My dream last night

I had moved in a new apartment, and was satisfied with my new roommates. They were nice enough. They were still somewhat distant, because it takes time to really know someone, but they seemed nice.  All the sudden a time lapse occurs and I wake up to a room where all my things are in place; I have been living there for a while. Who knows how long. I pull out the book I'm reading at the time, and begin to read as I relax in my bed.

One of my roommates comes into my room, probably just to say "Hi," or to hang out for a while. I don't yet know her as well as I'd like to, so I welcome the interaction. I think little of it as I see her walk in. She wears a striped cashmere sweater with soft, subdued pinks, purples and brown. Her long caramel hair is straight and thick as it swings slightly while she walks towards me. Her eyes are big and brown and...empty? All the sudden I see her dive, cutting through the air like a falcon, and then she is attempting to strangle me. My initial confusion arises and then fades immediately as my brain gears into survival mode. There is a great struggle between us. This goes on for about two minutes. Her hands keep trying to find my neck, the passageway for air which I had completely taken for granted just minutes ago. I am breathless and terrified. I fight to survive. Suddenly, we hear the front door of the house close; another roommate is home. She leaps off of me as quickly as she began the attack, and exits my room without a word. I gasp for breath, sitting in my bed in an awkward position, my head aching and spinning.

For some reason, life simply went on after this dramatic occurrence. The event gave me quite a scare in the moment, and from then on I was terrified of this roommate. However, I didn't take any action at all to make anyone else aware of the situation, or to protect myself from future incidents. 

I can't imagine why, but I stayed in my apartment the rest of the day. I made myself as small as possible, huddled in a dark, cold corner. The whole apartment had become so dim and chilled and musty after that event occurred. The world seemed to become a dull, grungy shade of terrifyingly empty blue. I shivered and shivered for hours, not letting myself get anywhere near sleep. That was the one protection I allowed myself-- not giving in to the vulnerability that sleep brought with it. I was not necessarily hidden, but at least I was vigilant. 

I hear the front door open, and I know that she has walked in with her boyfriend. Instead of just walking by my room, they stop in to say "Hi." She offers some moderately personable greeting and a smile. I don't even remember if I reacted at all. Then, she walks out of my room, off to do something human, like wash some dishes, re-apply her makeup or to flip on the TV. Her boyfriend lingers for a few moments, carrying on a surfacey conversation with me. No one seems to think it strange that I am huddled up in a cold, dark corner, terrified. I search her boyfriend's eyes for an awareness of the monster that his girlfriend is. I find nothing. His eyes are empty. Or clouded? I can't tell. Soon enough, our conversation is over and he leaves.

Another time lapse occurs. The boyfriend is gone, and she walks into my room. She spews out some illogical yet seemingly sincere apology for the occurrence earlier that day, and offers a hug. I reluctantly accept, and we embrace. All the sudden, I hear dark laughter. It suddenly registers that a few moments earlier, I felt something sharp slowly slide into my back. Why wasn't the pain immediate? I feel it now. I feel it as I see a raging fire seem to light up her menacing eyes. I feel it as I hear her devilish laughter seem to fill up the room. I feel it as a dull pain begins to spread and spread, permeating my entire body.

Suddenly she is gone, and my little brother is with me, his face gaunt as he asks what happened. I tell him there's a freaking knife in my back, and to call 911 right now!! He runs out of the room and out of my mind. Task at hand: am I supposed to take this thing out of my back, or wait for medical attention? The extent of my knowledge of these types of things is what I have seen in movies. Without even consulting that knowledge, I decide to take it out. The pain is searing. I try to ignore it. Somehow, I possess the strength to make a phone call. Although he is eleven hours away, I call my dad. My protector. I struggle to explain the situation. I try to tell him that my roommate is dangerous. I try to tell him that she has tried to kill me twice. But my words come out like molasses; I can't seem to express myself. My thoughts get more and more clouded, and suddenly I see, hear, feel nothing.