Wanderers (1st Draft)

Nightmare

Alice

Alice stands in the shower, letting the hot water wash off the dirt from the past three days. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of the steam surrounding her, willing it to clean the image of the man with the red eyes out of her mind. After she saw him she couldn't shake the feeling she knew him, that she's seen him before. But in the dark it was hard to see all of him. And every time she tries to remember, she gets that same chilling feeling.

After a few minutes Alice turns off the water and grabs a towel. She quickly dries off and puts her clothes back on. They desperately need a wash, but she doesn't have another outfit to wear. She walks out of the bathroom into her simply furnished room and lays the towel on the dresser. With one last effort to push the man away from her mind, she closes her eyes and goes to sleep.

**

The man with the red eyes shows up in Alice's dreams.

Alice sits on the cold floor in a basement of a house somewhere. The darkness presses against her from every side, making it hard for her to breathe. She tries to scream, but nothing comes out. Her throat is dry and feels as if she hasn't had anything to drink in a while.

"Don't cry." A deep and scratchy voice from her past says.

A tear slips down her cheek and she realizes she's crying.

"You know how much I hate seeing you cry." The voice says again.

Two red eyes glow in the darkness. Alice shrinks into herself and bits her lip. Someone steps out of the shadows. When she sees his face her whole body goes stiff. Another tear slips down her cheek.

"I told you not to cry!" The man snaps. He raised his hand and as he brings it down toward Alice, she screams.

**

Alice wakes with a start. Panting, she bolts upright. The blankets lay twisted around her body. A cold sweat covers her back making her shirt stick to her skin. She frantically searches the dark, looking for those red eyes. After a few minutes of nothing stepping out of the shadows, she relaxes.

She throws off the covers and stands up. Her feet hit the cold floor, and a chill runs up her spine. She's about to walk to the bathroom when someone knocks on her door. She freezes and stares at it. After a few seconds there's another knock. Slowly she walks to the door and opens it up. To her surprise Rixton stands outside. His dark hair is a mess and he sways a little.

"You okay?" He asks, his breath smelling of alcohol.

"Yeah." Alice mumbles, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rixton studies her for a moment then says, "I heard someone scream."

"I'm fine." Alice says as convincingly as she can.