Syndrome prelude

Tonight, I won't tell anyone...

The nightmares had been a plague. Coming and going for weeks, they were uncalled for. There was no traumatic event that would have caused such horrid things to appear. And still, every night, the nightmares were the same. His face, above her, in that same twisted smile. Every night. The voice she could barely recognize, so hoarse, so rough. The torment was so real, she could almost feel his hot breath on her face, telling her that it was okay to give in, nobody would think anything less of her....

Then she would awaken, same as always. Heart in her throat, the heavy pounding making it hard to breathe. She would struggle to return to reality. Her voice wouldn't return for a minute or so, and when it did, she wouldn't be able to hold back the screams. The terror, fear, sadness, all echoed into the empty room, all around her, engulfing her once again. And then it would all be over. The fog would clear, and she would be home.

It would take about an hour for her breathing to regulate itself. The room would begin to lighten as morning slowly crept its way into her room, the walls turning a pale shade of blue. Finally, the adrenaline quit pumping, and her heartbeat would slow. Turning on her side, she stared at the picture on her bed stand, her last shreds of sanity left. A sudden calm swept her, and she lulled herself back to sleep. Into a dark, dreamless sleep.

Intro pt. 1

   His words were still echoing in my skull, telling me every little thing I wanted to hear, coupled with everything I didn't. It was hard to focus on the road ahead of me. It was a bit as though he was whispering the words into my ears. The Engrish accent sent chills down my spine. I knew what he had asked for wouldn't last just one night. It was a taste of what we both wanted, but could not have. Just how far could I really let this go?
   That was a question that I had been asking myself since he talked me into this. An act that was so.. Normal, on most levels. Forbidden on this one. Why on Earth would you bother, with your best friend? I felt as though my feelings wore torn. My heart said yes, this is what I wanted. My brain told me that this was the biggest mistake I would ever make. But why? You only live once. You can only screw up so many times. So why not make the best of it while you still can?
   A simple question with no answer. So I would keep bugging myself, keep driving myself crazy. All over simple questions that I couldn't answer.