THE NIGHTMARE THAT KNEW HER NAME
1462 Words
“Naomi, run!”
The voice echoed through the darkness.
Naomi turned.
A shadow rushed toward her.
She tried to move, but her feet wouldn't cooperate.
“Who are you?”
No answer.
The figure came closer.
Closer.
Then a hand reached toward her—
Naomi screamed.
She woke violently.
Her eyes flew open.
For several seconds, she couldn't breathe.
The hotel room was dark.
Her heart hammered against her chest as she pushed herself upright.
The sheets were twisted around her legs.
She looked around.
The bed.
The curtains.
The bedside table.
Her suitcase.
Everything was exactly where she'd left it.
No stranger.
No competition hall.
No footsteps.
No voice.
Naomi pressed a trembling hand against her chest.
"It was a dream."
She whispered the words as though saying them aloud would make them true.
She looked at the clock.
3:17 A.M.
She had been asleep for only a few hours.
Slowly, she got out of bed and switched on the lamp.
Warm light filled the room.
Naomi walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water over her face.
She stared at herself in the mirror.
"You've been under too much pressure."
That had to be it.
The competition.
The strange photograph.
The threatening messages.
Her father's name.
Everything had overwhelmed her.
Her mind had simply turned it into a nightmare.
She dried her face.
Then stopped.
Something felt wrong.
She looked toward the bedroom.
The black folder was still sitting on the desk.
Naomi walked toward it.
She opened it.
The photograph of her father was still there.
The note was still there.
ASK WHY YOUR FATHER KNEW THE ZHAO FAMILY.
Her stomach tightened.
That wasn't part of the dream.
Neither was the photograph.
Neither were the messages.
Neither was the date.
Twenty-five years ago.
Naomi slowly sat down.
"Then why does it feel real?"
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
She jumped.
A message.
She looked at the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
Her fingers became cold.
She opened it.
There was only one sentence.
YOU DREAMED ABOUT THE WRONG NIGHT.
Naomi stopped breathing.
She stared at the screen.
Another message appeared.
BUT YOU'RE GETTING CLOSER.
She immediately stood.
"No."
She called the number.
It didn't connect.
She tried again.
Nothing.
Naomi threw the phone onto the bed.
Her breathing became uneven.
Someone was playing with her.
But how could they know about her dream?
Unless...
She looked around the room.
Her eyes landed on the curtains.
She walked toward them.
Pulled them open.
Nothing.
Only Shanghai's sleeping skyline.
Hundreds of windows.
Thousands of lives.
She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
A Morning Without Answers
By seven in the morning, Naomi had barely slept.
She sat in the hotel restaurant with a cup of untouched coffee in front of her.
Her competition presentation was only two days away.
She should have been reviewing her architectural plans.
Instead, she kept replaying the nightmare.
The voice.
The shadow.
Her mother's scream.
And those words.
“She was never supposed to tell you.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
Why had her mind created that?
She opened them again.
A woman was sitting across the restaurant.
She wasn't looking at Naomi.
At least, not directly.
She was reading a newspaper.
Naomi glanced at her.
The woman turned a page.
Naomi looked away.
A few seconds later, she looked back.
The woman was gone.
Naomi frowned.
Her phone rang.
"Hello?"
It was Ava.
"Good morning!"
Naomi forced a smile.
"Good morning."
"You sound terrible."
"I didn't sleep well."
"Nightmare?"
Naomi froze.
"How did you know?"
Ava laughed.
"Because you always get nightmares when you're stressed."
Naomi relaxed slightly.
"Right."
"How are you feeling about the presentation?"
"I'm nervous."
"You'll be fine."
Naomi smiled.
"Thanks."
Ava paused.
"Are you sure that's all that's wrong?"
Naomi looked down at her coffee.
She wanted to tell her.
About the photograph.
The messages.
Her mother's strange reaction.
But something held her back.
"I'll explain everything when I see you."
Ava's voice softened.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
They ended the call.
Naomi looked at the empty chair across from her.
Then she noticed something.
A folded piece of paper sat on the table.
She hadn't put it there.
Slowly, she picked it up.
Her heart began beating faster.
She unfolded it.
Three words.
IT WASN'T A DREAM.
Naomi dropped the paper.
Her chair scraped backward.
She looked around the restaurant.
Nobody seemed to be watching.
But she knew.
Someone had been close enough to leave that message.
Dominic's Doubt
Across Shanghai, Dominic hadn't slept either.
