There was no one around. 

It was a small cabin that no one knew about and no one could find. Outside, rain dripping down soaking everything in sight.

A hard knock at the door, but the woman lying on the floor couldn’t get up. Stuck between worlds, this one was.

The knock came again. She jolted awake from bad dreams. She looked around her… No idea where she was. Should this be familiar to her? She wasn’t sure anymore. Beads of sweat dripping off her face sliding down around the back of her neck.

The knock again. 

who is it? why can’t i move?

She looked for the rope or the ties anything — whatever was holding her down, but there was nothing.

There was only the pounding of rain. A knock at the door. And then, boom, a flash of lightning and it stopped. The rain stopped. 

The handle to the door turned. Catching her breath. Forcing it to stay still as if she held it, she could disappear. Hide.

The door opened. A figure, barely discernable stepped inside.

“What are you doing here?”

“I…”

“I thought you were gone. You-”

Forced breathes then fading consciousness. A low wheezing, gasping sound and he couldn’t tell if she was angry or struggling with something. He didn’t know what to do so he just stood there dripping rainwater on the floor.

She closed her eyes. Peace would come one way or another. Maybe she could will herself back to another world, another time, another place. Maybe she could drift away within a dream.

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

She opened her eyes. There was a warm light somewhere in the room. 

“What’s wrong with you?”

She shook her head. Tears mixed with sweat. He looked into her face. He looked angry. Concerned. She hated when he looked that way so she closed her eyes.

When he reached out a hand to touch her arm, she winced in pain. 

But this weird…

He turned her onto her side. And that’s when he saw it. Sunken deep within the back and oozing out a viscous goo. He was scared to touch it.

“It’s fine. I can get that out. I’ve seen worse.”

But she kept shaking her head.

“No, I know the truth…”

“No, you don’t. You don’t know everything, okay?”

“Okay…”

He took the tip of the arrow between his fingers and sighed. She arched her back in anticipation. With one swift pull, out it came, but with it so did the pain. He closed his eyes when she screamed. 

“You’ll be okay.”

And just like that she was in the dream world again. It always took a second to adjust, but yes, this was familiar. She was alone again. In a sea of clouds.