Status: In progress
Open Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Ryan awoke in a cold sweat. He was exhausted and tired of dreaming about that strange girl with auburn hair who squinted anywhere she went. He pulled a hand through his black hair and cursed. Whoever it was this time the dreams had to stop. He rolled out of bed and picked up a pair of jeans on the floor pulling them on. He stopped briefly to glance at the clock and groaned, “You gotta be kidding me,” he growled as it glowed 6:27 a.m. Strolling lazily into the bathroom he applied toothpaste to his brush and scrubbed at his teeth. He had plenty of time to shower but deciding that he already had pants on to pass it up. He settled on splashing water on his face and combing his fingers through his hair. It was time he found out who this girl was that was haunting his dreams. Ryan Stouge was part of the local police force for Tannersville,NY due to his uncanny ability. Since the age of thirteen he had wanted to be in law enforcement and at nineteen he had joined the force. Now at twenty-three he was second-guessing his decision. Staring at his reflection in the mirror he went through all the reasons his thirteen year old self had had. The summer of his thirteenth birthday he started having dreams, no more like nightmares that would wake him in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. He had dreamed of everything from domestic violence to murder as if he were there, throughout his teenage years. The dreams had turned him ice cold to the perpetrators and instilled a need in him to bring justice for the victims. Soon after the dreams started he realized the dreams were real as if he were some kind of psychic. After that realization life became so burdened with the pain of knowing everything he dreamed he had a chance to change but hadn’t known it soon enough. Lately however he had been dreaming of a young woman who had auburn hair brilliant green eyes and small features. He would have welcomed the dreams considering their lack of brutality if the feeling that went with them were not an overwhelming feeling of despondency. For the past three months he had been having dreams about her at least once a week and besides the lonely and sad nature of the dreams they seemed to be harmless. The only thing that made him nervous about her safety was the fact that she kept getting into the middle of the road when cars were coming. He shook his head trying to ease the protective feelings he had toward the girl. For Christ’s sake he didn’t even know her!
Stomping down the stairs Ryan grabbed a shirt off the banister as he went. He groaned as he pulled it over his head and it smelled of dry sweat. Turning he walked back up the steps and rifled through his dresser for a clean one. He found the last one hidden cleverly beneath a stack of his worn jeans. Slipping it over his head he left his room and went back down the stairs to the kitchen. He immediately went to the coffee maker and flipped on the switch cursing when he realized there was no water. Quickly he snatched the coffee pot, filled it from the tap and poured it in the back adding a few scoops of Folgers to the basket and re-hit the on button. Finally when he was satisfied that it was perking he ventured to the refrigerator. Inside was a case of Bud light that had been reduced to two bottles, a loaf of bread, sliced watermelon (Ryan loved watermelon), eggs and a jar of raspberry jelly. Not much, he noted but somewhat better than other bachelors he knew of. Grabbing the loaf of bread and jelly he popped two slices into the toaster. While he waited he strolled to the front door and found the newspaper on the porch beyond it. Removing it from its precarious perch on the ledge of the top step he tucked it under his arm and wandered back into the kitchen, plopping down at the kitchen table. He had just turned the first page when the toast popped and the coffee maker stopped dripping simultaneously. Rushing to the toast he spread jelly on it immediately. His mother had taught him that there was nothing better on a rough morning than freshly made toast with warm jelly. To accomplish this though you had to apply the jelly the instant it popped out of the toaster. Happy with the results of his breakfast he poured himself a cup of coffee and doctored it before resuming his spot at the table. In between mouthfuls of toast and swigs of coffee he read through the newspaper page by page scanning every article for a hint of the girl or suspicious happenings in the neighborhood he recognized her walking in. No such luck. He got up, refilled his cup and went into the living room flipping on the TV. He still had about an hour before work he noted looking at the clock on the wall. So he settled onto the sofa and watched the morning news. Nothing about young women getting run over or found meandering the streets half blind so he felt slightly comforted but that also meant he had no leads for finding the girl short of stalking her from the park he had seen her at in his dreams. If things kept going the way they were he sighed he would have to…he hated people haunting his dreams and he wanted to know why she had become part of his nightmares.
