The sound of a barking dog drilled through Bianca's brain like it was a jagged ice pick. She took her goose feather filled pillow and put it on top of her head.
The dog's barks, muffled now, still were loud enough to keep her from going back to sleep. Bianca pressed the pillow harder onto her ears, but the barks began to elevate her blood pressure.
She flipped to her other side, and placed the pillow back over her head. She knew sleep was pointless know, but the deep, booming bark from the dog was beginning to give her a headache.
"Butch. Shut your goddamn mouth!" The loud, gargled voice came from her next door neighbor's backyard. The dog resumed its barking, until a high pitch yip echoed and finally, silence.
"Should have listened to him the first time, Butch."
Bianca took the pillow off her head and positioned it under her head. Her curls cascaded over the pillow in tangled knots and pieces of twigs and leaves were still in it from the night before.
She ran a weak hand through her hair and pulled a small twig out. She brought it up to her face and examined the thin brown branch with the tiny green leaf still attached to it. She moved over to her side and dropped the dead twig into her dirty trashcan.
The smell from the can hit her face and she put a hand up to her mouth and forcefully swallowed back a sudden hot rush of vomit. Her temples pounded as she squinted her eyes closed and focused on not decorating her bed with the contents of her stomach.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Her temples throbbed relentlessly as the sensation of nausea passed.
She moved a shaky hand over to her nightstand and retrieved a half full bottle of vodka. She brought it up to her mouth and took a quick swig.
Hair of the dog always helps with these types of mornings.
She sealed the bottle and hugged it to her chest. The cool glass felt wondrous against her warm chest. The bottle laid snuggly between her breasts and she breathed in deeply.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Just give it time, B. You'll be feeling better soon.
Bianca lay back down; a pin prick of light came through the flimsy blinds that covered her single bedroom window and shone directly into her left eye. She brought her hands up and put the palms against her eye sockets.
Thump, thump, thump
The headache slowly began to alleviate as she watched the inner eye molecules move around in the darkness behind her lids.
The hangover, the fresh infiltration of vodka into her system and the palm induced darkness tempted sleep to overtake Bianca again. Her breathing slowed, to a steady pace.
Thump, Thump
A gray mist filled Bianca's inner eye. It ebbed and flowed slowly, hypnotically. A serene song played softly in the background. The sound of a woman's voice can be heard. The words or indecipherable, but the tune is relaxing.
Bianca brought her legs back onto the bed, her arms lazily dropped to the side of her body as a small smile spread across her face as she slipped deeply into her dream.
Thump
A hallway spread itself open to Bianca. The wooden floor glistened brightly from the moonlight. A longing look down the hallways reveals a floating door, a harsh red glow escapes underneath it. The glow infiltrates the fog and small beads of blood appear to be suspended in the air.
Bianca glides along the smooth floor as if she were on iceskates. The beads of blood stick to her body in small droplets. A warm dot lands on her lip and she gently pushes her tongue out to taste it.
It tastes bitter.
A muffled yell can now be heard from the other side of the door. The music has changed to a tribal beat.
A harsh thud shakes the door and a crime scene outline cuts itself into the thick white wood. Bianca can vaguely look through the cut and see bodies moving frantically inside. Lines of blood pour out of the wood in thin streams, staining it.
A woman cries loudly in a corner. Bianca can make out her white nightgown. It is splattered with blood. Her leg is laid out in front of her, purple, swollen and broken.
The door is now in front of Bianca and it begins to beat to the rhythm of her scared heart.
She stares at the small woman inside, longing to reach out and quiet her. The inside of her lower stomach aches and a cool breeze from the broken door brushes against her face. She wept openly for this tortured woman.
Bianca reached her left hand to turn the glass doorknob. The soft skin in her palm barely touched the knob when a white hot heat shot through her hand. The knob turned into an angry green snake. It hissed at her, long fangs dripping with venom.
She pulled her open palm up to her mouth to suck out the nasty venom, but her vision began to go hazy. The door drifted away from her and her body leaned against the wall. The woman began screaming for help as an object beat against her.
Bianca tried to stand, but the venom worked through her body, causing paralysis.
The snaked pulled itself out of the door and approached her in a slithering zig zag.
It positioned its body in front of her face and coiled itself neatly. The snake lifted its head and looked down at Bianca's face. It hissed again and striked forward.
Bianca awoke with a sudden gasp. Her heart was racing and she was on the floor next to her bed.
Sweat poured off her body in buckets and she twitched uncontrollably. The next door neighbor's dog was barking again.
She panted, attempting to control her breathing.
She looked around the room as her heart slowed to its normal, comfortable pace.
"It was only a dream." She panted. "Only a dream."