This Broken City Sky

I tried to run away. But I tripped over a tree root and fell. I couldn't get up quick enough. He kicked me and I fell back down. He kept kicking me over and over again.

He was about to kick me again, which this one would surely kill me, when Val came and hit him over the head with a baseball bat.

She picked me up bridal style and carried me home, leaving him out cold on the concrete sidewalk.

I shot up in bed, screaming. Mikey, Gee, Donna and Don came running in. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Donna asked worriedly.

"N-nothing. I just had a bad dream," I answered.

"Well it must've been bad. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. But thank you guys for caring."

"Oh, it's okay. You're like the daughter we never had," Don implied.

I smiled. "Aw, I love you guys." Another tear ran down my cheek, but this one filled with both happiness and sadness.

"So are you alright?" Gerard mumbled, obviously still half asleep.

"Yeah. You guys can go back to bed. Goodnight." I crawled back in bed when they left. But then I noticed Mikey was still here, leaning against the door frame.

"Steph?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Mikes."

He sighed. "Fine." He walked over to me and kissed me on my forehead. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mikey."

I turned off my bed side light, and layed awake in the silent darkness. I've been having this nightmare the whole week I've been here, but this is the first time I've woken up screaming. And why the hell am I having it now?

Gr. Now I'm all worked up. I got my Ipod and turned it on. Music has always helped me fall asleep. And tonight, it didn't fail.

As I drifted off to sleep, the last words I heard from M. Shadows were, "And as you close your eyes tonight, and pray for a better life, you'll see it flying helplessly away."