Poisoned▸Riverdale

Chapter 1

Caroline lingered in the doorway, her arms folded over her chest. She bit her lip as she watched David toss and turn in his bed. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his dirty blond hair was sticking up in all directions. He had yet another restless night of sleep.

It was normal for her to find her uncle like this. In a few minutes he would start to scream, being unable to wake himself from the reoccurring nightmares. The job of waking him had once been her uncle Charlie's, but it had fallen on Caroline's shoulders when she moved in with them. While she never learned the specifics, most of David's problems was due to his PTSD. It had been almost a year since his last deployment, but his personal demons seemed as strong as ever.

As if on cue, David flipped over abruptly in his tangled sheets and the room erupted with terrorized cries. Some days, Caroline could make out names or certain words, but tonight it was only a string incoherent screams. Without making a sound, she tiptoed into the dark bedroom. David had always kept it decorated to a minimum, with only a nightstand, a dresser, and a single desk to occupy the space. That certainly made it easier to maneuver through his room in the dark. Once she was standing a couple feet from his bedside, she grabbed the broom that was tucked behind the nightstand. Making sure to keep her distance, she used the pole end to prod his arm.

"David!" Caroline called out between his screams. "David!"

Her uncles turned over suddenly, his blue eyes flung wide in shock. She dropped the broom and lunged forward when he reached for his pillow. He nearly got his hand underneath by the time she grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he could move any further.

"David, stop!" She exclaimed as she struggled to keep a hold of him. He finally looked up and his expression faltered at the sight of his niece. The confusion and fear contorting his features started to slowly dissipate from his face as he was drawn back to reality. "It's me. It's Caroline."

"Caroline?" David repeated under his breath. She let out a silent sigh of relief once his arm relaxed under her weight. "Caroline..."

"You're home, David. You're safe," she continued as his breathing started to slow. "You're safe."

Her uncle glanced around the dark room in an attempt to catch his bearings and Caroline waited a few more moments to release his wrist. She watched him closely as he rolled onto his back.

David pushed himself up on his pillows and ran his hands over his face, exhaling heavily. She sat down on the edge of the bed and forced an encouraging smile when he finally met her gaze. "Well, that was fun."

"What did I say?" David asked.

Caroline shrugged faintly. "I couldn't understand you."

"Truth?"

"Truth." His niece managed a soft nod. "Do you ever remember what you dream about?"

"Sometimes," David said. He pulled his covers back slowly and dropped his legs over the side of the bed. He turned his head toward her after rubbing the fatigue from his eyes. "Do you?"

She nodded. The truth always came easy when she was talking with David. She could never find a reason to lie to him. "Always."

David pursed his lips as his gaze fell to the carpeted floor. "But you wish you didn't, don't you?"

"I don't know." Caroline paused, making her uncle look up again. "Is it harder to live with the memories because you can't forget them or is it harder to live with the guilt because you could?"

Her uncle let out a breathless laugh. "Sometimes I think you're too smart for your own good, Care."

"I guess it's true what they say: ignorance is bliss." David shook his head and stood from the bed.