Chapter 20

The morning sunlight was warm as it danced across my face, waking me from a not-so-pleasant dream. I slowly opened my eyes and yawned, stretching under the soft cotton sheets. I smiled as the wild dream faded from memory, nothing more than a few dark flashes of some horrible nightmare. I rolled over and nuzzled into my husband's back, he was still warm from the well-deserved night's sleep.

"You're awake." He said, sleep still at the edges of his voice.

He turned to me and pulled me into a kiss. It was short, sweet, full of love. We pulled away and I stared into his g̷̗̐r̸̗̈ȇ̴̢ë̴͇n̶͚̈́.̶́͜ ̷͖̄B̴̛̥l̶̾͜u̸͎̐ȇ̷͎.̴̗͠ ̷̳̏G̴̻͝ŕ̴̫e̵̛̻y̵͔̋. Brown eyes. They glowed almost amber in the sunlight. I ran my hand through his messy b̸̥̕r̵̟̂ò̸͎w̷̨̅n̶͖̽.̸͎̓ Dirty blonde hair and pressed my forehead to his, closing my eyes again.

"Do we have to get up, Dex?" I asked quietly.

He chuckled, "You know he'll be in here any second if we don't." He kissed my forehead, "And you need to brush your teeth. Your breath stinks."

I swatted at him playfully, and he jumped away from me, laughing and sliding from the bed. I opened my eyes again and watched him walk away towards our bathroom, his i̴̡̕v̸͔͠o̸͉͑r̵̰͠y̸̗̆.̶̼͛ ̵̯́T̴̯̃a̷̪̎ṋ̸̆ṇ̵͐e̷͈͠d̵̥̓.̷̢̂ Amber colored skin taught against his muscles.

I smiled to myself. He was perfect. I still couldn't believe I had met him. It felt like a dream now that ten perfect years ago I had been a bumbling intern and had accidentally spilled coffee on him. I thought I'd never be able to apologize enough, but he'd simply laughed it off and told me he'd repay a cleaners ticker with dinner. And things had been perfect ever since. Even the way he had proposed to me three years ago was perfect. We'd been at Yellowstone National Park, right in front of Old Faithful, and he had dropped on one knee and asked the question right as the geyser went off. It was more than I could ever ask for. Our wedding had been full of friends and family and not a single thing had gone wrong. I closed my eyes, relishing in the memories since then.

But as if on cue, I heard small feet pounding down the hallway. And before I could brace myself, our bedroom door was being flung open, and our beautiful three-year-old, clad in his dinosaur jammies, was jumping into our bed. I immediately burst from the covers and pulled him underneath them again with me, a shrill bout of laughter coming from him. 

"You're up so early!" I teased, tickling the young boys' sides.

He shrieked with more laughter, "But momma! It's breafas time!"

I suddenly stopped tickling my son and looked into his g̴͓̓r̷͍̔e̵͈͝ÿ̶̟́.̵̫̄ ̸̼̓Ǧ̴͓r̵͖̉e̵̫̕e̴͐ͅn̸͔̾.̶̻̌ ̸̠̀ Hazel eyes. "That's not the only thing it's time for. Do you know what today is?"

The smile on his face grew wider, "It's my birfday!"

I gasped, "Is it?!" I pulled the boy into my arms and flopped onto my back, hoisting him high into the air above me, "How old are you today Reese?"

He could barely contain his giggles, "I'm four momma!"

"Oh, you're so smart!" I dropped him to my chest and hugged him close. "You know momma loves you?"

"Yes, momma." His giggles were quieter now as he snuggled into me.

"What's this?" Dex said, coming back into the bedroom, "A snuggle party without Dad?! No fair!"

The much larger man jumped onto the bed, making Reese and I jump just a little bit before Dex grabbed us both and pulled us into his arms. Reese laughed again as he was settled in between us. 

I stared at my perfect family. This was all I had ever wanted. A loving husband. An amazing child. A h̵͈͗a̶̗̐p̴͈̕ṕ̶͔i̵̭̋l̵̡̀y̶̳̍ ever after.

A few hours later, the party was in full swing. And there was nothing like a child's birthday party to make you aware of everything. I felt like I had to watch every angle every minute or someone was gonna lose a finger or break a bone.

"You know they'll be fine, right?" Dex said, at one point catching me around the waist as I was racing around our home.

"You don't know that." I huffed, "Someone could get ahold of the lighter, or a knife, or…or…"

Dex pulled me into a kiss. It sent my head swimming and cleared out every paranoid thought. I took the moment to relax into him, pulling him closer and kissing him deeper. 

"Planning another one already?" My best friend chuckled.

I pushed back from Dex and looked at her. She was always stunning. Her ḽ̸̪͑o̴͚̙̅̀ň̸͈̅ǧ̷̗͆ ̵̥͑̈́b̵͎̏̓l̸̹͇̓̂ò̶̺n̴̪̑̕d̴̩̪̚̚ë̷̹̫́ ̸̞̄̈h̴̝̖̍à̴̮̙ị̶͆r̵̰̾̂. Short red hair was a messy tussle of curls. Her beautiful b̸̢̌l̸̨̊̈́u̷̯̩̎e̶̢̍.̴̛̜̆ Green eyes shone with laughter as she took in my husband and I. She'd worn a sundress today. One of the first times I'd seen her in something so nice.

"I swear you two could be the same being and still not get enough of each other." She joked.

"At least she can keep to one man," Dex threw at her.

I slapped his chest playfully, "You know he's just joking, Margo. I'm sorry."

"Ah. It's fine. I know I can always get him back later." She shrugged.

I looked around and my mind returned to the small party of children in the backyard. "We should get back, who knows what they've gotten themselves into."

"Oh, they're fine. You're brothers are with them." Margo stepped closer to us and gently took my hand.

"That's exactly why I'm worried you know how they can be." I sighed, "We should go make sure they're not getting into any trouble."

"Lead on then, my fair lady."

I laughed with my friend. She had been with me since we were children. She had been through the good and the bad. She had been the light of my life when m̷͉͈̎o̵̰̍̎m̵̯̾͒ ̶̩̓͌ḧ̷͈͖́̍a̸̫̅d̷̠̬͗̌ ̶̨͎̍̔d̷͇͑̂i̴̼̎̍e̵̳̞̓d̵̺̬̾.̵̠͕̋̈ Mom had gone through her cancer scare. And when d̵̨̕a̸̜̍d̴̦͋ ̸̥̭͘w̸̖̦̃e̵͉̭͑͆ṋ̶͋̎t̶̩̗͆͛ ̵͕̓͝ḫ̸̖̉̓u̶̳̫͌̀n̸̪̽ẗ̶͍́̅i̴͒͊ͅṇ̸͝g̸͙̍͊.̷͚̊ Dad had been gone on work trips, she had made sure I was never alone. I told myself if I had never met Dex I would have ended up marrying her instead.

