Excerpt: Bodily Integrity

Pain, running up her arm like an electric current. Fear, bewilderment, harsh sobs in her ears as she squints through tear-blurred eyes at the man she loves, remote and alien behind his mask. Lungs heaving against obstruction, gagging as she tastes blood where she'd bitten him in desperation moments before, acid burning in the back of her throat as her gorge rises. Spots dance in her vision as oxygen depletion re-

"Carolyn. CARO. Goddammit, you stupid banshee, WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

With a gasp, Carolyn jack-knifed up in her bed, lashing out to strike at the unknown menace shaking her shoulders. Her blow landed landed on a large stuffed aardvark that Chazz wielded with the accuracy born of experience. "Sorry. Sorry," she mumbled. "Gimme a sec." Carolyn blinked, struggling to orient herself in reality, away from the fading images in her head. She took a deep breath, glad for the ability to do so, and peeked up at her roommate.

"Guess I was screaming again, huh?" she asked sheepishly.
"No. I came in here at this ungodly hour 'cause I just can't keep my hands off the hotness that is you. If this place weren't such a shit hole, someone would have called the police by now."

Carolyn looked at the clock on her dresser. 5:43AM. At least the dream had had the decency give Morpheus a running head start before knocking him flat. She'd gotten a good 6 hours rest, unlike last time. Her heartbeat slowed as the adrenaline receded, and she shivered a little.

"I'll go make coffee," she volunteered, psyching herself up to depart the warmth of her bed.
"Whatever," Chazz grumped. "I'm going back to bed." She turned when she reached the door. "Caro, you've gotta start drinking some chamomile or some Jack Daniels or something to head this off. Or one of these nights I'll wind up smothering you with Justin, here." She chucked the aardvark none too gently at Carolyn's head and shuffled into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Yikes.