Night Terrors

Suzanna bolted upright, her body trembling and drenched with sweat. She could still feel the demon’s breath on her neck and flames kissing her skin, and shivered. This nightmare came every night, and she woke at 5am daily as a result.

While rubbing eyes surrounded by the dark circles of sleep deprivation, Suzanna rolled herself out of bed to go to splash cool water across her tired face.

“I wish these dreams would stop,” she thought to herself. “Maybe I should see a doctor?”

After tossing on a set of sweats, Suzanna headed out to her car, and eased herself into the driver’s seat. Driving up to Lakeshore Point as the sun rose always helped her shake off the remnants of her disturbing nightmares.

The morning was dark as she backed out of her driveway, the streets filled with a dense fog. Suzanna kept her high-beams on as she drove at a leisurely pace down the gravel country road. She was grateful for the shallow potholes that jostled her as she went, keeping her alert. With the thickness of the fog, she couldn’t afford to be too distracted.

Suzanna looked around again, realising that the fog was abating. She pulled at the collar of her hoodie, becoming uncomfortable in the growing warmth of the morning. The sky was still unusually black with night, but she could see the waves of heat mirage forming in front of her car.

Sweat streamed down her face as the heat intensified, although the morning darkened further. The waves of the heat mirage tinted red, and crashed against her car like the sea against a boat. At the end of the road, she could see flames rising.

Suzanna tried to hit the brakes, but the car coasted towards the doom of her prophetic dreams.