CYRIL

The night was cold and quiet, the air eerily still. Sophie laid in bed on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Satin midnight blue covers were pushed down to her waist and her periwinkle nightgown clung to her body. The low cut neckline showcased her pale skin which was covered in goosebumps from the cold. She had shut the bedroom window firmly closed but she could swear she still felt a draft wafting its way through the room. Alfie was nowhere to be found, his side of the bed empty with the covers laying where they'd been neatly placed that morning by the maid.

She felt herself slowly pull back the covers and stand from the bed. She had no control over her limbs, as if someone else had taken over her body and was steering her around the room. Her bare feet padded across the chilly floor and led her to standing in front of the large window of their bedroom. The curtains were drawn back so Sophie could see the dark night sky above. Her attention was suddenly drawn to her reflection staring back at her in the window. In her reflection, she wore a large teardrop sapphire necklace that was delicately resting in the centre of her collarbones. Having not noticed the piece of jewellery before, she glanced down to her bare chest, which held no such jewellery. Her eyes flicked back up into the reflection, only this time a sharp gasp escaped her lips as she noticed a perfectly round bullet hole in her shoulder which was leaking blood at an alarming rate. The crimson liquid began to seep through the pale nightgown she wore, staining the fabric a much darker red. Another quick glance down and nothing had changed to her actual body, blood free and no sapphire.

A sudden tiny scream from somewhere inside the house pulled her focus. Instinctively Sophie bolted out the bedroom door and down the corridor towards another door. Flinging the door open, she scanned the room. The sheer curtains had been pulled across the tall window and the moonlight shone through them and into the room. In the far corner, a cushioned rocking chair sat empty, a child's blanket embroidered with small yellow ducks was haphazardly thrown over it. It was rocking slightly, as if someone had just gently pushed it. A small crib was pushed against the opposite wall, painted white with elegant sage green swirls painted up the panels of wood. Inside the crib a small baby boy was stood with chubby red cheeks and crying hysterically. His unruly brown hair was a mess atop his head, and fast tears rolling down his tiny face from his sad eyes. Beautiful glassy blue eyes stared down from his crib and at the floor. He was inconsolable, clearly distraught at whatever had spooked him. Following his line of sight, Sophie felt her blood run cold and her heart jump up into her throat.

Laid in the middle of the room was a large body, wrapped in a long black coat. Taking a hesitant step forwards, Sophie was screaming in her head to take the child and run far from the room, but her feet continued to move forward as her eyes focused on the face of the body. It almost didn't look like a face, with half of the front of his head a bloody mess of flesh and bone. The remaining eye was unmistakable however, as it stared lifelessly at the ceiling. The misty grey pupil was too familiar, easily recognised by Sophie as that of her husband, Alfie Solomons. A scream became trapped in her throat, a shaky hand flew to her mouth in shock as her knees buckled to the ground. Hot tears streamed down her face, her breaths coming in fast and shallow. Sophie crawled hurriedly closer to his body, pressing her hands to his chest and neck in search of a pulse.

"Nononono Alfie - please, no, please!" She cried, trying to move his collar down so she could press her fingers against his neck. A large flab of skin from his cheek drooped down onto her hand, its squishy wet texture making Sophie flinch and pull her hand back. Hot bile began to rise up her throat and she began to gag. Turning her head to the side quickly, she heaved and gagged causing a burning sensation to tear across the roof of her mouth and down her throat. It was at that moment Sophie began to notice the puddle of blood surrounding his body that she was now kneeling in, drenching the bottom half of her nightdress. It felt warm, which gave Sophie hope that perhaps he was still alive despite his horrific injuries.

Just as she reached to try and take his pulse once more, the door slammed closed with a loud bang. A small shriek left her lips as her eyes shot up to the door. The little boy behind her had started to wail even louder now, truly terrified and confused. Switching her attention back to the floor, she became even more disorientated when she was met with the sight of the bare floor. All that remained was the large puddle of blood that she was currently kneeling in. She stood up from the floor uncertainly, the sickness from just a moment ago had begun to eb away. The boy's cries were shrill in her ears and so she turned towards him and picked him up, beginning to shush him and rock him up and down. He looked so much like Alfie, his thick brows and thick light brown hair made her heart ache with memories of a few moments ago. The only difference between the young and older boys was the former's bright blue eyes, an icy intimidating blue much like her own. His crying quickly ceased once he was in her arms, his eyes beginning to grow heavy and droop closed as his head rested against her shoulder.

