Saving Her Protector

Disclaimer. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Her nose twitched as the gentle gust of wind blew a strand of hair across her face. Her hand reached up to tuck the errant lock behind her ear as emerald green eyes soaked in her surroundings.

Regan was sitting amongst thousands of flowers, on top of a hill, overlooking a steady stream filled with beautiful fish. She could hear birds singing in the distance while the flowers surrounding her basked in the sunlight. Everything was bright and warm. Slowly, Regan stood, her long auburn hair falling over her shoulders. She was so in awe of her surroundings. It was a paradise, and yet, she did not know how she got there.

"Hello?" Her voice seemed distant. She called out again, and this time, it echoed back at her. Regan opened her mouth to try again but felt her jaw snap shut. She had felt it. Sensed a sudden change. Felt the response to her hello. It was suddenly so cold and quiet.

The birds stopped singing, and the flowers that were in their glorious bloom suddenly withered into nothing. The stream had turned brown before completely drying up, the skeletons of fish disintegrating and blowing away in the harsh wind. Rooted to the ground, she squeezed her eyes shut as whispers started to dance around her. She couldn't understand them, but she felt the danger all the same, and she knew she had to run. Regan's mind was screaming at her to move, her heart racing as panic settled in, but her legs wouldn't cooperate and stayed where they were, completely still and immobile.

Run!

Her body was frozen as she looked around frantically trying to catch the whispers that were starting to get louder until eventually, the sounds became a high pitched scream and then it suddenly stopped.

A figure appeared in front of Regan, its hair pin straight and cut with shagged angles. It was standing within arms reach, looming. Its dull eyes boring into Regan's glittering ones. The figure's head tilted for a moment, a sinister smile stretched across its cracked grey lips. It slowly straightened, its head tilting back as its jaw opened and stretched much further than humanly possible, the cracking of bones filling in the silence. Then it let out an ear piercing scream, knocking Regan to her knees with her hands clamped over her ears.

A loud sharp whistling sounded, and the screaming suddenly stopped replaced by an eerie silence once again. Something wet splashed on her face. Regan reached up and delicately touched the spot. Black blood. She stared at her hands for a moment, the blood drying on her fingertips. The blood had splattered onto her clothing too, staining the soft fabric. Her eyes shot up and the figure was standing there, frozen, with its jaw wide open and dislocated, eyes wide and staring at her. Regan followed its movements as its lifeless body dropped first to its knees before collapsing on its side.

A man came into view from behind the fallen figure. Regan sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes raised up to meet his own. He was beautiful. His muscular legs, encased in pants made of a supple tan leather, braced apart with his arms crossed over his strong chest, he glowered at her. His sharp jawline clenched as his frown set his lush lips into a firm line. He was shirtless, his toned abs glistening slightly as a light cover of sweat blanketed his skin. And his eyes. His glorious grey eyes were piercing, as if they could reach the deepest parts of her soul if she wasn't careful.

Something flashed across his striking features, something akin to hunger, as he relaxed his stance. Regan stared at him curiously as she tried to decipher what that look was for. He tilted his chin up to stare down his aristocratic nose at her. The arrogant man looked her over slowly once... twice... before cocking one eyebrow, the corner of his lips quirking up slightly. Regan tore her gaze away from him, remembering that there was a dead being before her, only to realize the field returned to it's original beautiful state. The figure was gone along with the blood that had splattered on her. Instead, her clothes were replaced by a white dress that gently fell over the curves of her body. The birds had returned, singing in beautiful harmony, as the warm breeze blew through the grass and caressed the flowers. The stream was full again with sparkling water flowing freely down its path.

Regan rose up, her bare toes curling into the grass as it tickled her slightly. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder. She tilted her head back just to look up at him. Her eyes widened as she realized how close she was to him. His head was tilted down and he was leaning forward slightly, their lips so close yet so far apart. She started to raise herself up onto the tips of her toes, her tongue darting out to lick her lower lip. His gaze dropped to watch her actions, and his eyes darkened a shade. Her hands reached up to rest on his sculpted chest to steady her, her knees going weak as she felt his warm breath move across her lips.

