By Demons Be Driven

Inner Demons

What the actual fuck? Was it possible for dreams to cause a physical reaction on the body?

Nyx's head was spinning with questions as she got into the shower shortly after her bizarre nightmare. She figured that the water would help reduce her stress as well as the pain surging through her hand. The area where the shadow-man had touched her in her dream was raw and agitated.

Leaning her head back under the running water, she breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying the feeling of her worries flowing down the drain with the water. She was adamantly ignoring the fact that as soon as she stepped out of the shower, her troubled thoughts would overwhelm her once again.

She ran her fingers through her wet hair, not thinking about anything in particular until she started to have a very uneasy feeling. There was an eerily overwhelming sensation that she suddenly wasn't alone. Poking her head out from behind the curtain, she looked around but saw nothing. Pushing the abnormal feelings aside, she continued with her shower.

Shortly after that, she distinctly heard someone laughing. "Charlie?" she called out, wondering what she was doing up so early.

No one answered. Abruptly, she felt a gust of air rush past her, making her shiver and catching her off guard since there was no window or anything that could logically explain the draft. A low chuckle echoed throughout the room, just barely loud enough for her to hear. Again, she checked from behind the curtain of the shower and saw no one, but the laughter continued.

"Who's there?" she asked nervously, shaking despite the steam surrounding her. The laughter died out slowly, leaving her to question her sanity. She rushed through the rest of her shower, now wondering if she was actually going crazy.

Hurriedly, she stepped out of the bathroom, snugly wrapped in a towel and was heading to her room before she heard dishes clattering in the kitchen. Grateful for the distraction, she entered the kitchen to find Charlie searching for a bowl to make breakfast with. The two of them shared a small apartment together near their college campus. "Morning," she yawned, briefly acknowledging Nyx's presence as she was more focused on what she could eat before class.

Nyx halfheartedly nodded in response before asking, "Hey, did you sleep okay last night?"

"Like a baby," she replied before biting into the apple she had grabbed off of the counter in lieu of cereal. "Why?"

"I was just curious..." Nyx trailed off. Charlie eyed her curiously as she continued to loudly chew her apple. Nyx sighed tiredly before explaining further. "I had a weird dream is all. Or maybe it was a night terror, I don't know. I guess I was wondering if it had anything to do with that Thai food we had last night." she paused to think about the consequences of asking her next question due to the fact that Charlie could get overly passionate about odd and superstitious circumstances. "Do you think it's possible for dreams to have an effect on people physically?" Pain subtly surged through her hand at the memory of the dream.

Charlie halted her obscene chewing and with a puzzled expression, she replied, "Hmm, I'm sure it's possible. I mean, our brains are so complex and powerful that we haven't even fully been able to understand its limits. Our brain is what controls how we process anything physical, so yeah, I would definitely say that they can."

"Ah. Well, that's good, I guess..."

"Why do you ask? Did your dream disfigure you? You look normal to me," she teased before taking another bite out of her apple.

Nyx casually waved her uninjured hand and shook her head. "No, not at all. I was... just curious. Thanks, Char." Without waiting for a response, she headed back to her room.