Entwined With You

It’s days like today that remind me why I chose this life—why all the long shifts, the sleepless nights, the endless hours are worth it. I smile to myself, hugging my bag tighter against my side. Today, I helped bring a baby into the world, a tiny, perfect girl with a cry so fierce it made the nurses laugh.

Moments like that, raw and beautiful, make me forget the exhaustion, the stress, even the dark circles under my eyes, as long as I can see a mother cradling her newborn with tears of joy on her cheeks. I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

The hospital doors hiss shut behind me, and the night swallows me whole. The air feels wrong. Heavy, humid, almost too warm for early spring. It presses against my skin, clinging with a strange electric charge that makes the tiny hairs on my arms stand up.

Lightning forks across the sky—no thunder, no rain—just a silent, blinding crack of light that leaves ghost-shadows on my vision.

I tilt my head back, breathing in the dampness thickening in the air. The scent is sharp and metallic, like the moment just before a storm breaks, but this storm feels like it’s waiting, hovering, holding back in a way that prickles unease down my spine.

I start speed walking down the street, ignoring the strange feeling in my core.

A flash splits the sky, causing me to jump. In that blinding second, I swear I saw something in the sky.

Not clouds.

Not lightning.

A glimpse of somewhere else—a vast, crumbling city bathed in red light, its towers twisted into impossible shapes. I drop my gaze, ready to run, when a shadow flashes before me, its eyes as blue as the ocean. It glares at me in disdain, but I don’t fear its gaze; instead, I feel drawn to it, like I want to reach out and grab it. Darkness surrounds us; all I see are those haunting, alluring eyes... Despite my better judgment, I reach out to touch it. And just like that, it’s gone, dissipating into nothingness. With a roaring clap, I snap back to reality, my hand still stretched out before me, gasping for breath. The unknown world and those eyes have faded, but this anxious feeling lingers.

I inhale sharply and start to jog. Thankfully, my apartment isn’t far from the hospital, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched. I glance around every corner before sprinting past it, my breath quickening. I need to get home. I need to get off this street. Out of this storm. Away from whatever the hell that image was.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips as the door to my apartment slams shut behind me.

It wasn’t real, I tell myself again. Just nerves and too much coffee today. I’ve always had an overactive imagination, my mother used to say. And let’s face it—I’ve been pushing too hard at work, saving up for that anniversary gift for my parents.

“Hey, babe.” A smile pulls on my mouth as I push the weird feeling aside.

“Hey, Cupcake.” He sounds just as tired as I feel.

“Are you on your way? I got the gift and…”

“Listen.” He lets out a sigh, causing my smile to fall from my face. I know that sigh too well. I’ve been getting it more and more these days. That sigh means he is about to cancel, followed by some pity excuse. Damitry continues, his tone cold and distant. “I’m sorry, but I can’t make it. Work and all. You understand, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, sure. It’s no big deal, I’ll just go alone.” I force a smile, feeling the disappointment wash over me. I wanted him to come. “Besides, you won’t like it anyway.”

“Thanks, Cupcake. I knew you would understand.”

“Yeah, I will still see you tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’ll be home before you open your eyes. Tell your parents I’m sorry, and happy anniversary.”

“I will.”

“Bye.”

“Bye,” I whisper to the deadline.

Yet again, I’ll be flying solo.

I toss my keys and bag onto the table by the door, shrug off my coat, and drape it over the back of a chair. I tug the band from my hair, let it tumble down my back as I sigh. Well, guess it can’t be helped, he is a workaholic.

Wine.

I need wine if I’m going to survive tonight. I can already hear my mother’s voice in my head—the passive-aggressive comments about not being married yet, the dramatic sighs about how she wants grandchildren before she dies. They’ve never met Damitry, he is always working. I can’t blame them for thinking that I made him up just to get them off my back, I mean, I’m always alone. I grab a glass from the kitchen and pour a generous amount of red wine, taking a long, slow sip, allowing the sweetness to please my palate. Oh, I needed this. I drift toward the living room window and switch on the radio.

The storm is still raging outside.

I shiver as lightning strikes the earth. I quickly yank the curtains shut, my heart thudding faster than I’d like. I hate lightning, and the rain it brings, but most of all, I hate storms.

Especially ones that feel like they’re watching me back.

Pushing the thought aside, I head for the bathroom, trying to pretend everything is normal and open the tap of the bath. The steam fills the bathroom in mere seconds. I pull out the lavender bath salt my sister got me for my birthday and toss a handful inside the tub; the scent blooms instantly. I take a big whiff, lovely. They say lavender is good for relaxation.

Sliding into the heat, I sink low, letting it wrap around me. I force myself to ignore the lightning flashing through the blinds and the unsettling feeling in my core. My mind wanders to Damitry. I can’t believe he canceled again. The thought gnaws at me as I splash the water over my shoulders. This is becoming a bad habit. A pattern I can’t keep pretending is fine. I scoop water into my hands and splash it over my face, willing myself to let it all go. Making a fuss will only lead to an argument, and arguing with a lawyer is a waste of breath. I open my eyes to a pitch-black world.

“What the hell?” Panic snaps through me. Did the storm knock out the power? I lurch out of the tub, water sloshing onto the floor. I fumble blindly for a towel.

“Fuck!” Pain shoots through my little toe as I ram it against something hard. I curse again, blinking uselessly into the dark, biting down a whimper as I ignore the throbbing pain shooting through my foot. My hands find the soft fluff of a towel, and I yank it around myself. My heart hammers in my chest as panic flashes through my veins. I can’t see. “Please, please, where is it?” I muffle out as I pat the wall until I find the light switch. I flip it up and down.

Nothing.

“No, no, no.” My voice starts to tremble as I fight back the tears. I’m barely keeping it together. It feels like there is a raging river of panic coursing through my veins, drowning me as I struggle to catch my breath. Anything but the dark.

Thunder rumbles, closer this time.

A cold sweat breaks out across my back. I have to calm down. If I don’t, I’ll spiral. I inhale sharply, hold it for a few seconds, and exhale. A poor attempt to calm myself down, but it helps. My mother normally did it with me when a thunderstorm hit our little town.

Clutching the towel tighter around me, I stumble through the dark, fighting back the fear pressing in on my chest. The creak of the floorboards makes my breath catch. Fuck, I’m trembling as I feel my way to the front door where my bag is.

My fingers close around it. I rip it open, my hands shaking as I snatch out my phone and flick on the flashlight.

A bright beam slices through the dark. Relief crashes over me so hard I nearly sag to the floor. Thank God. I take in another shaky breath, scrolling through my contacts until I reach Damitry’s name. I press the dial, but instead of a ring, a low static hum fills my ear.

I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at the screen in disbelief.

The lights flicker on with a burst of static, and the radio blares to life, nearly giving me a heart attack.

My mother’s going to be pissed. She hates it when people are late. But hey, I’m already a disappointment.

I yank the hairdryer from my dressing table, plug it in, and switch it on.

Whoosh!!

A strong, invisible force jerks at me, pulling me toward it. The sensation wraps around my body like a second skin, suffocating and unyielding. I try to fight it, but my limbs refuse to obey. Panic spikes through my chest as I struggle against the unseen grip.

Everything goes black, darkness fills my vision, and my head spins. My stomach lurches as though I’m falling, weightless and helpless. The surrounding air thickens, pressing in from all sides.

My body clenches as if I’m being pulled somewhere, and with a jolt, the world disappears and darkness engulfs me.