Encounter | MYG & KTH

Leila

"Leila what are you doing here?" A tall middle-aged man dressed in thick boots caked with dirt, dried cement, and paint walked up to her. Leila looked up, squinting through the sun rays radiating from behind the man figure. The intense backlight silhouetted the man's features as he towered over her like a giant. She could only see the neon yellow and orange of the vest he wore over his dusty clothes.

The man knelt down to her eye level, his thick dark brows furrowed. The light in his eyes colored his concerned gaze a warm caramel shade. The man had really long lashes. Leila noted the familiar wrinkles that creased the corner of his eyes. His stubbly beard and messy dark hair that started to whiten at the roots aged him further.

Suddenly her heart clenched and the man's featured liquified in her eyes. Leila realized she was crying.

"I told you before Leila. You can't run away from school during recess and come here. The construction site is dangerous." His soothing deep voice seemed as if it was drowning underwater.

"But dad, they're so mean to me." Leila hiccuped and rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to clear them of the tears that blocked her view of the man before her.

"You have to be strong my little girl," the man said, his tone softer now as he pulled Leila in an embrace.

Leila sniffled and looked up; her eyes finally clear now. But he had disappeared. The sun was gone. She was in pitch darkness.

She heard a loud snap overhead. It almost sounded like someone snapped the world's biggest elastic band against someone's skin.

Then a deafening rattle of metal pipes rang in her ears, coming closer... and closer.

"HAN GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Leila felt someone shove her.

Her head hit a brick wall.

She almost heard a crack.

Hot liquid traveled down the back of her neck.

Her lids were so heavy. She worked to lift them open halfway.

All she saw was a pile of metal pipes swimming in a pool of dark thick liquid.

"Le-Leila-"She heard a familiar voice squeeze her name out from their throat. A blood covered hand reached out to her from beneath the pipes. "Help me..."

The hand grew bigger and bigger. Bloodier and bloodier. Leila wanted to throw up. It gripped her slender neck as its flesh boiled away from its bones. Nails dug into the sides of her neck.

She could smell the stench of death.

The hand squeezed her neck tight.

Leila gasped for air. Her eyes flew open and she sat up. She touched her neck then brought her hand to her face, expecting to see it covered in blood.

There was none. Just sweat.

Her heart was pounding in her ears. Leila glanced at her bed side table. She could hear the blood running through her vessels. The digital clock read 9 AM. Leila closed her hazel eyes and took in a deep breath, exhaling deeply to calm herself down.

That dream was back. She hadn't dreamt it ever since that night with...

Leila opened her eyes. She untangled her legs from her blanket and got out of bed. She didn't want to think about him. Brushing the creases of her shirt, she realized she hadn't changed out of her outside clothes from the night before. Leila frowned taking off her shirt, throwing it onto the bed before he slid out of her jeans.