DEATH JUNCTION

17

Pain exploded down my back as soon as I jolted awake. My lips pinched together, my eyes watering as my world wavered. Through bleary eyes, I saw Mr Andrew rush to me, concern etched onto his features. The words he said barely registered as my senses were still afloat, trapped in the nightmarish scene I had just emerged from.

Fragments of the nightmare broke out in my periphery, flickering faintly. A large black bull with a sole horn deeply rooted in the centre of its head, a metallic yellow which twisted up to a sickly green, stood tall. A dangerous aura had surrounded it as it had eyed me with eerie bloody red eyes, the gutteral noise that it had made as it reared back. The strange odour that had creased the air, intoxicating as I had almost melted into the aroma. I remembered how my legs had turned to lead, my arms also growing numb as thick black fumes spread out like crowds drifting on a lazy afternoon.

I remembered the thud of my heart and the hitch of my breath as the bull had looked at me with blood lust.

Suddenly, water splattered onto my face, sponging up the drowsiness that had swept me. I jolted upright, my chest heaving but I soon regretted it when I inhaled through clenched teeth. My world blurred, the ache in my back increasing. A blurry figure held my hand, callused fingers reaching over my own. The surroundings sounds muffled to an insufferable buzz as dots pierced my vision and before I knew it, I succumbed to the darkness.

***

I opened my eyes, allowing the light from my surroundings to overrun the darkness that had engulfed me. The surroundings of Mr Andrew's room came back to view. Once I sat up, I winced. Although the pain had greatly reduced, my back still continued to thrum with a dull ache. My eyes strayed to the window, the sky was still dark, whether it was early morning or night I couldn't tell. I felt weak and I propped my head with my palms.

"Are you alright?"

My eyes snapped to the side and I met Mr Andrew staring at me intently while holding my hand. My gaze strayed to his hand and as if sensing the memo, he let go. Clearing his throat to try to stifle the hidden tension, he asked again,

"What happened?"

With that, the nightmare and the pain graced my mind once again. My throat tightened as I felt the chills crawl up my spine. The cold soulless eyes that had pinned me to a spot caused my heart to skip a beat. I found it difficult to breathe as the cold inside began to worsen, chills crackling along my skin before spreading to the air around me.

"Hey, calm down. Breathe."

I did as he said and a bit of the panic broke down. For a moment longer we sat in absolute silence. Then he leaned forward,

"Are you ready to tell me?"

"I... I... I had a dream."

His eyes immediately narrowed on hearing this but he didn't say anything. I looked away from him. I squeezed my fists, willing my fingers to stop trembling. The nightmare had felt too real. The flash of the black bull again sent sweat dribbling down my neck.

"Talk now!"

I swallowed.

"In the dream that I had, I saw a bull." I swallowed again. " The bull attacked me and then I woke up." I finished and I could feel Mr Andrew's stare burning through me.

"So..... no one attacked you? You just had a dream and then you woke up."

"Yes..?"

He sighed. "Let me rephrase the question. The injury on your back, where did that come from?"

In a flash I remembered when the bull had taken a swipe at my back with its horn and the stabbing pain that had ripped through my body, forcing its way out of my mouth in form of a scream. Unnerved, I realized what had happened.

"The bull... it slashed my back" I muttered to myself, the alarm rising in me.

"What?"

"The bull in my dream. It slashed my back. I think that's how I got the wound." I couldn't hide the tremble in my voice, the haunting thought causing a shudder to extend down my body.

How was this possible?

Maybe someone really did attack you.

But the injury is in the exact place that it slashed

That could have been a coincidence.

"Are you actually saying what I think you're saying? So you think a make believe bull caused that wound on your back."

"That bull felt so real-"

"Is this some sick joke? I am asking you who did this to you and you're telling me a bull you dreamt up did it . Can't you see this is a matter of life and death?"

The reminder caused my chest to explode with anger but as always I kept most of it from filing out through my tongue.

"Do I look I would be lieing to you?" I asked quietly and he regarded me silently.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not very much."

"I can't believe this is actually happening. How is this even possible?" He ran a hand down his face.

"That man..."

Before I could question him, he was already trudging out the door, fuming. Alone once again, the cold stretched around me, the feeling of hundreds of gazes burning holes through my frame.

I whimpered, cold fear seizing me as blisters moved over my skin. The chills heightened the tension that thickened like a cloud over me, suffocating me. Then, the familiar drowsiness came, my world blackening bit by bit.

Then I was swept by the chilly abyss of darkness.

Chapter Word Count: 962
Word Count: 25652
I want to thank God for giving me the Grace to write this. So what do you think would happen next?