The Forest Nightmare
She was running. Searching. Searching but not finding amongst the tree-filled wilderness. Sara ran over the rocky, twiggy, moss covered terrain lost in the trees, jumping over logs and frantically looking in her surroundings. She suddenly stopped in front of a great pine tree. No wind. No insects chirping. No birds singing. Nothing. Silence. Pure and non-tampered silence, except for her heavy breathing from over-exerting herself, the occasional shallow breath of fear and her racing heart.
Bang. Her heart dropped and skipped a beat. Her eyes went wide. Her feet carried her swiftly through the forest towards the silence-shattering noise. It's like she floated. She saw her sister, Tegan. Knees to the leafy ground and bent over clutching her stomach. No source to cause the bang was there. Sara dropped to her knees as well, making no sound on impact. Silence overcame again. Blood seeped through Tegan's fingers holding her wound through her stomach. Tegan looked up from the puncture wound in her stomach, the ground then to Sara with tears streaming down her face, accompanying a confused look to what just happened.
Tegan began to slump and fall back, but Sara caught her falling body and held her in her lap. Tears uncontrollably flooded down Sara's face as she helplessly watched her sister silently scream in pain. Both beings began to shake and cry as they looked into each other's eyes.
"Please girl don't you die on me," Sara mouthed to Tegan as she held onto the sides of Tegan's head with running her fingers through her short brown hair. She saw the light start to seep out of Tegan's hazel eyes in the form of final tears. Sara pressed her forehead to Tegan's and closed her eyes, trying to believe what she just witnessed.
Sara shot right up in her bed, covered by sweaty sheets that uncomfortably clung to her. The floodgates of her eyes burst open. She threw her head down into her shaking hands, feeling the sweat that built up through the dream and she was being completely grateful that it was only a horrible nightmare she endured and not real life. Sara looked at her clock on the bedside stand and saw that it was the middle of the night. At least she was in her apartment. But Tegan was asleep on her couch in the living room.
Sara untangled her shaking self from the sweaty sheets and left her bedroom to go see Tegan. Tegan was in the living room, on the couch, on her laptop searching the internet.
"Tegan." Sara said quietly with sorrow very present in her voice.
Tegan looked over to Sara and immediately closed her laptop before setting it on the coffee table at the sight of a broken up Sara. "Sara, what's wrong?" She said in a worried tone.
"I had a nightmare." Sara said trying to be calm as more tears seeped out.
Tegan held her arms open, signaling Sara for a hug. Sara rushed into her offered embrace and cried into Tegan's shoulder.
"Sara, you're shaking." Tegan said as she tightened her grip around Sara.
Sara pulled away from Tegan and looked into her eyes. "I know," she sniffled, "I was wondering if you would sleep in my bed tonight with me to make me feel better."
Tegan softly smiled. "Of course Sara, lead the way."
Sara got up and began to walk back to her bedroom with Tegan following closely behind. She crawled back into her now dry sheets and Tegan did the same. Tegan held open her arms again to Sara, offering to hold her. Sara gratefully took the offer and let Tegan's tattooed arms wrap around her smaller frame.
"You should say what happened in your nightmare. I think you'll feel better if you told me." Tegan quietly said.
Sara sighed and braced herself for more waterworks. "I was running throughout this forest with gigantic trees, looking for you, until I heard a gunshot, and I immediately ran towards the source of it. When I got to the source, I saw you on your knees, holding your stomach because you were shot." Sara fell silent thinking about it and how life-like it was.
"That or I had some mad period cramps." Tegan chuckled out, making Sara laugh along at the comment.
"Well…" Sara's tone became serious, "you died at the end of the dream" Sara felt the sadness come back.
"It's ok, I'm here." Tegan said and held onto Sara tighter.
"The weird thing is about the dream is that there wasn't any noise except for the gunshot. Have you ever had a dream where there wasn't sound?" Sara said looking up at Tegan who was intently listening to Sara speak.
Tegan shook her head. "No, but if I have, I don't remember."
Sara looked away again before burying her face into Tegan's shoulder, and being completely happy that Tegan is ok. "Tegan, I'm kind of scared to go back to sleep." Sara said with the shame of admitting her fears to Tegan and the muffle of the shirt on her face.
"You'll be ok. If you have another nightmare, which I don't think you will, I'll be right here." Tegan said softly to get Sara in the right mindset to get back to sleep.
Sara was silent a moment, thinking what would happen in another nightmare if it happened but soon shook off the idea. "Thanks Tee, for everything."
Tegan tiredly smiled. "No problem, Sasa."
Sara reflected the tired smile that Tegan dimly beamed and watched her sister soon fall asleep. Sara nuzzled into Tegan a little bit more. She felt totally safe, like Tegan is her dreamcatcher, protecting her from her nightmares. She quickly too fell asleep in Tegan's arms, instead of Tegan in her arms, dying in the nightmare.