CHAPTER 9: NIGHTMARES
1335 Words
That night, at the Andersons’ small house, everything was calm.
Peaceful.
Everyone was fast asleep—especially Mrs. Rebecca and Elvira, who had returned tired from the day’s work at the market.
But Liza…
Sleep didn’t come to her immediately.
She lay quietly on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting far away—back to the past.
Back to her father.
A soft smile slowly formed on her lips as memories flooded her mind.
She could almost hear his voice again.
The way he used to speak with so much passion whenever he talked about fashion and design… the way his eyes would light up as he showed her his sketches, his ideas, his dreams.
He had always dreamed of becoming a famous designer.
And not just that—
He wanted her to be part of that dream.
“You’ll be my model someday,” he used to say with a proud smile. “The most beautiful one.”
Liza let out a soft breath.
People had always told her she was just like him.
That she had inherited his passion… his creativity… his gift.
And she had always been proud of that.
Very proud.
Slowly, she turned to her side, hugging her pillow gently.
“I promise…” she whispered softly into the quiet night.
“I’ll make it. I’ll make your dream come true.”
Her voice was filled with quiet determination.
And with that thought, she finally closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.
Elsewhere…
While peace filled the Anderson house—
Sebastian was trapped in a different world.
A dark one.
A confusing one.
A terrifying one.
Once again, he was pulled into the nightmares that had been haunting him for weeks.
Endless.
Unforgiving.
.
He found himself standing in a place he couldn’t recognize.
Voices surrounded him.
Laughter.
Conversations.
People talking to him happily—
But he couldn’t see their faces.
No matter how hard he tried.
They were there…
But not really there.
Just blurred silhouettes.
Shadows.
He found himself laughing with them… talking… responding as if he knew them.
Yet deep inside, something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Then, slowly, they began to walk away.
One by one.
Their figures becoming more distant.
More blurry.
Until only one silhouette remained.
A woman
.
She stood there, looking at him.
Even without seeing her face clearly, he could feel it—
She was crying.
Her body trembled slightly as she waved at him.
She was trying to smile.
But it was a painful smile.
A forced one.
As though she didn’t want him to see her suffering.
Sebastian tried to move toward her.
To reach her.
To see her face—
But he couldn’t.
His body refused to respond.
And then—Everything changed.
Suddenly, he was no longer standing.
He was falling.
Falling endlessly through darkness.
His heart raced.
Fear gripped him.
He shut his eyes tightly and began to pray, his voice trembling.
“Please… make it stop…”
The fall continued.
But slowly—
The speed reduced.
The fear softened.
The air around him grew calm.
Quiet.
Until—Everything went still.
He found himself lying down.
Surrounded by silence.
He found himself lying down.
Surrounded by silence.
Peaceful silence.
It almost felt like sleep.
Yet…
He couldn’t wake up.
No matter how hard he tried.
His body remained trapped.
His mind aware.
It was suffocating.
Frustrating.
Terrifying.
And just when he thought it was over—
It started again.
The same cycle.
The same nightmare.
Over and over.
The Next Morning
Morning came with a gentle brightness.
Sunlight filled the house, bringing warmth and calm.
Everyone woke up in good spirits.
“Good morning, my beautiful daughters,” Mrs. Rebecca greeted with a smile.
“Morning, Mum,” Elvira replied cheerfully, hugging her.
“Good morning, Mum. Hope you had a good night,” Liza said, giving her mother a light peck on the cheek.
“Yes, I did,” Mrs. Rebecca replied warmly.
“Elvira, get ready—we’re leaving soon. You know we closed early yesterday, so we need to open early today.”
“Alright, Mum… but please, let’s have breakfast first,” Elvira pleaded dramatically.
“Miss foodie,” Mrs. Rebecca teased, lightly tapping her head.
“I can’t help it,” Elvira said, rubbing her stomach playfully while making a funny face.
Liza chuckled softly.
“Alright,” Mrs. Rebecca said. “We’ll have something quick at the shop. Liza, please prepare two sandwiches and tea—put it in a thermos and pack it for us.”
“Okay, Mum,” Liza replied. “You can go get ready.”
A few minutes later, they were ready to leave.
“Here,” Liza said, handing the bag to Elvira.“Have a nice day.”
“Thanks, sis! You too,” Elvira replied with a bright smile.
They waved and left the house together.
Later That Morning
Liza stood alone in the quiet house.
She let out a small sigh.
“Time to get to work.”
She quickly started cleaning, moving efficiently from one task to another. She needed to finish her chores early—she only had two weeks to prepare her designs.
Two weeks.
The thought alone made her heart race.
She turned on the radio, letting soft religious music fill the room.
Soon, she found herself swaying her hips slightly as she worked, trying to lighten her mood.
Then—
She froze.
A sound.
A faint click.
It came from inside the house.
Her movements stopped completely.
Slowly, she raised her head.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Unsteady.
Her heart skipped.
She turned.
And there—Standing at the doorway—
Was Sebastian.
Her breath caught.
“Hello…” he said weakly, leaning against the wall for support.
His voice was hoarse.
His body looked fragile.
But his eyes—
They were fixed on her.
Searching.
Trying to understand.
“He… hello,” Liza stammered, quickly rushing to him.
She supported him carefully and guided him to a chair.
“You shouldn’t be standing,” she said gently.
She hurried to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water.
“Here… drink this.”
Sebastian took the glass hesitantly.
He looked at her.
Uncertain.
But her small, reassuring smile seemed to calm him.
He drank.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
The water felt like relief—like life itself returning to him.
When the glass was empty, he frowned slightly, almost disappointed.
Liza noticed immediately.
She smiled softly.
“I’ll get you more.”
She returned with another glass, which he drank just as eagerly.
When he finished, he let out a quiet sigh.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“My pleasure,” Liza replied gently.
She sat opposite him, observing him carefully.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
Sebastian looked at her for a moment before answering.
“I’m better… thank you. I was very dehydrated.”
Then his gaze shifted.
He looked around the room slowly.
Carefully.
As if trying to recognize something.
Anything.
But nothing came.
Confusion clouded his expression.
Finally, his eyes returned to Liza.
This time, his look was clear.
He wanted answers.
Liza understood.
“Hi… I’m Liza Anderson,” she began calmly. “You’re in our home. My sister and I found you in the forest. You’ve been unconscious for almost a month… though you woke up briefly a week ago before passing out again.”
Sebastian remained silent, his brow slightly raised.
Waiting.
Liza continued.
“You were in a helicopter crash. We pulled you out just before it exploded.”
She paused.
“Do you remember anything?”
Sebastian frowned deeply.
He thought.
Tried.
But—
Nothing.
“No…” he said finally, his voice low. “I don’t remember anything. Not my name… not how I got there… nothing at all.”
The words felt heavy.
Lost.
Empty.
And for the first time—
The reality of his situation truly settled in.
- Writer