We all walked into the backyard together. Everything there had been made perfect for a four-year-olds birthday. Streamers of his favorite cartoon, balloons of any and every color we could find, a bounce house that looked like a castle, complete with a dragon, a massive selection of snacks, a very large cake with Reese' name on it, and candles for him to blow out, and a plastic table stacked high with gifts. And it was a wonder how everything was still as neat as it was. I was surprised we didn't walk in to find something or someone chocolate-covered or on the ground crying. But everything was fine. It was perfect. 

I walked past a few rows of balloons and found one of my brothers talking to his own child. I walked up to them and could barely make out their conversation.

"It's Reese' birthday, D̶a̶w̶s̶o̶n̶ that's why he gets all the gifts." my brother said to his son.

They looked so much alike. My brother's s̴̯͔͝h̵̡͇͗ơ̴̱͚r̵͙̀t̸̗̆̽ ̵̦͐d̵̢̠̄͊i̷̛̯r̶͚͘t̴̛͔̤̋ỳ̶̗͕ ̶̡̐b̶̠̅l̵̲̰̆͊o̸̙̓̆n̷̺̉d̶̼̓͛ę̷̆̏. Long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, exposing the stern look in his g̴̝̖̓͝r̴̡̫͝e̵̔͜e̷̛͔n̷̪̫͋͂. Amber-colored eyes. And D̶a̶w̶s̶o̶n̶ looked like a spitting image of him. You'd never be able to tell that my brother and his husband had adopted him. 

D̶a̶w̶s̶o̶n̶ hurried away from his father as I walked up to them. My brother stood up from his crouched position, sighing. He'd always been a good father to D̶a̶w̶s̶o̶n̶ but I could tell that sometimes it was a strain on him.

"Hey, Axel. You ok?" I asked, placing a kind hand on his shoulder.

My brother smiled, "Oh ya. It's fine." He sighed, "No, I'm not sure what to do with him. He doesn't want to listen to me most days. But he'll listen to C̷͔͂a̸̺͙͆͘s̴̭͍̓̄. Hale just fine."

I smiled softly at him. I could tell he was exhausted. "It'll be ok. You're a good dad, and one of these days he'll see that."

"I hope you're right." He sighed, "Have you seen S̷̲̔̑̐̉͌á̵̦̄m̶̡̘̠̪̥̯̏͛̓ yet?

"No, I haven't seen Carson yet. I assumed he was with Gabriella somewhere." I turned around, facing back towards the party again, and looked for my other brother and his wife. 

But I couldn't find them. Rather I focused on something else. Something beyond all the b̴̨͈̜͕̗̣̅̄̒̌l̵̼͕̘̘̳͑͒̉͝͝͝u̸͉̼͉̓̓̅̈́͆ř̴̘̼̼̺̒̂r̶̪̓ý̷͋̌͗̌͘͜. Friendly faces. It was a person. Or at least it looked like a person. They were standing on the sidewalk outside our fence, just staring at me. They looked so familiar. Sofamiliar. Who were ț̶͙̯̘̲̟̉̆̂h̸̢̫̪̟̥́̍͑̕e̴͓̊̈́̿̓͒͘y̴̟͊̽̎̂̋? They had short d̸͉̹̒͗̒̕ǐ̷̲̥̊̆͜͜r̷̰͙͚̋͐̌͜͝t̸͓͉̠̗̘̎̾y̸̡̖̠͖͍̼̽̉̏̾͝ ̴̺̊̈́̌͌̌b̶͎͍͝ḷ̶̝̙̻̈ͅö̴̡̢̮͎̟̦́̌̉͌n̶̢̬̜̺̤̔d̸͇̟̰͛̾̌̀͜ë̸͆̚͜ͅ hair. And brilliant b̶͓͈͕̦̓͌̉̅̃͠l̴̛̯̀̽̏͝͠ū̶̢̨̲̣̭́̂̋é̸̠̗̜͕̟̪͐ ̷̰͚̬̔̂͘è̶̱̠̼͗̇ȳ̷̤̭͉̠̦̅̐͠͝ȩ̶̘̂̃̀̑͋͜s̵͇̫̬͗. Somethinglikeanangelwouldhave. An a̸̮̺̪͈͍̹̒n̷̨̝̩̋̊͘͘͝g̴̤̩͕̋e̴͙̮͈̞͇̯̾̃͘l̸̪̓̂͐? No. Nothing like that existed. It was just some creep. But my brain was flooded by a name. A person it was sure I knew.

L̸̮̟̓̇̈́u̷̚͘͜c̴̼̀̆͘i̶͉̣͆͘f̷͘ͅë̴͖̥́͜ŗ̶͒.

The things. T̸͈͆̏h̶̢̍e̶͚̙̐͌͘ ̵̪͎̐͂ȃ̸̭̼͐͝n̶̨̛̠̒͌g̶̥̗̦̓͊͠e̸̛̯̿l̷̬̘̜̾̔̌s̵͚̣͆. Eyes glowed a bright c̷̱̺̗̐͌͝r̷͚̋i̶͈̐̍͜m̸̧̽͂̀ś̶͎̭͑ǒ̵̡̺̤̀́ñ̵̯̎ ̴͉͆r̷̘̍́͠ẻ̷̡̤͍̾d̶̪͑̆. And something huge like a giant pair of m̷͎̳͔͑̾͘i̵̬͕̲̾d̷̢͉̆n̵̘̬̫̽̀i̴̬͎͆g̵͔̑̀h̶̡̦͉̉t̷̗̱̎ ̶̧̯̂b̷̫̻̝̋l̷̡̞̈́a̸̼̲͑ć̸̯̪k̴̙͌͒̃ ̴͍͊͝ẁ̸̗̗̋͊į̸̠͘n̶̤̺͍͠ǵ̵̢͓͕̀̏s̷̼̟͛ sprouted from its. T̴̨̅h̵̛̤͍͋͝é̴͔̝̆͜i̷̤̤̭̚͝r̷̯̙̭̓́̾.̸̠̀͗ ̸̥̠̓͝͝H̶̢͇̳́̈̐i̷̙͍͚͗̌s̷̭͊̄̚.̸̋̃ back. I felt my eyes go wide as I focused on it. I couldn't look away. What is it? Why is it here?

