Horror

That night she had the worst dream yet.

She was standing in the dark room again. Her clothes lay in tatters and the towering man looked at her with leering eyes. They seemed to see everything. Her thoughts, feelings, and emotions were thrust aside as his eyes seem to probe her deepest thoughts. Finally he pushed her down, tying her small child-like body in place and staring at her. She started to cry and begged him to let her go, but he seemed immune to her pleas.

The dream continued, though Shiori fought to wake up from what she knew was a dream.

"It's no use fighting, little girl. You're in my world now," the man said, leering down at her tear streaked face. He seemed to revel in her fear more than her nakedness, as if it was the prize that he sought. "You can't escape as long as I keep you here."

Shiori screamed, but wasn't able to awaken from the dream. She struggled against the bonds that held her, but they didn't budge. The man leaned down and smiled into her frightened eyes, running a large hand down her trembling body. "I can smell your fear, little girl. I like it."

Shiori shuddered and tried to pull away, but wasn't able to. "Don't you get it? You can't escape, I control everything you do. You are under my complete control. And I will do what I wish with you."

He walked away, going into a corner where a shadowed table was and grabbing something. "What are you doing?" Shiori asked in fear.

He didn't answer, just walked toward her. "The nice thing about dreams is that you can't die, but you can still feel fear and pain."

Shiori started to scream as she saw the knife in his hand. He leaned down and made the first cut, delighting in her shrieks of pain.

Shiori screamed for hours until she had no voice left and still she moaned in pain. She could feel the pain from her dream wounds like they were real. Finally, the man seem satisfied and looked down into her eyes. "I'm done for now, my sweet, but I can't wait till I see you again."

Shiori sat up in bed, shaking. She immediately ran into the bathroom, checking for wounds, but her skin was unblemished. She turned to the bath tub and ran water into it, then sank into the water and scrubbed her skin until it was raw. And still she couldn't remove the horrible feeling his touch left on her.

She got dressed and sat in the dark until the sun came up, occasionally shuddering. Finally she gathered her things and went for a walk in the park, hoping she would find some peace.