Amanda stood in a long dark hallway. It stretched on seemingly endless before her. Doors, some closed, some open, lined the walls. She frowned and started walking forward, not certain how she'd ended up here or where she was. This place filled her with unease. Whose house was this?
She glanced up at the pictures on the walls as she went. The faces in them looked vaguely familiar, yet she couldn't name them. Likewise, she peered into rooms as she passed them. Most doors seemed to be locked tight. A few were cracked open, and beyond she could see dim dusty rooms, all of them apparently unkept. She slowed as she passed one and her frown grew. It seemed...familiar as well. But where could she have seen any of this before? She didn't know this house...
A loud creaking sound ahead caught her attention and she froze, the breath catching in her throat. A door. Opening or closing. Which meant someone, something, had to be in here.
"Hello?" she called, and hated how her voice echoed. She heard footsteps far ahead, but her vision didn't extend that far. She took a step forward and started jogging, then running. The endless hallway stretched ahead of her, doors zooming past. Everything blurred into a uniform gray as she ran. All she could hear now was her own breath; all she could feel was the tight constricting in her chest, anxiety welling up inside her.
How could a place she didn't know make her so anxious...?
A dim light glowed ahead. There was a door at the very end of the hallway and it was open. Amanda made her way for this light; she felt she had to reach it, and soon, or something bad might happen. Why? How did she know this, how could she know--?
A faint cry broke into her consciousness and she nearly stopped, tripping over her own feet. A baby. In the room ahead. If it was alone in this house--or worse yet, if whoever had been opening the door was after it--
She picked up her pace, sprinting. The door took forever to come closer. She felt she was running in slow motion by the time she finally reached it, one hand extending to grab onto the wooden frame, picking up a splinter--she pulled herself inside as if fighting a current, gasping for breath--her gaze wandered around frantically, trying to make out her surroundings--
There was a crib in the middle of the room. She couldn't see the baby, but she could still hear it. Someone--merely a shadow--stood over the crib, peering within, hands extending. Did they hold something within their fingers--?
That wasn't what startled her the most.
What startled her the most was the familiarity of this place. The walls. The pictures. The toys. She'd seen it all before. She knew where she was now.
This was her bedroom. As a child.
Amanda sat up with a sharp gasp, eyes wild, as a knocking noise snapped her awake. Her breath came out in a whoosh. She glanced around to see her room, well lit and comforting, around her; she was in her new home, and could hear her husband calling her from outside--"Hon? Are you okay in there? Dinner's about ready."
She took another breath and let it out, hand going to her forehead as she swung her legs out of bed. The strange dream was fading already, but not the feeling that had come along with it. Somehow...she knew that it hadn't always been a dream.
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