W̷̩̒̽H̴̞̤̀̾̈́Y̴͕̏ ̸̛̪̓͝I̴͓̜̦̓͑͠Ś̸̤́ ̶̦̦͋H̷̯͊̒̿E̸̮̣̜͊ ̸̰̀̀͘H̵͖͓̖͂E̸͈̪͛͝ͅR̶͉̤̾̓E̸̖͋͑?̸̤͋̈́

I blinked, and it was gone. What was gone? I blinked again and waved at our neighbor. He had been waving at me, and calling 'Happy Birthday' at Reese. He was such a kind o̴̰̯̒̈ḻ̵̮͆̆͝ḑ̸̬̠̆.̴̹́̊ ̸̱̱̣̀͊͝Y̸̰̒ọ̵̺́͆̑u̷̱̎ṇ̶̫̀̈̍͜g̸̓̚͜.̶͓̥̮̎ Middle-aged man. He had kids of his own who were in college now, so he would babysit for us sometimes when we had to work unexpectedly.

"Hey, hun?" Dex called for me from near the gift table, "You ready to cut some cake? The birthday boy is getting restless. 

"Oh. I'll be right over!" I called back.

I walked across the sunset-lit lawn. Whenhaditgottensolate? N̶̥͍̦͋͊o̵͈̽̄͠ ̸̛̣̈́i̷͔̦̍̐̄t̸̟̦͑̈́̒ ̸̻̳̿ŵ̴̬͜a̵̳̟̯̒̀s̵̞̔ͅň̸̺̰͈'̵͎̓́́t̴̟̰̏̐̎ ̷̞̙̞̏l̵̹̺̐͝a̵̢̘̪͛̚ẗ̶͙́̏̀e̶̝͎̯̿̾.̶̨̮̀̂ I walked across the afternoon sun-heated lawn. It had warmed up quite a bit since the morning, we had to move the ice cream inside because we were afraid it was going to melt.

"Let me go get the ice cream and then little mister can blow out his candles." I said, tussling my son's ğ̶̡̢͓͋o̵̘͆̂l̶͕̬̜̎d̷̗̞̳̈͑̓e̶͍̹̐̚n̵̠̽͑͝.̵̝̕ ̶̩̾̒H̷̲̓o̴͉͆̎͝ň̸̟ȇ̸͇͉͋y̶̡̒̏ͅe̸͔͎͌́̈́d̵̛̟̑̊͜.̷̻̣̔̆̒ Sun-kissed hair as I walked past him and into the house.

I walked through to the kitchen, walking past a portrait mirror hanging in the hallway. I walked swiftly to the fridge and opened the bottom door freezer to retrieve the icecream. I hummed ot myself as I searched through the drawers to find an ice cream scoop to bring out as well. Then I hurried back through the house. 

Something made me stop in front of the mirror this time. I looked into it, taking in the woman I was, and the man who was somehow standing right behind me. His r̵̦̋̎̌ͅe̷̬͈̽̌ḋ̶͚̰͚́͋.̴̩̤̿̊ ̵͕̙̀B̵̥̥̒̕ļ̵̰̺͒́͝o̶̰̠̾͗o̵̹͓̖͂͋d̸̺̈̈̚ ̷̳̠̻̇r̸̢͉̃̈́̌e̶̡͘d̸̢̉̐̐.̸̪́ ̷̗̓̾̚B̴̗̾l̷͖̀ō̵͖͂͐o̷̪̅̚̕ḑ̶̖̍̓͝ ̶͍̮̄͜s̴͔̦͓̄̀́o̶͇̻̣̓̑ā̵̾ͅk̵̨͇͇̎͌e̸̥̤̭͒̉́d̶͉̬̮̅̆.̴̡̗̱͊ ̷̖̏B̶̛͕̣̓l̴̢̬̥͂̂̚ò̵͖o̴̝̿̃̚d̶̡̢̆͋̅ ̷͈̹̠̈̽ḏ̴͚͌r̶̩̭͋i̴̞̺͝͠ṕ̴͓͖̝p̵͙̬̦͑̍̕i̶̖̣͒n̴͓̐g̷̼̪͙̿͗.̸̩̠͝ ̴̩̹̄B̴̜̝̂̽͝l̷̙̽́̓ó̷͔̠o̵̝̬̖͐d̷͈̺̂̑͝ ̵̮̳͚̃̍̌f̶͙̜͙̍̎l̵̛͚͎ȯ̸̹̣w̶̗̃į̶̂̇ṅ̸̖̓ğ̷̨ͅ ̶̹̤̙̂͗̆d̸̦͊o̷̧͇͑ͅw̸̫̽n̸̹͔̺̔̋ ̴̝̮̇h̷̲̀̊į̴̩̆̈s̷̮̱̀͂ ̴͖̌̅̇f̶̺̯̋͝a̷̛͎͆c̷̨͑e̵̻̟̎̽͘.̸̮̯̿́ ̷͈͎͋̎͘B̵̥̌͂l̶̪̻͋͑o̸̘̭̍̕͝o̸̞͈͇̊̎͐d̴̞͆̕y̵̰̔̒̂ ̶̳̣̀́ë̶̖́̌͌͜y̵̢̺͌̂ȩ̷̙̒̚s̸͚̗̊͒ stared into my soul. I couldn't look away from him. Couldn't look away from Ḻ̴̝̀̎̽u̷̢͐͑͜c̴̼͘ḯ̷͍̙͙̏f̶͎̼̌̅é̸̬̅ȓ̴͈̹̤̔͘.̴̦͙̠̉ ̴̗̋́F̴͔̃̾ā̸̼̃͑l̵͈̻̅l̶͇̻̱̽e̵̛̖͊n̴̨̼͚̒͐ ̵̈́ͅa̷̹͉̾̅n̷̡͈̂̀̽g̶̡͈͌̂̕e̶̞͖͋l̶̖̹̞̂.̶̨̬͒̌ ̶̹͙̎͒̂M̴̮͐͂͆ò̸̞͖́r̴̨̕n̸̦͘͝i̷̭̇͊ǹ̸͙̏g̸͖̽̔̊s̵̞̭̭̊̕͝t̴͕͑̑ȃ̷̳̲̹̂̀r̷̼̭̀.̸̯̲̠̀ ̸̨̯͚̓̋T̵̟̪͍̑̉ḧ̴̭e̷̮͑̅̕ ̴͔̱͓̊͒̂d̴͈͖̘̈̋̋ē̷̪̻̏̍v̵̨͍͉̈́͋̾ḭ̶̼̳͗̃l̵̨̦̍̉̉.̵̠̹́̓ ̷̻͉͛L̵̻̜̫̽̊̐ụ̸͖̀̑c̵͚̱͓̑̚̚ị̴̺̲͊f̸̣͕̼̑̈́e̵̙͇̦̎̀͝r̷͖͛! Again his w̵̯̆̓i̵̦̪̠͐̉ṉ̷͙̾̈́̓g̴͐͊͜š̶̯̯̂̚͜ opened behind him and I felt like I was going to be sucked into his presence. Sucked into thescreamingvoices. 

