"We're losing her!"
"There's just too much blood,"
"What were they thinking?"
"He's a murderer,"
Her red hair lay wet, a tangled mess as crimson dripped down her arm and onto the ground below. Her skin grew paler with every passing second as blurred figures ran all around, doing what they could to revive her. They pricked her flawless skin with needles, covering her beautiful face with a mask so that she could breathe.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. He felt his body shake but he couldn't move. He wouldn't move. All he wanted was to stand there and wait for her to open her eyes. All he wanted was for her to look at him the way she always did.
However, they carried her into the ambulance and started to shut the door, cutting off his view of her. They were trying to take her away from him.
That's when he lost control, that's when he started to fight them off. They held him down but he screamed and he thrashed, doing what he could to keep her with him because he knew that if he let go, she wouldn't come back to him.
Suddenly, a harsh light shone in his face making him close his eyes and look away. When he did open his eyes, he found himself in the safety of his room.
For a while Nathan's eyes just watched the rotation of the ceiling fan, cool wind drying up the beads of sweat that now covered his skin. The sound of his heart hammering in his chest filled his ears as he struggled to control his breathing. His mind was in a frenzy, trying to separate dream from reality.
He tried his best to convince himself that he was awake but the sight of his beloved slowly dying in front of his eyes would not leave him.
Glancing to the side, he found Ansyl sleeping beside him like always, her back turned towards him, red hair covering the pillow and sheets. Reaching his hand out, Nathan gently ran his fingers through her soft hair. She was right there beside him and yet in his mind she seemed so far away, the sound of an ambulance still ringing his head.
Unable to help himself, he wrapped his hand around her shoulder, pulling her body into his, scared that he may still be trapped in a dream. However, when he touched her, he found that her skin was still warm. A groan escaped her lips as she stirred awake, letting him know that she was still alive. Slowly, she turned her head to look back at him, eyes half open.
"What's wrong?" she asked as her blue eyes opened completely and filled with worry.
Reaching out her hand, he felt her wipe away tears that he didn't realize were there until now.
"Nothing," he whispered.
He could tell her that he had a nightmare but he had no intention of remembering the images of his dream.
"Are you sure? You don't sound okay," Ansyl whispered as her thumb traced his cheek.
"I'm sure, Red," Nathan said, calling her by her nickname just to let her know that he was fine.
Then he leaned back and watched as a smile formed on her face, her cheeks slightly pink.
Nathan had been using that nickname since the day they had met, yet somehow she smiled like it was the first time she had heard it.
"Then how come you're awake? It isn't like you to be up for class in time," she teased, smiling at him.
"Oh? Is that so?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Well, I'm not the one who gets into trouble for reaching class after it's over," she answered, pulling away from him and sitting up.
"You are so in trouble, Red," Nathan growled as he pulled her back down and started tickling her.
As he tickled her, she squealed and laughed, filling the room with the sound of her voice. Just watching her so happy made all the bad thoughts and memories disappear and Nathan knew that he would be alright.
"Stay with me," Nathan whispered as he touched her cheek.
"Always," Ansyl promised and that was all he needed.
Five years ago, Nathan had watched her very face walk down the hallway of his school, lost and unsure about where to go. Now he woke up to that very face, always smiling at him and supporting him through every decision of his life.
For him, Ansyl was it, so the very thought of her leaving him behind was beyond unbearable.
Leaning against his pillow, he watched her as she pulled her hair into a pony tail, getting ready for her morning classes.
After graduating from high school, Nathan had been lucky enough to get into the same college as Ansyl. Since they both needed a place to stay, there wasn't an option better than the two of them getting an apartment together.
"What are you staring at?" Ansyl asked, looking at him. "For once in your life you're up on time. Do you still want to be late?"
"Do you want me to come after you again?" he retorted as she gave him a sheepish smile.
Then before he had the chance to react, Ansyl jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready for class. Laughing to himself, he decided that he would let her off this time and got out of bed as well.
While Ansyl took a shower, Nathan sauntered to the kitchen and started working on breakfast.
By the time Ansyl finished getting dressed for college, breakfast was on the table. Quickly kissing her forehead, Nathan headed to his own room to get ready for class but his feet suddenly stopped moving as a sudden chill passed through his body. The hair on the back of his neck stood as goosebumps came to life on his skin. He felt as if someone was watching him.
He looked back to see if Ansyl was looking at him from the kitchen but she was too busy eating. Turning his head, he looked to the glass doors that led to the balcony but there was no one there either. However, even then Nathan couldn't look away as if his mind was waiting for something or someone to appear.
"Everything okay?" Ansyl called out from the kitchen, peeking at him from the doorway.
"Yeah," Nathan answered.
His eyes still watched the balcony but his feet had already started moving, the feeling of being watched still weighing on his shoulders.
Nathan decided that whatever he was feeling was because of his nightmare and focused on getting ready for class on time. Once he was done, he quickly ate breakfast while Ansyl gathered her books as well as his.
In a matter of minutes, the two had locked up their apartment, gotten into their car, and headed for college. On the way there, just like always, Ansyl turned on the radio, the volume on full as the two sang to each and every song.