Her thick lashes lowered as she felt the slight brush of his lips as he descended upon her.

The blaring of the alarm clock abruptly startled Regan out of her dreams. She gasped sharply before shooting up into a sitting position. Her heart was racing as she reached up to brush her fingertips across her lips. It felt so real. He felt so real... and, unfortunately, so did the horror that appeared before him. But it was a dream. All a dream. Running a shaky hand through her wavy locks, Regan shook her head grumbling as she reached with her other hand to turn her alarm clock off.

A breeze blew into her room as the curtains moved along to its rhythm. Regan stared at the curtains for a moment then looked at the balcony doors that were slightly left ajar trying to remember if she had opened them during some point in the night. She could've sworn they were closed and locked before she went to sleep. Slowly, her gaze swept her room. Everything looked to be in order. Not a single thing was out of place, and her closet doors were closed as she left them. Maybe she just didn’t close the balcony doors properly.

Regan stood and stretched her arms above her head, her shirt lifting to reveal a peek at her flat stomach. She got up and readied herself for the day, the events of her dream replaying in her mind. This wasn't the first time she's dreamt of the field, but it was the first time it turned into something horrific and then... not. As she went through her morning routine, she kept thinking of the man in her dreams. Regan shook her head, a grin appearing on her face.

"Okay, so no more binge reading silly romances after horror movie marathons right before bed." She said to no one in particular as she grabbed an apple and headed out the door.

The door hit the bell as she stepped into the bookstore located on the main floor of her apartment building. In the centre of the room was a café, the stand in the shape of a large oval with ledges to make a bar. Unoccupied high chairs were tucked in beneath the ledge and several tables and chairs were neatly arranged on the tiled flooring that differentiated the café’s area from the rest of the bookstore.

"Morning, Regan!" A young woman waved at her as a beautiful smile curved on her petite face.

"Morning, Lauren." Regan waved back as she stepped up to the front desk. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"You closed last night, and the store just opened. You tell me if anything happened while I was gone, seeing as you also live in this building and therefore cannot leave." Lauren wiggled her eyebrows playfully before turning to make a drink. Once finished, she set the cup in front of Regan.

"You sleep okay? You kind of look a bit... tired." Regan shrugged as she reached for the latte. How could she possibly explain her restless nights?

You’re right. I am tired because my dreams are so bipolar, I use more energy trying to sleep than I use staying awake. Oh, and I keep dreaming of this guy so maybe I’m also a little deprived, but only a little. Regan mused to herself as she shook her head vigorously, earning an odd look from a customer sitting at the bar of the café.

"Its not like I went to sleep late, but maybe I was just to restless."

"I see. Well, hey, how about we go to the spa? I won tickets for a two-night stay for this weekend at a castle on a lake. It has it's own natural hot spring and waterfall! We can go kayaking on the lake and the town is a huge tourist attraction! We can walk around it and explore. How about it?"

Regan's fingers drummed against her cup lightly. She did need a vacation, and with the store being closed this long weekend, she did have the free time to go. Alright, decision made.

Regan nodded her head, as she raised the cup to her lips. The steam warmed her skin, and her cheeks flushed as she remembered her dreams. She shook her head and blew on the liquid before taking a sip. After swallowing the hot liquid, she grinned at her blonde haired friend.

"That sounds amazing. You sure you want to use that ticket on me though?"

Brown eyes rolled heavenward, "of course I do, or else I would've never offered."

"Then I guess we need to go shopping for swim suits." Lauren laughed as Regan's face lit up with giddy excitement.

"You need to go shopping for a swim suit. I have a plethora of them. Unfortunately, none of them will fit you because you're just so... gifted." Regan flushed and huffed at her. Her arms unconsciously wrapped around her stomach.