Y̵̮̆͊Ơ̷̖̓̉Ü̵͕͔̖͌͠ ̷̣͊Ṣ̸͚͉̈́̀̀H̸̼̓͝Ò̷̭͔U̵̯̜͍͝Ḽ̶͚̋̑D̴̳͐N̴͍̺͐͛'̵͖̿̓͝T̸̪̂ ̵͙͚̗̉̋̓B̴̺̋E̸͉̍ ̶̠̥̤̐H̸̪͌̃E̶̻̥͂̄R̴̥̫͝Ȩ̴̰̫̑̂̚!

G̴͉͙̺̒̏E̸̛̱̞͑T̷͙̓͠ ̸͔̿Ǫ̴̖̀͊̿ͅU̸̱̽T̶͕͚̽͑!

G̴͉͙̺̒̏E̸̛̱̞͑T̷͙̓͠ ̸͔̿Ǫ̴̖̀͊̿ͅU̸̱̽T̶͕͚̽͑!

G̴͉͙̺̒̏E̸̛̱̞͑T̷͙̓͠ ̸͔̿Ǫ̴̖̀͊̿ͅU̸̱̽T̶͕͚̽͑!

"Momma?" Reese called. He was standing at the end of the hallway. 

"I'm sorry hunny. Momma's coming." I smiled and walked out to him.

What had I been doing? My hand felt bitter cold, and I looked down at the tub of ice cream I clutched tightly in it. Oh right. I had gone to get the ice cream for the party and had gotten stopped by Margo again.

"You're really a scatterbrain today." She said beside me. "You're gonna starve if you don't get some cake, huh Reese?"

"Ya!" The small boy pumped his fists into the air and ran back outside.

I laughed and looked at my best friend. "It'll be your responsibility if he has too much."

"Oh because that's fair!" she rolled her eyes and laughed with me as we returned to the party.

I opened my eyes, but it was hard, they felt so very heavy. Was I tied up to something? How was I standing? I was sure I was too weak to be standing on my own. I felt like I had no life left in me. Where was I?

What I could see of the building looked old and abandoned. What I could see of the dark ceiling looked like it was made of bare scaffolding and wood beams. My head slumped forward and I looked at the dirt-covered wood floor that sat beneath me. My feet were off the floor and I could just make out the glint of a metal bar beneath them. I was hung up on something. What had I been doing?

Come on.

F̴̝̣͔̏͝͝ö̷̗́̈́r̸̛̰̳̍ͅg̵̞̰̍͘e̵̠͐t̸̗̆̔.

Remember.

Ẻ̷̘v̴͓̱̆͑é̶͉͝r̴̠͌͘ỳ̶̳͈ẗ̵̘́̀͆h̷̢̟̰͘í̷̝n̸̗͋̋̂g̸̲̪̥͗͊'̵͝ͅs̷͓̭̿ ̸̧̙̑ǫ̵̇̽k̵̼͓̞̂͋

Nothing feels right.

You need to s̷̜̱̽̐̚t̵͕̬͔̄a̸̙̙̿y̴̹̒̄ ̴̖̐͘ȃ̸̖̟͓͒s̵͎̯̉̃l̵̹̭̾̿ͅé̸͙̟̈͝e̷͉̽̕ṕ̸͍̤̓̅. Wake up.

I picked my head up again, it was harder this time. Sleep, or something, dragged on my bones and weighted them down. But there was something important here. There was someone important here.

K̷̥̬̯̈́̈́e̷̡͉̙͗͗t̴̋͘͜͠ĉ̶̛̹̹̗h̴̡͈͘.

Was that it? Was that the name I couldn't quite place? I tried to open my mouth, tried to open it, and call out whatever name I had been trying to think of. I knew they had to be close by. I knew he would. 

Ṡ̵͉̗ä̵̺̜̫́̇͑v̵̬̅̑ͅe̸̲̊͑ ̵͚̱̃m̷̧̈̋͠ë̷͖̦̻́.

There had to be some way. Something I could do to get his attention. I tried with all my might to move something other than my head, but nothing else moved. Everything else was still asleep. Still ṷ̵̔̉n̶̞̠̿̆͂d̴̫̙̀ͅȅ̵̹̀ȓ̴͍͋ ̷̞̈̃͝ͅt̶͔͉͍̄͘͘h̸̛̳̏͐ė̸̺̮ ̵̳͗̄s̴̢͖̗̋̒p̷̙͈̐̀e̵̘̓̊̌ĺ̸̢̛̗̭̈́l̵͙͓͔̑̀. I was going to fall back under again. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open. But I had to do something before then.

I tried again to will anything to move. I focused hard on moving a foot. I could just barely feel my toe curl in my shoe. That was a start. I focused harder, bringing it to the front of my mind and pulling the cobwebs aside as much as I could. All to move my foot. And it worked. I raised my foot a few inches and got caught by whatever was holding me to my trap. A restraint. But it had to be enough. 

I let my foot fall slack and felt it smack against something. A metal bar. It shivered up my back and rang out a small note. It was too soft for anyone to be able to hear unless they were in front of me. I had to try harder. 

G̸̨͐̀͐ò̸̯̾͜ ̸̳̤̳͊ḃ̸̲̪a̴̠̬̋c̶̰̺̈̒̍k̵̙̝̀̊̇ ̸͔̝̮̀t̴̲̯̃ǒ̷͙̪̀̌ ̵͎̔s̴̢̗̑͌l̷͕̞͓̀͗e̵̼̱͈͂͊e̴͖͒͒ͅp̴̩̣͆͑.

My eyes were getting heavy again, pulling me back into the dream. Pulling me away from this life. But I couldn't just yet. I needed him to hear me. Whoever he was. I needed to try again.

I needed to escape.

Y̸̱̬͍͋̉o̶̟̓̀ǘ̸̡̱͌͑ ̷͎͖͛̽͋ǹ̴̫̙e̶̘̝̦͂́e̵̠̩̞͊̒ḏ̸̮̤̀̆͝ ̶̥͖͛͗̇t̷̨̚ő̷͚͈̯̐ ̴͓̬̓̕s̸̜̈́̑l̸̻̞̚͝è̸̥͂͠e̵̬̥̖̍͘͠p̵͈̰̩̔.

No.

Ȳ̵̻́e̷͇̿s̵͈̲͌.

Not yet.

I pushed my foot forward again, more confident now that I had done it once. I found the furthest the restraint would allow me to go, and pulled my foot back as hard as I could. I groaned as the metal bar reverberated with the sound. It had to have been enough. Please be enough. Please don't be muffled too much.

