Chapter Twenty-Five
Cold, Pain, Fear, Confusion…Crying out, Katrina sits straight up in bed, hyperventilating and covered in sweat. Body trembling, she is disoriented and doesn’t know where she is. Finding it difficult to speak, she pulls her legs up close to her body, wrapping her arms around them, while tears run down her cheeks. A hand on her shoulder makes her aware that she isn’t alone. Screaming, she pulls away. A pair of arms wraps around her and pulls her close.
“Shhh, it’s alright. It’s just me…Gage. Come on sweetheart, I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Tilting her head towards him, he lifts his thumb to her cheek, drying her tears. Rocking her like a child in his arms as she stares up at him, he watches as her vision clears and a glint of recognition appears. “What is it Katrina? What’s wrong? Tell me what scared you.”
“It was a dream, but somehow much more than that. It seemed so real,” she chokes out in a quivering voice.
“It’s over, baby. You’re awake now and safe. Why don’t you tell me about it? It will make you feel better.”
Nodding her head in agreement, she asks, “Can I have a minute? I don’t feel right, sort of weak and lightheaded.”
“Stay right there. Let me get you something to help you feel better…okay? Then you can tell me all about it.”
When Gage returns, he holds a glass with about an inch of brown liquid in the bottom in one hand, and a half full bottle in the other. Handing Kat the glass and setting the bottle down on the nightstand, he encourages, “Here, drink this. It will warm you up and make you feel better.” Taking the glass from him, Kat brings it to her lips, ready to take a sip.
“Don’t sip it, it’s not brandy. Shoot it down all at once.” Following his instruction, she tosses the entire contents of the glass down her throat. She immediately begins coughing, trying to catch her breath.
“Are you all right?”
“What was that? It burns like fire going down.”
Grinning at her he says, “It’s whiskey. The first shot always does that.” Grabbing the bottle, he pours her a second glass. “Here, drink another one. It goes down much easier than the first…you’ll see.” She does as he says and he is right…it does go down much easier and it helps a lot. Feeling more human, Katrina is finally ready to talk about her dream.
“It was a nightmare, really. I don’t understand what was happening in it. All I know is that I started out immobile, strapped to a bed, and at first unable to even open my eyes. I could hear muffled sounds and voices, but nothing made sense. I was afraid and had no idea where I was or what was happening to me. At some point, I was able to see blurred colors, but couldn’t make out any real shapes or objects. The colors green and white were everywhere. It was so strange. The green moved like the fluid in a lava lamp, then all of the sudden I was cold all over. It felt like ice was racing through my veins. Then the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt consumed my body. It felt like my body was trying to tear itself apart and I went from freezing cold to heat so intense, I thought I was being burned by the flames of hell. I saw a strange winged figure that had my face, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up back in your bed screaming. It was so strange, so real…I could feel everything that was going on as if it was really happening to me in that moment. I’ve never had such a vivid dream before. I mean most dreams you can see what is going on and you can feel joy or fear, but what I felt was somehow more real than that. I had no idea I was dreaming.
Running his fingers through his hair, Gage gets up from the edge of the bed, walks over to the bottle, pours two fingers worth into the glass, and drinks it down. As he’s pouring another glassful, Katrina says, “I’m good, I don’t want anymore.”
“This isn’t for you,” he says, holding the glass to his lips and swallowing it down.
Already out of bed when the commotion started, Gage had come running back into the room. Not wanting to wake Katrina, he’d gone into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. The same dream he knew so well had awakened him shortly before Kat had cried out. He doesn’t understand what is going on. This couldn’t be happening. It just isn’t possible. How could she be having the same nightmare that had been plaguing him for so long now? What was the probability of her having the same dream he did, let alone at the same time he was having it? That just didn’t make sense. There was no way to explain it, yet it happened.
“What is it Gage? What’s wrong?”
“Have you ever had that dream before Katrina?”
“Thankfully no, and I don’t ever want to have it again. That’s a strange question, why do you ask?”
“Are you sure you’ve never had it before?”
“Yes, I’m positive Gage. Why?”
“I ask because I have.”
“You have what? What do you mean?”
“I have had the dream before. I’ve been having it regularly for the past few years.”
