Night Terrors

I was on the roof of omen university, the collage that I started at the end of summer. James was looking over the ledge, a cigarette between his fingers.

I met him on the first day, in mythology class, we've been friends ever since. We like to hang out on the roof after hours.

Suddenly, as if when you hit zoom on the TV, I got closer. I kept getting closer and closer, until I was right behind him. Then he went over the ledge as if somebody had pushed him..........

I woke panting and sweating. I was soaking wet and shivering. My brown hair stuck to my forehead.

I had a nightmare! well, let me rephrase that. I had a different nightmare. I have had the same recurring dream of the car crash that happened a little over a year ago. It took the life of my mother and almost mine.

Having to live the worst few minutes of your life over and over again is torture. that's why, after my older sister Lidia moved back home, because I was only seventeen at the time, made me start going to see a therapist.

He said it was just my young mind trying to cope with the trauma of the accident. I say his old mind is
senile, but, he is the one with a degree.

Getting out of bed, I went to take a hot shower and get ready. My first class starts in forty minutes.

Twenty minutes later, I'm going down the stairs two at a time. I almost made it to the door before stopped me.

" Micheal, wait, you need to eat breakfast first. " Lidia said.

" Sorry, can't, late. " I said shutting the door before Lidia could say something else.

Fifteen minutes later, I pull into the school to see yellow tape everywhere.

Getting out of the car I quickly find a cop and ask him what was going on.

" School's closed, that boy, James Harvel was found dead this morning. " The cop said.

" How? " I said, my throat tightening.

" Suicide, he jumped from the roof. "

I thought of my nightmare, but pushed it aside.

All the way home I tried to figure out why. Why would he jump? He had a good family that loved him.

I was still trying to figure it out that night as I went to bed.

............ I was looking at the local bridge from under street lights. The night air was freezing. Again, it was like I was watching a movie.

I could see someone on the bridge. upon closer inspection, I saw it was my therapist, Dr. Patterson. He was in his dress coat, carrying his brief case.

I start going closer, rapidly approaching the unsuspecting Dr. Bending down, I quickly pick up a big rock.

I finally reach him and the old wood creaks under me. Dr. Patterson spins around to face me and I hit him upside the head with the rock.

The bridge shuddered as he landed hard. Blood trickled down his temple, and his glasses were crooked.

Then, for the first time, I noticed the duct tape in my other hand. Using the tape, I bound his hands and feet together, and taped his mouth shut. Then I drug him over to the edge of the bridge.

His eyes fluttered open and looked at me with fear. He started to squirm and make a muffled cries from behind the tape. His terrified eyes pleaded for mercy. Then I pushed him into the pond............

I woke with a start,clutching the blanket for dear life. My shirt was stuck to my back with sweat.

After I stopped shaking and I was breathing normally, I got dressed and went down stairs.

It was Saturday, so I went out back to find my sister setting out on the deck with a cup of coffee and the news paper.

She smiled when she saw me. " Good morning Micheal, you want some breakfast? "

" No thanks, not hungry. " I said sitting down in the chair beside her.

" Are you feeling okay? " Lidia frowned. " You look a little pale. "

" I'm fine Lid, just not hungry. " I faked a smile.

She offered her mouth to argue further, but was interrupted by old lady Jackson, who lived next door. She
was carrying the snowball, Lidia's fluffy white cat.

" Lidia, I found your mongrel in my flower beds again! "

" Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Jackson, I'll put him in the house. " Lidia quickly took the cat from Mrs. Jackson and went in the house.

" Somebody needs to put that thing down. " Mrs. Jackson said as she started to walk away.

" No, somebody needs to put you down. " I mumbled.

" What did you say boy? " She turned around.

" Nothing! " I went into the house.

" That woman has the hearing of a bat. " I said to Lidia, who was feeding snowball.

" I was just letting him get some fresh air. " Lidia said frowning.