There was a call. It sounded close. Or maybe it was far away. Far, far away. I felt my eyes closing again. It had to have been enough. Please. I can't stay here. I need to…

What did I need?

My eyes were closing again. The world out there was drifting away. But I could hear something getting closer. Someone getting closer. He had heard me. It wouldn't be long now. But had it been too late?

"Ā̸̢̾̋l̷̼̣̬̀ȇ̵̪̖͈x̸͓̎̾̂?̶͔͖̌" He was trying to talk to me.

"A̸̛͔̤̬͗l̶̞̿̽͠e̶̘̖͓̎x̶̣͌?̴̼̅̐!̷̩͇̉̈́͊ ̸̲̦̝͋̋Y̵͎͖̒̈́ǒ̸̠ủ̵̧͒̕ ̵̡̐n̷̪͚͐̎e̴̘͔̻̓́ë̵̲̜d̷̬̯͛ ̶̩̏t̶̪̳̟͗́o̴͍̥͋ ̴̘̹̘̇̈́w̸̰̪͊͛ã̴̖k̸̮̥̾̄̅ḛ̶̮̩̀̚ ̵̥̝̈́́u̸̡̡͇̅̀̄p̷̟̭̭̆̐͝!̴͈̈́" I can hear you.

I can't wake up yet.

"Ã̵̱ḷ̶͑e̴̙̘̓x̶͉̚!"

H̶̫̘͉́̆e̵̪̓̅̓l̷̹̖̘̀̇̈́p̶̱̦̆͐͑ ̵̣̯̗͗͒͆m̸̡̙͆ë̸̪́̿…

I jolted awake, sitting straight up in bed and gasping for air. But what had I been afraid of? I didn't remember the dream I had just woken up from. Was it a scary one? It must have been. Why else was I covered in a cold sweat?

"Are you ok?" I had woken Dex up by mistake.

I turned to him and took in his worried expression. "Ya. I'm ok." I tried to smile. I really had no reason to be afraid. It must not have even been important if I hadn't remembered it. "Just a silly dream."

Dex' silver eyes, H̵̠͓̓͐͗ä̸̭̠́̋̅d̷̜̼̻̓̚n̶̨̲͍̒̽'̴̲̳̤̕ț̷̩̰̓ ̴̧̣͈̊t̸̟̬̊̕͠ͅh̷͉͇̺̄e̵̝̔͐͆͜y̶̞̐ ̶̹̲̱̆̓b̶͔͘ḙ̸̡̄̋͝ė̴̼ň̴͇̒͝ ̵̡͍̗͂b̵͚̯͎̅̅̔r̴̟̫͉̍̆o̸͍̎͂͝w̶̜͎͆́ń̷̟̺̌?̴̤̙̀̾̈, smiled at me. "Come here."

I scooted closer to him as he stretched out and pulled me into his embrace. I closed my eyes and cuddled into his warmth. It felt like it was going to be a chilly day today. And one of us must have left the window open last night before climbing into bed. But that didn't matter. It just meant I got to be closer to Dex in the mornings. 

I opened my eyes and pushed off his chest. Dex' eyes popped open and he stared at me. I smiled down at him. 

"What?" He asked, smiling back.

"I just remembered what today was." I sat up again, sliding from the bed.

"Oh ya?" He asked, stretching and running a hand through his short brown hair. I̴͎̦̼͐̕ţ̶͕͔́͐͝ ̷̤̈̎͜ḧ̴̫̜́ǎ̴̱̟̓d̷̖͔̃͆͛ ̶̖͔̚b̵̥̽͋͑e̸̠͇͕͌e̵͈̰͌͛̀n̷̞̳͝ ̷̲̻̹̿̚͝d̵̦̟̉͋̽i̸̟̥̻̇̚r̵̖̿̆̋ṭ̶̻̒y̸̛̩͖̲̾ ̴̛̝̅b̴̲̤̝̄l̴̛̩̚ö̷̪͔̪̅̈n̸̞̋d̷̘̎e̴̟̅ ̶̫͂̅b̶̝͎̥͌̆é̸͆͌ͅf̶̺̅̈́͝o̴̢͎̒̾͆r̶̠͘ͅe̵̹̿̃̓͜.̴̽̈́̔. 

"It's Reese; first day of school!" I said, excitedly. 

Dex pointed a finger in the air, "Oh right. You might be more excited than he is."

"It just means he's out of the house all day. Which gives me plenty of time with you." I said, winking at my husband.

"Oohhh. Right, you are." He smiled. "You should go get him ready. The sooner he's out of here the better for us."

I laughed and walked over to my dresser. I got dressed and left our bedroom as Dex got out of bed. I walked the short distance down the hall to Reese' bedroom and opened the door.

