I Shook Myself Awake. nosleep

I shook myself awake. Ah, I must have dozed off. It had been happening more and more the last few weeks. I’d literally shake myself awake from my dreams. Dreams that I would wake up from convinced that they were real, remembering every little detail in them, and unsure if I was still dreaming or awake and back in reality.

“Chris, you up buddy?” It was my friend Rob. His parents owned a gorgeous camp in the Adirondack’s and I had just woken up on the couch in their living room.

“Yeah, man, I’m up. What time is it?"

“Just after 11.”

Goddammit. “I’ve got to head out, bud. I was supposed to leave an hour ago."

“Are you sure?”, Rob asked, “It’s pouring out and it’s a long drive. Why don’t you spend the night?”

Rob was always such a worrier. “Nah, I need to get back home. Work in the A.M.” I was exhausted but really did need to head home.

Growing up, mine and Rob’s parents were great friends, so we’d all go up to the camp together. I spent a lot of summers at their camp. There was some missed time here or there, sure, but it was always a second home to me. Nowadays, Rob mostly used it to have our group of friends over. We’ve all graduated from college and had real jobs so it was always an escape to go up there for the weekend. I’d go up after work on a Friday and stay as late as I could on Sunday before making the two and a half drive back home. A few other friends did this as well. We’d all meet up, have a blast, and then all go back to the real world. Typically, we’d try and car pool but I was riding solo this weekend.

“Alright, man, thanks again. I’ll be in touch."

Rob nodded, “get home safe”.

I shook myself awake. It was too late to react. I had never fallen asleep while driving before; it was terrifying. I was approaching a turn that I was not going to make. I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel to the left. With all the rain, my brakes squealed as they tried to grip the road.The car was able to be slowed down enough that when I went off the road, I wasn’t traveling too quickly. The car finally came to a rest. The passenger side front of the car had been wedged into some overgrowth covering a small ditch. I was stuck. I got out of the car as the rain continued to pound. I squinted down the road and recognized some signs. I was still about an hour away from home; definitely still in Adirondack State Park.

One of the things I always found kind of cool is that if you looked at your cell phone right as you passed into the State Park, you would immediately see your cell phone switch to no service. It was perfectly lined up. I checked my cell phone: Searching for service. Yeah, real fucking cool now. I wasn’t sure what to do. There were houses around and if I remembered the drive correctly they weren’t too far away. It would still take a bit to walk to them though. As I turned to head back to my car and grab my umbrella, I noticed a light approaching. Two lights. Head lights. You lucky son of a bitch. The car approached and slowed when it saw me. It was an older car, at least twelve or fifteen years old, but that wasn’t entirely rare for this part of the state. The car rolled close and came to a stop. As the front window rolled down, there was a flash of lightning. It was quick but I could make out a woman in the drivers seat. I don’t have the best eyes at night but looked as if she had blood all over her face. The in car light was switched on revealing a woman in the driver’s seat as well as younger one in the passenger seat. No blood. God, my eyes are terrible.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” the woman asked.

“Thank you so much for stopping!” I shouted a little too loudly, “I am okay, my car is stuck though,” I said as I pointed behind me. “I can’t call the police or for a tow. I was just about to start walking."

“I am glad you are okay, sweetie. I’m Kathy and this is my daughter Victoria”. Kathy was middle aged but still gave off a youthful exuberance. She had dark hair with some streaks of grey. Victoria leaned forward in her seat and gave me a shy smile. She was younger than me for sure, 20, maybe 21. Despite my car being in a ditch ten feet behind me, I couldn’t help but notice how pretty she was. Slender, with mid length dark brown hair that rested behind her shoulders. Her eyes were such a shade of blue that it was almost unnatural.

“Would you like a ride? We’re just up the road about three miles or so. You can use our phone,” Kathy stated excitedly.

“That would be amazing, thank you so much. I’m Chris by the way."

I made sure my car was secure and I hopped into the back seat of Kathy’s car. Victoria’s eyes followed me as I sat down.

“Thank you again," I started, “I didn’t think that I’d see anyone out this late, especially in this storm."

“Oh it must be your lucky night then!” Kathy chuckled. She was such a mom. I liked her. As we made our way down the road, I looked up through the passenger side mirror. I caught Victoria’s eyes staring back before they darted forward. She seemed the quiet type, missing the pep her mother had shown.

Soon thereafter we made a quick turn down a small side road. Up ahead in the rain I saw the outline of a house.

