Nightmares and Dead Ends: Excerpt

{ I probably won't make it a habit to post my written works here, (The finished story will go up on DA though unless you tell me you'd like to see it here as well.) but I like to write while waiting for the images for my projects to render.  This excerpt is from a Blue Pixie story I'm writing.  It takes place after the last story in which Pixie helps other heroes on an earthquake relief mission in Tokyo.  What she experienced there has left her with some scars.  Similar scars that survivors of abuse,  soldiers who have been in combat, first responders like EMTs police and firefighters who have responded to grisly accidents or crime scenes, or anyone that has experienced something that was deeply traumatic to them. 

 I'm a member of that group of people that I've described above.  I was able to cope with it better than some others but it was rough at first.  10 years ago I wouldn't have been able to write a story like this and even now it isn't coming easy. 

 The theme of this chapter will be about how Blue Pixie is effected by her PTSD and how other entities attempt to take advantage of her while she's suffering from it.   This is the intro paragraph for that tale.}

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The shattered landscape of the earthquake and tsunami ravaged Tokyo stretched out before her. Cries for help carried over the roar of the wind which whipped up the fires and smoke. Ahead of her, a woman lay on the ground frantically trying to free herself from the debris that had landed on and crushed her legs. Running up to the woman she grabs a large chunk of debris to lift it off the poor woman but, “My strength? I can’t lift this??” She thought, “Hold on Ma’am! I’ll have you free in a second.”

As she reached down to get a better hold of the debris another aftershock rocked the area. She stumbled down to one knee, unable to stay on her feet.

<CRACK!> Looking up in fear she saw the building they were in front of collapsing! Just as she raised her arms to catch the largest chunk of debris it all came crashing on top of her and the trapped woman!

She opened her eyes and miraculously she stopped a good portion of it and was straining to hold it as she felt more and more of the ruined building tumbling down on it. “Ma’am, hold on I’ll get us out of here in a… No…” She looked down to see the woman’s long black hair matted to her head with blood from a large wound on the side of her head from the rubble striking her. The woman’s sightless eyes stared blankly ahead.

“<Sob> Ma’am? Please still be alive. Please… So, many dying… God…” she said in a choked voice. The devastation wearing on her soul. 

She didn’t have any more time to grieve for the woman as more and more of the building come tumbling down. It started pouring into the opening above her. She struggled but was quickly tiring from holding up all the weight, “Help!! “She shouted hoarsely.

“I’m getting buried alive…. No…” She thought, losing hope. Suddenly she felt a cold wet hand grab her leg. In the fading light, she looked down to see the woman’s dead, bloody hand gripping her with the woman staring at her with dead eyes, “Why… Didn’t you save me…….” The dead woman whispered!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!”

At Gateway Bay University, in one of the student housing facilities, Theresa McWilliams bolted upright gasping in horror, drenched in a cold sweat!  Her eyes darted left and right as she took in her surroundings, only the moonlight coming in through the window illuminated her surroundings.

Swinging her legs around she sat on the edge of her bed, she looked at the clock and saw it was just after 3 AM, “Ugh… Damn, the nightmares are getting worse.” She groaned.

She picked up a bottle of water from her nightstand and chugged it, then stood up and walked to her dresser. She opened the bottom right drawer revealing neatly folded shorts and jeans. She grabbed the inside edges of the drawer and gently lifted it up and down to the floor, revealing that it was an insert, hiding a secret compartment underneath. Theresa reached in and picked up her neatly folded Blue Pixie uniform and said, “Not going to be able to get back to sleep tonight, might as well go on patrol.”