I̵͈͝t̷͋͜ ̸̟͆w̸͔̆a̴̙͊s̴̻̈ ̸̣̎ā̷̭ň̶͜ ̶̥͗a̵̩̔b̵̬̉â̵̟n̷̼̉ḍ̸̌o̴̗̓n̵͎͒ë̴̖d̴̠̑ ̶̡̕r̷̪̋ó̴͈ȍ̵̗m̵̛͎.̸̲̐ ̷̟́Ḁ̷̑l̵͇͠m̴͚̏o̶͚͘s̸̠̕t̴̻̚ ̵̰̚t̷̡͂h̸̘̐e̷̙͊ ̷̼̾s̴̺̄ä̵̞́ḿ̶͖e̴̠͂ ̸̻̓a̶̦͠b̷̺̾ȃ̸͉ň̴̹d̶̢̀ŏ̸̯ṇ̷̛e̵͎̚d̸̲͝ ̸̠̾r̵͔͗ǫ̴̑ȯ̸̦ḿ̷̱ ̷̞̀I̴̖͝ ̷̯̾h̴̡͆a̷̗̐d̶͙̑ ̶͍̈́s̴̜̍e̵̗͋e̷͔̅n̴͖͊ ̴̧̏i̷̦̕ñ̴̤ ̴̦̈́m̵͈̈́ỵ̴͐ ̴͈̄d̵͎̂r̷͉̀ȅ̷͎à̵̹m̵͚̿.̵̱̀ T̷̫̀h̵̹̅e̴̛͍ ̵̠̇w̴͍̄a̷̦͗ĺ̵͜l̶̝̑s̸̪͌ ̷̧̇w̸͈͊e̸̱͛r̴̗̓e̴̙̐ ̶̲͝m̸̮̒á̶̤d̸͍͝ȩ̴́ ̵̣͘o̵̜̾f̵̠̀ ̴̥͊õ̷̳l̶̲̆d̵̡̏ ̴̯͊ŕ̵͚u̷͍͋s̵͒͜t̷͕̐ȉ̸͖n̷̘̒g̷̰͝ ̶̻͑m̷͍͝e̴̘̿t̵͚̅a̴̖͝l̸̰͝.̴͔̅ ̷̫̉S̶͕͘o̷̗̽m̸͚̂e̷͕̔ ̵͖̀o̸͔̾f̴̭͗ ̸̬̄t̷̪͘h̵̪̋e̴̲͑ ̸̳̈́p̶͎̊l̴̰͝a̴͇͐t̸̬́ē̶̱s̵͚̚ ̵̺̈h̶̭͒a̷͔̍d̵̩̂ ̶̩͂h̵̰̀o̴̖̿l̵̦̋e̷̗͌s̷̪̽ ̶̤̏i̶̮͌ǹ̵͍ ̵̼̓t̶͙̽h̶͖̉e̴̝̎m̵͖͌ ̸̣͆m̴̗͒ả̶͕d̴̼̐ě̴͖ ̸͍̍b̵̧̏ỳ̷̘ ̷̘̓w̷̦̅ë̴̪́ā̷̫t̶͈̔h̷̳̀ȅ̶͍r̸̲͗.̷͙̅ T̶̳̈h̸̝͘ȩ̶̈ ̸̗̊ŵ̷͖o̷̖͊o̶̧͆d̷̼̈e̵̺͊n̸̩͒ ̴̪̓f̵̠̚l̸̻͗õ̸̮o̷͙̊r̴̦͠ ̵͎͋c̴͕̄r̵͚̀e̷̩̊ä̵̪́k̵̻̕ẽ̶̦d̸͎͌ ̵̦͑d̴̢̾ã̶͚n̸̝͊g̶̼͝e̴̮̋r̷̫͌o̴̤̅ư̴͇ṣ̴̍l̶̨̕y̸̥͝ ̸̝̕w̸͎͝ȉ̸͙t̸̤͘ȟ̶̩ ̴̻̉à̵͎g̷̖̿ē̴̙.̷͓̒ T̷̉ͅh̸͙̅e̴̫̋r̷̩̈e̴̞̊ ̵͍͐w̴̏͜ä̷̢s̸̞͊ ̷̹̈́á̴̯ň̴̬ ̵̨̋õ̷̟ľ̶̨d̵̮͂ ̸͍͝b̸͍̽r̷̰̒o̵͖͊k̴͌͜e̵̡͑n̴̊ͅ ̶̩̃w̶̰̽i̸͑͜n̵͍͂d̷̮̔o̵̦̽w̷͓͌ ̶̦͊a̵͚̿t̸̓͜ ̵̧̐t̴̟͌h̷̜̊e̷͙̿ ̵͌ͅě̸̱ǹ̶̺d̶̯͐,̷̧̉ ̸̫̈́t̶̫̓h̵̲̄e̴̖̅ ̵̥̚w̴̖͛i̶̧̊n̶̡͌d̶̯̋ ̵̖̾f̷̤͝l̵̗̊a̴̡̿p̸̨̓p̸͎͛ȩ̷̓ḋ̵̼ ̸̯̇ṯ̴̄h̷̙̀r̴̀͜o̴̰̾u̶̫̚g̸̗̀h̶̥̋ ̵̝͂ȧ̴̜n̵̲̍ ̵̭̍o̷̗͛l̴̡̽d̶̩͂ ̷̳͝s̵̙̀ẖ̸̏e̵̬̽e̸̮͝t̵̡̃ ̶̧̔ö̷̤́ḟ̸̗ ̴̩͑ṗ̸ͅl̴̼̓á̷̘s̷̘̀ẗ̸̻i̶̦̕c̴̠̏ ̸̹̽ț̷͠h̸̬͝ă̵̱ṱ̸̃ ̶̺̾c̵̺͌ô̶̠v̵̮̽ë̴̥r̶͍̿e̶̤̿d̴̫͂ ̶̮̋i̸̘̿t̵͉̄.̶̦̌

T̵̜͊h̸̦͛e̵̩̅r̴̺̀e̵̙͝'̴̦̐s̵̳̎ ̴̟̿n̷͝ͅo̷̗̚ ̷͔̚s̴̫͌î̵͍g̵̬͝n̴̬̈́ ̶̺̈o̶̼͐f̵̹̅ ̴̺̍y̴̘̓ŏ̸͜ṳ̴̇r̷̜̍ ̸̣͗s̵̮̓o̶͔̓ṉ̴͑.̵̣͝

N̵͓̽o̶̻͠ ̵̟̈s̶̝͂i̷̝͗ġ̶̰ń̷͜ ̸̪́o̴̞͋f̵͙̑ ̵͙̑R̷̠̕ĕ̷͉e̶͖̐s̴̤͂e̶͓͗.̶̜̇

N̷͚͒o̷̜̅ ̴̳̎R̷͎̒e̴͙̅é̵̤s̴̬̾ȩ̷̄.̸̩̚

It was the room we had made for him. It had been his baby room and now served as his 'big boy room', as he put it. The walls were a minty green color and fake wood tiles covered the floor. There was a small dresser that sat under a window opposite his small bed, which was covered in Spiderman bedsheets. A mobile of the solar system hung above it around the ceiling light. Several stuffed animals sat in the leather chair next to the bookshelf.

I smiled as I walked into the cozy room. I peered into the bed, Reese looked to be asleep, but I knew better. I walked over as quietly as I could.

"Reese?" I called softly. "Time to get up buddy."

He continued to pretend to be asleep, but I could see his mouth turn up in a small smile.

"Oh no." I said sarcastically, "Is he still asleep?"

The smile on Reese' face grew as I played along with him.

"Well, I guess he'll just miss his first day of Kindergarten." I said, pretending to walk away and out of his room. 

"Mom!" He called, suddenly sitting up in his bed, "I was just pretending!"

I turned back around to him. "Oh my! Well, you sure tricked me!" I rushed back over and pulled him from his bed and into a hug, making the small child squeal, his dark eyes Ẃ̶͕ḥ̸̔a̶̓ͅt̵̉ͅ ̷̻̑c̷̈͜o̷̻̿l̷͇͊ơ̵̭r̵̢͠ ̸̥̑h̶̕͜â̵̪d̶̼̈ ̴͑ͅt̸̥̿h̶̞͌e̵͓̚y̷̧͛ ̷̙́b̴̙̅e̵̩̎ẻ̸̮n̵̺͋?̷̤̐ filled with a child's joy. "We better get you ready then."

I set him down on his feet and walked with him out of his room and down the hall to the communal bathroom. The counters there were piled high with Reese' things. His little toothbrush. His hair brush. All of his adorable little bath toys. 

"Alright, big boy! Time to take a bath!" I turned towards the bathtub and turned the water on.

