Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form, own Jericho. Not matter how much I might wish too.
A/N: This one little one-shot is my very first venture into Jericho fanfiction, inspired in part by a nightmare I had once. I hope you enjoy it, but seriously, feel free to criticise if you see any major flaws in my writing; it's the only way I'll learn.
Warning: contains a kinda graphic (though probably quite inaccurate) description a nuclear explosion and its aftermath. If you are easily offended or upset by that sort of stuff, it might be an idea to go back now.
Nightmare
She was sitting outside a café in the city, waiting for her little sister, Judith, to arrive. They hadn't seen each other for a few months, since Judy had moved to the city, so they had decided to meet up today, while she was in the city.
Heather looked around the street, searching for Judy, who was due to arrive at any minute. A dark-haired little girl in a pink and green dress walked past hand-in-hand with her mother. Heather smiled and the little girl smiled back before turning back to say something to her mother.
Suddenly Heather found herself thrown forward onto the ground, where she hit her head on the pavement. She was struggling to breathe, but the air was too thin and burning, too dry. She could hear nothing but a high-pitched ringing in her ears. Heather felt a heavy throbbing on her forehead and numbly raised a hand to it, the numbness growing as she pulled her hand away and discovered it was covered in blood.
She managed to pull herself to her feet, employing the overturned table as a support, and turned around to face the direction of the explosion. Heather's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she registered the enormous mushroom-shaped cloud that now towered over her.
No, she thought still strangely numb, this can't be happening
She looked down from the cloud and found herself surrounded by people, all running past her, away from the cloud. She saw their unfamiliar faces contorted in fear, mouths open and screaming silently, or so it seemed to Heather's deafened ears. Something caught her eye… something green and pink.
The little girl lay perfectly still and alone on the pavement, oblivious to the panicked people rushing around her, past her, over her. As Heather ran to the child and lifted her limp form from the ground, blood began to run from her tiny nose and ears. The numbness Heather had been feeling began to crack, allowing pure horror and panic to seep in.
"Heather," a voice called.
She looked up immediately, searching for its owner.
"Judith? Judy?" she called back.
"Heather!"
Heather turned around, the little girl still light and eerily flaccid in her arms.
"Heather?" a different voice whispered.
She looked back at the child, starting in something akin to fear when she realised the child's eyes were open. Open but blank. Dead, she thought.
The panic that had been building up inside Heather suddenly broke free.
She screamed.
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"Heather!" A male voice called her name, "Heather!"
She stopped struggling against the strong, warm arms that enveloped her, as her sleep-slowed brain finally identified the voice's owner.
"Jake?" she asked, opening her eyes as she fought to slow her breathing and heartbeat.
"Heather," he said sounding relieved, "You were having a nightmare."
Heather looked around, finding herself in the Greens' living room where she'd fallen asleep earlier. Wrapped in Jake Green's arms. In his lap.
That's new, she thought. She could feel the blush creeping up her face and was suddenly glad for the cover of darkness provided by the lack of electricity.
"Oh," Heather replied, her voice sounding shaky to even her own ears.
"You were screaming," Jake informed her, adding in a tone that suggested he might be smirking, "and you hit me."
"I did? Sorry." Heather apologised, blushing harder in embarrassment.
"Are you okay?" he asked, now sounding concerned.
"I-," Heather started, "I dreamt I was there. When it happened."
"The bomb?" he asked, hugging her more tightly to himself.
Heather nodded wordlessly, her head against his shoulder and Jake started rubbing her back.
"There was a little girl." she mumbled, "And I couldn't find Judy"
"Judy?" Jake asked.
"My little sister," Heather clarified.
"It was horrible," she stated numbly.
"I know," Jake said quietly.
"You too?" Heather asked, looking up at him.
Jake merely nodded. Heather wrapped her arms around him as they sat together in the darkness.
"I wish we could wake up," Jake whispered some time later.
"Me too," Heather whispered sadly.
The End.