“Home sweet home” Kathy sighed contently. “Vicki, take Chris into the house. I am putting the car in the garage”. She looked over to me, “I always like to keep it in the garage if I can”. I nodded in acknowledgment as I got out of the car. Victoria lead me towards the house but suddenly slipped in front of me and fell. I ran up to her, “Are you okay?” I asked as I helped her up. “Thank you, just a little clumsy sometimes," she answered with the same shy smile from when I first met her. There was something about her that I couldn’t explain; a mysteriousness that I found myself thinking was, well, sexy. We entered the house and Kathy soon followed behind us, locking the front door.

“Chris, honey, the phone is right over -” A bright flash of lightning and crack of thunder cut her off mid sentence. The lights flickered off, then back on, and finally off again.

“Oh dear, looks like we’ve lost power. Vicki, grab a few candles please. I will light these ones. Chris, you can stay the night. We’ll take care of your car in the morning”. I made no effort to protest, where else would I go? I helped Kathy with the candles as Victoria was still looking for the others.

“Thank you so much, again. You and Victoria have been so helpful."

“It’s our pleasure Chris. Plus, it’s nice for Vicki to have another person close to her age around for a bit. She doesn’t have many friends." I found that hard to believe. The girl was very pretty. If she was at any party, I am certain she’d have a crowd around her. The way she carried herself alone was enough to elicit interest. I didn’t bother to correct her that I was probably at least six or seven years older than her daughter. Victoria reentered the room and began placing lit candles around the room.

“Chris, the couch is a pull out so you can sleep there. There are pillows and blankets right behind it. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you. I’m exhausted so I am sure I will pass right out. Thank you again."

“Good night hun” Kathy waved. “‘Night Chris”, Victoria followed with a smile.

I made up the pull out bed and fell down in a heap on top of it. I was out within seconds.

I shook myself awake. Where am I? Think. The car accident and then Kathy and Victoria picked me up. That’s right. I quickly came to my senses and realized that I was still, in fact, on the pull out couch inside their house. Not a dream. I rubbed my eyes and began to feel as if someone was watching me. At the foot of the pull out bed I could make out the silhouette of a girl. I sat up quickly and gasped.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Victoria whispered through the darkness. A flash of lightning briefly lit up the room and revealed her. I couldn’t be sure but I could have sworn there was a streak of blood across her face. A second flash of lightning and my eyes met hers. No blood this time. She walked around the end of the bed and sat on the edge.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Did you need anything?”

“No, I’m okay. Thank you again for the hospitality”. I stammered, still not fully awake.

“Well, we couldn’t have just left you out in the dark now could we. Not in this storm”. As soon as she said the word storm, there was another flash of lightning. Victoria had inched closer and again, I swore that there was blood streaked across her delicate, pale skin. I’m still half asleep and seeing things, I reasoned.

“What time is it?”

“3:30. The storm woke me up and, don’t laugh, but I am afraid of thunderstorms”

I couldn’t help it and let out a playful laugh, “that’s okay, I was too when I was younger."

“Is it okay if I stay here with you until it passes?”

“I… err… sure, that’s okay bu”- before I could even finish my sentence, Victoria laid next to me and rested her head on my chest. Her body was warm and fit snug up against mine. I closed my eyes. There was nothing wrong with this, I thought, trying to convince myself. Just a harmless cuddle during a storm. As my thoughts trailed off, I began to feel soft lips up against my neck. My eyes shot open.

“Victoria, what are you doing!” I whispered. She did not answer. She crept up my neck until I felt warm breath and gentle flick of her tongue on my ear. Shivers ran down the length of my body and I shook from the sensation.

“I don’t think… we…”. I trailed off as she sat up. She slowly pulled her t-shirt over her head. Her dark brown hair fell, draping over her slender shoulders and obscured the top of her breasts. She reached for the bottom of my shirt and tugged it upwards. I helped her remove my shirt and she leaned back in and kissed my chest. Soft, deliberate kisses down my chest and past my stomach. She gently pulled down my boxers. The anticipation was almost agonizing as the feeling of pleasure built inside of me. She teased her way back up up my stomach and chest and over my neck. Her lips met mine and she kissed me. She kissed with passion. Her tongue snaked around mine and I felt her lightly nibble my trembling bottom lip. As we kissed, I could feel her slipping off her sweatpants. She kicked them to the side and slowly repositioned herself so that she was straddling me. There was another crack of lightning and she flinched in my arms. I held her tightly.