“What? No, that’s not possible.”
“Exactly, except it’s true. As a matter of fact, I was having the same dream tonight at the same time you were. The reason I wasn’t in bed when you awoke was because the dream had already awakened me. As usual, I was drenched, covered in sweat and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I was washing up in the bathroom, trying to regain my composure, when I heard you cry out.”
“That’s crazy. How can we both have the same dream, let alone at the same time?”
“I don’t know Katrina, but it happened.”
“That’s not logical.”
“I know it’s not, but it’s true. I’ve been having the same reoccurring dream. It usually starts out with me hearing muffled sounds and voices. Not able to open my eyes or move as I’m confined to a bed and strapped down. I can’t make out what is being said. Eventually something is removed from my eyes and I see a green liquid in motion like a lava lamp and what I think is a bright white room all around me. My vision is blinded with the color green. I feel sickness and frigid cold seeping into my body. As quickly as my body is wracked by shaking from the cold inside me, it dissipates and I begin getting warm. The only problem is my body gets too warm and begins overheating. I scream out in pain from the flames that seem to be licking at my skin from the inside out. Before I can catch my breath, I feel as if I am melting, my bones and muscles screaming and contorting uncontrollably. The pain is so intense I want to die, but I don’t. A bright light appears in front of me and an angel with your face appears before me. Her mouth is moving but I can’t make out what she’s saying. I wake up weak and panicked, drenched in sweat. Does that sound familiar?”
“My god, yes. But I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I, but we need to find out how it is possible and what it means that we are both having the same exact dream at the same time. And why is it that the first time you have the dream, you are with me?”
“How do we find the answer?”
“I’ll do some online research in the morning. Maybe pick up some books on dreams, hell I don’t know. This is all too strange.”
“Okay, I’ll help.”
“All right. Right now there is nothing we can do, so let’s go back to bed and try to get some sleep.”
“No. I’m afraid to go back to sleep. What if I have that dream again?”
“You won’t. I never have it more than once a night.”
“Yeah well, you also told me you’ve never had this dream at the same time as someone else and from the sound of it; you don’t know anyone who has ever had the same dream either.”
“That’s true, but I think we’re safe.” Pouring more alcohol into the glass and handing it to Kat, Gage says, “Here, have another glass of this. It will help you sleep and not dream. It always works for me.”
Taking the glass, Katrina drinks down the whiskey and scoots beneath the covers. Lying down beside her, Gage wraps his arms around her and moves close enough to spoon. Kissing her on the top of the head, he whispers, “I’ll be right here if you need me. Now go to sleep.”
Already dozing off she mumbles, “Good night.”
Tossing and turning in his bed, the sound of a Star Wars light saber turning on lets Tony know he has a new email waiting on his cell phone. Reaching over and plucking the phone off his nightstand, he sees the words, Just thought you’d want to know in the tagline from an email address he does not recognize. Having nothing better to do since he can’t sleep, he opens the email. Inside is a file loaded with jpeg images and a note that reads…Do you know who your girlfriend’s doing tonight? It was signed, A Friend.
Curious, and thinking he received an email meant for someone else, Tony clicks open the file and all the images inside open at the same time. Staring at the screen, he sees a picture of Katrina, bent over her car in the garage, and a man standing behind her with his tongue in her ear and cock against her ass. The second picture shows them still in the garage, but this time in each other’s arms. The next picture is of Katrina, and who he could now tell was Gage, sitting at a table in a restaurant feeding her food off a fork, then a picture of Kat sucking Gage’s index finger at the table. Another picture of Gage, leaning across the table kissing Kat, and the last photo shows the two of them in front of a house that he can only assume belongs to Gage, their bodies pressed together while making out.
Why the fuck is she with him again? He’s going to hurt her, I just know it! She belongs with me. I want Gage out of her life. What am I going to do, and why is someone sending me this garbage?
Hitting reply on the email, Tony types in, “Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” He hits send. A few minutes later, the light saber sounds again. The message reads…email failed. He received his own email back. “What the fuck...whoever my so-called friend is made sure they could communicate with me but I can’t with them.” Angry and upset at Kat, Gage, whoever sent him the email, and at the whole damn situation, he swears, “A friend, my ass!”