Avalon City

Choking.... Gasping painfully for air, trying to fill my lungs with each agonizing breathe I try to take. My throat feels raw, dry and burning with each breath. My lungs feel like razors slicing through my chest. I could vaguely hear a high-pitched ringing in the distance. Realisation hitting me like a slap to the face. I recognise the noise to be the downstairs fire alarm ringing loudly.

Rolling over in bed I sit upright in my bed, before rolling off the side and onto my hands and knees onto the soft carpet, choking and coughing on the thick smoke, the heat was rising becoming and it was becoming increasingly difficult to think and breath. I could hear my chest wheezing, fighting for much needed oxygen.

Crawling to the bedroom door, my body growing weaker with every breath and move I make. My lungs filling with black thick smoke. I could taste it leaving a horrid dry taste worse with each breath.

Crawling on my hands and knees, I make my way to the top of the stairs. Peering down to the landing of the floor beneath. I could only see thick billows of black smoke and orange flames raging on the bottom floor.

Black dots started to dance before my vision making it harder to see. Crawling down the stairs about halfway down, I feel something, a hand. I start pulling on the person, but they don't respond. I crawl closer trying to reach their chest to feel if they are breathing.

Running my hands across the persons chest, I can feel that it is a man, but that's not the most disturbing thing I feel. It's the blade protruding from where his heart should be.

I try to crawl back up the stairs, but the black dot's take over my vision completely. I finally give into the darkness of unconsciousness.

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I sat upright in my bed drenched in sweat, my hair sticking to my face. My heart was pounding in my chest, so fast I could hear it pounding in my ears. Goosebumps covered my olive skin making me feel cold from the air and mixture of sweat that covered my skin. Reaching for my bedside table, I flicked on my lamp to brighten the room. My eyes being forced to adjust to the light, making me squint to be able to see the room.

“It was just a dream, just a dream” I repeat trying to reassure myself. Scanning the room, I could see my roommate’s bedroom door open from where I sat on my bed. Becca wasn't back she must have decided to stay in one of her lover's dorms.

My throat felt dry. Reaching for my water bottle that sat next to the lamp, I gulped the water down trying to soothe my dry throat. I knew it was a dream, but it felt so real, I could still taste the burning smoke at the back of my throat.

Having trouble coming back to reality, thinking I'm still stuck in my nightmare. I took some deep breaths trying to calm my pounding heart and settle my racing mind. I'm in my dorm room.... There was no fire.... I am safe.... I kept repeating to myself, trying to ground myself before I have a panic attack.

Running my fingers through my hair, trying to brush it away from my face. There was no way I was going to go back to sleep. What time is it? I thought as I got up walking over to my dresser and reaching for my phone.

5.45 it was still dark outside. I had to be up in an hour anyway.

Grabbing my towel and toiletries bag a pair of jeans, shirt and a hoodie and me under garments. I roll them in my towel, opening the door and carefully locking the door behind me. I step into the green corridor. Which is dimly lit with flickering florescent lights giving off an eerie feel. I started walking down the corridor, being careful not to let my feet make too much noise on the old wooden floorboards. I made my way down the corridor once at the end, I turned left towards the unisex amenities room.

I was the only person up. I couldn't hear any movement in the dorms that I passed. The floor felt cold under my bare feet. The corridors weren't air-conditioned like the dorm apartments. Once I made it to the brown door at the end of the corridor, I opened the creaking door slowly.

The amenities room was large with all white tile from floor to ceiling making the florescent lights brighter, too bright for someone who just woke up. One side of the amenities block held showers separated by a wall that went halfway down the room, on the other side were the toilets and right at the front on either side was sink basin's and long mirror's, as well as bench seats that went up either side of the wall separating the two room's.

I walked over to the sink basin turning on the tap; I splashed my face with cold water trying to chase the remnants of my dream away. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, while drying my face with a towel. I looked exhausted my normally olive skin looked drained of life, my hazel eyes taking in my reflection in the mirror looked sad. The lack of sleep was starting to show, at least two or three times a week, I have been having the same dream, only slightly different for the past two- and a-bit weeks.

I rubbed my eyes, before snatching my things off the sink basin and walking into the first shower cubicle. Turning the taps on, I quickly undressed stepping under the hot stream of water, wetting my long hair. As I washed my hair, the familiar scent of my lavender shampoo filled the air around me, calming me down. I washed quickly. Wanting to be quick in case Becca came back early, as I left our apartment, I noticed Becca had left her keys on the hall stand, when she snuck out last night.

As I stepped out of the shower my towel tightly wrapped around me. opening the door to walk to where my clothes were on the bench seat. Just as I reached out to grab them, I heard the door creak. Looking in the direction of the door, A man had stepped in with a towel draped across his shoulders. He was only wearing a pair of black shorts his chest was bare revealing his abs and v line.