" Lets go watch TV. " I said, trying to cheer her up.

" Okay. "

We get comfortable on the couch. Snowball curled up on my lap and I started petting him as Lidia flipped through the channels.

" Micheal, look! "

I looked up to see the news channel .

" The body of a Dr. John Patterson was found earlier today in the pond of Omen park. Pedestrians spotted him as they were walking on the bridge. "

I didn't hear anything the news lady said after that. I ran upstairs to my room, ignoring Lidia's calls. Throwing myself face first into my bed, I panicked.

What was happening to me? Was I having visions of what is to come? Or was I seeing through the eyes of a psychopathic killer?

My mind was racing, trying to come up with as many scenarios of why this was happening to me. It's not like I could ask my therapist, and Lidia wouldn't understand.

My mind was still searching as I accidentally fell asleep.

.......... I was standing in flowers. Familiar flowers. Mrs. Jackson's flower beds. The sun was behind some clouds, so it was shaded in the yard. I started crushing white and red roses, their thorns sticking to my jeans.

" Hey! What do you think you're doing? Stop! " Old lady Jackson yelled coming towards me.

When she reached me she grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. " Get away from my flowers you hooligan! "

Then I put a bag over her head and started suffocating her.

Screaming and choking, she clawed at my chest, swinging her arms wildly. Her struggling got weaker and weaker, and then she went slack.

Dragging her by the legs, I put her in her shed.

............ I woke gasping and choking like Mrs. Jackson.

Jumping from the bed, I ran down stairs and out the back door. I ran to Mrs. Jackson's shed and stopped, just looking at the old wooden door. I took a long breath and opened the door.

I was hoping I was wrong, but I wasn't. Mrs. Jackson lay still on the shed floor, the bag still on her head. I stood there in shock.

" Micheal! " Lidia yelled, breaking me out of my shocked state.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

" Micheal, what's wrong, why are you.......oh no! Mrs. Jackson! " Lidia grabbed my arm and dragged me to our house.

Lidia called the police and when they arrived, she was the one that spoke to them. While I just sat on the in shock.

It was late when everything was over and the cops left. Lidia came in the living room and sat down beside me.

" Micheal, are you okay? "

I nodded.

" Are you tired? " She asked.

I shook my head. The last thing I wanted to do was go to sleep.

" I thought so, here take this. " She said handing me a pill and a glass of water.

I took the pill. " What's it for? "

" It's a sleeping pill. "

" What? No! No Lidia, I don't want to go to sleep! " I got up to go to the bathroom to try an throw up.

" Micheal, sweetheart, it's okay. "

" No it's not! "

" Yes it is, Micheal, come here. " She ordered.

I sat back down and she hugged me.

" Every thing's going to be all right, just close your eyes and rest. "

I didn't want to, but I fell asleep.

............ I sat up on the couch in my living room and got up. Lidia was missing. I walked into the kitchen to find her washing dishes. grabbing a knife from the counter, I slowly walked towards her.

She heard me and turned around. " What are you doing? "

She stopped when she noticed the knife in my hand. " No, please don't! "

Her eyes, the same hazel color as mine looked at me in fear. Pleading.

I held up the knife.

" No, Please, please don't, no! " She panicked.

Then I stabbed her. She screamed agony as I dug the knife out and stabbed her again. Blood poured from her mouth and she collapsed.............

I woke in my bed screaming. No! It couldn't be real! My sister couldn't be dead. It was just a dream. I continued my mantra until I'd calmed down.

Then I got up and went down stairs to prove to myself that Lidia was okay. As I reached the living room I heard hissing. Looking over I found Snowball covered in blood. He was looking at me with hatred. Tears threatened to spill, I wrapped my arms around myself, only to feel wet. Looking down I saw that I was covered in blood.

What? Why was I covered in blood? Had I been the killer this whole time? No, I could never kill anyone.

I went into the kitchen and there was Lidia, or, rather what was left of her.

The End