Justifiable Fear

Chapter 6 When David first opened his eyes he wasn’t quite sure where he was. As he looked all around him, he realized he knew this place well, he just couldn’t figure out how he had gotten there. David walked across the green lawn toward a swing set that was planted in the ground a few feet away. After reaching it, he examined it, running his hand down the metal chain, feeling the individual links. He sat down and continued to look around as he swung himself back and forth. He heard nothing except for the sound of the squeaky chain. This all seemed so surreal to him, but he felt at ease, as if he belonged in this place. A moment later David stopped. He heard laughter behind him. He quickly planted his feet back on the ground and turned his head, then he smiled. Behind him was a house he once knew and a laugh that was so familiar to him it could have been his own. He immediately stood up and ran for the door. The sound of the giggling toddler grew louder as he ran. The desperation to see the face that belonged to that laughter grew more intense as the seconds passed. He ran to a destination that should have only been a few feet away, but it seemed the closer he got, the farther away the house was. Frustration set in until finally he forced his legs to be stronger and faster. Eventually, he reached the door. He quickly grabbed the handle and opened it. It seemed to take all his might. With overwhelming joy he ran into the house. He heard the laughter coming from up the stairs. His heart started to pound with anticipation as he climbed three steps at a time to reach the top. He yelled, “Tommy, daddy’s coming!” In his mind he never wanted anything as badly. When David finally reached the door to the child’s room he paused to brush his fingers across the wooden plaque he had made, many years ago, that said, “Tommy’s Room.” He heard the giggles coming from behind the door which made him smile. He was so overwhelmed with excitement to see his face again he didn’t know how to contain it. When David opened the door his smile fell and his mouth opened wide. All the joy and anticipation he felt was instantly taken over by horror. A horror he never wanted to live through again. The powder blue room was covered in his child’s blood. It was thick like paint, dripping from the ceiling, and it seemed to cover everything. He tried to take a step back, but when he lifted his foot the blood was so thick that he stuck to it like glue. That’s when he heard the laughter again. David’s heart was racing so fast he could hear it pounding in his ears. He didn’t want to look up, but he did. He slowly raised his head and saw the bloody toddler standing in his crib. The boy jumped up and down, clapping his tiny blood soaked hands together. David looked into Tommy’s eyes for a long moment before he screamed. “David, are you all right?” Samantha asked, shaking him back and forth. David sat straight up in his bed. He felt tears roll down his face and quickly wiped them away. He was breathing heavily, but did not say a word. “David, say something. It was just a nightmare. Everything is fine.”