Who: Sonya Blade Where: Her house When: Saturday night What: Nightmares Status: Closed/narrative
Warnings: mentions of violence and PTSD induced nightmares
These things were never predictable; Sonya knew that, years being in Madison, years in therapy, she should've known better. The Dome gave, it took away.. Another month...another round of people leaving..just as it had been before-just as it was in life.
And since when had real life ever been fair. She wasn't a child, she was all too aware of how indifferent the universe could be.
She probably should've expected the nightmares. August was usually the worst of course..the tail end of the Nether realm war. October though..no, it wasn't October, but Halloween. The time of the year of the Dead, of horror movies and horror scenes...
She was doing so well. A full week of dreamless sleep.
That night, she dreamed. The war had come to Madison; she could smell the fires and burning flesh, hear the screams of soldiers and Nether realm Beasts alike. Once more she could see her allies...more of them, once more undead Revenants, pointing and calling out accusations. Accusing her of abandoning her realm...abandoning them. She saw Johnny..his smile..his handsome, idiot face...grey and glowing with the yellow energy of the Undead..
She saw Cassie..
Sonya woke up with a choked scream, twisting out of the sheets she'd become entangled in. The smell of burning flesh was still in her nostrils, so strong she could taste it. There was nothing though, just her bedroom, with its noise-maker fans (she would sleep with them till winter), and the dull glow of the corridor nightlight (just incase Cassie needed to get up for the bathroom) through the crack in her bedroom door. She remained there, waiting, hoping her scream didn't wake up Cassie. Sometimes it did happen that her screams were just that loud, and she'd have to try and comfort a worried, little girl when she herself was scared as well.
A few moments, and it seemed the only other disturbed Being was Stuffing, who had chosen to sleep in her room that evening-only to be disturbed while she thrashed about. The cat gave her an indignant look at being woken up suddenly, only calming when Sonya reached down to scratch near the base of her neck, before pulling on a robe and carefully, quietly, leaving her room.
There was no way in hell she would risk going back to sleep just yet. Not till she removed the smell and taste from her mouth.
The bright light of the kitchen made her blink..as did the smokey apparition of a middle aged woman. She and the ghost stared at eachother a moment, before she faded, and Sonya went to make herself some caffeine-free tea. If she could try to relax for an hour, she might be able to get back to sleep.
And not have that nightmare again.
One of the things she liked about her home was the back porch. Some of the better homes she lived in had porches; places she could just escape and think-or not think, as the case sometimes was.
Tea ready, she took hold of the mug and her phone with its earbuds and made her way to that very part of the house. This time of the year, the cool, night air felt good against her skin, and she curled up on weathered rocking chair she bought just for this purpose. She sat back, eyes closed, listening to the meditative sounds of nature from an app on her phone.
Life went on..she couldn't ignore that. The war was over. When she got back home, she would worry and try to find a way to release her allies..her friends, from their slavery.
Not now though...for the present, she would just try to get a few more hours without nightmares.