She stared into my eyes, “I’m not very good at this… it’s been a while. Can we go slowly?”

“Of course," I said as I swept a strand of hair behind her ear. No part of me felt like this was wrong. It felt like it was supposed to happen. Everything. Going up to camp, the accident. I was meant to be here.

She kissed me again and I could feel myself starting to slide into her. She let out a soft whimper once I was completely inside and she let herself begin to move, slowly, up and down. It took a moment but soon our bodies were in sync. All of my senses flared as Victoria grinded on top of me. Her body pressed into mine and she moaned quietly as she began to breathe a little heavier. Our breathing matched, rhythmically, as we began clutching tighter to one another. Our eyes locked and I swear, no one has ever looked into my eyes as deeply as she did. Her body began to tremble as I held her. She closed her eyes as she quickened her motion. She threw her head back and her back arched as she moaned. I joined her in release as she dug her nails into my back. The pain only heightened the pleasure our bodies were sharing. She collapsed back into my arms, panting. We laid in silence, our bodies twisted together. Our breathing, still matched, began to slow.

She leaned close to my ear and whispered “I’ve missed the warmth”. After a soft kiss on my cheek, she laid her head back down on my chest. My mind raced. What did she mean by that? I didn’t really know what to think. What I did know was what we just did was more than sex. That was a connection on another level. A type of connection that I had never experienced with another human.

I shook myself awake. Where was I? Ah, yes. The accident, the couch... the sex. I was still naked underneath the blankets on the pullout couch. The house was silent. Bright lights poured in from the windows. Was anyone home? I threw on my clothes and groggily stood up. There was a clock on the other side of the wall. I strained my eyes to read it: 7:45. Power must be back on, I thought. On the table near the couch there was a note:

Chris,

Victoria and I had to run and we didn’t want to wake you. There is orange juice in the refrigerator, help yourself. Your car is all set and your keys are on the table. Please, do not forget to lock the door on your way out. Thank you for taking care of Victoria last night, she doesn’t like storms.

Kathy

I re-read the note. The car is all set? How? I peaked my head out the window. Sure enough there was the car sitting in the driveway. Could she have really gotten a tow truck this early? I collected all my belongings and headed out into the morning sun, making sure to lock the door behind me. There were tree branches down all around the house and in the road. I got into my car, stared at the house, and began to back out of the driveway. Dammit, I should have written a thank you note to Kathy or something. Something to Victoria. I put the car in park but quickly remembered that I had locked the door. I couldn’t get back in there if I wanted to. I sighed and began my trek home.

An hour later, I was pulling into my apartment complex’s entrance. My mind was stuck on Victoria the whole way home. I needed to see her again. At the very least I needed to thank her and her mother for helping me with the accident. What I would say to Victoria, though, I was unsure of. “Hey, thanks for the mind blowing sex. Do you want to go to a movie?” Yeah, that wouldn’t exactly be the smoothest line ever. I grabbed a glass of water and sat on the couch. I needed to rest for a second.

I shook myself awake. Where am I? On my couch in my apartment. I checked the digital clock on the cable box: 4:45. I had been asleep for almost six hours. The events of last night and this morning were clear in my mind although it felt like they happened days ago. I washed my face and threw on some fresh clothes. I’ll shower later, I thought as I hastily pulled on my new jeans. All I could think of was getting back up to Kathy and Victoria’s house. Some external pull was drawing me back there. I couldn’t stop the feeling and I needed to go back.

I jumped in my car and started heading north. Although I didn’t have an address, I was fairly confident I could find the house. It was one of only a few on that particular stretch of road. It shouldn’t be a problem. The journey went quicker than expected and I knew that the side road I needed to turn on was approaching soon. As I slowed to make sure I didn’t miss it, I noticed that all of the brush and debris from the storm last night were already picked up. The folks up this way must clean up quick, I thought, dismissing the fact that it was as if there was no storm at all. Lost in my thoughts, the side street popped out and I had to hit my brakes hard to make the turn onto it.

I made my way down the side road and sure enough, the house appeared before me. It looked exactly like it had when I left earlier this morning. Still, I couldn’t help think that there was something different about it – something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. There was no car in the driveway however I remembered Kathy mention last night that she liked to keep her car in the garage. I marched up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell. My heart pounded as I heard footsteps inside approach the door. The door opened and I was greeted by a face I was not expecting. It was neither Kathy nor Victoria. It was an older gentleman, probably in his sixties.

“Good afternoon, sir, I was wondering if Kathy or Victoria were home.”

