60. Nightmare

Roman

The night air is filled with an almost tangible sense of tension and regret, making it almost suffocating to breathe. I am lying down next to Aella, her body seems to be barely there, a mere wisp, and her breathing is shallow and uneven.

Days have passed in agonizing silence, days during which she’s hardly uttered a word, days where her eyes speak volumes of her inner torment. I can do nothing but hold her, whisper sweet nothings of assurance that I am here.

The disconnect between us is driving me fucking crazy, that space widening with each passing second. I want to scream, kill something, throttle the life out of Vasily for what he’s done to her.

But what good will that do? Vasily will be dead, but Aella’s memories won’t be.

I’m awake, hyper-aware of every twitch, every small movement that Aella makes beside me. It’s as if my senses are dialed to eleven, each one screaming at me to be prepared, to be ready for anything.

I hold her as she fights her demons in her sleep, all w