CHAPTER 4 – FIND ME!

The jarring sound of my alarm clock echoed through the room, jolting me awake. But this was no ordinary awakening. I didn't linger in bed, admiring my reflection in the mirror. The vividness of my dream still held me captive, its tendrils of fear clinging to my mind. I sat up, my body drenched in cold sweat, and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the nightstand. With trembling hands, I lit one, inhaling the smoke deeply, hoping to quell the inner turmoil.

"It wasn't a dream, I'm not going insane..." I muttered to myself, my voice barely a whisper.

I lit another cigarette, attempting to hold both between my fingers. However, my unsteady grip failed, and one of the cigarettes slipped from my grasp, falling onto the bedsheets. A gasp escaped my lips as I noticed the flames spreading across the fabric. Panic surged through me, and I scrambled to extinguish the fire. Thankfully, the damage was minimal, the flames extinguished before further harm could be done.

"Oh no, the sheets! The sheets are ruined!" I exclaimed, my voice laced with dismay.

The gnawing paranoia in my mind, though absurd, held a chilling truth. The dreams I had been experiencing lately were far from ordinary, sending shivers down my spine. "It's just a dream..." I tried to convince myself, but a deep-seated unease lingered within me.

As I disposed of the remnants of the burnt sheet, my thoughts drifted to the enigmatic brunette man. This mysterious figure had become a recurring presence in my nightmares, haunting my sleep and leaving me with a lingering sense of dread. Where had I encountered him before? Was this somehow linked to a paranormal event?

"Of course, I'm the master of the universe," I muttered to myself, a hint of sarcasm laced in my voice.

My mind was a battleground of paranoid thoughts and bizarre dreams, leaving me utterly exhausted. Yet, I pushed myself out of bed, determined not to be late for work. However, my journey to work was marred by a series of mishaps, triggered by fleeting glimpses of the brunette man that I couldn't shake off. I dropped cigarettes, bumped into people, and even managed to knock over four glasses at the office. By the end of the day, I had earned myself a dubious badge of honor for my clumsiness.

I knew I needed to share my experiences with Cemre. I rushed out of the office and made my way to her apartment. As she opened the door, her eyes widened in concern. "Asya, what's wrong? What happened to you?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Cemre, I need to talk to you. I'm not feeling well. I think I'm losing my mind," I confessed, my voice trembling with anxiety.

After bringing me a glass of water, Cemre settled in beside me, her face etched with worry as she listened intently to my every word. I recounted the details of my dream, painting a vivid picture of the enigmatic brunette man and the bizarre events that unfolded. As I spoke, I noticed a growing pallor in Cemre's complexion, and a fear gripped me that she might faint before I could finish my story. When I finally reached the end of my tale, she swallowed audibly, her own throat parched. I offered her the water, but my hands trembled so violently that I ended up spilling it all over her lap.

"Let me clean it up," I exclaimed, reaching for a cloth.

But Cemre stopped me with a firm hand. "No, don't worry about it. It's just water," she reassured me, her voice laced with a hint of forced composure.

She shifted her wet skirt, revealing a hint of her characteristic carefree spirit. Despite the shocking revelation I had just shared, I couldn't help but be grateful that she hadn't suffered a heart attack. Perhaps the cold water had helped her regain her composure, or maybe it was something else entirely.

After a brief pause, I took a deep breath, hoping to steady my nerves. "I didn't tell you about this before because I was afraid you'd be scared, even more scared than I was," I confessed, my voice trembling with emotion. "But I couldn't keep it to myself any longer, Cemre. This must be some kind of twisted trick my mind is playing on me. I think I'm losing my sanity, and I don't know what to do. It's just stress, isn't it, Cemre? I don't want to think there's anything more to it than that."

Cemre's fingers traced worried circles on her chin as she replied, her voice trembling slightly, "It's just stress, Asya. You tend to make a mountain out of a molehill, you know that. And your dreams, well, you have a pretty fantastical imagination. You've just overdone it this time. There's no need to jump to conclusions about depression."

