Never Again.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Usually she was awake by now, but she hasn't even opened her eyes.

"Dani, I'm right here, please open your eyes, please wake up. You're safe now, he can't get you. You're okay. No one can hurt you."

She slowly opened her eyes and I put her on my lap. She pushed against me for a bit before realizing it was me as she opened her eyes and snuggled into my chest.

"I'm sorry Kane."

"No, don't be sorry. It's not your fault. But you're safe now. You're okay. I would never let anything hurt you."

"I've never had a nightmare with you before."

"I got up to get coffee, when I came back you were shaking."

"That quickly?"

"It was probably longer than you think, I was talking to Kylie for a while."

"Oh, I thought it had been like a minute."

"No, no. Are you alright?"

"Y-no."

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm right here beautiful."

She sat up a little more, "Do you mind listening?"

"No. I will always listen."

"I feel bad because you're always so happy in the morning and I ruin it."

"Dani, I can't be happy if you're not. I'd rather you tell me, at least then I can help."

"Thank you Kane."

"Was it the same one? With your mother?"

A tear ran down her face and I held her cheek, wiping it away with my thumb, "Take your time beautiful. If you don't want to talk, don't. You said it helps right?"

"Yes, it does." She took a couple deep breaths and then began, "It was the worst I've had."

"Worse than that one?"

"Yeah. It was foggy and I couldn't see very far, but we were in the woods so it was a bit clearer. I was with my parents and sisters this time. I was walking a bit ahead of them and he grabbed me. They just kept walking, not noticing until I screamed."

Another tear rolled down and I wiped it away. "My mother came to help, with my father. They were grabbed from behind and forced to lay down. They each had a... a gun pointed at their heads and then another man walked forward with my sisters. There were the three of us, up against his truck and they... they... he actually, he killed my parents while we... we just stood there. We screamed but no sound came out. It was eerily quiet. There were four of him. The one that killed my parents, and three more, one holding each of us. All him. Identical."

She paused again and I held her hands.

"They-him, took both my sisters two different ways, to identical trucks, to identical houses in the woods. There was still no sound until they both screamed at the same exact time, a high pitched 'help' and I couldn't move. Then he grabbed me and put me in his truck, and we went to his house. It was horrible Kane, it felt so real."

I never knew what to say to her. She knew her family was fine, and she knew it wasn't real, what more could I say?

"I'm so sorry Dani, I shouldn't have left. I won't do it again."

"No, it's not you. I wish I could shut it off."

"I do too beautiful. I do too."

She grabbed our coffees, handed me one, and took my other hand, "Come here."