The room suddenly grew hot, sweat pooling at the nape of Sophie's neck despite her minimal clothing. From the corner of her eye she could see a bright warm light flickering underneath the door as a loud crackling sound reached her ears. Thick black smoke began to filter into the room from around the door. Panicking, Sophie used her free hand to gently turn the little boys head into her neck, trying to limit the amount of smoke he was breathing in.

"Sophie? Soph? Sophie?!" Alfie's voice bellowed from behind the door. Her heart rate suddenly skyrocketed at the sound of his voice, was he alive?

"Alfie! Alfie, I'm in here!" She shouted back, moving closer to the door hoping he could hear her.

"Sophie!"

Her eyes shot open, her pale blue timid irises meeting concerned grey ones hovering above her. She was laid in the same bed as the dream, the new one they'd bought for their new bedroom except she wore a black nightdress unlike the pale blue of the dream. Also unlike the dream, she wasn't alone in the bed. Alfie was knelt next to her, his hands on her upper arms from where he'd been attempting to shake her awake. His eyes were wide in fear, an emotion she'd never seen on him before. Relief flooded through her veins at the sight of his perfect face, skin and bone exactly where they should be and completely unmarred. Her face was wet from tears and her skin felt hot and clammy.

"Fucking hell love, you can't scare me like that." Alfie breathed, sitting back onto the bed as he gave her space to sit up.

"I'm sorry did I wake you up?" She choked out, wiping at her face.

"Did you- you wake me up screaming and crying my name and you're worried you woke me up? What was that all about love, thought the fucking devil had possessed you or something." He panted, itching at his beard nervously. He hadn't been this worried about another person since his mother and he didn't know how to handle it.

"It's um… do you remember the dreams I told you about?" Sophie said quietly. She slowly tried to prop herself up to a sitting position but her arms gave out from under her, feeling too weak from the ordeal. Alfie saw her struggling and reached forward to help pull her up and lean her back against the large oak headboard. As he sat back down opposite her on the bed, he took hold of her hand to anchor them both and keep them calm.

"The gypo future telling ones?"

"Yeah. It was one of them." She murmured, staring at their hands together.

"Oh." He spoke, dying to know what happened in the dream but not wanting to push her.

"I-I…" She began but her lip started trembling and she paused. Alfie squeezed her hand tightly. He was itching to just pick her up and pull her into his arms but he feared making her feel too claustrophobic after coming to.

"I saw our child." She said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Her tear-filled eyes connected with his. Alfie's face softened, hope and love in his eyes at the thought of their future child. He wished he could see what she'd seen, even if just to see their child together.

"But I- I think I saw you die. Your face was all mangled and you were just laying there, I tried to-" She stopped, her tiny frame shaking as a sob broke free from her lips.

"Soph." An almost whimper left Alfie's mouth, the sight of her so distraught tore at his heart.

"I-I-I can't lose you Alfie, I can't." She cried. Giving into his desire, Alfie shifted closer to her and pulled her petite body into his. He manoeuvred her so he sat with his back against the headboard and her back against his chest. Wrapping one arm around her torso, he used the other hand to soothingly stroke her hair in an attempt to calm her back down.

"You won't Soph. I'm not going fucking anywhere, alright love? I'm gonna leave this fucking business behind Soph, we're gonna move far away yeah, somewhere you can have horses alright? Teach our kids all that gypo shit you love. Soph, please, you're not gonna lose me because I can't fucking lose you." He rambled, his voice even and calm. He had to keep it together, for Sophie's sake. If he crumbled and panicked then she'd never calm down from her hysterical sobbing.

