Nightmares
Oct. 8th, 2014 03:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thefourthoneIt’s a bad night. The feelings creep up slowly, no matter how much she tries to ignore them and act normal. A weight on her chest so heavy she can’t breathe. That prickle at the back of her neck like she’s being watched no matter how often she checks the doors are locked and curtains tight shut. It doesn’t help. It feels like he’s here, always just out of sight, ready to take her all over again. Worst of all, she doesn’t even know who he is. Daddy or 'Uncle' Jim or Black Mask, all of them haunting her.
Eventually Steph goes to bed. Probably a bad idea but she’s just so tired of being awake right now. Then nightmares, up-close and real with all the protective haze of fading memory stripped away. Chained up and at his mercy, and he’s laughing as he cuts her up. The smell of her own blood turns her stomach and finally vomits when he puts the iron on her skin and the smell of burned flesh fills her nose. Then he’s touching her like Uncle Jim touched her, and it didn’t really happen but she can feel it and it’s so real.
The sound of her own shrieking yanks her into wakefulness, and Steph practically falls out of bed in her hurry to get up and out. She can’t be alone right now, she can’t can’t can’t stay in this empty place alone with the terrible things in her head. She’s a trembling mess as she yanks her black leggings on and doesn’t bother changing her nightshirt before clambering out her window and hurrying up to the roof.
There’s only one place to go, only one person she knows beyond a doubt to be safe. Soon Steph is crouched on the narrow ledge outside Cass’ apartment. It’s so late, but she taps on the glass anyway and tries not to shiver in the wind.
Eventually Steph goes to bed. Probably a bad idea but she’s just so tired of being awake right now. Then nightmares, up-close and real with all the protective haze of fading memory stripped away. Chained up and at his mercy, and he’s laughing as he cuts her up. The smell of her own blood turns her stomach and finally vomits when he puts the iron on her skin and the smell of burned flesh fills her nose. Then he’s touching her like Uncle Jim touched her, and it didn’t really happen but she can feel it and it’s so real.
The sound of her own shrieking yanks her into wakefulness, and Steph practically falls out of bed in her hurry to get up and out. She can’t be alone right now, she can’t can’t can’t stay in this empty place alone with the terrible things in her head. She’s a trembling mess as she yanks her black leggings on and doesn’t bother changing her nightshirt before clambering out her window and hurrying up to the roof.
There’s only one place to go, only one person she knows beyond a doubt to be safe. Soon Steph is crouched on the narrow ledge outside Cass’ apartment. It’s so late, but she taps on the glass anyway and tries not to shiver in the wind.
