Damaged - N.H.

3

I was lying in bed, staring at the beautiful engagement ring Niall had chosen for me. I smiled as I replayed the proposal in my head. It was late and I had just gotten off the phone with him. I missed Niall. My heart ached when he said goodbye but I knew it wouldn't be long before I was able to be with him again.

I turned off my lamp, the only light in the room now coming from the TV. The sound from a rerun of an old sitcom played softly as I drifted to sleep. My relaxed state didn't last long when I heard a strange thumping noise. It sounded like it was coming from the living room until it started getting louder. I didn't realize what it was until I could hear it coming down the hallway. Footsteps.

I immediately began to panic, frozen with fear. It wasn't until I saw a figure standing in the doorway that I finally snapped out of the state I was in, bolting up out of bed and reaching for my phone. I heard the footsteps thump across the bedroom quickly and soon after felt a pair of hands on me, throwing me back to the bed. The room was still dark, but as the figure stood over me and my eyes began to adjust, I saw the one person I never thought I would see again.

"Chad." I croaked out.

It didn't make any sense. He was dead. This was impossible. I was so overwhelmed with fear that I could feel my throat closing up. I couldn't breathe.

"I know. You didn't expect to see me again." He said.

"What do you want?" I cried out.

"To finish what I started." He replied, raising a knife over my head.

I gasped, bolting up into a sitting position from a dead sleep as I tried to catch my breath. I glanced around the room, reaching to turn on my bedside lamp. It was just a dream. One of many. I've had one at least every other night since Niall has been away.

At first I thought it was because this was an adjustment for me. I hadn't ever lived alone before. I thought I'd get over it but the nightmares continued. I was exhausted and sick of waking up in a panic every night.I took a deep breath and curled back up under the covers, leaving on my lamp and praying that I could get some sleep tonight.

I woke up the next morning and peered around the room until my eyes landed on the clock. Ten in the morning. At least I had slept a few hours longer than I had been recently. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and sent a group text to Stacy and Liz, confirming our plans. I was meeting up with them for lunch today, and we were shopping for wedding dresses afterwards. I rolled out of bed shortly after and got ready for the day.

Around an hour later, the doorbell rang, practically making me jump out of my skin. I crept into the living room, peering through the curtain to see Stacy and Liz standing on the front porch. I sighed a breath of relief and unlocked the door.

"You scared me!" I said, waving them inside.

"Sorry." Liz giggled. "We thought we would just come pick you up."

"It made more sense to ride together." Stacy smiled. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let me grab my purse." I nodded, glancing at what she was holding. A bridal magazine full of notes and dog-eared pages."What's this?" I asked, an amused smile on my face.

"Ideas!" She giggled.

It didn't take us long to get the restaurant. Stacy drove, Liz was in the back, and I sat in the passenger seat as I flipped through the magazine Stacy brought me, discussing the things she had circled and picked out.

"I'm starving." I muttered, as we walked through the door of the restaurant.

"Did you narrow down your list of venues yet?" Liz asked, as the hostess led us to a table.