Short Stories

Neighbors and Nightmares

Neighbors and Nightmares:

She didn’t want to go to sleep. She didn’t want the demons to visit her and take over her mind. No, not tonight. So what she did to keep herself awake was sit in front of her door of her apartment. The hallway had deathly chill it was almost unbearable. Almost.

            As she was shivering at the cold she heard the vents groan and sounds of people talking inside their homes. She envied those people, the people who’d laugh and talk and be happy. She didn’t remember the last time she ever felt a positive emotion, the closest she’s ever gotten lately was neutral. She didn’t feel bad, she didn’t feel good, the line was straight down the middle.

            Caught up in her own thoughts she didn’t seem to notice the sound of the jiggling of a key. She turned to see the new tenant, the one with no name, struggling to open his door. He turned to find her staring, feeling her eyes on him. He cleared his throat, which caused her to turn away. “Aren’t you cold?” he asked. She glanced up at him and nodded, biting her lip, trying to repress her teeth to hit each other. That was when he slid down the wall and sat next to her, wanting to make at least one friend today, as he knew no one in the area. Though he kept a good distance away, probably sensing that her aura at the moment wasn’t all that welcoming.

            “What are you doing out here? It’s,” he glanced down at his watch, “11:00 PM.” She shrugged, “I could ask you the same thing.” Their eyes met, a light smile danced on the boy’s lips. “Touché.” That was when she got a real good look at the boy. She had never seen him before, “Are you new?” she asked. He nodded, “Yeah, I moved in two days ago.”

            “Hmm,” she said, “nice.”

            He shrugged, “I guess.”

            There was a long pause of silence; the only thing filling the air was the vents racket.

            “How long have you been sitting here?” he asked, breaking the silence.

            She shrugged, “Since six.”

            He looked at her in disbelief. “Why? And why are you even out here? It’s so cold.”

            “It keeps me awake,” she replied.

            He gave her an odd look before saying, “Don’t you want to go to sleep?”

            She shook her head, “No, because my thoughts will take over and drown me in sorrow.”

*

            She woke up screaming, a cold sweat covering her body. Her chest was heaving up and down. Tears were running down her face, flashes of the dream went through her mind, which caused her to go into a panic. But as quickly as it came, it was gone.  

            After about a minute or so she regained some of her composure, but was still frightened. She sat up, blinded by the darkness, and was searching for her lamp on her dresser. Her fingers fumbled with the knob until light suddenly illuminated the room.

            She was still panting, and soon realized that her throat was dry and hoarse. Crawling out of bed she managed to slip out of her room and enter the kitchen, immediately groping for the light switch. Darkness always had frightened her.

            When the lights switched on she felt a little better, though the aftershock of the dream still made her uneasy. She walked over to a cupboard and retrieved a glass; she then filled it up with tap water and walked to the counter, placing the glass on it. Her hands clasped against the cool cup as a couple tears streamed down her face.

            Just when she was regaining more of her composure there was a knock on her door. That immediately made her body tense and the feelings of recovery washed away completely. Taking a deep breath she cautiously walked over to her door. When she was about to turn the handle the knock came again. That was when she instantly withdrew her hand.

            Curious now, to whom on earth who would be knocking at this hour she leaned toward her door and looked through the peephole. It was the boy she had met earlier, his name remained unknown, and his face was plastered in worry, somewhat confused to why he would be worried she opened the door to find out.

            When she opened it he seemed a little startled. They both stared at each other for a good minute. “M-May I help you?” she asked in a small voice, the nightmare still in her thoughts. That was when his face filled with even more concern.

            “Hey,” he said softly, slight nervousness etched in his voice, “I just heard screaming and I was worried. Are you alright?” As he was saying this he was peering behind her every few seconds to see if there was anyone inside. She then looked behind her to see what he was looking at. Seeing nothing, she turned back to him. “Umm, I’m okay, I guess. What are you looking at?” she asked

            “Is there anyone with you?” he inquired. She gave him an odd look; she shook her head, “No.” He merely nodded a response. Though she was confused, she let it slide. “So are you sure you’re all right?” he asked again. The lightest of smiles, though forced, tugged at her lips, “I’m okay, . . .” that was when she trailed off, wanting him to tell her his name.

            Catching on he granted her wish.

            “Jack,” he said, “Jack Hills.”

*

             She wondered if he was afraid of her. Yes, it was a silly thought, but you could never be too cautious, especially with her screaming. Since the night they met they exchanged greetings in the hallways and waved to each other when they saw one another out in public. But so far, that was all communication they ever had.

            But then the nightmares returned.

            She screamed herself awake, fear coursing throughout her body, and her heart racing in fright. Just like the last night she had nightmares she went to retrieve a glass of water, her throat sore from all the screaming.

            And just like the night they met she heard a knock at the door. She immediately came to the conclusion that it was Jack, but just to be sure she looked through the peephole. Her instincts were right.

            She slowly opened the door and once it revealed her entire body she immediately felt arms wrap around her. Her muscles immediately tensed. When her body was pressed against his she found out that he was breathing heavily too. “Why are you breathing like that?” she whispered into his shoulder. Him refusing to let go of her even though she didn’t return the hug.

            “You scared me,” he answered, “are you all right?”

            She nodded her head. Her throat hurt too much to reply. “Bullshit.” He whispered. That was when he hugged her even tighter. She then slowly lifted her arms and hugged him lightly back. That made Jack smile, even though she couldn’t see it.

            Now tears were sliding down her face and leaking into his shirt as she was nuzzled into his shoulder. The dreams always had the everlasting effect on her. “I’m sorry,” she croaked out. He shook his head, “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She didn’t believe that, but she didn’t comment on it.

            He rubbed her back until the tears came to a stop. When they did she pulled away and asked, “Why are you always making sure I’m okay?”

            “Because I get nightmares, too.”