Cameron It had no beginning or end. If it did, it never showed me. It always felt like waking up in the thick chaos of a war. Images flickered in my head as fast and blurry as a train to hell. And then nothing. Instead of soothing, the silence was more threatening, more petrifying. Suddenly I was a kid again, huddled under my blanket, holding a stuffed toy against my chest. Here the dark didn't hide me. Here the dark wasn't my friend, but an enemy. I could feel a presence in the room, and it was nasty and sinister. Footsteps. Coming close, closer. So close that I started to tremble. I wanted to curl into a ball, but even that wasn't allowed. My limbs were frozen, paralysed. I tried to close my eyes, but it wouldn't allow me. "Wake up," someone hissed. But I was already awake. Awake in this nightmare I couldn't escape. "Help me!" someone screamed. The voice sounded familiar. I'd heard it before, since the beginning. How could I not recognize it? "Please!" There was something under the blanket with me. And it wanted blood. And then a gunshot. Something forced me out of my bed. I heard myself cry out in pain. I stumbled, fell. It hurt. My shoulder hurt. Tears pricked my eyes. "Cameron, baby, where are you?" I'm right here! I screamed it, but my voice was gone. In the dark someone was watching. Fear clawed at my throat as I forced myself to walk to the door. My hands trembled as I reached for the doorknob, turned it. The creaking sound of the door opening made me clutch my stuffed toy closer. Cold, so cold. The floor under my feet, the air on my skin. I could hear the sound of my feet slapping against the floor as I ran, ran, ran. I could feel the tears on my cheeks, taste the blood inside my mouth as I bit my lip hard. I heard the familiar voice again, calling out to me, screaming desperately now. Where is it coming from? There, a light glimmered under a door. Suddenly the door burst open, and there was Raven. She was scared. Her eyes were huge on her face, and the look in them made me want to protect her. She was holding a gun with both her hands, pointed at something. Someone. It was so dark, so dark I couldn't see who was standing on the other side. My skin felt cold, clammy, and I wanted to get away, but terror had gripped my limbs so that I couldn't move at all. She fired it. One shot rang out after another, after another. The sound loud and harsh and hurt my ears. Why didn't she stop? I clenched my eyes shut. Please stop! I don't want this. Suddenly the gun was pointed at me. Dread slid down my spine. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I sank to my knees, gripped the stuffed toy against my chest. A pitiful effort of a child to defend. "Look what you did for mommy," Raven whispered in the dark. Did what? I whimpered when I felt something even colder than the air in my hands. It was heavy and it carried the scent of death. I looked down at my hands and cried out in terror. The stuffed toy was gone. Blood, so much of it. On my shirt, on my skin. And in my hand was a small silver gun. A scream was trapped in my throat, threatening to choke the life out of me. I flung the gun, horrified. It clattered on the floor, and the sound pierced my ears like a sharp blade slicing flesh. I heard Raven say again and again, "You did it for mommy. You did it for mommy." No. No, I didn't. I didn't. "Cameron." I woke up, Kara's voice calling out my name echoing in my ears. My sweat felt cold as it trickled down my skin. Something was drawing me back to sleep, telling me that it was futile to fight back. My lids were heavy, my body felt drugged. Pulling me back, back to that devastating nightmare. No. No fucking more. By sheer will I managed to sit up on the bed. Out of sorts, out of breath. Heart slamming against my chest. Leaning forward, I propped my elbows on my knees. Swiped my hand over my mouth, up and over my hair. Stayed like that for a moment. Kara. I looked over my shoulder to the bed, reaching for her, and remembered it was the first night for this project that I was away from her. It was harder when she wasn't here with me. When my heart and breathing slowed down, I turned the lamp on. There were two single beds in the small, cramped room. Caleb slept like the dead, unaffected by the light. My crew and I were staying at the only motel in town, and we were supposed to stay for three days and two nights to finish a job before the other crew took over. The bed was small, and it knotted my already sore back. The bathroom was the size of a juice box. My dick streamed piss faster than the showerhead trickled water, and my elbow throbbed as I hit the shower wall again, but I wasn't complaining. It could get shittier than this when we were in remote areas. I was grateful there was even running water. Rick made sure we had trailers if there weren't any available accommodations on a site, which was rare, but sometimes in certain situations, we'd need to camp out. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I stepped out of the bathroom, realized the light was still on and Caleb hadn't moved an inch. I grabbed my pack, fished for clothes, and when I saw the two huge sandwiches Kara had packed in a Tupperware, my shoulders relaxed slightly. I guessed I should've put those in the fridge earlier like she told me yesterday, but I forgot. The crew and I went to work as soon as we checked in and dumped our bags in the motel room. The thought of food made my stomach queasy, but I stashed the sandwiches in the fridge. I saw my phone lit up, ignored it and stepped out.