A Painful Past II: Nightmare

Peter remembered that he had left his catch and all of his gear by the cliffside, so he grabbed a coat and ran back out into the storm to get them.

While he was gone, Sharon had bathed and changed into a flower-print dress that she took from the cabinet. She sat by the mirror and stared at herself in utter disbelief. This was who she was now; a woman without a home, a family or even a future. Just weeks ago, everything wasn't perfect but it was better than it had ever been but now, it was all gone, all because of HIM.

She started to cry when she heard some noises coming from downstairs. Peter was back in the house so she wiped her tears and decided to go down and thank him properly for all he had done for her.

As she walked, she heard him moving around in the kitchen. She got down and was staring at him but he didn't notice. He was so preoccupied with making them dinner that he didn't even realize she was standing in front of him. He had taken off his shirt because it was wet and Sharon unconsciously found herself staring at his bare body. He was quite muscular and he looked like he could easily crush anyone under his arms but she remembered how soft and soothing his hold was a few minutes ago when he held her by the cliff. She had never felt so safe.

His chest was wet and little strands of hair stuck to them, his muscles tensed slightly as he moved and Sharon was mesmerized by this stranger she barely knew. She immediately shook out those careless thoughts from her mind and made him aware of her presence.

"Hi," she called out.

"Hi," he replied, "Did you have a good bath?" He asked while grabbing a new shirt hanging by the wall.

"Yes, thank you. And thank you for the dress too," she replied.

He looked at the dress. It brought back memories he didn't want to relive and he quickly tore his gaze away from it.

"It looks good on you," he remarked. "You can have a seat. Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Can I help you with anything?" Sharon asked.

"No, you're my guest. Just make yourself at home and I'll take care of everything," he assured her.

"I'm in your house, sitting on your furniture, wearing your daughter's clothes and about to eat your food, plus you saved my life and I don't even know your name," she told him.

"I'm Peter; Peter Cooper," he said. "And you are...?"

"Sharon! My name is Sharon."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sharon," he said with a smile, which she returned.

They had dinner and after they ate, Peter asked her if she was tired but she said that she wasn't so he decided to ask the one question he had wanted to.

"Would you like to talk?" He couldn't resist anymore.

"You want to know why I tried to kill myself?" She asked with a little shame in her eyes.

"I just want to know what's wrong so I can help you. I promised I'd help you, didn't I?" He asked.

She nodded.

"So, would you like to talk about it?"

"It's a really long story and if you don't mind, could we talk about it in the morning? Cause I'm very tired and sore and cold and it's been such a long and eventful day...!" She started trailing off when he cut her off.

"Sure, sure. We can talk tomorrow. I'll just go prepare your room and then, you can go get some rest." Peter said.

He knew she was trying to avoid talking about her life, seeing that just moments ago, she said she wasn't tired and now she was. He intended to give her all the time she needed until she'd be ready to open up to him.

"I promise I'll tell you everything tomorrow," she said.

"Sure. It's no problem at all," he said as he got up and went upstairs.

Sharon was truly tired but also didn't want to talk about her life but she knew she would have to. He had saved her and offered his help. If she didn't feel like she needed it, she would have jumped off the cliff but she didn't because she still wanted to live but she had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. If talking about her life and troubled past was what she needed to do to stay here, then she would.

"I put out some extra blankets and pillows. I trust everything's to your liking?" He asked her as he was about to bid her goodnight.

"It's perfect. Thank you," she said, genuinely grateful.

"You're welcome. Have a good night," he closed the door and left her alone in the room.

She got on the bed, cradling the pillows and thinking about the day she just had; one of the most horrible days of her life and she started sobbing. She eventually stopped and fell asleep, only to be plagued by nightmares and a terrible feeling of fear that caressed her entire being as she slept.

In her awful dream, she was being chased by a man. He cornered her and pulled out his golden sword. His face was concealed in the shadows but as he stepped closer into the light, his features were now visible.

He had a dark scowl in his eyes and a huge ugly scar across his face.

"Please, please don't hurt me, I beg of you," Sharon cried out in her dream but all the man did was laugh maniacally and swing his sword at her, waking her up with a panicked scream.

Peter was awoken by her scream and rushed to her room. He ran towards her and held her shoulders. She was shivering and sweating at the same time.

"It's ok, Sharon. It was just a dream," Peter assured her and she just held on to him silently, shaking like a puppy in the rain.

What was after her? What terrified her so much? Peter thought to himself. Whatever it was, he would help her overcome and forget it! He vowed inwards.