Lost in Reality [pokémon Ranger Fanfiction]

Chapter 2

Kate's heart exploded in her chest. Blood rushed to her fingers and toes, making them tingle. Sweat laced her forehead and coated the back of her neck. Taking in a shivered breath, Kate's entire body trembled and skin burned.

Breath, breathe, breathe, Kate repeated to herself but none of it worked as the grotesque images fluttered back behind her eyes. She swung her head around in the suffocating darkness towards her alarm clock.

2:19 AM.

The single light source gave an eerie green glow, bouncing off the few objects littered across the room.

The mangled body of the redhead bounced back in her mind, bringing tears to her eyes. Her vision fogged and her shaking turned violently uncontrollable. Kate kicked away her covers as she sobbed. Kate's chest heaved and ached as if a rock pounded at it. Her pajama knees started to sop as she sobbed with arms pulling her legs close. Keith, Oh Arceus, Keith, She bounced back and forth on her heels.

The sheets beside Kate shifted and rustled. She immediately stopped, her raw throat hitching with a small choke as she tried to silence herself.

"Hun?" a voice mumbled, half cut off by a pillow. However, the speaker shot up after catching a half-eyed glance at Kate wrapped in the fetal position. "Kate, breathe." His arms wound around Kate, pulling the woman close to his heart. "Breathe, it was only a dream. You're right here, next to me, at home. I'm right here. Breathe."

Kate's arms immediately latched around her husband's waist. Her muffled sobs came full power as she nearly screamed in the man's chest, "It was so real, Keith, I thought-- I thought... I killed."

Her tears soaked Keith's white t-shirt quickly, but he didn't mind as he began to draw circles in Kate's shoulder with his fingers. "I know, sweetie, I know. But nothing happened. No one is dead. And they were always bad guys in your dreams, right? It's okay."

At Keith's mention of bad guys, Kate's air latched in her throat. Her head felt too light as each of her staggered breaths couldn't get enough air. Her lungs burned and pressed into her ribs in each wail. But she had to say it. She had to say it out loud so she could hear it.

"Breathe, hun, breathe," Keith said, his gentle whisper soothing Kate. Time passed and a great silence stretched its arms around the couple, but the two just pulled themselves closer.

The sniffles slowed as Keith rocked Kate into a calm. She didn't want to, but Kate pulled herself to lock eyes with her husband. His amber eyes made the world just seem that much brighter, and her heart tightened. Her lips trembled as the words came out, each broken in their own regard, "Keith, I killed you."

The momentary hesitation was enough for Kate to snap once more. Tears started to burn back down her flared cheeks. Kate tried to suck up the snot starting to run down to her mouth. Keith's shirt balled up in her hands and stretched out his collar.

Keith brought her back to his heart. His fingers gingerly brushed through Kate's sandy hair. "That's new," he wanted to ask so much more. He wanted to know about the dream as the questions pressed against his lips. Years ago he would've asked. But right now, that's not who he had to be, "But it doesn't matter. Look, I'm right here. Everything is okay."

"No, no, no it's not. Why would I hurt you?" Kate's songful voice fractured. Trembles took over her entire body again. Keith's hand danced over of Kate's burning shoulder as he mumbled reassurance just by the tip of her ear. "These dreams are scaring me. They are getting worse and worse and-- what if one day I actually hurt someone? I'm afraid... I am so afraid of myself." Each word tore at her throat, stretching it like taffy. She folded further in on herself, pulling shaking hands away to stare at them as if they weren't her own. Her fingernails stretched too long, chipped in multiple places, and her cuticles curled back and popped.