They stayed like that for a while, Alfie rambling about their future together as Sophie's breathing began to even out. Once her sobbing had ceased, small hiccups rocked her body while she lay curled up in her future husband's arms. Alfie's nervous rambling had also fizzled out, leaving him quietly running his fingers through her curly black hair.

"I need some fresh air." Sophie breathed, leaning away from Alfie and moving to stand from the bed. He watched her cautiously as she moved. She seemed so small and frail, like if she stepped too hard she'd shatter like china. The cold air hit him immediately and he had to admit it did feel good against his hot skin.

Sophie stood breathing in the cold air, its freshness clearing her head. Living in the city, it wasn't dark enough to see the stars at night so the pitch black sky loomed above them, the only light coming from the dull light of the lampposts lining the street way below. Her hot and sweaty skin began to cool and she felt the emotions of the night leaving her body, clambering into the box at the back of her mind where she could shut the lid for now.

In the silence filling the room, Sophie could faintly hear a quiet whine coming from the street. Her brow furrowed, straining to hear the noise better. It sounded like some kind of animal, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what animal exactly. Whatever it was, it sounded sad or in pain.

"What is it?" Alfie questioned, noticing the scrunching of her delicate features.

"I think I can hear something outside. Can we go look?" Sophie spoke, poking her head out the window, she scanned the ground below. The lighting was slightly too dim to get a clear picture but from several floors up Sophie could just about make out the shape of what looked like a cardboard box next to the lamppost opposite their front door. "There! I think there's something in that box!" She yelped before running towards their bedroom door to run downstairs.

"Sophie!" She could hear Alfie yell behind her as she sprinted down the stairs. His thundering steps followed, catching up to her before she could reach the front door.

"Sophie, fucking hell love you can't just go running out the front door. Put this on." He panted gruffly, holding his large coat out to her. Rolling her eyes at him, she reluctantly put the coat on and chose not to point out the fact that he was shirtless with just loose grey soft trousers low on his hips. She also noticed that he clutched a small pistol in his right hand that he pointed forward as he opened the front door, keeping her behind him. He surveyed the street, making sure that it was empty. His grey eyes glanced up to the house opposite, spotting the three men hiding in the windows that he'd stationed there once they'd moved into the home. Everything seemed perfectly safe, as his eyes dropped to the medium sized cardboard box that had been left on the pavement. Sophie pushed past him and bent down to look inside it.

Pulling back the cardboard flaps that had been folded closed, they discovered a small ginger puppy curled up in a little ball. His big black droopy eyes stared up at them.

"Oh my god, Alfie, look at him." She cooed, reaching her hand into the box slowly to let him sniff her. The puppy brushed his nose against her palm, seeking warmth from her. "He's freezing, I wonder how long he's been out here."

Slowly and steadily, she reached to pick him up, not wanting to startle the dog. She lifted him out of the box and pulled him to her chest and rubbed his back to try and get some warmth back into him. Sophie looked up at Alfie from where she crouched, his adoring eyes looking back down on her and the puppy cradled to her chest. Seeing her being so nurturing and caring towards something so little melted his heart.

"C'mon love, let's get him inside." He ushered. She smiled a big toothy grin at him, straightening up and turning back to their house. He followed behind her and checked the street one last time to make sure it was clear. Sophie had taken the puppy into the kitchen to get him a bowl of water.

"Could you grab one of the blankets from the living room? I can make him a little bed to keep him warm." She asked him, placing the puppy carefully on the floor in front of a small bowl she'd filled with fresh water. She watched in awe as his tiny pink tongue licked at the water, swallowing back some of the water.

Alfie, who had listened to her request, returned back to the room with a brown cotton blanket and handed it to her where she sat on the floor. Sophie folded it into a small square and placed it on the floor. The puppy was so adorable, Sophie couldn't stop stroking his soft fur and watching him intently.

"Can we keep him? He's so cute." She whispered, keeping her volume low to prevent startling the puppy.

"He aint got anywhere else to go, has he? Don't see why not." He said, matching her volume.

"I wonder what his name is." Sophie pondered. "What about Cyril?"

"I like Cyril, nice and strong innit." He agreed