“Oh, wow,” she says. “Fainting like a lady in a Victorian novel. This is embarrassing.”
“You’ve just overused your powers a little,” Grace says, rubbing Alisha’s arm. “Go home and rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I want to carry Alisha back to the car, but she insists on walking, even though she leans on my arm the whole way. When we get home, she seems distant and even a little bit confused.
It was a big day for her. I’m sure she’s just tired, like Grace said.
We don’t talk much over dinner, but Alisha eats with enthusiasm and seems to brighten up. Afterwards, it doesn’t take long for her exhaustion to return, and by the time we’ve showered and headed for bed, she can barely keep her eyes open.
She falls asleep almost the moment her head hits the pillow, and I lay beside her, listening to her breathing. Occasionally, I reach out and stroke her hair, hoping that she can feel my attention even in her dreams and know she is never really alone.
***
Sometime later, I’m woken by the earth trembling beneath me. I come fully awake in seconds, my body taught and ready to respond to any threat. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust in the dark, and that’s when I realize this is no earthquake—it’s Alisha tossing and turning in bed.
I reach out and touch her shoulder, feeling how warm and sweaty her skin is. She thrashes back and forth, making small moans as if she’s struggling with something horrible.
“Alisha,” I say in a loud whisper. “Come out of it, baby—it’s just a dream!”
A few moments of careful prodding don’t have any impact on her, so I grab both shoulders and give her a shake. She wakes up immediately, her eyes flying open as she sits up and lets out a little scream.
“No,” she gasps. “It can’t be!”
“Alisha,” I say, shaking her again. “It’s me, I’m right here. You’re safe, baby.”
“Brad,” she sobs, sagging into my arms. “I had a terrible dream. There was something dark on the horizon—something huge. I could tell it was powerful, and intelligent—and it was coming for us!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, soothing her. “It was just a nightmare.”
She shakes her head. “It felt so real,” she whispers. “It was coming closer and closer. An ancient intelligence. So much power. No one could ever fight it.”
“Shh,” I mutter, stroking her hair. “I’ve got you, and you’re safe.”
Her next words chill me to the bone.
“It was in the woods at the edge of town, getting closer. It was…slithering, I think. Like a snake.”
My heart seems to stop in my chest, and my blood turns to ice.
“And, it kind of…” Alisha pauses, as if trying to find the right words. “Well, it looked like it was on fire.”
Chapter 14 - Alisha
The next morning, I feel shaky and sick. The nightmare lingers at the edges of my mind, leaving me full of dread and utterly certain that an unnamed evil is slowly creeping up on me.
I take my time getting out of bed, trying to brush the cobwebs of impending doom out of my mind, but my limbs are heavy, making it almost impossible to move. The intense terror of my nightmare keeps ringing through my bones, making my stomach flip and my nerves sing with tension.
I text Grace to tell her I won’t be in, and shuffle out of bed to stumble down the stairs. When I sit down at the table, Brad puts a plate in front of me. The second the scent of food hits my nose, my stomach growls so loudly that Brad hears it and chuckles.
“Hungry?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer, smiling. “If you had asked me ten minutes ago, I would have said no, but now the food’s in front of me, I realize I’m starving.”
I grab a fork and dig into the fluffy ham and cheese omelet, spearing a little cherry tomato and savoring all the flavors when they hit my tongue.
“Oh, wow,” I mumble. “This is really good.”
“I went with your second favorite,” he says, sitting down across from me with a cup of coffee. “I didn’t think you could handle a full breakfast wrap today.”
