Lexi was running, moving hard and fast as she possibly could. Pushing until she felt the burn in her legs and the fire in her chest. But somehow, she wasn't getting anywhere. She felt as though her legs were churning through water.
She heard his voice behind her and fought the panic rising in her throat. She needed to get away. He was chasing her, his voice rising in anticipation of what they both knew was coming. Her foot caught on an object unseen and she lurched forward.
And now she was falling. Falling very far. Falling into the dark. Falling in slow motion. Falling forever, and hearing that same voice growing softer and softer as it echoed above her.
Lexi's leg jerked against her bed, waking her as the rest of her muscles followed the tension of the twitch. Her body had left traces of sweat on her pajamas and sheets. Had she cried out? Her mouth was stuck in a static scream and her throat clenched, but she was unsure if she had made any actual noise.
Laying her head back down, Lexi closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing her heart rate and controlling her breathing. It was still dark outside and her alarm would not go off for a little while still, so it would be nice is she could lay claim to a few more moments of relaxed bliss that calm sleep, sleep without thought, sleep without dreams, would bring.
But sleep remained elusive and Lexi finally rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats over her sleeping shorts and tank.
A twitch of something soft brushed against her leg, but Lexi was used to this affectionate touch that often greeted her in the morning, so it did not make her jump. She heard the soft purr of her cat, Pepper, as he brushed his tail up against her once more and walked with her towards the bathroom door. Lexi heard a soft thud and, upon turning on the lights, she saw that Pepper had jumped up on the vanity.
Lexi turned on the faucet and splashed the lukewarm water on her face, causing Pepper to jump back with a look of disgust. But after drying off, he came closer to inspect her sleepy visage with her.
Lexi felt a hint of smile at the corner of her lips. She had little to complain about this morning: no wrinkles or worry lines or bags under her eyes and only a hint of the dark circles that used to be so much more prominent. She had learned to relax and de-stress, and it was showing. Satisfied, she pulled her long red hair into a pony tail, turned off the light, grabbed a jacket and headed towards the front door.
"No, Pepper." she murmured softly as the cat began to follow her. She bent down and stroked the turtle-shell coat. "It's too cold out for you to come with me. You need to stay here and guard the fort." She then grabbed the keys in the bowl by the door, but left the pepper spray where it was, confident she wouldn't be requiring it's assistance.
The fresh cold air of Oregon met her face as Lexi stepped outside and began to walk down the path to the forest area about a quarter mile away. The crinkled leaves of October were burn orange and just beginning to be kissed by the warmth of the rising sun. The North Wind fanned his breath through the salmon sky, causing the leaves to greet Lexi with their signature whisper, speaking only to her as she was the one mind present at 5am this Tuesday morning.
She smiled. Life was back to calm. She considered herself one of the lucky ones. One of the survivors. She enjoyed life again. She was happy. She was safe. She was free.
And a dream was just a dream.
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