weak | S.M

10

I'm on a bed, naked, with my hands tied to the bed frame.

It's dark. The only noises audible are my loud breaths and footsteps I can't locate. I glance around the room, trying to find something familiar, something to hold on to. - Blank. All I see is silhouettes of forms I can't defy. Panik surfaces and settles in my throat, grasping hard and tickles me all the way down my spine. My head feels light, but still I'm having a hard time keeping it upright. The footsteps gets louder.

"Hello?" I call out into the darkness.

I cough, "Hello?" I try again. "Anybody out there?" - Nothing.

It's cold. I turn my wrists in the tie, to the left and right, testing its strength. They don't budge when I slam my hands against the bed frame. Tears well up in my eyes.

The floor just outside the door creaks and I whip my head towards it. Light shines through the threshold and I see a shadow moving outside. I hold my breath.

I choke back a sob when the door opens. I only see a man behind my tears and sensitive eyes. He stands with a hand on the doorknob and looks at me. I squint at him through the harsch lightning.

"...Shawn?" I whisper in disbelief. It can't be. My heart beats hard and fast against my chest as he makes his way over to me. I bring my knees up to my chest and desperately claw against the handtie when he sits down on the bed next to me. I feel tears down my cheek as he watches me silently. And then I feel his hand on my cheek.

"Breathe, Claire." He says. I flinch away from his touch.

"Don't fucking touch me." He doesn't remove his hand. He just looks at me.

"What do you want?" I whisper. "Why am I... Why are you doing this?"

Shawn looks at me blankly. That only makes me angry. I wiggle my hands and hiss as the ropes burns my wrists, but don't stop pulling at it.

"Claire," A voice says. "Breathe." It's not Shawn, it's someone else. Someone I know. The bed next to me creaks and as I glance to my right, I see Derek sitting by the edge. He looks at me the same way Shawn does. - Coldly with blank emotion.

"Derek?" I croak. I feel the tears keep streaming but I have no urge to cry.

"I need you to breathe, baby." He says. I crawl up as far as I can on the bed and look between the two of them, bewildered.

"What is this?--"

"Claire," Shawn says again sternly. "Breathe."

"Stop!" I yell out. "Just let me go! Stop!"

"Breathe, Claire!"

"Please!"

"You have to breathe!" Derek screams.

"No!"

"Breathe!"

I jolt up with a gasp of air. My lungs burn and I press my hand against my ribcage as I catch my breath again. I'm soaked with sweat and I feel a single drop go down my forehead and down my neck.

I release a shaky breath in relief. It was just a dream. - Just a dream. I feel my wrist; free and untouched. Just a dream.

But it seemed so real...

I glance at the clock by my nightstand. 3 am. It's still dark outside. I sigh and get out of bed to head downstairs. The walls stares at me as I pass them and walk into the kitchen. A chill goes down my spine when I look into the shadows, just like in the dream. I turn the lights on.

I sip on a glass of water and lean back against the counter in thought.

What was that dream about?