A snap, a shot, and a screech sounded in the dark. Josie ran for her life, nearly tripping over the ground in her haste to be free of the hate crashing in on her. Her chest heaved up and down as she rolled behind a gas pump at a Love's gas station. Finally, she was safe, right?
But even as she let out a sigh of relief, Josie was accosted by a young boy, about sixteen years of age, who wore a look of pure hatred on his face. Josie screamed, the memories dragging themselves from the abyss of her mind, as the boy began to open his mouth. Her past was a cage she was trapped in, made of mangled beams stronger than steel itself.
"You," the boy said quietly, as Josie whimpered in fear, "you killed me. You stole my life. Leave, now, just get out of my head!"
"No!" Josie screamed back at the specter, "I didn't kill you, I didn't take your life for my own, I promise! I'm finally free, can't you just go away?"
The boy seemed to enter a state of rage, and he became a twisted creature, rushing towards Josie while emitting a horrific screech. Josie put her arms in front of herself, attempting to keep the monster at bay, but she felt her arms torn from her body as the horrifying creature attempting to destroy her. She screamed in pain, squeezing shut her eyes, and awoke to the sight of a young man, looking at her with concern etched into his eyes.
Josie gasped for breath, holding on to the young man- her husband, Jake- the only thing in the room that felt real. As the nightmare faded, the familiar colors and shapes of her bedroom solidified, and her head began to clear. Jake squeezed her hand, and turned her face to look him in the eyes.
"Another nightmare," he asked her.
Josie nodded, feeling the numbness begin to take hold of her. "Will I ever be free of them?" she asked, "I just feel like... maybe this is just the way it is. What if I don't deserve to be happy, Jake?"
"Josie," Jake whispered to her, "you deserve to be the happiest girl in the world, trust me. These nightmares, they're lying to you. You will regain the love and joy for your life that was stolen, I know you will. I'll be right behind you the entire time."
Josie nodded numbly, and laid back down in her bed. It was three in the morning, and she knew she had a long day ahead of her. Even if she dreaded it, she still needed sleep.
She tried so hard to relax, but the dream kept coming back into her mind. She couldn't shake the realness that she'd felt. It was as if the boy had really been there, and had really been accusing her of stealing his life. Josie shivered under her blankets, the horror and fear she'd felt in the dream beginning to arise within her again, this time in reality.
She'd hated herself, not too long ago. She'd wished she would just disappear, but Jake had kept her sane, even when nobody else would. She'd been happy for five years now, so why did the trauma resurface? Why did she have to feel like she didn't deserve this life? She'd thought she had everything she could ever hope for, but a void had torn open inside of her. She was questioning herself again. Did she really deserve to be happy?
Josie shivered once more, but was steadied by Jake's even breathing. With effort, she managed to ground herself back in reality, and begin to relax. She curled up to her husband and began to drift off.
YOU ARE READING
A Life Rewritten
DiversosJosie is haunted by her past, and the memory of a boy she used to know. Jake is scared for his wife, trying his best to help her through the painful memories that have forced their way back to the surface. Danielle wants closure, after the mysteriou...
