2 Chapter 1. Poison Nightmare

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Her watery eyes enlarged and the hairs on the nape of her neck bristled. A gaggle of goose pimples laminated her frigid, naked skin. Slow and deliberate, the door handle turned. She tried to scream, but the inside of her mouth lacked any moisture and a croak was all that issued from her gape. Finally, the door creaked open and...

An ominous boom startled Adriana out of her abysmal nightmare. On awakening, despite the nightmare ending, Adriana had the ghastly feeling of being watched by invisible eyes which prolonged an uneasy feeling of fear.

Her cheeks were wet and her body was bathed in a cold sweat. The sheets were twisted around her limbs, probably because she was thrashing in her sleep. Her heart pounded against her chest. Adriana trembled. The room was entirely dark. No light anywhere. The remnants of her nightmare still clung to her mind, haunting her. Adriana had no trouble imagining assassins lurking in the murky darkness of her room. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room in blinding light. Adriana let out a frightened cry and buried her face into her pillow. Even her breaths trembled. She swallowed and once again turned to see the endless darkness of her room. She couldn't see anything.

She tried to breathe in and out but air wouldn't enter her lungs. Starved for air, her heart raced at tremendous speeds, and her lungs shallowly rose and fell in time. Adriana lay there petrified for what felt like an eternity as she tried to absorb her recurring but fading memory. Satisfaction of security was nothing but a distant memory, and an invisible force crushed her from every possible direction. Each second submerged in fear made a permanent mark on her heart, and a vivid imagination made Adriana wonder whether it was just her mind playing tricks or reality.

She was forcefully ripped away from her musing by a sudden shrill niose that rang throughout her room, She panicked but then realised, she had nothing to fear. It was the alarm that she had set in a hazy memory before blanking out the world.

Shaking from the remnants of her hiding dream, Adriana walked on trembling feet towards her bathroom.

Her restless hands gripped the edges of her black granite counter top as she stared at herself in her mirror.

Without realising it, she had scrunched up her eyes to prevent unwanted light invading her eyes. However, they opened wide when they saw her reflection.

Her hallowed eyes fixed and vacant clung to pale, unhealthy flesh, her bow shaped mouth tinged blue touched her newly wet cheek. She closed her eyes for just a moment, in that eternal second she felt at peace, like the piercing limelight had been switched and left her alone. Her mind struggled to stay in that moment, to keep her vanishing close, but time would not be mastered by mortals. The clock ticked forwards, her peace was gone. She placed her hands on her cheeks then yanked them away. Cold licked at her face and crept under her clothes, spreading across her skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter beach. With purple lips tinged with blue and gently chattering teeth she enclosed herself. The mirror cracked.