"I'm not gifted. I'm just a little curvy."

"Right. Curvy like an hour glass. Now, go. Customers are here, and you, my dear, are off the clock and need to not live in our bookstore." Lauren smiled encouragingly at her before turning to help a customer that had walked up to the till. Regan slid her payment towards Lauren before walking out.

The sun was shining causing Regan to instinctively raise a hand up to shield her eyes from the rays. It was so warm, yet comfortable as a gentle breeze helped to combat any sweltering heat that was trying to build up. The streets were already bustling as people rushed in every direction, everyone in a hurry to reach their destination.

Regan momentarily wondered if any of them took a breather, a calming breath to just relax and enjoy the now. Everyone seemed to always be in such a hurry to get somewhere, and yet did anybody ever stop to enjoy where they were? Did they even know where they were going to? The sound of sirens caught her attention as an ambulance and a few police cars zoomed by, other vehicles quickly moving aside to make way. Her eyes followed the emergency vehicles until they turned a corner and disappeared out of sight, the sirens becoming a distant echo as they hurried to get to their location.

The sirens didn’t seem to be getting any further. The vehicles must’ve stopped not too far from where she was. Curiously, she moved towards the direction of which they went. Rounding the corner, she found herself staring at a huge crowd that had formed around a three-way vehicle collision. Regan pushed through the crowd, as if almost compelled to, until she got to the front where a few police officers stood on the other side of small orange barricades. She was searching the scene, her eyes slowly observing one side of the accident site to the other.

This is silly, she thought, as she moved to turn away. Then a cold, harsh wind blew past her and the hairs on her arm raised. She angled her head to look back only to see a body sitting up on a gurney, its face and body covered with a white sheet. Regan turned to see the figure clearly, her body tensing as the sheet slowly slipped down onto the person's lap.

Regan's breath hitched, the nightmarish portions of her dreams slamming into the surface of her mind as she recognized the dull, soulless eyes and sinister smile. Where was tall, dark and handsome now? Her bemused mind asked despite the chilling fear that settled in her. Regan's jaw dropped to scream as the woman did the same, tilting her head back and stretching her mouth wide. A loud piercing wail ripped from the women’s throat, and Regan's jaw snapped shut as she sucked in a sharp breath of air. Her hands flew to her ears in an attempt to block out the terrifying sound, her knees giving out as she dropped to the ground with her head bowed.

“Ma'am, are you alright?” A young man had knelt down next to Regan, his expression showing genuine concern as he gentle rested his hand on her shoulder. A police officer also noticed and came to stand in front of them.

“Did you know any of them, miss?” The officer asked.

Regan shook her head vigorously, as if she was a dog trying to shake water off of her. Her thick hair fell like a curtain around her as her hands dropped to her sides and she raised her eyes to stare at the figure that was still sitting there. It had stopped screaming but was staring at her blankly. No one else seemed to be seeing the woman that had miraculously awoken from death.

“No, I didn’t know them. I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve had a headache all morning, and I guess for a moment, it all became just a bit too much.” She staggered to her feet, the young man's hands hovering near her in the event her body decided to fall again. “I’m sorry to have caused any of you concern.” Her voice was whisper soft as she took one last look at the woman before turning around and walking away.

A frown settled on the young man's face as his bright blue eyes followed Regan's retreating form.

“We will see you soon.” The chilling whisper caught up to her, and he watched as she tensed. Her whole body coming to an abrupt stop as she fought the urge to look back. The man tilted his head as he watched her shoulders lift and move back. A grin broke out on his face as she took a deep breath, straightened up with her head tilted, and she strode forward, away from him.

Once she was out of sight, he turned to look at the figure that was haunting her, only to see that the figure was gone, the body of the deceased laying on the gurney with the sheet over its face as if everything that just happened didn’t happen at all.

“He isn’t going to like this…” The man whispered as he too turned and walked away.