Nightmares from Within Read Free

Taylor, you look exhausted. Why don’t you take the day off and go home? You need some sleep.”
    I couldn’t sleep. Sleeping only led to more nightmares.
    I couldn’t admit to Benny that I was too scared to go back to sleep; she’d only worry more. I hadn’t missed a day of work in five years and the mere thought of straying from the comforts of my routine caused anxiety to build until my hands started to shake.
    “I’m fine, really,” I lied. “I’m just going to throw myself into work and get my mind straight, that’s all.” I needed her to let me stay. I needed the hours on my feet, rushing around and waiting on people to keep me occupied. The constant bustle of the diner prevented me from being sucked into the horrors of my own mind. Being on my feet all day long, running back and forth to serve the diners that came through helped in exhausting me to the point where I could hopefully pass out into a dreamless sleep when I got home.
    If I didn’t keep myself busy constantly I would start to remember…and the last thing I wanted was to remember. From the moment I woke up, until the moment I went to bed, I made sure I had something to fill every hour of my day. If I was at home I was doing yoga, running, baking, or cleaning my already immaculate apartment. There always had to be something. Sleep was the only time my brain was allowed to shut down. I used to cherish sleep. I could escape the things I saw when I slept. Now sleep was becoming my enemy. If I didn’t get in to see Dr. Kinsley soon, the fraying rope that somehow managed to tether me to reality was at risk of snapping completely.
    Benny watched me closely for several more seconds, and it almost felt as though she could see what I was thinking. I held my breath as I waited for her to say something. “All right,” she finally conceded, and I was able to breathe again. “If you think it’s what’s best, fine. But if you start to feel like you need to leave, you just let me know, okay?”
    “Promise,” I replied a little too quickly. Benny’s smile lines were gone as concern marred her expression. She and I both knew I wouldn’t be leaving until my shift was over.
    As the morning wore on, and the diners started packing in, I reveled in the organized chaos. It was exactly what I needed. I even found myself shooting small smiles at some of the customers here and there which was rare. I’d just finished serving one of my tables when I looked up and noticed a man sitting alone in my section.
    “Hey Taylor, I just sat someone at seven.” I turned my attention away from the man to Cassie, Benny’s hostess and newest hire. If I had to guess, I’d say she was around my age. Cassie was the stereotypical model type with long, glossy brown hair, even longer legs and a bubbly personality. I didn’t know her all that well, but the few times we’d worked together, I got the sense she was a genuinely good person. Maybe I’d make the effort to get to know her a little better. It wasn’t like I had friends coming out of the woodwork, so I certainly had room to spare.
    “Thanks, Cass.”
    “You’re so lucky,” she whispered with a smile that looked like she was letting me in on a secret. “I’d die for a piece like that.” She tilted her head in the direction of table seven.
    I tilted my head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
    Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes narrowed before asking, “You mean you don’t know him? He specifically asked to be seated in your section. I thought you two might have a thing?”
    I looked at the man in question, studying him hard for any signs that I may have known who he was. I felt a sense of recognition, but I couldn’t place him. There was something niggling in the back of my mind telling me I knew him.
    “Well,” Cassie stated, directing my attention back to her. “Maybe you have an admirer.” She looked at the man, looked back at me, and then she winked. “Could be worse, you know. I