He stood in his office, staring at the photograph Oliver had recovered.
William Williams.
Naomi's father.
The date.
Twenty-five years ago.
Dominic had spent most of the night going through old company records.
Nothing.
No direct connection.
No official business relationship.
Yet someone had deliberately placed William's name inside Zhao Global's archive.
Someone wanted him to find it.
Oliver entered.
"You haven't slept."
"Neither have you."
Oliver gave a faint smile.
"I had work."
"So did I."
He placed another file on Dominic's desk.
"We found the person who accessed Naomi's competition profile."
Dominic immediately looked up.
"Who?"
Oliver hesitated.
"An employee."
"Name."
"Daniel Wu."
Dominic frowned.
"Position?"
"Junior systems administrator."
"Where is he?"
Oliver's expression hardened.
"That's the problem."
Dominic stood.
"What problem?"
"Daniel Wu didn't come to work today."
Silence.
"When was he last seen?"
"Yesterday evening."
Dominic looked toward the window.
"Find him."
"We're already searching."
"Alive."
Oliver nodded.
"Understood."
Dominic looked back at the photograph.
Someone had accessed Naomi's file.
Someone had entered the hotel.
Someone knew about her father.
And now an employee was missing.
This was no longer a coincidence.
The Competition
At nine o'clock, Naomi arrived at Zhao Global.
She carried her presentation model carefully.
Her eyes were tired, but she refused to let anyone see her fear.
The moment she stepped into the lobby, she saw Dominic.
He was speaking with Oliver.
Their eyes met.
Dominic immediately noticed something was wrong.
"You didn't sleep."
Naomi gave him a small smile.
"Neither did you."
He almost smiled.
"Fair."
She hesitated.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"Do you believe dreams can be warnings?"
Dominic studied her.
"Why?"
"I had a strange dream."
"What happened?"
Naomi looked around the crowded lobby.
"Nothing important."
Dominic didn't believe her.
But before he could press her, Oliver approached.
"Dominic."
He handed him his phone.
Dominic read the message.
His expression changed.
Naomi noticed.
"What happened?"
Dominic looked at her.
"Nothing."
"You're lying."
He looked surprised.
Naomi folded her arms.
"You just told me yesterday that honesty matters."
Dominic stared at her for a moment.
Then lowered his voice.
"Someone inside my company has been accessing your information."
Naomi's face changed.
"What?"
"We're investigating."
"Why would anyone care about me?"
"I don't know."
Naomi looked at him.
"Maybe because of my father."
Dominic went still.
"You know?"
"Someone showed me evidence."
"What evidence?"
Before she could answer, the presentation hall doors opened.
A staff member called Naomi's name.
"Ms. Williams, we're ready for you."
She looked at Dominic.
"I'll tell you later."
She walked away.
Dominic watched her disappear through the doors.
Oliver came closer.
"Should we tell her everything?"
Dominic shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know who we can trust."
The Photograph
Naomi entered the presentation room.
She placed her model on the table.
The judges began reviewing the designs.
She took a deep breath.
This was what she had come to Shanghai for.
Not mysteries.
Not threats.
Not her father's past.
Her future.
She began her presentation.
For twenty minutes, Naomi spoke with confidence.
The judges listened.
Questions came.
She answered every one.
When she finished, the room applauded.
Naomi finally allowed herself to breathe.
Maybe she could still have a normal future.
Maybe the nightmare really had been nothing more than stress.
Then she returned to her hotel that evening.
She opened her laptop.
A new email appeared.
No sender.
No subject.
Just one attachment.
A photograph.
Naomi opened it.
Her blood ran cold.
It was a photograph of her father.
Standing outside a hospital.
Twenty-five years ago.
Beside him stood a younger Grace.
Naomi stared at the screen.
Her mother.
Her mother had always told her she had never been to Shanghai.
But there she was.
Standing beside Naomi's father.
At a hospital.
Twenty-five years ago.
Naomi's hand moved slowly toward her mouth.
"No..."
Then she noticed something in the background.
A hospital sign.
She zoomed in.
The name was partially visible.
...MERCY PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL.
Naomi's heart stopped.
Her phone vibrated.
One final message appeared.
NOW ASK YOUR MOTHER WHO WAS REALLY IN THAT HOSPITAL.
Naomi stared at the screen.
The nightmare hadn't told her the truth.
But somehow...
it had known where to lead her.
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