She lurched forward in fear, the frosty night air a stark contrast to the warmth she felt moments prior. She clung helplessly to the collar of her nightgown, twisting the buttons and the threads as she frantically sought out the calm before the storm. Her breathing only grew more laboured as she tried finding a steady breath; but the darkness only crawled back towards her and the nightmares began to haunt her once more.
The grip only tightened and she tried thinking back to what Lem would tell her, always saying to not focus on the negative thoughts and rather the positive one's but she struggled to find them and the darkness kept closing in...
But the darkness would not dare cross with the light. Never would the darkness cross it, for it feared it and Nora was fortunate in the soft glow of dying embers from the campfire. It beckoned her closer, promising safety and comfort in its embrace and slowly she staggered from her bed to walk over to it. But the fire was dying and the light was being snuffed out and when it was gone, nothing would stop the darkness.
The tears rolled freely down her cheeks and she didn't have the effort to wipe them away, letting them fall and stain her pretty face. "It's late." She turned sharply but saw no face in the darkness, only a shadow. The voices were twisted, she recognized many and none at all, had this been the darkness all along? Those she trusted and loved?
"Couldn't sleep."
"Isn't that a shame."
The shadow stepped closer but not close enough to be seen, but it's voice she remembered. "Who are you?" She called out it, but the question went ignored.
"The light won't last long, Nora." It taunted, speaking softly in the voice of Lem who she trusted the most out of the voices it threw at her.
The shape disappeared and reappeared behind her, throwing more taunts her way and as the fire grew dim and the darkness spread wider the silhouette stepped closer and eventually there was no light to protect her and she had been lost in a work of darkness and nightmares that plagued her dreams.
...
He rushed to her company the very minute her screams had awoken her. He feared the worse as he opened the tent to walk inside but relief washed over once he noticed that she visibly appeared uninjured.
She still twisted and flailed her arms wildly as if struggling to fight off something and yet all that was around her was air. He knew he needed to do something, but what could he do? She was still asleep and abruptly waking her up from her nightmare wouldn't do but maybe it's what needed to be done.
Gently he walked across the wooden pallets until was standing next to her cot and carefully he placed the palm of his hand on her cheek. "Easy, now." He whispered, calming her down so she would stop frantically attacking the air. He kept it up before actually waking her, figuring that it would be better that way.
When she did wake up she had shot up so quickly to look around the inside of the tent, her breathing unsteady as she tried to grasp at the oxygen she failed to get. When her eyes did land on Lem she visibly relaxed but her breath remained ragged.
"I'm here." He said, sitting next to her on the cot. She threw her arms around him the minute she could and began to softly cry into his shoulder and he would carefully wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer, running his hand in circles on her back to help calm her down. "I'm here, Nora."
He would repeat it several times as it helped, he noticed that she felt more comfortable by being reminded that he wouldn't leave not unless she wished him to go and even then, he wouldn't want to wander too far from her when she was in this state. "Another nightmare?" He didn't need to ask as he knew the answer, but he just wanted her to talk to him about it.
Her voice was quiet and weakly she gave her answer. "Yes."
"Do you want to t-tell me what it was about?"
"I.. I'm not even sure." She pulled away from his embrace, sitting up properly and hanging her head low in mock-shame. "I remember a shadow.. darkness. Oh, it's all so very silly."
"I don't think it's silly."
He gently grabbed her chin and tilted her face up until she was looking back at him and he gave her a kind smile that she felt calm enough to reciprocate. "It's never silly."
"Why are you so kind to me?" She whispered.
"Why wouldn't I be?" He feigned taking offence to her question but laughed regardless. "I'd be kind to anybody.. unless they're a bastard."
"In which case you end up settin' a trap off on yourself."
"That time was an accident." She chuckled at his reply, gently nodding her agreement with him. "I know."
It felt too premature to ask the question, but he needed to check up on her for the worry within still hadn't settled. "How are you?"
"If I'm honest.. not grand."
They both sat in silence for the best part of an additional five minutes before Nora finally worked up the courage to ask what worried her the most. "C-Can you do me a favour?"
"Of course."
"This is silly.. but I don't want to be alone." Her lip quivered as she fought back tears, putting on a brave face despite everything else being so blatantly obvious that brave just wasn't how she was feeling right now. "Please lie down with me a while."
He wasn't so sure how to verbally answer her but he was capable of nodding and she looked happy that he agreed to her request, even though she wouldn't mind if he had said 'no.' So, she moved as far back as the cot would allow to give him some space.
This hadn't been the first time Nora asked him to lie until she slept and he doubted that it would end up the last.
He stalled for a bit.. too awkward to lie next to her but eventually he had done so, shifted to get comfortable and used his arm to act as a pillow. She smiled up at him, slowly closing her eyes and eventually she felt safe enough to fall into slumber again.
He remained by her side, just in case she woke to another nightmare again as the night had still been young. He worried come morning when this would need to be explained but he was sure he could slip away before then.
He couldn't sleep. He never could, not with her so close to him. He focused on everything else in the tent, such as the moonlight breaking through a few holes in the fabric or the decorations she had around the place like the flowers on the desk or the sheet music from her piano playing.
...
"The flames just got higher." He told, trying best not to cry as he recounted Maggie's story. Nora remained quiet as usual, allowing him to tell while she focused on riding back to the moonshine shack, taking a route far from the road so they couldn't be traced.
"I can't believe it.. Aunt Maggie." He said once more, still unable to fathom the idea of his aunt being alive who he himself watched burn alive. There was no way that this could be some sick practical joke if this individual risked her life to save him from a prison transfer.
He let out a quiet sigh of relief, before directly addressing this stranger who rescued him. "Thank you for savin' me, miss." She nodded, still maintaining this mysterious aura about her. "But may I ask h-how you know my Aunt Maggie?"
"A mutual friend introduced us."
"And this mutual friend is?"
She didn't want to answer and probably wouldn't had it been any other person, but something compelled her to reply. "JB Cripps."
"Cripps? He's still alive?"
"Yes." She chuckled a little, amused by his reaction. Lem laughed with her but returned to that familiar silence when she stopped.
Eventually, they arrived at the moonshine shack and he frowned when he recognised it as one of their old ones. But he trusted Aunt Maggie, enough to put the worry and fears from six years prior behind him, too exhausted to even focus on them now.
They dismounted and using her for support, entered the moonshine shack. His excitement getting the best of him when he called out. "Aunt Maggie!"
