Sarah struggled to lift the thin skin of her eyelids, feeling as if anvils were tied to each one of her lashes. She moaned in her sleep—pleasantly—and twisted her hands into the velvet sheets surrounding her. She thought it was velvet, at least, but it felt lighter, weightless, like captured clouds. Smiling slightly, she buried her face in the fabric, relishing the soft feel against her cheek. It was as if angel wings were beating gently across her cheeks, butterflies flitting around her hair. It was heavenly. And it was easy to believe that she had dreamed it all the night before, that she would open her eyes to see the stucco ceiling of her low-budget student apartment and hear the sounds of Toby gently snoring through the wall. And then, if she looked out of her window, she would see her Honda, all in one perfectly undamaged piece, waiting faithfully for her in the driveway.
Just the thought of waking made her want to choke, and she closed her eyes firmly against the bright room. But the searing light beaming through her eyelids seemed to be much brighter than the sun, and though she couldn't see it, she sensed that it was so blinding that every single shadow in the room had been chased away. In fact, the light seemed to be leaking into her pores and intoxicating her bloodstream with a warm, fuzzy tingle. She curled up tighter, not fighting the heavy sleep that awaited her.
Sarah! By the gods, Sarah, wake up!
The voice was far away, distant and echoing, as if she was hearing everything through a tin can. She scrunched her eyebrows together in concern, but still couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. It was physically impossible to even try.
But the voice kept yelling, getting louder at more desperate, and the sound tickled the lobes of Sarah's ears unpleasantly. She began to feel the light seep out of her and she shivered, feeling as cold as snow. She clutched at the velvet-like sheets, mouthing the word "no" and letting out a little moan.
Please! Sarah, please!
The voice was broken and slurred, stained by unspoken tears. Sarah felt the cold drops fall onto her cheeks, making her skin tingle from the chill. All the light had left the room now, leaving her veins seemingly empty and the air around her cold. She felt like she was standing naked in the midst of a snowstorm, despite the blanket she was clinging on to.
The cries continued, and Sarah could feel herself begin to be ripped away from the cozy bed and pulled gradually into the once-gleaming abyss. "No, stop, stop it!" She tried to say, but her lips only stumbled over the words, her voice missing. "Please!" She tried again, and this time she managed a breathy wheeze. But no words.
Sarah was then flung, not gently, into the shadowy crevasse beneath her, mouth gaping in a soundless scream, arms flailing blindly. Velvet sheets and all.