"Have you noticed there is never any third act of a nightmare? They bring you to a climax of terror and then leave you there. They are the work of poor dramatists." -Max Beerbohm
Joe
No matter how many Ambiens I took or how much warm milk I drank, my nights were filled with horrifyingly realistic dreams.
None of them were bad enough that I couldn't handle them. They just...freaked me out.
Mostly the dreams consisted of normal, daily events that would inevitably take place the next morning. They always did.
By now the fact that I most likely was turning into some strange psychic freak didn't scare me as much as it used to. For me it's basically normal. Basically. Within reason. I suppose.
I looked down at the sleeping Jared in my arms. His short blond shocks of hair brushed against my shoulder. He was so peaceful.
With a sigh I placed him gently in his crib, trying hard not to wake the infant.
Vanessa, exhausted from the long day, was already asleep in bed. I walked stealthily, which I had much practice at, across the length of our bedroom and crawled under the warm covers.
Sleep, although not welcome, came as soon as my head hit the pillow.
...
Frank walked across the pavement to the barren building ahead of us. It's ominous presence calling out to me.
The street lamps glowed overhead, creating shadows in the crevices of the night. The moon was our only witness.
Every step we took brought us closer to the structure, but at the same time closer to our imminent danger. But we had to get in there. It was life or death.
The door was locked but that was never a problem. Lock picks were second nature to us.
One short moment later the door swung open with an almost silent creek. The hallway was empty and I couldn't hear anything but Frank's breathing next to me. It was dark. Only the faint moon light glowed in from the small windows ten feet above our heads.
It seemed to take an hour to inaudibly make our way down the corridor. I wasn't sure what exactly we were looking for or what we were going to find. All I knew was that we had to keep searching.
At the end of the long hallway there were two warm, luminescent lights coming from under two doors. Steel doors. Bolted doors.
If one is going to hide someone, behind steel bolted doors is usually the best place.
At least we had the element of surprise on our hands. No one knew we were coming...at least I hoped that much.
We made our way towards the two doors. Just a small sliver of golden light escaped from the bottom of them. Frank and I weren't sure what was behind either door, but by the look on his face, he was just as curious...and nervous as I was.
Slowly at the same time we unlocked both of the cold metal doors. The simultaneous gasps revealed enough information for both of us to know what was in the opposite room.
Both our heads flipped back and forth taking in the double sites.
In the room to the left, Hope Peters stood in the middle of the room. Her wrists bound over her head with biting chains attached to a hook in the ceiling. Duct tape muffled her cries for help.
To our right, Tony lay on the floor, his wrists and ankles bound with thick rope. His cries were muted in the same fashion as Hope's.
Before either Frank and I could move, Akacia Bernheart appeared in the room with Hope. Loaded Smith and Wesson in her hand. The safety removed.
Similarly, out of the shadows, emerged a large man to our right. He also had a large loaded pistol. Alexander Bernheart.
Both guns were trained not on us, but Hope and Tony.
Frozen in terror Frank and I stood. Waiting. Watching. Wondering. Worrying.
Coinciding clicks of the guns startled us from our fright.
Two gun shots went off...
...
"Ahhhh!" I cried bloody murder as I sprung up in bed. I was sweating bullets and shaking uncontrollably.
Vanessa shot up, wide awake, staring at me unbelievably.
"Joe?" she practically screeched in surprise, "What is it? What's wrong?"
I stared at her. Vanessa's grey-blue, almost lilac colored eyes shined in the moonlight. They reflected her shock and worry.
I heard Jared stirring and finally his sharp cries of sleep deprivation rang through the air.
Let me tell you, at this moment, I was feeling pretty damn sleep deprived, and I wish I could scream my head off because of it.
Vanessa sprung from the bed quickly rocking Jared in her arms until his howling subsided.
"Joe, is everything okay? You practically woke the whole neighborhood up!" Vanessa asked in a hushed but concerned voice.
"I-I'm fine Van, just a bad dream, that's all." A really scare-the-hell-out-of-you bad dream.
"Hun, you don't look so good," Vanessa said, kissing the top of Jared's head and putting the now half asleep baby back into his crib. She walked over to me and sat down on the bed.
"S'okay, really," I muttered rubbing my still shaking hands over my face.
"No it's not," she stated, plain and simple.
I stared at her incredulously. She stared back, a mollifying smile playing on her lips.
"No it's not," I agreed with her in a whisper, averting my eyes to the ground.
This had been the worst nightmare yet.
Oh God...what if it's like the others?...no...no, no, no...
I tried hard to remember every last detail. But mainly where the building was. I had to tell Frank ASAP. This was our--my--first real lead. I didn't give a damn if anyone else believed me or not...
"It's okay, we'll get through this Joe. You and Frank will find Hope and Tony. I know you will," she said wrapping her arms around me, "I'm always here Joe. I'm your rock, just remember that."
I pulled her in closer to me, the warmth of her skin soothed my shaking.
"I love you Vanessa. I'm always here for you too," I whispered back to her.
"I love you too."
"Promise me something Van," I said pulling away from her slightly.
"Anything."
"Promise me...that you'll always love me. No matter what," I said in a low almost silent tone.
"Joe," Vanessa said, surprise and confusion filled her voice. She looked deep into my eyes and knew I was serious.
"I promise Joe. I will always love you. Always."
Always. I repeated it in my head. Always, always, always.
Yeah. I like the sound of that...
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you
Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you...
-The Police "Every Breath You Take"
A/N: So it's not super long, but it's a key chapter, hope you liked it! I was in a "song mood" and those lyrics have a double meaning (wink wink) Reviews please? Thanks so much!