Nightmares

Awakening

Where am I?

I look around; it's pitch black. I bring my hand up to my face to make sure that I'm not going blind. I can barely see the outlining of my fingers. I continue to search with my eyes for something other than darkness.

There's nothing.

Fear starts to crawl up inside me. It starts in my stomach, works it's way to my lungs, and then my throat...

I scream.

I can feel myself screaming but no sounds comes out. I scream so hard it burns my throat.

I see something.

A very faint shadow-like creature starts to come towards me.

I'm not alone.

Another one soon appears. Then another. They keep appearing and they're getting larger as they get closer. The darkness prohibits me from discovering what they are. The fear hollows out the inside of me and begins to control my body. I start trying to bend at the creatures.

I can't bend.

I am so shocked at what's happening that I've forgotten to breathe. I take in a breath. It hits me again.

I can't bend.

I have no alternative way to defend myself. Numb with terror, I turn away and break into a sprint. As I run something hits me in the neck but I don't dare stop.

The creatures are following me.

I get hit with something again but this time I recognize it as my hand catches it when it breaks.

A tree branch.

I start to panic even more thinking that I might slam into the tree itself.

The next thing I know something trips me and I am tumbling across the hard ground. It doesn't take me long to figure out it was a tree root because I can feel them growing out all over the dry dirt. My foot feels like it's throbbing where I kicked the root but no pain comes. I'm laying back on my elbows and I am scrambling to get up as they approach me. I can see what they are now.

Dark spirits.

And they're all around me.

I finally get to my feet. I don't turn to run even though every cell in my body tells me to do so. I don't turn and dart away because there's something keeping them from coming any closer to me. My mind is racing; searching for a way out.

There's too many.

I start to take a step in reverse. I regret it as soon as the ground shifts beneath my right heal and I stumble backwards.

I don't hit any ground.

All the adrenaline is at it's peak in my body as I realize that I'm falling. I want to bend so badly, but I know it's no use. Every second goes by at an agonizingly slow pace. I seem to fall for an eternity.

I start to hear something; it's water. Water is beneath me and there's nothing I can do. I know that as soon as I hit the surface of the water this will come to an end.

I'm looking forward to it. I want this to all be over.

I soon regret these thoughts as another comes into my mind. I see everyone I love all at once. Mako, Bolin, Asami, my mother.. The list goes on. I want to cry. I don't want to leave them.

I know the water is coming up shortly. I try to brace myself. I want to fight death but I know I don't have a choice because hitting the water would be the same as hitting flat rock. I feel the spray of a wave a few feet below me and then-

I snap awake, screaming. Mako is standing over me beside my bed. He has his hands on both of my shoulders and is yelling something at me. I see his mouth move but I don't understand what he is saying for a moment.

"Korra! Korra, look at me! It was just a nightmare."

I'm not screaming anymore and my eyes meet his. My whole body is quivering and I feel ghost pains from my dream. Mako brings his arms around me and hugs me tight.

"It's okay, it's okay," he says trying to comfort me.

I start to sob. I put my face into his shoulder and just let myself cry.

I start to whisper in between sobs, " Dark spirits.. I was.. Falling. I almost lost.. Everyone."

"No, it's okay. We're all fine," Mako assures me.

I look at him again.

"How did you know to come wake me up?"

"I heard you scream. I got up and ran down the hallway. When I got in here you were trembling and whispering things."

"What kinds of things?" I question as another sob escapes my throat.

"It doesn't matter now. Everything's alright. We can talk about it later," he says.

"O-okay," I say, still feeling small spasms of anxiety come over me.

Mako starts to raise up away from me but I grab his arm.

"Wait. Could you maybe..?" I don't finish my sentence. It's a crazy thing to ask. Tenzin wouldn't like it and I don't know if Mako is okay with it either.

"Yes. Of course," Mako says.

He walks to the other side of the bed and climbs in. I move closer to him under the covers. He's warm and it's comforting to know he's here with me. We lay there for a minute and Mako starts gently stroking my hair.

I'm still thinking about my nightmare. I know it wasn't real and that I should just let it go but this hasn't been the first one. I have them almost every night but this one has been the worst. I thought that after I defeated Vaatu and saved the world that everything would go back to normal.

I was wrong.