She felt long nails scratch her legs, her stomach, her arms while she wriggled to escape. She continued struggling through the dark waters, desperate to escape from the hands that pulled her, pushed her, hurt her. Her limbs ached and her head throbbed. All she wanted to do was to give in, just stop but she knew she couldn't. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed hold of her arms and legs and threw her. She felt herself tumbling down, deeper into the darkness that swallowed her.

Thunder clapped and she opened her eyes, terrified. As she found herself in her dark room, the window open to show the rain hitting her window, she sighed with relief, her heart still beating fast. She relaxed her muscles and closed her eyes, but the hands were back. They wouldn't leave her alone and she was getting too tired to escape. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out of her parted lips.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're okay," she heard someone say. She opened her eyes and there he was. She threw her arms around him tightly and waited until her breath evened out. He sat there with her quietly, making hushing sounds and stroking her hair. They lay there, entwined, listening to the sound of their breathing and to the thunder rumbling outside.

-

Based on another dream I had this week.

This is one of those stories that would work out better as a scene in a movie.