pull me back | a drag me down spin off

【twenty seven】

My eyes slowly begin to drift open as a cold breeze fans onto my face. The soft and mushy sand underneath my body is the only thing I can feel. My eyebrows automatically knit together as the dark blue ocean crashes in front of me.

"Where am I?" I gulp, whispering to myself.

Squinting my eyes, I look up. The sky is a wicked gray color, there is not one speck of sunlight peeking through the large puffy clouds.

"Hello?" I finally rise to my feet, looking down at my body.

A black tank top is covering my upper half, while black jeans take over my legs. I'm barefoot and cold. The beach is empty, there isn't a single person in sight.

Thunder roars through the sky, but there are no raindrops falling down. The waves are growing bigger and bigger. The larger they become, the harder they crash onto the shore. The sound ripples through my ears.

"Grace." A strong male voice whispers.

Turning my head, a man in all black is standing in front of me. A black ski mask is covering his face.

"Dad?" My eyes widen in horror.

Another man appears to the right of me, also wearing a black ski mask. I can feel my heart rate increasing as both men stare at me.

"Dad, is that you?" I gulp.

"Maybe." A third man appears to the left of me. He's in the same exact outfit, and I can't see his face. His eyes are dark and wild.

"We're the masked phantoms, sweetheart. There is no 'dad' here." The second man smirks.

"Dad, please. Which one are you?" I whisper, looking at all three men.

"Give it up, kid." A deeper voice says from behind me. Chills rush down my spine as I slowly turn around.

There is now a circle of masked men formed around my shaking body. The man behind me is wearing a turtleneck, and his evil eyes bore into mine. "He's not your dad, anymore. He's a criminal. When will you finally learn that?"

"No." I choke out, feeling tears form in my eyes. I frantically begin to look at each man, trying to figure out which one is Grayson Dolan. "Dad, please. Stop it. Dad?"

All four men get closer and closer to me. I turn to look at the man with the turtleneck. I notice a gun is tightly clutched in his fist. He reaches out and grabs my neck tightly while the other men laugh. I gasp for air, feeling my throat closing up.

"No!" I loudly scream while squeezing my eyes shut.

I automatically begin gasping for air, a loud scream escapes my lips. My hands grip onto my hair as I tightly pull onto my locks.

"Grace! It's okay." Riker wraps his arms around me as I continue to loudly cry.

I finally realize where I am. I'm in his bed, and he's embracing me in a tight hug. I'm no longer on the hazy beach, and the masked phantoms aren't near me.

"Shhh, you're okay." He whispers, trying to calm me down.

"Riker." I gulp, my voice is still shaking.

"I'm right here. You had another nightmare." He lets out a deep sigh, knowing this has been happening for the past few days.

"I'm sorry, it just feels so real." I struggle to get the words out.

"It's the same one?" He rubs his lips together.

"Same one for the past three days. It always ends with the man in the turtleneck choking me." I place my hand onto my neck. I can practically feel his gloved hands suffocating me.