However, there was nothing in my recent life that could have triggered depression. Moreover, the tremor in Cemre's voice betrayed her own lack of conviction in her words. This situation was causing her just as much, if not more, anxiety than it was me.

Abruptly, she rose from her seat and pulled me up as well. "Come on, let's watch a movie or do one of our usual silly things to take our minds off it," she suggested, sighing heavily. "I feel like I'm suffocating."

We settled on a good movie and spent the next two hours enjoying it with a spread of snacks. By the time the movie ended, I was feeling exhausted too. As I stood up to leave, a thought crossed my mind: "Should I invite her over tonight?" But I quickly dismissed it. What if I ended up burning her down or causing her to fall from the balcony?

As I prepared to leave, I wrapped my arms around Cemre in a tight hug. As we parted, our eyes met, and I noticed a strange, cold glint in her gaze. It was a chilling flicker that went beyond a mere reflection of light. But the moment was so brief, I couldn't be sure if I had truly seen it. "Better leave before I start making more of this," I thought to myself and bid her farewell.

Descending the stairs, I glanced back once more and saw Cemre watching me. But she wasn't just watching; a sly grin played on her lips beneath her cold stare. The sight of her unsettling demeanor sent a shiver down my spine, and I quickened my pace. Just as I was about to disappear from her view, I heard the door slam shut behind me, and a sensation akin to an icy mass trickling down my back washed over me.

Reaching my apartment, I rushed inside, slammed the door shut, and turned the lock. I was so terrified that I didn't even bother to change out of my clothes. I flung myself onto the bed and pulled the covers over my head, seeking solace in their warmth. But the covers were gone.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed to myself.

Seeking protection from unseen entities, I pulled the mysterious bedsheet and blanket over me. Feeling still vulnerable, I grabbed a stick and a knife, placing one under my pillow and keeping the other within arm's reach.

"Let the spirits think twice now!" I declared, the knife's handle clutched tightly in my hand.

My heart rate eventually calmed, and I drifted off to sleep. However, I awoke shortly after, or so I thought... For as I gazed around with sleepy eyes, I realized it was morning.

A sudden "thunk" echoed in my mind, as if a realization had hit me like a physical blow.

I didn't have a dream!

A smile crept onto my face as I let out a deep "Phew!" It was just my imagination, I thought to myself. Perhaps my weapons had worked, who knows. And so, with the relief of not waking up from one of those nonsensical nightmares, I got out of bed and started my morning routine of brushing my teeth and getting dressed.

Once I was ready, I left the house to go to work. The brunette man was gone, and so were the death-defying dreams. My day was so productive and energetic that I couldn't remember ever feeling so alive and full of zest. After work, I decided to visit Cemre again. A momentary pang of paranoia made me hesitate, thinking I might see the strange light reflection again, but my hand found its way to the doorbell.

When Cemre opened the door, her energetic and cheerful demeanor made me pause for a moment. There was no trace of her previous anxiety; it was as if I was facing a whole new "Cemre." As she fixed me with her questioning gaze, I told her I hadn't had any more nightmares.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Cemre exclaimed, bursting into laughter. "See? I told you it was just one of your quirks. It even scared me for a moment, but our worries were for nothing. I think we should celebrate with a cup of coffee!"

A spark ignited in Cemre's eyes as her laughter echoed through the room. As we sipped our warm coffees, our conversation flowed freely. Neither the terrifying dream nor the mysterious man crossed our minds anymore.

After a while of chatting about random topics and enjoying each other's company, it was time for me to head home. Cemre walked me to the door, and once again, our eyes met. In that instant, for a fraction of a second, I was met with those chilling, cold eyes. It was as if an ice cube was sliding down my back. I blinked and shook my head, hastily put on my shoes, and without saying goodbye, rushed towards my apartment.

Once inside, I tried to shake off the involuntary shiver caused by that eerie gleam. I decided to do some cleaning to distract myself. After all, I had broken and spilled a lot of things lately. After a long cleaning session, I threw my tired body onto the bed and closed my eyes. I still had the stick in my hand, so I drifted off to sleep without a worry.

Then, from the depths of darkness, a voice echoed: "Find me!"