Unsettled

STORM

My eyes snapped open suddenly, my heart pounding in my chest as I emerged from a daunting dream that left me breathless.

I sat up in bed, my mind still reeling from the vivid images that had plagued my sleep.

In my dream, Kaden, the man I secretly harbored feelings for, I secretly longed for, had been viciously attacked by a terrifying red beast with piercing red eyes.

I don’t think I would be forgetting the details anytime soon. They were etched into my memory now, and a sense of fear and urgency washed over me.

I needed to see Kaden. Damn my earlier decision to stay away from him. Damn him too for respecting it.

In the dream, I had found myself in a dense, foreboding forest. The moon casted an eerie glow through the twisted branches overhead, casting long, haunting shadows on the forest floor.

I had watched as a young man, whom of course I recognized as Kaden, ran desperately through the woods, his fear palpable.

As Kaden fled, a monstrous beast emerged from the darkness. It