35. looped terror

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vinnie's pov...

my eyes slowly blink open, and a fulfilling stretch is stimulated throughout my body. the room is shady and frigid. against the chilled comforter, my hand searches for her but soon i realize the bed is empty.

not again...

shuffling out the bed, i hurry to the unlit hallway and look over the white wooden mezzanine balcony for any sign of her in the dim living room or kitchen. "jenae?" i call for her, scanning the house.

she doesn't answer.

but then i discover the faucet water is running in the bathroom. my chest calms for just a second and i breathly exhale in relief. knocking on the door, i question, "jenae, is that you in there?"

no answer again.

"okay im coming in," i warn, but when i turn the knob and angle the door open, no one's inside. it's solely the faucet running.

stunned, my eyes flutter and i'm forced to think quickly.

her room.

rushing down the stairs and budging into her room, I stand in the doorway in utter shock. my limbs feel senseless and my stomach turns.

her luggage and nano are gone.
the room looks untouched as if...she was never here.

no...

now my breath is serious and my mind's racing. frantically and desperate to locate her again, i rush to my room once again just to be disappointed. i knock on aaron's door in a panic and he answers half asleep and confused. "vinnie do you know what time it is, man?" he rubs his eyes.

"h-have you seen jenae?" I ask, huffing my breath from hurrying all over the place.

"jenae, from college 2 years ago?"

I nod.

"vinnie, no one has seen her for years."

"wh...what?" my heart thumps heavily in my chest.

this doesn't make any sense...

"yeah, you'll never see her again buddy." he chuckles, slowly closing the door, "especially after that night."

i never told him or anyone about that night...how does he know?

my throat tightens and i can no longer breathe properly. until, my eyes snap open and i jolt awake from the nightmare in a cold sweat, gasping from the suffocation that felt so vivid. my heart still pounds heavy and my body slightly shivers. my widened eyes scan the room for jenae but im disappointed once again.

someone, please stop this looped torment.

once again, the bed is cold and empty. the sun hasn't yet risen, but the dark purple sky remains lit. i inspect my phone clock and it reveals that it's five in the morning. not in much of a rush this time, i rub my eyes and walk out into the noiseless hallway and gloom over the balcony, scanning the kitchen and living room again. they're still soulless and dim, but for some reason, this part of the nightmare feels real.

 they're still soulless and dim, but for some reason, this part of the nightmare feels real

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