It Was Just a Dream

It Was Just a Dream
Written for: "Invalid Item" 
Word Count: 1,532

This story was inspired by my nightmares. I don't know what causes the nightmares and I don't have them very often. They're usually quite different, but the one thing they all have in common is the fact that I can't wake up. Or rather, every time I do wake up I'm still in the dream. It's difficult to explain... read the story and you'll understand, hopefully. Enjoy!

         Kayla shivered and pulled the covers tighter around her shoulders, snuggling into their warmth to keep the chilly air away. Why is it so cold? She sat up slowly, groggily, and glanced around her room as a sleepy yawn escaped her. After blinking rapidly a few times, her eyes were able to focus on the root of her problem. Did I open the window? She couldn’t remember, but she was too tired to care. A bleary glance at her clock told her she should be deep in REM sleep, rather than stumbling across her messy bedroom to shut the window.
         The air was even chillier by the window and harsh shivers wracked her body as she shoved the stubborn pane down and forced the latch into the locked position. Then she scurried back to her bed and dove into the warmth of her down comforter, desperate to be comfortable once more. Just as she’d finally managed to swaddle herself, a noise from the direction of her attached bathroom forced her back into a sitting position. What the fuck? Her heart raced in her chest and she held her breath, listening intently.
         It sounded like… There it was again! It sounded like something sharp being dragged across the tiles in her bathroom. Seriously, what the fuck? Kayla crept out of bed again, trying to be as silent as possible. She shot a suspicious glare at the window she’d just shut—the window she didn’t remember opening. The noise sounded again but louder, closer this time. Startled, Kayla cried out and pressed her hand against her mouth.
         Finally she stood at the doorway of her bathroom—knees trembling in fear, heart racing with adrenaline, hand secured firmly against her mouth. It was dark. It was darker than it should have been. Before she could contemplate why her bathroom, which also had a window, was pitch-black while her room was bathed in gentle moonlight, the world exploded. Or at least that’s was it seemed like to Kayla.
         She heard the scraping sound for a fourth time, only now it was accompanied by a hungry snarl. Something collided heavily with her stomach, knocking her onto her back as the air left her lungs in a rush. Her head smacked against the ground and stars burst across her vision as she fought to fill her lungs with air. Her shoulder and chest were instantly aflame with pain. The only sounds she could hear were snarls and growls. Everything hurt. No! She couldn’t breathe well enough to scream.
         Finally she squeezed her eyes shut and managed to drag a gulp of air into her lungs and let it out in the loudest scream of agony she could muster, shoving against her attacker in an attempt to sit up. Much to her surprise it worked. Wait… She glanced around herself wildly, adrenaline making her movements quick and jerky. She panted heavily, terrified that she’d lose the ability to breathe again if she wasn’t careful.
         She was sitting on her bed. How…? A full-body shiver interrupted her thought. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to calm down, but when her eyes focused on the open window that seemed impossible. She leapt out of bed and ran to the window, violently slamming it closed as her heart hammered in her chest. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. She glared at the window and fought the urge to shatter it with her fist, blaming it for the terrifying nightmare she’d just suffered through.
         When she passed the bathroom on the way back to her bed she gave it a wide berth. Her pulse was still racing with fear and she hadn’t completely convinced herself that her experience had been a figment of her imagination. The scraping sound coming from the bathroom seemed to confirm her fears. She swallowed the scream trying to escape her and made a dash for the door to her bedroom. I need some coffee. She thought hurriedly, needing an excuse to get out of the room. Just as she reached the handle, though…
         She screamed when she heard the now-familiar snarl. Something raked down her back, tearing her shirt and the flesh beneath it. She fumbled with the doorknob in desperation, screaming incoherently as a heavy, solid object pinned her against the door. Something wet snarled in her ear, the back of her neck exploded in pain. It felt like pieces of her flesh were being torn violently from her body.
         “Somebody help me!” She cried out in a hoarse voice, sobbing brokenly as her world became consumed with pain and fear.
         Suddenly her stomach flipped and the world tilted. Her back slammed against something hard, flat, and solid. Her eyes flew open.
         She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, tangled in her blankets, on the floor next to her bed. Her breath came in short, quick gasps and shudders. Her eyes darted around her room frantically. Her shaking hands fought to detangle herself from the blankets. Her cheeks were wet with tears and her throat was sore from screaming. I swear to God, if the window is open… It was. She scrambled out of the blankets, fighting the urge to scream again.
         This time she didn’t bother closing the window. Instead she ran for the door to her room and stumbled out into the hallway, feeling disoriented and confused. She shut the door behind her to keep whatever demon was haunting her trapped inside.
         “Jason!” She screeched, falling against her roommate’s door. She banged on the wood hard enough to make it shake as she screamed his name in terror. Finally, common sense returned to her and she tried the door knob. It was unlocked. “Jason!” She cried as she rushed into the pitch-black room.
         There weren’t even any snarls to warn her before she was thrown against the door frame, her head colliding with the wood. She screamed but the sound was choked off as something powerful and sharp clamped itself around her throat. Her hands met coarse fur as she tried in vain to force her attacker away before he could rip her throat out. I’m going to die. Holy shit I’m going to die! She never gave up trying to scream and when one finally echoed in her ears, she knew she was back in her bed.
         “Kayla!” A familiar voice yelled, concerned. Kayla opened her eyes to see Jason leaning over her, gripping her forearms painfully and shaking her. She tried to look past him, to see if the window was open, but he blocked her view. “Kayla, are you okay?”
         “The window,” She croaked out. He just shook his head, perplexed.
         “It was just a dream. Are you awake now?” He didn’t let go of her arms. His grip was painful.
         “The window,” She said again, trying to sit up to see around him.
         “Kayla…” His voice changed as he said her name. By the last syllable, it was practically a snarl. When she returned her eyes to him a large black wolf had taken his place, pinning her to the bed with massive, clawed paws. He growled at her, baring deadly-looking teeth in a powerful jaw, drooling at the scent of her flesh…
         She screamed as he lunged for her with a snarl, his jaws clamping around her throat.
         “No!” She screeched at the top of her lungs, but the pain never came. She opened her eyes to find herself sitting up in bed once more, panting and crying and shivering. The window was open, but she was too broken to do anything about it. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed openly, confused and terrified.
         “Kayla?” Asked a voice from the doorway. Jason swung the door open and stuck his head in, looking like he just rolled out of bed. “I heard you scream. Is everything okay?” He squinted through the darkness and caught sight of her, or perhaps he heard her sobbing. “Whoa! What happened?” He hurried into the room, only to pause and wrap his arms around his bare chest. “Wait, why is it so cold?” The reminder of what had started the whole nightmare made Kayla sob harder. “Hold on.” Jason muttered, picking his way across the messy floor of her room to shut the window. Then he crossed to her bed and perched on the edge, looking at her with concern. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
         “There was a wolf.” She whispered, trying her best to calm down. If this was another dream, I’d be dead by now right? She took long, deep breaths before continuing. “The window was open, and there was a wolf. And every time he killed me I’d wake up still in the dream and he’d kill me again. And you were a wolf. And… and…”
         “It was just a dream.” He told her confidently, patting her head awkwardly.
         “Yeah.” She agreed, taking a few more deep breaths. “It was just a dream.”
         It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream…