Becki ran as fast as she could, frantically looking behind her and panting until her lungs felt like they were ready to burst out of her chest. Sweat beaded her brow as the terror ran through her body. Was he still following her? She had no idea where she was or where she was going, not knowing the city very well yet. A new ripple of fear seized her when she heard the heavy footsteps behind her, closing in on her quickly. Breathless, exhausted and lost she took off running again, trying to get away from her attacker. The horrors of what he’d done to her stashed in the back of her brain. Now was not the time to fall apart. If he caught her she knew she’d end up dead in an alleyway. Running for her life…
“Mommy, wake up. I’m scared.” The tiny voice of her daughter startled her awake while the sweat from her body saturated her pajamas and sheets. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was safe.
“You’re scared? Why? What happened?” Hugging her daughter to her tightly as she crawled into Becki’s bed with her.
“You were screaming in your sleep again. Don’t do that anymore, it scares me.” If only it were that simple.
“I’m sorry, baby, I’ll try not to do it anymore.” Glancing at the clock on her nightstand she realized that it was almost time for them to start their day. She felt exhausted from the nightmare that had once been her reality. Would she ever be able to sleep without some kind of nightmare haunting her dreams? After all, five years was a long time ago. A lifetime ago. Yet here she was, wiping away the sweat as if it had all happened yesterday.