His Nightmares

Aaron woke up in the middle of the night sweating and gasping for breath.
"Thank god, it was just a nightmare," he said after realizing that he was in the confinement of his own bedroom.
He had dreamt that he saw his old neighbor Bill being stabbed viciously by a thief. And his wide and terrified eyes stared at him while he lay there dying. He tried to scream and run but suddenly darkness engulfed him and he woke up twitching in his own bed.
He could'nt go to sleep anymore, so with his gruesome nightmare still haunting his head, he tried to sketch the poor and mangledl image of their old neighbor similar to his nightmare. Only then was he able to fall asleep again though a little more lightly.
But at exactly 7 in the morning, a shocking news surprised him.
"Have you heard the story Aaron?" his breathless mom suddenly appeared in the kitchen Her chest heaving with tension and panick.
"About what mom?" he asked mildly interested while eating his cereal and eggs.
"Mr. Lim, our old friendly neighbor was found dead in his own room. At the safety of his own room! Oh heavens!"
Aaron stop midway on sipping his orange juice and frozed. Mr Bill Lim?' this could'nt be happening, he said to himself, fear and uneasiness makes his stomach lurch. Hr look pale and feel suddenly cold.
He did'nt get to finish his breakfast much to his mother's great consternation.
He grab his backpack and hurriedly walk out of the house. When he reach their school, he was still suffering from shock and hr did'nt noticed his girlfriend sitting on one of the benches.
"Hey Aaron! Wait up!" Mandy spring from the bench and run after him.
"Mandy?!" he said surprised, "I did'nt noticed you here." He said in apologetic tone, feeling guilty.
"Yah you don't..after I've waited for you here for an hour. What's wrong?" she asked looking at him with concerned eyes and notices his eyebags.
"Just had some sleepless night," he answered curtly not wanting to explain further. He was still too shaken to ever talk to someone, not even his girlfriend, about his nightmare and the reality of it in harsh daylight.
When their class is over, he walked Mandy to her house and kiss her on her forehead lovingly.
"Are you alright? You've been strangely absent-minded all through-out our class." She asked him, looking worriedly at him. Her beautiful blue eyes searching his face.
"I'm fine," he assured her though less convincing. "Just always be careful and take care of yourself, will you?" He don't know why he had said that as if they will not be seeing each other again. He had a strange-sickening feeling in his guts. But he meant it when he said be careful. He don't know why, but he said it anyway to her. And she looked puzzled but nod her head in agreement.
"Okay, I will," she smiled and kissed his cheeks then turn and walk towards their house.


He sat in his bed, gasping again. He looked around, the atmosphere become chilly. He had nightmares again. This time it was his girlfriend Mandy whom he saw being raped and stabbed to death by an addict. He had to tell her right away before it's too late.
Quickly, he put on his jacket and dialled the phone number on Mandy's house. But no one answered his call. It was still 3 am in the morning, maybe they were still asleep, he thought. Then he decided to make a run for it and go to their house instead and warn her. The air suddenly shift from cold to humid and he had a strange feeling of vagueness. He opened the door to his bedroom and was overwhelmed with eerie silence and unfathomable darkness.
That was the time he wake up and felt foolish. It was all just a dream! The dream that he dreamed Mandy was being killed was just a dream. Yet he had to stop his nightmares from becoming reality. He had to warn Mandy. When suddenly, a strong unseen force seem to grasp his hand and found his pencil. He tried to wrestle with his hands but the invisible force gripping it are too strong, he almost got toppled over the table. His mom might have heard the noise so soon
for she suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"Aaron! What the hell is happening here?" she demanded and look around his room. "And what did you do to your room? Looks like a tornado have just ransacked your things!"
He feel the grip in his hands suddenly vanished and his hands are now resting at his sides. But the debris of his combat with an invisible hands remain evident. So he had a rough explaining to do. "I'm sorry mom, I'll just clean this mess later." He promised her.
"I know you will...but yoh also need to explain-"
She stops in the middle of her sentence as something interesting caught her eyes."Is'nt that Mandy's face sketched in the paper?"
He turned and look where she indicated and horror struck his heart.'Mandy!' his mind screamed for what he saw was an exact replica of his nightmares of her. Torn dress and blood spiling from her body. Although the sketch was too messy and uncoordinated, the image or the implication was clearly outlined. Without a moment of hesitation, he dialled his girlfriends telephone number and when no one still answered him, he dialled her cp number. He was grateful when her cheerful voice answers.
"Hey Aaron! Are you on the way to our school too?"
"No. Listen!" he said with great urgency, "don't go to to school today, ok?"
"Why? I can't Aaron. Today is our final exam. Don't tell me I should not take it!" She sounded a little angry now.
"No, it's not that..."
The line went dead even before he could finish his sentence.
When he arrive at their school, another shocking story awaites him.
His girlfriend was found dead by the police in one of the desolated streets just one block away from the school. She was raped, her dress was torn and ripped with such force and blood is spilling from a deep cut in her stomach which caused her death.