I stuck my hand under it as the water began to run from the faucet. It was warm, but I wanted to make sure it didn't get too hot for his skin.

I̴̭̐t̵̤̐'̴͍̋s̷̱͂ ̴̇ͅb̸̬̓l̴͚̂o̶̬͠ó̴͜d̷͓͠. T̶̖͗h̵͍̃ḭ̷͆ş̴́ ̴͖̀i̸̲̾s̷̹̐ ̷̣͂ṱ̴̒h̴̨͊i̵̛̮c̷̝͌k̶̗̂ ̴̥̃w̶̳̾a̸̗̚ȑ̷͔m̸̭̌ ̶̦̊b̴̼̃l̸̗̿o̵̧̅o̸͕͠ḏ̵̏ ̸̼̎r̵̝̚ų̵͗n̶̞͘ṉ̷̈́ȉ̴̬n̸̰̏g̸͔͐ ̶͖͒ȍ̴̫v̵͍͆e̸͚̚r̸͔͐ ̶͔̉ÿ̶̭́o̵̮̐ụ̶̏r̸͎̔ ̸̙̀h̷̼̚a̴̯̅n̴̖̔d̸̖̆.̸̠͐

I blinked and pulled my hand out of the water. It was warm enough now that I let the tub fill and turned back to Reese to help him undress and get ready for the day.

It had been such a rush of emotions dropping Reese off at the school. It wasn't often that I got to drop off my five-year-old at school and it wouldn't happen again for a while. However, I was also sure the feeling would happen again and again when he started the next grade. At least for now, it was only half days. Which meant I had plenty of time to get home and spend a few hours with Dex before we had to go off to work. We had already asked our neighbor if he could watch Reese after school. He had agreed wholeheartedly. I smiled to myself as I drove. He was such a kind person. 

I hardly noticed the person appearing in my passenger seat as I drove. Not until he tried to speak to me.

"Ạ̶̾l̷̖͒ë̶̹x̶̞͝." I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I glanced over at him. It was the man from the mirror. What was his name? I knew it. It was there at the tip of my tongue. But it felt fuzzy. Like a memory, I wasn't meant to remember.

H̴͇͗e̵̻͘ ̷̳͗ỉ̶̺s̸̫̎ ̷͙̉L̵͖̾u̷̗͌c̸̹̉ȉ̸̢f̶̈ͅḛ̷̀ṙ̵̠.̷̗͛

"Y̷͎̾o̷͔̓ŭ̸̲ ̷̦̋n̵͆͜ȅ̵͍e̴͖̅d̶̜̿ ̶͇̏t̷̼̄ö̴̥ ̵͖̉w̴̖̒ả̸͇k̵̲̕e̷̍ͅ ̴͕̽ú̶̲p̸͖͘." He said to me.

"What are you talking about? I am awake." I scoffed.

I was, wasn't I? I thought about it. The dream last night playing again in my head. No. It had just been a dream. I̴͔̽t̵̩̆ ̸̖̃ŵ̸̭à̵̫s̵͂ͅ ̷̦̐ḁ̵̾l̴͉̏l̷̤̚ ̷̜͠a̸̲̓ ̷̧̂d̴̦͗r̷͓̃e̸͎̾ä̵̰́m̶̥̎. Yes. That was the dream.

"N̵̮͒o̵̪͊.̴̩́ ̸̞͆T̴̼̓ḧ̴̨́i̴͙͗s̶͐ͅ ̵͚́i̶̹̊s̸̭͗ ̵͇̑ǎ̸͜ ̵͍͊t̴̬́r̸̨̈a̸̝̽p̴͙͐." He said again.

Was he able to read my mind?

Wait. Where had the road gone? Where was I? Where…I wasn't meant to be here. What was I doing again?

There was nothing around me. The road, cars, trees, birds, w̵̡̔o̵̗̅r̶̨͒l̶̥̈d̶̰̒ was gone. There was nothing but myself, the man who stood beside me, and the black void.

Lucifer. His name was Lucifer.

"You need to w̸͖̉a̶̝̍k̷͝ͅe̵̟̋ ̴̢̎u̶̖͋p̷͉̊." He said to me. "You're stuck in a D̶̢͍͓̱̝͂͂̃͝j̵͇͉̪̖̲̓̅͑͘͝ͅì̷̳͙̗̥͍̳̯̀̇̚͝n̸̫͈͓͓̲̿͒̓͒̀̌̈́͒͜ǹ̵̗̘̲̖̊̐̈́̀̕͝ trap."

"No. That's impossible." But I was beginning to believe him. Nothing about our current situation was possible. "Those don't exist."

"They do." The man gripped my shoulders tightly.

He touched me. He was real.

"If you don't wake up you are going to d̷̠̫̑͒i̵͈̼̇e̶̦̜͇͆̿̈." His red eyes were serious and deadly themselves.

"You're lying. That's what Lucifer does." But I was scared. I could feel the fear in my blood.

Was this all a lie? Had my perfect life been nothing but a dream? A lie created by a monster to feed off of? There was no way that was true. Everything had been perfect. I was happy. 

"Wake up, Alex!"

I was driving again, another car blaring its horn as I swerved back into the right lane of traffic.

What had that been? It had to have been just another part of the dream from last night. What dream? I was scratching at the edges of my brain and still couldn't remember what had made me so scared this morning. What was happening to me?

I drove the rest of the way home in silence, the streets that had been oh so familiar to me that morning, now confusing and twisted. There was no way that man had been correct. I had been seeing things. I would talk to…I would talk to….

Dex.

I would talk to Dex about it when I got home. Surely he would know what was happening. And it would be nice to get off the road before this storm became too much. The rain was already beating hard on the windshield of my car. 

It was raining heavily as I ran from the car and into the house. I couldn't believe it had gotten this bad so quickly. I ducked in through the door and closed the door tightly before turning around into the living room.

"You will not believe how bad the weather's gotten D̵͙͕̲͝ë̴͓́̕x̸̧́́̈́ͅ." His name felt strange on my tongue. Was that not his name? It had to have been. It was the only name I knew my….knew my….knew him by.

A strange man came around the corner from the kitchen. He was tall and well-built. His brown hair was cut short and slicked back nicely with gel of some sort. His silver eyes were cautious and worried. He seemed to be looking at me like I was some kind of wounded animal. I knew his name.

His name.

His name.

What was his name? It was there in the back of my mind. Again it caused an itching sensation that I couldn't quite scratch. The thunder outside rolled.

K̵͚̯̐̕e̵̢̘͓̊̆t̵͎̖̓c̶̱̯̏͐̔h̴̭̐̀̔.

No, there was more to that name. That wasn't quite right.

