labyrinth | daerin

THIRTY: THE WEIGHT OF GUILT

Nora

・❥・

Sleep had come easily in Camden's arms. The soft rhythm of her breathing was a lullaby, a promise of peace and warmth that wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. But as the night deepened, the shadows of my mind began to stir, pulling me into a familiar, dark place.

In the dream, I was back in the car. The night was dark, and the rain poured down in sheets, drumming relentlessly on the roof. The windshield wipers swung back and forth in a futile attempt to clear the view, but the world outside remained a blur. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing like a drum.

I looked to my right and saw Keira. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear as she clutched the seatbelt tightly. Her lips moved, but I couldn't hear her words over the roar of the storm. I reached out to touch her, to reassure her, but my hand passed through her as if she were made of mist.

The car swerved suddenly, and I was thrown back into my seat. The headlights of an oncoming car blinded me, and in that split second, I could see Keira's face clearly. Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with a terror that mirrored my own. Then, there was the deafening sound of metal crunching against metal, the car spinning out of control, and everything went black.

When the scene shifted, I was no longer in the car. I stood on the roadside, watching as the car continued to skid away, leaving a trail of broken glass and twisted metal in its wake. My breath hitched as I saw Keira, standing in the middle of the road. She was crying, her face streaked with tears, and as I stepped towards her, she began to fade.

"Keira!" I screamed, my voice echoing in the empty night. She looked at me one last time, a silent plea in her eyes, before she vanished completely.

As I turned, I saw Camden in my peripheral vision. She stood there, eyes wide with shock and disbelief, her mouth open as if to speak but no words coming out. Her presence was a stark contrast to the chaos around me, a beacon of reality in a nightmare. Yet, I could see the anguish in her eyes as she watched her sister disappear again, a wound reopening right before her eyes.

I tried to reach out to Camden, but my feet wouldn't move. I was rooted to the spot, forced to watch as the car drove away, taking Keira with it once more. The helplessness was suffocating, a weight on my chest that made it hard to breathe.

"Nora!" Camden's voice broke through the haze, but it was distant, muffled. I turned to face her, but she was fading too, the darkness creeping in around her.

I jolted awake, my heart racing, sweat dampening my skin. The room was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of the streetlamp outside. Camden lay beside me, her brow furrowed in her sleep, her hand resting on my arm as if she could sense my distress even in her dreams.

I sat up, trying to calm my racing heart, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to my mind. I glanced at Camden, her peaceful expression a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Even in my dreams, I couldn't escape the pain I had caused her. The image of Keira's face, the look in Camden's eyes, it was all too real, too raw.

As I sat there, the reality of the dream began to settle. Keira was gone, and no amount of nightmares would bring her back. But Camden was here, and she needed me just as much as I needed her. I reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open.

"Nora?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

"I'm here," I whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Just a bad dream."