I wake up with a start, heart racing, immediately look to see the time.

‘3:08 AM’ is written on the digital clock in its red fluorescent light, a darker shade than its normal tint. A cold sweat drips on the side of my neck. I wake up at this time quite frequently. It's something that's happened off and on in my life, no explaining it. Especially on nights where there are big events the next day I willfully ignore the restlessness that comes with seeing those numbers; 308.

Wiping away my sweat, I pull my wavy copper hair back into a loose ponytail and fan my neck. I sigh, shut my eyes, lay back down, and attempt to slow my breathing. I eventually start to feel the pull of tiredness and seep into sleeps darkness.

“Rhea, wake up.” 

A quiet voice of is calling for a person I do not know. It sounds close and careful and echoes in my head. I'm confused and can't open my eyes to understand the scene happening in front of me. It feels as though sleep has rusted them shut, as well as a pounding in my head that makes my eyes scream at the thought of light. I can feel hands tightly gripping my upper arms to hold me up. I groan, putting my hands to my head.

What?

Wait, who's Rhea?

I slowly open my eyes. Everything is blurry.

I blink a few times, till I'm harshly shook. 

"Rhea, please, please wake up. He's coming, I need you awake. I know youre hurting but please!"

My eyes finally focus on the desperate person in front of me. My eyes scan over a girl with tattered dirty clothes, maybe once a white chemise but is dirtied with sweat and soil. She has long messy black hair slicked to her face with sweat. Her warm golden skin is intensified by the dirt on her face. Eventually, I lock into her almost unnatural golden eyes. The woman is looking at me with such intense ferocity, all I can do is go slack jawed.

Rhea? Does she mean me? But my name is Ellette…

The woman is frantic and shaking me lightly as if I should do something. I want to tell her she's confused, that I want to help, but I have no idea what's going on. I'm just so tired and my vision is so hazy. The woman in front of me moves her mouth to talk, but no words come. This seems to shock her. She lets go of me and starts to back away. I stagger but stay up.

I try to ask her 'are you okay?' but I can't talk either. It's a weird sensation, like a vibration, like maybe I'm making sound but I can’t hear it. I touch my throat desperately.

Suddenly, she looks like she’s screaming. At first I hear nothing, then gradually start to hear it. Muffled, still, but getting louder. The room, which is room made up of aged bricks and lit candles, begins to shake violently and drains of color. Large black bugs start to fly from her mouth in different directions. All the noise, it's too much, it's just too much. The woman begins to repeatedly shout something, but the buzzing of the flies and bugs is so overpowering and it is not muffled.

I wake up with a start, for the second time tonight. Immediately looking at the clock out of habit, to find the time is ‘3:09 am.’ The pounding in my chest feels louder than the heavy breathing. The dream had felt like an eternity.

Chills are sent throughout my scalp, down my spine, and to my legs. I shiver. Tomorrow is too important not to get rest. I rationalize that it was just a stress dream and it is already slipping away.

I focus on breathing.

In.

               Out.

In.

              Out.

And forget the dream altogether.