#yikerrrs

“The nightmares won’t stop.” She said this very slowly, verydeliberately.

Ian, who had been staring his friend down, trying to get ananswer out of her, finally sat up, inhaling though his nose before he couldproperly choose his next words. “Nightmares?”

“Traci was telling me what that fucker had her do on theroof…” Her hands fiddled endlessly with each other. “And I couldn’t believe- Ijust--- She said so many things, but she didn’t describe it in detail, but thenat night, I would go to sleep…” Her movements stopped. “I’d see her there, onthe other side of the railing. And I’d tell her to hang on! Hang on, I was--- Iwas gonna save her. And she would look at me, and she’d let go.” A soundbubbled towards the top of her throat, but it fizzled and died.

“Elsa…” Ian got to his feet, and went to sit beside her onthe small couch in their dorm.

“And the other one, the other nightmare with Ellie… she just…has someone. And she won’t let go, and shes just screaming at the top of herlungs and she just sounds like she’s in so much pain...” Elsa hadn’t looked upat Ian. She was studying her pant legs now, running her hands repeatedly overthe fabric. “Sometimes she had you, or Satch, or Mimi, or—“ She shook her head,barely a movement. “She always had someone, and they were scared. She was goingto hurt them, and it was up to me to save them… Sometimes I couldn’t… orsometimes I could, but only if I hurt her, only if I ki… Killed, Ellie.” Shestruggled to continue. Her hands shaking. “But when it happened, it was soreal, it was so….” She quieted down. “And one time, she had me.” Her eyesclosed tightly. “And I screamed, and she screamed, and all I could think of, isif she had me, who would come and save me?” she had another, longer pause.

“Nobody did.” Ian guessed.

That’s what did it. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t…I don’t like this. None of this is normal none of this is how things aresupposed to be.” She looked up at Ian. “I’m so afraid its gonna end badly- ormaybe it won’t end at all! Ian, I haven’t slept in days- a week. I can’t seethose things again. I can’t.” Shestarted another sentence, but a sob took its place. She was just a high schoolgirl- dealing with these things alone wasn’t meant for her.

Ian pulled her in to hug her almost as tight as he could. Hewasn’t sure how to make it better, but he could bet almost anything that the not-jackhad something to do with it. Reoccurring dreams in high detail about an eventshe hardly knew anything about? Consistently, and every night? And now she couldn’tsleep… She was going to fuck up, if she wasn’t careful. This was a dangeroussituation, and her guard was down. If they were going to save Traci, Ellie, andJack, there had to be someway she could sleep peacefully-

“Oh, shit.” Ian murmured under his breath.

Elsa leaned back, sniffling, but questioning. “What is it?”

“There might be a way I can get the nightmares to stop, butI’m not sure if it’s a better option?”

With another sniff, a wipe of her eyes, and a tired, unevenlaugh, Elsa sat back. “How is it not a better option than what the fuck isgoing on now?”