That night, I did not sleep well. Although I had tried my hardest to get a true nap, I could not doze off. I could feel the anxiety overwhelm me while I lay down on the couch. My nerves crawled all over my skin, making me squirm and scratch.
When I finally gave up that night, I jumped out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed a beer and sat on the couch. I turned on the TV. I opened the best streaming service I could think of and turned on something to fill the background. I sat there for what felt like an hour before I realized the house was dark. I was sitting completely in the dark with the images of the TV dancing off the walls.
The streaming video of violent images moved across the screen as I sat and watched. The movement and discussion simply existed and danced as I sat, drinking the beer. The bitter liquid filling my mouth instantly caused my body to relax. I simply watched the girl scream on the TV. She was being held down, her throat held as she tried to fight back.
“No! Please! No!” She screamed. But the relentless hold never let go of her as she was being held down. It was the girl I saw, it was the horrible scream look on her face. The forever look of being held down without any ability to move, the pain and agony that only the dead have experienced. My face was wet with the river water in which I had fallen. She lay there, under the mud, screeching for anyone to help her. To please let her live, let her live, please.
I jumped off the couch, grabbing the body in front of me.
“Fuck you, I know you did it! I know you did!” I yelled as I grabbed the killer by the neck. I was going to get vengeance for her death. I was going to kill her killer.
“Tom, it’s me. What are you doing? Tom?” I heard Katherine squeal beneath my hold on her neck. Wait, she wasn’t the killer. There was no way. I let go immediately.
“Oh, God. Kat, I’m sorry. I…I’m sorry.” I said.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I was having a nightmare, that’s all. I thought I saw something…I thought I saw…”
“What? What did you see?” She asked.
“I don’t remember,” I said. I scratched my arm. It was on fire.
Katherine grabbed my arm, she turned it around in front of her.
“I think you have a nasty rash, you better get this thing checked.” She said, standing up, her lip curled, her eyes torn down in frustration. She walked away, rubbing her neck.