Chapter 9: Nightmares
Claire's POV
I was walking through the forest. I knew I was dreaming because I was barefoot and I was in the same clothes I had gone to bed in. I enjoyed the feeling of the cool mud between my toes and the tree branches against my skin. I heard voices, "Help usssss," they were saying. "You did thissss to usssss. YOU killed uss," My family walked towards me. They looked as they had after the accident, but with maggots and their flesh rotting. My mother was carrying Noah. "How? How can I help?" I shouted to them. Silent tears were staining my face. "You have to join usss in deattthhh Claire," Noah said. "Okay, but what about Quil?" "He cannot join usss. You must sssacrificcce him for usss," "I can't!" I shouted, "I love him!" "Then you will never beee withhh ussss." I screamed at them, "Don't leave!" But they were already gone. I woke up shaking and gasping. I threw back the covers and padded down to Quil's room.
Quil's POV
Claire and I were walking through the woods. She had walked ahead of me; I jogged up to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "I love you," I whispered and kissed her cheek. She turned to me, her face blank. She pulled out a knife from my back pocket. "Claire," I said, "Claire, what are you doing? Claire!" She had the knife at her throat. "Goodbye Quil," she whispered, "I am setting you free." "NO! CLAIRE! DON'T! NOOOOO!" She dug the knife into her throat and ripped it across her jugular vein. I tried to stop her, but my arms went straight through her like I was a ghost. She collapsed to the forest floor. I dropped her down beside her. I grabbed her in my arms and pressed a hand firmly on her neck. "Claire? Claire! Claire, no! Please baby, no! Don't leave me! NO!" I pressed my face into the crook where her shoulder met her neck and cried. I whimpered and cried louder when the cords started snapping. It felt the same as in the hospital except they didn't reattach. "CLAIRE!" I sat up straight my eyes flying open. My bedroom door opened and Claire hesitantly walked in. "Can I sleep with you?" she asked. "I had a nightmare." I flipped my sheets back and she walked toward me. "Sure sweetheart. I had a nightmare too," I told her. She had crawled in the bed beside me. She faced away from me though. After my dream I had the overwhelming need to just hold her. I needed to hear her breathing beside me. I fit myself to her. I could feel her crying then. "Awww sweetie it's okay. I'm here, it was just a dream it's okay. Shhhh," I started rocking her slightly hoping it would calm her. She gripped my arms tightly. The images of my dream came into my head. I gripped her tighter and I felt that familiar lump form in my throat and the stinging in my eyes grew. A few tears leaked from my own eyes and spilled into her hair. "I love you," I whispered slowly. "I love you too," she whispered back. We fell asleep like that. We were locked in each other's arms so tightly I don't think God himself could have moved us apart. The nightmares we had that night were destroyed by our embrace. At some point in the night Claire rolled towards me and with my eyes still closed, I bent and brushed my lips with hers. "I love you," I whispered for the last time that night.