After a half-hour drive, Nathan walked down the hall with Ansyl as she smiled and greeted people. It was like her to make friends wherever she went even though he never really understood how she did it.
Soon she was waving and smiling at a brunette who stood by a trash bin, a cigarette in her hand. That was Brianna – Ansyl's best friend and a person that Nathan could never come to like.
"Oh look, the married couple is here." Brianna rolled her eyes as Nathan approached her with Ansyl.
"Jealous, Bri?" Nathan asked, his arm around Ansyl's shoulder.
"More like disgusted," Brianna gagged. "You guys have been together for like five years now. Break up. Go meet other people instead of clinging to each other!"
"Someday you're going to get tired of trying to break us up." Nathan sighed.
"Today is not that day." Brianna grinned.
To most people, Brianna would seem like a bitch and Nathan would agree with them but somehow Ansyl saw some good in her.
Maybe it was buried deep within but Nathan would never know.
With her short brown hair and hazel eyes, Brianna lived her life on her own terms. She did whatever she wanted to do and if people didn't approve, she did it anyway. She just listened to her heart and that got her into trouble one too many times.
For some reason, she hated things that stayed the same for too long. She needed her life to constantly keep changing and so Brianna didn't believe in the idea of relationships. Staying with one person was just too boring for her.
Her life was her own and Nathan was no one to judge her for it but he hated how she always kept trying to drag Ansyl down with her.
"Anyway, other than you and Nathan being in love again," Brianna started, making Nathan roll his eyes. "I found an interesting way for us to spend the weekend."
"Something other than getting drunk until you pass out and then regretting your life choices the next day?" Kyle joked as he walked up to the group.
Unlike any other day, Kyle's brown hair was pulled back into a small pony and he seemed happier than usual, his green eyes almost shining with excitement.
Nathan could call Kyle his closest friend ever since he came to college. The boy was down-to-earth and practical, someone Nathan could get along with easily. The only impractical thing about him was his huge crush on Brianna which started on day one and didn't seem to go away even though she never gave him the time of the day.
"See Carter, if you knew me you would have known that I have absolutely no regrets," Brianna said, pushing Kyle away but as always he didn't budge.
While Brianna was a skinny five-foot-tall female, Kyle was six feet tall and he was also a jock which meant he worked out a lot. There was no way that she could push him away and that annoyed her more than anything.
"So what's this amazing plan, Bri?" Nathan asked, coming to Kyle's rescue.
"I shall tell you when we meet the others. Until then, later bitches," Brianna sang as she flicked her cigarette into the trash bin and walked away.
"I really worry for that girl." Ansyl sighed as she watched Brianna's disappearing figure.
Knowing that there was nothing they could actually do to stop Brianna from being Brianna, Nathan put his arm around Ansyl's shoulder and guided her to class.
*****
As classes ended, Nathan made his way to pick up Ansyl and then head to where everyone else was.
It had become a routine for them to finish up classes and then meet up with their friends. Either they would go and get some food or just hang out in their cars. Whatever it was, it was a good way to relax until Brianna showed up because that girl just wanted to party all the damn time.
As he walked down the hall to Ansyl's classroom, Nathan felt a heavy weight on his shoulder as his body began to tremble slightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following him. The hall was unusually empty and the sounds of his footsteps seemed to echo as he sped up. However, it didn't matter how fast he moved because the hallway seemed to go on forever.
In his confusion and fear, Nathan's eyes moved around to find someone, anyone but no one came into sight. His mind had gone into a panic which was soon broken by a growl that made him stop walking. The sound had been raspy and animalistic yet it wasn't like anything he had ever heard before.
Unable to stop himself, he slowly turned around, shaking. In the distance he saw a tall figure covered in light, its head almost reaching the ceiling. Long arms seemed to fall on its side, back hunched.
Nathan felt sweat trickle down his skin as his eyes watched the creature before him. Obviously what he saw couldn't be real but the fear in his bones didn't seem to go away.
The creature just seemed to stare down at Nathan and no matter what he did, he couldn't look away.
Soon he heard a voice calling out to him but it seemed so far away and the creature seemed so close. With every blink of his eye, he could feel the distance between him and the creature decreasing with no way to escape. However, somehow the voice won over the fear that controlled him and Nathan found himself standing in a hallway full of students, the creature gone as if it never existed.
"Are you okay?" he heard Ansyl ask and turned around to find her standing right in front of him, looking at him with worried eyes.
Nathan looked around everywhere, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened, the image of the creature still stuck in his mind.
"Nathan?" Ansyl called out again and Nathan shook his head.
"I'm fine," he whispered but she didn't seem convinced.
"You've been acting strange since this morning," Ansyl pointed out but he didn't say anything.
He didn't know what to tell her.
"I'm fine. I promise," he whispered, intertwining her fingers with his. "Can we go now?"
"You know I'm here for you," Ansyl reminded him and he smiled.
"I know," he said and gently kissed her.
Smiling at him, Ansyl started walking down the hall. Quickly, Nathan turned around and glanced back one more time. He needed to be sure that whatever he had seen was just an illusion created by his sleep-deprived mind. Finding nothing there, he turned around and followed Ansyl.
However, no matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling that the thing he saw wasn't just an illusion.