Ryan awoke in a cold sweat. He was exhausted and tired of dreaming about that strange girl with auburn hair who squinted anywhere she went. He pulled a hand through his black hair and cursed. Whoever it was this time the dreams had to stop. He rolled out of bed and picked up a pair of jeans on the floor pulling them on. He stopped briefly to glance at the clock and groaned, “You gotta be kidding me,” he growled as it glowed 6:27 a.m. Strolling lazily into the bathroom he applied toothpaste to his brush and scrubbed at his teeth. He had plenty of time to shower but deciding that he already had pants on to pass it up. He settled on splashing water on his face and combing his fingers through his hair. It was time he found out who this girl was that was haunting his dreams. Ryan Stouge was part of the local police force for Tannersville,NY due to his uncanny ability. Since the age of thirteen he had wanted to be in law enforcement and at nineteen he had joined the force. Now at twenty-three he was second-guessing his decision. Staring at his reflection in the mirror he went through all the reasons his thirteen year old self had had. The summer of his thirteenth birthday he started having dreams, no more like nightmares that would wake him in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. He had dreamed of everything from domestic violence to murder as if he were there, throughout his teenage years. The dreams had turned him ice cold to the perpetrators and instilled a need in him to bring justice for the victims. Soon after the dreams started he realized the dreams were real as if he were some kind of psychic. After that realization life became so burdened with the pain of knowing everything he dreamed he had a chance to change but hadn’t known it soon enough. Lately however he had been dreaming of a young woman who had auburn hair brilliant green eyes and small features. He would have welcomed the dreams considering their lack of brutality if the feeling that went with them were not an overwhelming feeling of despondency. For the past three months he had been having dreams about her at least once a week and besides the lonely and sad nature of the dreams they seemed to be harmless. The only thing that made him nervous about her safety was the fact that she kept getting into the middle of the road when cars were coming. He shook his head trying to ease the protective feelings he had toward the girl. For Christ’s sake he didn’t even know her!
Stomping down the stairs Ryan grabbed a shirt off the banister as he went. He groaned as he pulled it over his head and it smelled of dry sweat. Turning he walked back up the steps and rifled through his dresser for a clean one. He found the last one hidden cleverly beneath a stack of his worn jeans. Slipping it over his head he left his room and went back down the stairs to the kitchen. He immediately went to the coffee maker and flipped on the switch cursing when he realized there was no water. Quickly he snatched the coffee pot, filled it from the tap and poured it in the back adding a few scoops of Folgers to the basket and re-hit the on button. Finally when he was satisfied that it was perking he ventured to the refrigerator. Inside was a case of Bud light that had been reduced to two bottles, a loaf of bread, sliced watermelon (Ryan loved watermelon), eggs and a jar of raspberry jelly. Not much, he noted but somewhat better than other bachelors he knew of. Grabbing the loaf of bread and jelly he popped two slices into the toaster. While he waited he strolled to the front door and found the newspaper on the porch beyond it. Removing it from its precarious perch on the ledge of the top step he tucked it under his arm and wandered back into the kitchen, plopping down at the kitchen table. He had just turned the first page when the toast popped and the coffee maker stopped dripping simultaneously. Rushing to the toast he spread jelly on it immediately. His mother had taught him that there was nothing better on a rough morning than freshly made toast with warm jelly. To accomplish this though you had to apply the jelly the instant it popped out of the toaster. Happy with the results of his breakfast he poured himself a cup of coffee and doctored it before resuming his spot at the table. In between mouthfuls of toast and swigs of coffee he read through the newspaper page by page scanning every article for a hint of the girl or suspicious happenings in the neighborhood he recognized her walking in. No such luck. He got up, refilled his cup and went into the living room flipping on the TV. He still had about an hour before work he noted looking at the clock on the wall. So he settled onto the sofa and watched the morning news. Nothing about young women getting run over or found meandering the streets half blind so he felt slightly comforted but that also meant he had no leads for finding the girl short of stalking her from the park he had seen her at in his dreams. If things kept going the way they were he sighed he would have to…he hated people haunting his dreams and he wanted to know why she had become part of his nightmares.