Inside The Dream
The room was dark, quiet, and practically empty except for the bed against the far wall. Tightly tucked under her snow-white blanket, Sam slept like she did every night. A thin film of sweat covered her body, as she lay there motionless, except for the constant flutter of her eyelids as the recurring dream played in her head like a worn-out video. At first all she could see was solid white, but then color slowly faded in. The first pigment of color to appear was the glow of the early morning sun through the open window of Sam's loft that she shared with her sister, Jessie.
The dream played out the same way as it had every night for the past four months. Sam woke up, took a shower, had coffee and breakfast, and then headed to the art gallery she co-owned with her friend. She helped Leslie set up for the exclusive art showing that was set for later that night. They were going to be showing their artwork to a high society crowd, hoping to make a name for themselves among some of the richest people in all of New York.
The artwork was hanging neatly on the walls, and there were tables set up all around the room where the champagne and hors d'oeuvres would later sit. As always, in the dream, Leslie would continue to give Sam updates on the time every half hour, getting more and more anxious by the minute. Although, Sam wasn't quite sure whether Leslie was nervous about the opening or if her anxiety was about something else altogether.
For about a month before the opening, Leslie had been acting pretty strange. Her artwork suddenly turned dark and almost morbid at times. She had completely stopped going out. She either stayed in her apartment above the gallery or in the back room, working on her paintings. It was in that back room that she stayed, even for most of the opening day of the gallery, contrary to how excited she'd been.Leslie would simply stick her head out of the door long enough to give Sam an update on the time and to make sure the people she hired, to set things up, were doing what they were supposed to be doing.
Even though the odd behavior had been going on for several weeks, Leslie began to surprise Sam even more by the way she was acting toward her that day. She suddenly started showing an interest in Sam's appearance, something she had never really done before. She wanted to know what Sam would be wearing that evening, wanting to make sure she made a good impression with the last minute guest she had invited who she simply referred to as Angelus.
As the sun set that afternoon, just like every afternoon for the past month, Leslie finally came out of the back room and dismissed her workers. Sam began to feel uneasy as Leslie looked at her with a blank stare then told her to go get ready. Sam couldn't quiet put her finger on it but there was something very creepy about the way Leslie was acting that day. Even more creepy than usual.
The guests started to arrive at 7:30 that evening and Sam was there by the entrance to greet them as Leslie stayed in the back of the room against the far wall, watching and waiting. People explored the gallery, looking at paintings and making bids. They enjoyed the champagne and food before either leaving or settling on a painting to buy. The time was nearing eleven and there was still no sign of Leslie's guest but still she stood in the back corner waiting.
A half hour had passed and most of the guests were gone and there was an unexplainable eerie calmness to the night that started making Sam feel even more uncomfortable. She began to get a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach and was suddenly frozen in her place. She couldn't bring herself to move; it was as if someone or something was forcing her to stay put. She could only stand there and stare at the door.
After the last guest left, Sam felt a hand slowly ease itself across her back and up to her shoulder. She could smell Leslie's perfume before her friend even stepped in front of her. "What's going on? What are you doing to me?" Sam whispered, forcing the words from her throat.
"I'm not doing it. He is," Leslie mumbled in response.
"Who?" Sam questioned. Suddenly the doors flew open and a dark figure emerged from the night.
"Angelus!" Leslie said with an excited grin, "He owns you now!" Leslie's voice was almost mechanical, as if she too had no control.
The dark figure made his way toward Sam as if he were floating on air. The knots in her stomach started to tighten even more; they were painful yet oddly erotic. Her mind started to run wild and her heart was racing as she felt his hands on her face.
Angelus was ruggedly handsome. He stood about six-foot-four and weighed about two hundred and fifteen pounds. The man was huge and could easily overpower Sam with little effort, especially in her current state, if he chose to do so. She feared for her life but for some reason she was drawn to him. All she could do was stand there and let him caress her face while Leslie looked on, smiling. Sam kept hoping she was dreaming but every time she blinked her eyes, he was still there.
Sam was staring at Angelus' face when she suddenly saw a twinkle in his eyes, just before they turned solid black. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief and then his lips parted slightly and she saw them. Angelus' sparkling white teeth were shinning in the dim light of the gallery and two perfectly pointed fangs slid out of each corner of his parted lips.
Maybe it was the sheer shock of the sight or the fear it sent through her body that made Sam finally will herself to move. She didn't care which it was, she was just grateful she found herself in control of her own body again. As she turned to run she let out a blood curdling scream that sent chills up her own spine. Sam took off toward the rear exit of the gallery and didn't bother to look back; she knew they were following her. She couldn't hear them but she could definitely feel them. It was that stabbing feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her they were there, following close behind.
Once Sam hit the ally behind the gallery, she continued to run, as fast as she could, and even though she never heard the door behind her open again, she knew she still had something to fear. She made it to her car and started punching numbers on the keypad on the driver side door to unlock it, and then scrambled to get inside. She reached under her seat to grab the spare set of keys but she froze as she realized she wasn't alone in the car. She could feel the keys at the tip of her fingers but before she had the chance to grab them a pair of hands latched onto her shoulders and pulled her back against the seat.
Sam tried to pull away but the power behind those hands was like nothing she had ever felt before. She searched the overhead mirror for some sign, any sign, of her captor but all she saw was her own reflection staring back at her and then felt a sharp pain as the fangs sank deep into her skin. Sam instantly knew that resistance was pointless so she gave in to the floating sensation that was starting to take hold of her and a soft smile appeared on her face.
That was always where the dream ended but this time it was the hunger pains that brought her out of it.
When Sam woke up she was still tightly wrapped in her snow-white blanket but she was no longer covered with sweat since the sun had finally set outside her blacked-out windows. She climbed out of bed and made her way around the dark bedroom, as she got dressed. She walked out of her room and made her way down the hall to the living room. With her eyes, Sam searched the dark room before spotting him sitting on the windowsill. As she walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, he turned around to face her. He looked down into her solid black eyes and he knew exactly what she wanted. Sam returned his loving gaze and growled, "It's time to go, Angelus……I'm hungry!"