The Living Nightmare

Sam tends to have trouble sleeping at night, ever since her dad died. He was murdered, but the killer was never found. She was constantly moving, flipping, and even running to throw up because of what she’s seen in her dreams. Often feeling more exhausted than before she fell asleep. This morning was exceptionally worse than the other days though. Sam had a horrible dream that kept her up most of the night.

      Ignoring how she was feeling, she went on with getting ready for school. She was leaving her room, but when she reached for the doorknob Sam saw that it was covered in blood. Bloody fingerprints all over. So confused and shocked, she opened the door looking down to see a puddle of blood coming out from under her little brother’s room. Suddenly void of all her previous emotion, Sam walked into his room, and stood over her dead brother’s body. She could hear her mother walking out from her room from down the hall. Seeing her son’s lifeless body, she screamed and cried in terror, and immediately called the police. Sam stood in the doorway watching her mom pace up and down the hall on the phone. When the police arrived, her mom went to open the front door letting them into the scene. Sam was still in the doorway, and needing to get in, the police had to move her calmly out the way. Sam felt as if she was in a haze, as the forensic team rushed through the house searching for any clues or evidence. Detective Ryan entered the home, inspecting the house leading up to the brother’s room.  He saw the blood on the floor and looked over at Sam standing off to the side. Touching her shoulder, he introduced himself.

“Hi there, I’m detective Ryan. What’s your name?”

“Sam”, she said quietly.

“We’re going to find out who did this, no matter what!” he assured her. Sam made no movement. Perplexed, he moved away from the girl. Walking slowly through the hall, he noticed the blood on the doorknob of a nearby bedroom. Looking more into the room, it seemed like a young girl’s room. He said to himself, “This must be Sam’s room.”  He walks back down the hall towards his partner.

“I think we should take these two in for questioning. The girl seems off to me, there’s blood on her doorknob too. There are no signs of forced entry, nothing else is disturbed.”

 Ryan returned to Sam, still standing in the same place he had left her. With her still staring at the white sheet covering her younger brother’s body. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to come down to the station with me.”

Detective Ryan’s partner went on to take the hysterical mother to the police car while Ryan escorted Sam. On the way to the station Sam starts to remember her dream, “It felt too real” she said to herself. She has a sinking feeling of what she might've done but was not sure if it really happened.

         Once arrived at the police station, Sam shivered in the cold interrogation room. She sat in the empty, gray room waiting for someone to come, until a man walked in and sat in front of her. Detective Ryan opened his notebook.

“So Sam, do you remember anything about last night? Did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary?”

“No, but I did have this horrific dream,” Sam replied weakly.

“Well, what was it about?” In a very monotoned voice, Sam began to recall the nightmare, “It was very vivid, I could almost feel it. I remember being in my brother’s room, feeling very warm, sweaty even, I would say. I was holding something, but I can’t quite remember what it was. I was out of breath too, felt like I was hyperventilating. I remember smelling metal, and I felt sticky all over my hands and arms. My hair and clothes were soaked and then I don’t know. I woke up I guess.” Sam shrugged her shoulders and stared at the table.

“And have you ever had any other dreams like this one?” questioned the detective.

“Not as bad...” she whispered.

“Okay then, I’m going to step out of the room for a few minutes to check on your mom and I’ll be back.” Detective Ryan went to have a talk with his partner about Sam.

“I think we’re going to have to keep that girl overnight. I don’t think she’s being completely truthful.” Both detectives returned to the interrogation room, Sam remained quiet, listening to their muted speaking, her ears were ringing, as the detective put handcuffs around her wrists.

Sam’s jail cell was very plain. A thin mattress, one metal toilet, stone walls, blood by the bed, and bugs in corners decorated her new room. She sat on the bed to lay down, she wanted to clear her mind from the long tiring day. As if she had blinked, morning came. Sam woke up feeling the most rested she had ever felt.