian had stirred up since day one.

"Yes." She lied as her eyes scanned the street. Nope, they were completely alone. Just the two of them.

"Come, I want to show you something." Christian nodded his head in the opposite direction and she followed, but not before she checked over her shoulder once more. Anywhere and anytime the man in white could reappear and she felt on edge. Not because she feared him, but of what he meant. Some underlying meaning was hidden in his silhouette, she knew it. But what? She had a theory, one that matched her worse case scenario and it sent a shiver down her spine.

A city of this size should not be this quiet, she observed as they passed stores, buildings, offices, restaurants, bars, and the rest of the establishments that made up the lined the streets. She imagined the sound of honking horns, faint music, and the aroma of exhaust mixed with local dining that should be filling the air around them, but none of it could be found. Only the footsteps of her and Christian echoed on the pavement and it made her sad. The silence allowed her mind to wander to the depths of her soul. Somewhere buried amongst the rumble that trapped her was her true self. The girl that lived and breathed with memory. Now, she was nothing more than a body that drifted along reacting to the present.