text: It was dark traveling through the abyss. Everything swirled around like an optical illusion in a fun house, the kind where everyone walks on a stationary bridge and it feels like they’re going to fall over from the spinning colors around them. But Sherry wasn’t in a fun house, and she was really spinning. Around the cone shaped black hole she went until she was spit out at the other end, hitting hard on the rocky floor below her. Hot air surrounded her and had the stank of death on it. Flashes of orange light glimpsed in her eyes all throughout the open cavern she had fallen into through the abyss. Screaming. In front of her was the shadow dragging away the young man that had rescued her. Sherry followed but the shadow was quick and disappeared into the depths of the cavern, the young firefighter helpless to escape its grasp. Beep. Beep. Beep. Sherry woke up in the hospital plugged into various tubes sticking out of her arms. Over her face was a mask pushing oxygen into her lungs which hurt each time she inhaled despite the fresh, clean air traveling through her throat. The feeling in her chest was like an upper respiratory infection but with several bricks placed on top of her. Everything hurt and she felt like she had been thrown down every flight of stairs in a high rise building twice. Though she had been barely clinging to life just a few hours ago, Sherry was going to make it. Despite its best efforts the shadow had failed to kill her. Why did it want her? More importantly, was it going to come back to finish the job? The thought of it coming back terrified her. She didn’t want any of this and couldn’t understand why this was happening to her. It was all too much for her mind to handle and a part of her wished the shadow had finished the job just so she could be done and over with this mess. The anxiety was the worst part. Then she remembered the young man from her dream, the firefighter who saved her life. Did the shadow go after him like in her dream? It couldn’t have. Not on the side of the busy interstate like that. Everyone would have seen it happen. But the shadow was there, clear as day, standing right behind him. She saw it just like in the dream and part of her wondered if she was the only one who did see it that day. Several minutes after Sherry woke up a pretty red headed nurse with light freckles dotting her face walked into the room to check on her. “Oh, good you’re up,” said the nurse. She was wearing blue scrubs and her name tag said Michelle on it. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Berkheimer? Is there anything I can get you?” “Water,” Sherry said in a hoarse voice. Her throat was scratchy, and she could barely speak in a whisper. The smoke did that to her. “Right away, Mrs. Berkheimer.” Michelle walked to the sink and filled a plastic cup with cold water. “It’s Sherry.” “Is there anything else I can get you, Sherry? Are the pain meds working?” They were but Sherry had nothing to compare it too, otherwise she would know that she was much better off right now than without them. “Everything hurts,” Sherry managed to squeak out in her raspy, smoke damaged voice. She took the water from Michelle’s hand and moved the oxygen mask to the side to take a drink. The water was soothing on her throat and for a moment it felt normal. “Thank you. That helps a lot.” Michelle filled another cup of water and sat it down on the table beside Sherry. “I’ll get the doctor,” she said. “He’ll want to check you out now that you’re awake.” Two weeks passed before she was released from the hospital and when she was finally out, she wanted to show her gratitude to the firefighters and EMS crew that came to her rescue when no one else would. Her sister, Helga, became her temporary chauffeur while she was still recovering. Even if Sherry’s car hadn’t been totaled the pain meds were enough to keep her from driving. Helga was the only one Sherry had left in this world. Their parents had died years ago, and her husband had left her for another woman not too long before the nightmares started. Sherry had attributed the nightmares to him leaving but now she knew otherwise. It was something different. Something much eviler and more sinister. “Maybe you can get one of those cute firemen to ask you on a date,” Helga joked with Sherry. Sherry laughed but she wasn’t interested. It was still too soon after her husband left for her to move on. She was in no mental state to look for love again anyways. “I’m just going to say thank you,” Sherry said to Helga holding a plate of brownies up and a letter with a handwritten note. When they got to the firehouse, they found the guys lounging in their evening recliners in front of the television. Training was done for the day and now they were sitting around waiting for the next call. “Which one of you is the one that pulled me from my car,” Sherry asked Ed and Peter who had answered the door to receive the gifts. Ed and Peter gave each other a troubled look then Ed turned back to Sherry and said, “He’s missing, actually. No one has seen him in two weeks.” Sherry’s heart sank and she felt dizzy almost instantaneously. Ed and Peter must have noticed her wobbling because they instinctively grabbed her arms and took her gently to the ground as he knees gave way beneath her. “Ma’am. Ma’am, are you ok?” “I’m fine,” Sherry said. “I just need to go lay down for a bit.” “Let us bring you inside to sit down.” “No, I’m fine. Really. I just need to go lay down at home. Are you ready to go, Helga?” “I can take you home now if that’s what you’re asking,” Helga answered Sherry. Peter and Ed helped Sherry to her feet and escorted her to Helga’s car. Ed held the door open for her and Peter held onto her arm while she got into the passenger seat. “Thank you, both,” Sherry said shooting a sweet smile in Ed and Peter’s direction. They said their goodbyes and Helga started back in the direction of Sherry’s house. “Do you need me to take you to get checked out before you go home,” Helga asked Sherry. “No, I’m fine. Just take me home,” Sherry answered back. “Are you sure? I don’t want anything to happen to you. If you feel like you need to go to the doctor then you need to tell me.” “It’s fine, Helga. It’s just that...” Sherry stopped mid-sentence and made a worried face. “It’s what? What is it, Sherry?” Helga was turning the car towards the off ramp going down the same interstate where Sherry had her accident. “I saw something, Helga. Something was trying to kill me and now I think that missing firefighter might be in trouble.