The Wolf That Lives In Me

NIGHTMARE

- 01 -

The darkness and silence of the dawn are broken by a deafening roar followed by a long and sinister howl making Daniel jump from his calmness into an inferno. The dense forest surrounds him from all sides, lightning and thunder at the same time that helps him to locate himself with brief flashes in the darkness scares him with terrifying roars. Something moves slyly in the bushes in front of him, drawing his attention. Daniel feels the heartbeats reach his mouth. He starts to look for breath in the bottom of his lungs, tired of the nicotine. His wide eyes are about to jump out of his orbit when he sees a pair of yellowish eyes appear among the leaves shaken and humid by the storm. He loses the strength of his body. He can't feel his legs and arms anymore. The nervousness with extreme fear makes him feel that he is about to have a heart attack. The yellowish eyes come closer, and a flash of lightning reveals part of the body of a huge black quadruped creature, its back hair standing up, totally shivering, showing all its impetuosity and fury, its clenched teeth are on display amidst trembling lips of rage while gooey saliva drips from its mouth dripping on the ground. Daniel, with no strength, starts to scream for help as loud as he can, his roar is deafening, and as he can't get out of the place and run, he struggles frantically while the monstrous creature gets closer and closer. At a glance facing the beast's eyes, he sees his best friend Caleb's face mingling with the creature's and screams even more desperately.

"Dani! Love!" - Kamille wakes up, startled by the screams and the scene she sees, "Wake up, my love, it's just a bad dream." - She tries to wake Daniel up by all means, even climbing on top of him as if riding a horse, in her attempt to hold the man's arms she involuntarily receives some slaps on the face and arms, he struggles disorderly. "Please, Dani, wake up!

Not knowing what to do, Kamille tried a last strategy and released her body over his, holding him so that little by little, Daniel was getting tired and struggling less until his nightmarish trance ended. Slowly he was opening his eyes. Kamille was crying in despair and felt that all that wetness on his body wasn't just his fiancée's desperate tears. He realized that he was almost completely wet with sweat. His body relaxed, and his frantic breathing, as did his heart rate, resumed its normal rhythm.

"Love?" - He was trying to communicate with Kamille as she cried, "It's okay."

Holding her by the arms, he pulled her away from his chest and could see his beloved's eyes tangled in tears.

"Kamille, I'm fine now."

"What happened, Dani?" - She was still confused. She had never witnessed such a situation before. "Are you okay?"

"I think so, love. I had a horrible nightmare." - Daniel felt a strong headache coming in the front of his skull like deep stabs. "I need an aspirin."

Kamille recovered herself, wiped her tears with her arm and fists, got out of bed, and went to get some medicine for him. As she walked around the room, he watched her feeling very ashamed of that situation. He felt vulnerable without being able to care for himself and protect his beloved. He stared at Kamille's physical details, her whitish body that contrasted with his dark skin when they touched, the curly blonde hair that fell over her back to her waist. "I don't deserve this wonderful woman." - He thought as he blamed himself for scaring her with another one of the nightmares he'd been having the past few nights.

The digital clock on the silent servant marked 4:18 am. Soon the sweat of the nightmare was leaving his body cold, his hands were shaking, and the images of the nightmare still passed in flashes in his mind. His fiancée approached him with a glass of water and a pill. Her angelic face and the worried look disassembled him. He felt guilty for scaring her like that. He took the medicine and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, my love, for being here by my side." - Kamille received the thank you in silence. "I am embarrassed. I feel vulnerable and dependent on you".

"Please, my dear, just rests." - She knew he had been having nightmares often. However, until then, she did not know how serious these nightmares were. "Go and shower while I change this damp sheet."

Daniel got up and obeyed Kamille, got into the shower, and stayed there for 20 minutes. When he got out, the bed was already made up. He dressed and met his beloved in the kitchen, where she was preparing breakfast. Already recovered from the horrible nightmare, he could now more calmly observe the details of Kamille's body, which was wearing only pink panties and a transparent jumper. The pheromones kicked in, and Daniel slowly hugged her from behind, kissed her on the shoulders, and climbed up her neck with his lips until he was close to her ear. Kamille instinctively stopped what she was doing and surrendered to the lust that took over the couple, and they had sex right there in the kitchen.

The day is cold, and with a light drizzle typical of the city of São Paulo, Daniel leaves the garage with his black 1981 Alfa Romeo. When he gains the street, he sees in the living room window the silhouette of Kamille, who stayed to tidy up some things in the house before going to the zoo where she worked as the veterinarian in charge. He gave a light tap on the horn, and she reciprocated by waving while holding a cup of coffee with the other hand. On the way from his home in the East Zone to the city center, he smokes his red filter cigarette and listens to a collection of rock'n'roll songs. While Survivor - Broken Promises was playing at full volume, he cut through the Radial Leste Avenue, worried about his nightmares that were becoming frequent. Maybe it was time to seek a professional to understand what was happening with his mind. Part of the problem, Daniel knew what it was, was the damn weight in his conscience with what had happened years ago. He knows that his mental sanity is fundamental in his profession as a police investigator, and he needs to find a way to control his nightmares and guilt.