Prologue: A Dream That Yielded a Promise

"Mr Emmit?…"

…

"…Mathias Emmit…"

…

"Mathias!?" A feminine voice called out.

Mathias, who had fallen asleep heard his

name through his obscured sleep. Waking

slowly, he opened his eyes to have rays of

gentle sunlight warming his face.

"Yes?"

He answered raising his head from his

crossed arms. Sitting across from Mathias

was Dr. Alison, his physician.

"I was saying… the c.a.t scan came back

clean. There isn't anything physically wrong

with your head" Dr Alison explained.

For weeks Mathias noticed he hadn't quite

felt like himself, like he was living in a waking

dream. The hobbies that once occupied his

attention no longer appealed to him. The

more days that had passed the more numb

Mathias felt.

"Oh.. I see." Mathias replied dishearteningly.

A part of him wished the c.a.t scan revealed

something, anything, that could explain his

misery. Seeing Mathias' crestfallen expression

Dr. Alison had one last idea to offer.

"Mathias, how would you feel about

participating in a sleep study? I'll be blunt with

you… this is a long shot… but maybe… just

maybe, we can figure out what's causing your…

situation"

Dr. Alison gave him an empty smile in an

attempt to offer her patient hope. Mathias

didn't care if it was a long shot

'A chance, no matter how small, is still a

chance' he thought. With a nod, Mathias

agreed to participate in the study Dr. Alison

went on to explain what Mathias

would need for the sleep study, which was

simply some night-wear. However he was

forbidden from consuming alcohol 48-hours

prior to the study. Luckily Mathias wasn't a

drinker… not anymore anyway.She then notified

Mathias that the earliest available study would

be for the next night… providing he hadn't

consumed any alcohol on the current day. After

finishing up his appointment Mathias left the

hospital with his visit summary and sleep study

instructions in hand. In moments Mathias would

be in his car with: Home, as his destinationOn

his 20-minute drive home all Mathias could

think about was getting some sort of answer…

some sort of closure…

'Just one more night… you can survive one

more night.' He kept telling himself in his head.

After arriving at his apartment complex he

made his way up to the third floor, apartment

number 3-06. He opened the door, turning on

the light that would illuminate his entire studio

apartment. In contrast to the bland white paint

of the apartment hung mathias' framed

achievements, some of which were from his

childhood and some more recent. The

achievements ranged from physical therapy

certificates(recent), gold medals for

sharpshooting in archery(adolescents) and

even a few colored belts for different martial arts.

(Early adulthood)

"Hhmmh"

A thin smile sprouted on Mathias' lips as

nostalgia reminded him of better, brighter times, which alleviated some of his melancholy.

"Time to turn in." He said to himself as he

prepared for bed.Finally excited for Tomorrow

to come, Mathias rested his head upon his

pillow whispering: "tomorrow can't come fast

enough" as he drifted off to sleep.

_~_~_~_~_~_ Nightmare_~_~_~_~_

I find myself standing atop a craggy

mountain-scape under a starless ebony night

as foreboding clouds began to congregate.

'If ambiguity had a color, these clouds were it'

The wind held its breath, as if in anticipation

Waiting to see what would come first:

the rain? Or the Lightning?

soft raindrops fell upon my head, as if they were

soldiers off to battle, resigning themselves to

their fate, knowing that they wouldn't return.

their gentle "goodbyes" rang in my ear as they landed

-plip-

-plip plip-

-ploop-

I look up to the sky.

'If these droplets are giving me their

goodbyes, I'll show my respect for their bold

departure by watching them till the very end'

I'm not sure how much time passed as I looked

up to the heavens,But the ambiguous clouds

dispersed. and I find myself suddenly falling.

The wind that had held its breath violently

exhaled, thrashing me to and fro in my free fall.

Terror courses through my veins as I fall

towards the ground,Every terror-filled second

felt like hours.Unlike the rain drops I am unable

to resign myself to this fate, struggling till the

end…When my body collides with the ground.

-splat-

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Mathias, drenched in a cold sweat, sprang out

of bed screaming.

"AAAAAAHH!!!!"

Finally able to calm himself, mathias wiped his

face with a shirt that messily rested on the bed

The sensation from the nightmare stuck

with Mathias as he took his morning shower