Midnight Crusade

Chapter 3

"No!" Vivian screamed, watching as the red-eyed creature tore into Penny's neck. Blood spilt on the concrete, rolling towards her and painting the ground below her. She could feel the hot, wetness on her palms, the red crawling up her arms and covering her in the same red. "No!"

Vivians eyes snapped open, sitting up in her bed as breath came in and out harshly. The dream was a haze in her brain as tears streamed down her face. Had she been crying? That was new. Wiping at her eyes, the woman moved to stand up, but froze. Standing in her doorway, toothbrush in mouth, was Ophelia.

"You good?" Ophelia asked, holding her toothbrush in one hand.

"Yeah." Vivian replied, wiping the tears that wouldn't stop coming. "Just a nightmare."

"You were screaming, Vivian." The other woman spoke, placing a hand on her hip. "That's a little more than just a nightmare."

Vivian waved her friend off as she stood from the bed. "I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry about me."

Ophelia blocks the doorway, not letting the black haired woman leave. "I always worry about you. This isn't the first morning I've heard something coming from your bedroom."

Vivian felt her cheeks grow hot. "They're just nightmares, Ophelia. Really it's nothing."

Ophelia didn't move. She stayed right where she stood, hand on hip and toothpaste covering her mouth. "Am I going to have to force you to talk to me?"

A groan escaped Vivian as she turned to go back into her bedroom. "Rinse your mouth out and I'll tell you about them."

"Be right back!" Ophelia got out quickly, moving from the doorway and presumably back to her own bedroom.

It was only a few moments later that both Ophelia and Vivian sat on her bed. There was a heavy silence as Ophelia waited for Vivian to speak. The black haired woman played with the necklace that sat at the base of her neck while she thought of how to begin. "I've been having nightmares about Penny's death."

"Penny?" Ophelia echoed the name, sitting up a little more. "She went missing though."

"I know." Vivian slouched as she spoke, holding a pillow in her lap. "But ever since she went missing, I've been seeing it."

"What do you see?"

Vivian explains her dreams, of how she's in the alley by the cafe, how there's a force holding her down and a red-eyed creature tearing into Penny's neck. She felt strange finally confessing her nightmares, feeling like she sounds crazy for having them in the first place. When she finished, they both sat there in silence for a moment, as if Ophelia was taking in all the information.

"That sounds horrifying." Ophelia finally said, letting out a breath. "I can see why you were screaming."

Vivian nods. "It is horrifying." An uneasiness settled in her stomach, having to talk about her nightmares aloud made them feel more real. "I can't explain them either."

"Do you remember closing that night?" Ophelia asked, playing with her fingers.

"Yeah." The night was a little foggy in her mind, but she remembered closing the cafe and walking home that night. She made Penny take the trash out on her way home, and then she finished her closing tasks inside before heading out herself. Vivian doesn't remember hearing anything or seeing anything strange. "I had to give a report to the police since I was the last person who saw her."

"That must have been fun." There was a clear tone of sarcasm in her words, which made Vivian laugh lightly. "Thank you for opening up to me."

"Thank you for making me." Vivian replies with a smile, feeling a little lighter after having the conversation with her friend. "Don't you have work this morning?"