“Kathy or Victoria?” He asked, inquisitively, and furrowed his brow.

I nodded my head, mouth slightly agape in confusion.

“No one here by that name son, I’m sorry.”

“Are… are you sure?”

“Yes, quite so. Hasn’t been anyone else in this house aside from my wife and I for about 15 years."

Speechless. I shook my head and looked around. This was absolutely the house. What was going on? I must have looked as dazed as I felt because the gentleman asked if I wanted to come in and sit. I must’ve said yes because before I knew it I was sitting on a chair in the living room with a glass of water.

“So, who were you looking for again?” The man asked.

“Um, well, Kathy or Victoria. I could have sworn this was their house. Kathy was very sweet to me and her daughter, Victoria…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

“Oh my, yes, of course, Katherine Pearson!” The man exclaimed. I shook my head, not making any sort of connection. “I’m sorry, it didn’t hit me earlier, my mind must be going a little bit. Katherine owned this house before my wife and I. But she was… oh Jesus, you must not know what happened here.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not following you”. It was a lie. I knew exactly what he was going to say.

“Son, Kathy and her daughter were killed. Her ex-husband, William, stabbed them both in their sleep before killing himself. I wanted to vomit. I was hearing his words but I could not make any sense of them. Things felt so… real... last night. But now, my mind could not keep up with what I was hearing. “You see”, he continued, “the story goes that the ex husband was drunk and drove to the house. The front door was left unlocked so he walked right in. He walked into Victoria’s room, and slashed her up and down. Same for Katherine. He walked out into the driveway and slit his throat. The following day, a neighbor on a walk saw Will, called the police, and they found the rest."

I stared straight ahead, emotionless.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

“Uh, yeah. I think so”, I jumped up awkwardly, “Um, thank you for having me, I apologize for bothering you. I should really head home now, though.

“Oh, nonsense, it wasn’t a bother. I am sorry about giving you the bad news. You mentioned you knew them?”

I nodded, “yeah, not that well though. Thank you, again.”

He shook my hand and I gave him a limp hand shake back. I got into my car. The old man waved from the porch and closed the door behind him. For what I thought was the second time in a few hours, I backed down the driveway. The ride home this time around felt like it took much longer. I began to try and rationalize what happened. The accident, storm, and everything with Kathy and Victoria never happened. I must have gotten home from camp late last night and passed out on the couch. I was exhausted and slept until 4:30. I must have forgotten to set my alarm for work so nothing woke me up until I shook myself awake. I’ve been going up to that camp since I was a little boy. I probably heard the story of the murder as a ghost story when I was younger and forgotten about it. It crept back into my subconscious and manifested itself as a dream. That was all that it was – a vivid, vivid dream. One of many that I’ve had over the last couple of weeks. That was the only explanation. I was not very satisfied with it but it was all I could think of.

By the time I had gotten home, it was about quarter to eight. I pulled into my apartment complex and parked in my normal spot. I got out of my car and one of my neighbors, Tim, was on his way out.

“Hey Chris, what’s going on buddy?” I shrugged and gave him a smile. “What happened to the front of your car!?” I looked at Tim and followed his eyes to the front passenger side of the vehicle. There were several scratches and mud caked to the front. The car accident flashed in my mind.

“Um, I’m not sure. Didn’t… uh… didn’t even see that.”

“Alright, man, I know a guy who can fix that right up. Let me know. Later!”

“Thanks, see ya…” was all I could get out.

My head was pounding. I could really use that shower; but first. I sat down at my computer and pulled up Google. I entered in Katherine Pearson obituary New York. After a few clicks I found it. The newspaper article reporting the murder from 16 years ago. And there she was. Staring back at me was Victoria. Despite it only being a photo, I could feel her eyes again staring deeply into me. Her slender body and dark brown hair draped over her shoulders. Her shy smile. I didn’t want to believe it was a only a dream but how could I deny it? It was all laid out right in front of me. I let out a sigh. I felt defeated. I felt sick. My heart, broken. After a few minutes trying to process everything, I went into the bathroom. I turned the water on for a shower and started undressing. I took off my shirt and stretched. There was a slight pain coming from my shoulders. Just slight enough to notice. I turned my back to the mirror and looked. There, on either side of my shoulders, were marks. Marks from someone digging their nails into their lovers back.

“I’ve missed the warmth”, she said.

Submitted November 16, 2014 at 11:11AM by Seek_Up http://ift.tt/1tWEQhx nosleep