The Ashley Harms Collection: Circa 2016-2018

Bad Dream.

Prompt: Write a story with the first sentence given (we really liked doing this in my creative writing class lol). "It was like a bad dream, except this time I knew I wasn't going to wake up".

...

It was like a bad dream, except this time I knew I wasn't going to wake up. Every nerve in my body screams in agony, begging for a release from this torture. My bones whimper along to the sorrowful, repeating melody that haunts me. My blood burns dark, singeing and lurking across my immobile skeleton. I can feel the rocky pavement below me lodge itself between each vertebrae as shards of glass decorate patterns across my bare skin. A water droplet glides down my face mixing with other liquids to create a mural with different shades of red. My surroundings are dark, for it hurts too much to open my eyes, but I can hear a fire crackle from a few meters away. The charcoaled air gets stuck in my lungs, only adding to my murderous misery.

"Have you ever thought about how you're going to die?" She asks, staring off into the continuous ocean as the waves rise and fall to the beat of their own drum. The sky is clear, a good sign on this cool, September morning.

I wanted to say something witty or maybe even something comforting, yet the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth. The truth is, I didn't have a simple answer to a complex question. How could I explain to the girl who deserves the best of the world that I ponder over this thought every night? That there is no definite answer because the future can change at any second? How will I be able to explain to her in few words that someone who is supposed to live a long, successful life can die in the blink of an eye because of rash, negligent decisions?

"No, not really," I lie, leaning back against the tree trunk. She laughs, her beautifully goofy laugh that only comes out when it's just the two of us. When it's just us two, the world doesn't seem as important as it once did. She leans against me, trying to stay warm, and I wrap my arms around her, holding on to this blissful moment.

Sirens echo in the far distance, pulsating along to the pounding rhythm in my brain. It feels like somebody keeps sticking needles into my skin as if they've mistaken me for their pincushion. The liquid that once pooled around my body freezes as the air grows colder on this frosty, December night.

My right hand shakes as I feel around, looking for her. She was still in the car, strapped safely by the seat belt, as it flipped over and over across the gravel road. I knew I should have slowed down sooner, should have taken the corner smoother, but I was captivated and blinded by my love for her. It was a fool's mistake, and I was a joker in love with the queen of hearts.

A smooth, tender hand envelopes my own, and I open up a painful eye, needing to see her one more time. Her hair is knotted and tangled with debris, but it still looks beautiful in the moonlight. Her smile is weak and scratches cover her face, but she is still the prettiest woman I've ever met. Her eyes, my favorite thing about her, glistens with her tears, but I can still see the love for me in them as I peacefully close my own for the last time.