Stay With Me

1

"Please don't leave me alone," he begged.

The pale arm reached out for her once again and it truly felt as though she would finally be able to feel his touch this time. To rescue him before it was too late. The blond mess of hair framed his face as tears cascaded down the sides of his face, his icy blue eyes looking into her own. As hard as she tried, she couldn't move from the spot she was standing, as if a piece of glass separated them.

"I can't make it without you," his voice cracking as he continued to talk through the blood.

Her voice came as barely a whisper as she called out to him. "I promise I'll come back for you. Don't give up on me."

His hand fell to his side as he fell to the floor, the blood going in every direction like someone spilling a glass of water. Her heart broke, a scream leaving her lips that would have scared even the bravest of souls. He was dying and there was nothing she could do to help him.

"I won't leave you," she cried. "I promise."

Her eyes snapped open as she shot up in the bed, taking in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. The nightmare was getting worse. Looking down at her phone, it was still too early to go anywhere, but early enough to take a shower and clear her mind. If it wasn't the nightmares keeping her from sleeping, work was. Vanessa scolded herself over and over for ever mentioning what she had been working on, now her bosses wanted full reports as well as tests done. She debated on just telling them that she was going to scrap the project altogether just so so she could focus on her own goals; but if she were to do that they would just take it for themselves.

It was no coincidence to her that the nightmares were getting worse. They hadn't even started until she started her work. If her theory proved to be correct, the man in her dreams knew exactly what she was attempting to do and knew exactly who she was. The only problem now was getting the damn thing to work properly without starting another house fire.

Deciding to worry about it later, Vanessa stepped into the shower and turned the heat as high as it would go. The familiar sting of the water against her skin caused her to shrink back slightly before stepping back into the water; the pain almost pleasurable to her.

"Help..."

Vanessa quickly turned around half expecting to see someone standing behind her. Her heart felt as though it were lodged in her throat when she saw that she was the only one in the room. The voice had sounded so close, yet at the same time so far away.

This was new.

Shaking it off, Vanessa quickly turned off the water and grabbed a towel from the rack beside her.

"Maybe I'm going insane," she mumbled to herself, wiping the water from her face.

The familiar feeling of dread and excitement flooded her all at once as she slid down the wall onto the bathroom floor. None of this had gone the way she had hoped it would. She should have had it figured out by now...should have saved him by now. Yet here she was. Her heart felt heavy as she thought of the blond man begging her to help him; of what she would do once that thin veil of glass was finally lifted from in front of them. She could hear his voice as clear as if he were beside her. A side effect from her project no doubt.

Her brow furrowed, determination replacing the pitiful expression she knew she had been wearing. If they wanted results so badly they would have to test it, but not before she tested it herself. As far as her bosses knew, the machine was due to be completed for another two months at the earliest without any error. Much to her satisfaction, she had worked out the bugs weeks ago. Pushing herself up off the floor, her mind made up, she pulled on the clothes she would be needing to make it all work properly.