A̷̜͙͙̐́r̷͇̺̍t̸͍͖̭̃̽̔ĥ̷̥̗ͅü̸̺̈́͘r̵̜̿̇ ̷̢̬͂K̷͇͉̓̆͗͜ę̴̗̬̔̉̓t̶̛̞͔̉ć̴̯̪͛h̵̙̓

Again. Say it again.

Arthur K̵̭̜͗̇̿ë̷͙́̓̆t̴̡̓c̷̱̀̈͜ḣ̷͇́̂.

One more time. Get it clear in your head.

Arthur Ketch.

And there he was clear as day. The man I had truly fallen in love with so many times before. Here in front of me. 

I took in the room around me for the first time. It was empty, completely bare. There were no couches. No recliners. No fireplace. No rugs. No bookshelves or CD racks. There wasn't even a TV on the wall.

The storm outside raged louder and fiercer.

"I need you to wake up, love." His voice was soft. Like it was being drowned out in the storm. 

"I…I can't…" The words hurt in my throat. 

This world w̷͈̤͂̀͜â̴̼̪̲ŝ̵̩̝͈̕ǹ̸̫͑̕'̷̳̍̽͠t̵̩͈͇͆͒ ̷̙͘r̵̠͂͛͘e̷̹̔̏a̸̹̘̾̓̏l̴̫̽ͅ. But it was so perfect. P̵̖̍e̷̳͊r̶͔̿f̷̝̕e̶͙͌c̵̗͐t̴̬̐l̷̦̄y̷̱͝ ̴̻͒i̴̖̎ḿ̵͚p̸̭̍e̵̬̾r̵̼̅f̷̦͋è̸̳c̸͚͝t̴̨͑. This wasn't your life. This wasn't how you wanted to live. This was perfect but it was not the perfect you wanted. You wanted a life with him. The man in front of you. You wanted a world with him in it.

The storm outside threatened to break through the windows.

What windows? The walls around me were now bare. Not even a single piece of wallpaper covered the drywall. And pieces of insulation poked out from the cracks and holes in the walls. The rain poured in through the holes where the windows once stood. The wind whipped around us, strong enough to pull him away from me.

"Wake up, love! Please!" Ketch yelled to me.

He needed me to wake up. I needed to wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up!

The storm screamed around me. There were no longer any walls, let alone a house. I stood in the middle of an angry storm as it raged around me. I could feel the rain pelting and stinging my skin as it hit me. I looked down at my arms and could see where it had pierced my skin, a thin trail of blood now dripping down my arm.

No. That had been an IV.

Something was draining you. A monster had been taking your blood. How long had I been out? We had been on a hunt…

The rain came crashing down on me as the memories flooded back into my brain. Djinn. We had been hunting a pack of Djinn. We had found their hideout. An old, abandoned warehouse in upper Washington, just south of Arlington. I had gone into the building first to see how many there were and how many victims they had. Something had come up behind me and…and…and…

T̶͖͛h̸̟̏â̸͔ẗ̶̖́ ̵͔̾w̶͙̍ǎ̴̝ş̷̃ ̶̀͜à̷͇ ̴̪̉d̴͈̑r̵̭͋e̸̳̍a̸̤̐m̸̟̀.

No. This was the dream.

I needed to wake up.

My head hurt as I thought about everything. This was a trap. I needed to get out of this dream. I needed to wake up. I thought hard against the oppressive voice in my head that was trying to keep me here. I imagined a door that would take me out of there. A door that would set me free. 

N̷̯̑̈́̾̔̃͜O̸̮̜̅̾̽̉̕͝

Yes. I needed to be free.

I thought of the door and opened my eyes to it being in front of me. A plain white door in the middle of the growing storm. I walked towards it. I reached for the handle.

"M̴̥̿͊͜ō̴̤̣̜͘m̷̢̟͓̤̓m̵̱̫̝̄y̸̻̩͔͙̌͝?̵̡̞̘̄͋̉̐" My heart broke.

I turned around and looked at my son…no. He wasn't my son. He wasn't even real. Even now, when I looked at him, I couldn't see a face. He had no face. There was nothing about him that I remembered. 

Ḧ̶̙̔e̵͉̓ ̴͎͍̓̃c̴͖̝͌a̴̼̎́n̵̢͌ ̸̱̣͒̉b̵̬͇̽̐e̷͔͓͋ ̶͕̾̕ͅw̵̟̍h̸̯̑͆ḁ̷̀t̴̲̟̀̕e̸̝͛v̴̬̊̓e̴̗̐r̶̡͒ ̶͖̝͛y̸̥̣͑ọ̴̫͘͝u̵͇̽̓ ̵̺͑w̵̟͔̆̾a̸̦͕͛n̶̤̜͋ṱ̸̀̅ ̶̘͓͝h̸̡̡͌i̶̱͙̔m̶̨̥̀ ̶̟̎ţ̴̣̀ó̴̡̆ ̶̲̓b̴̳̎è̷̡̼.

"J̷͎͓̓u̵̘͍͑͘s̵̤̜͐̚ṯ̷͐̽ ̸͈̑̃l̶̜̈͝i̷̭̿k̶̼͇͛e̴͔̾͊ ̷͓̑̓m̴̞̈ę̷̺̈́." I looked at the being that had been my husband. 

His name was fading from my memory, along with his features and the memories of our life that had been fabricated. There was almost nothing left to them except for this ache in my heart. This dull pain that was telling me not to leave them behind. 

But I need to go.

"I can't…" I whispered to them.

I turned back to the door and reached for the handle again, this time grabbing it. I turned it and yanked the door open. There was a bright white light on the other side, bright enough that it should've blinded me.

S̷͎̈͗t̶̛̟̘̃a̸̹̾̽ỳ̶͈ ̶̲͇̊̋a̵̮̅̽ś̸̝l̸̲̠̒ē̷̪̯e̴̜̐̇p̸͚̈́!

"No." I walked through the door and left my perfect life behind.

Air rushed into my lungs as my eyes flung open. I choked on the harsh cold air as it filled my lungs, coughing up what my lungs couldn't hold.

It was dark, the building around me the same abandoned one I had dreamed about. This was the warehouse where we'd tracked the Djinn to. I had woken up.

"Of thank christ." My heart fluttered at the thick accent as warm arms folded around me from my right, "I thought I was going to lose you."

I felt my heart racing as he hugged me. I gently pushed against him and took in his features. They were as I remembered him. Though his silver eyes were full of an emotion I didn't see in him often. He had been sacred. Scared of losing me. 

I reached up and touched his face. He was real. He was here. I pulled his face to mine and stole a kiss from his lips. He pulled me closer, refusing to let the kiss drop before I was out of breath again. I pulled away from him and rested my forehead against his.

"I'm awake."