My eyes were closed in a feeble attempt to shield myself from what was happening to me. All of a sudden, the weight of Alex lifted from me as if the gods had answered the prayer in my screams.

Not even a second later, I heard a deafening crash, the sound of something smashing into a million pieces. I still didn't open my eyes.

Soon after Alex's gutwrenching screams were heard, they drowned out everything, even my own fear. The cacophony of pain, despair, and the dark unknown enveloped me like a comforting cocoon. I still kept my eyes dutifully closed. I didn't know how long I stayed this way, blind to the word, drowning in Alex's screams.

This felt like I was trapped in a nightmare within another nightmare. I didn't know what was happening. What if I opened my eyes and this small reprieve was only a trick from Alex?

Something brushed against my forehead, something warm and familiar. I tensed but didn't dare to move. For a moment, everything seemed to stand still, suspended in a silent eternity. I wished with all my heart that nothing more would happen. Staying in this warm darkness was the only viable choice for me. As I didn't know what horrors awaited me if I were to face reality.

All of a sudden, my eyes were open; all I could see were hands and fingers. It took a moment to register that someone was forcefully opening my eyes.

Before I could let out a scream, a deep voice rang out, "Oh, sorry, this must hurt. I just wanted to see if you were fine."

Then the hands slowly backed away from me as the stranger's face slowly came into view.

Skin as dark as the nocturne sky, eyes as green as moss, and long, light brown hair. A smile graced his lips as a glimpse of recognition flashed in my eyes.

Was this a dream? Had I passed out from the shock and fear? Why was Idris here?

He extended his hand toward me again. His fingers were so long and delicate, like a pianist's hand. His nails looked different than in my dreams; they were coffin-shaped now and as blue as the sea. In a swift and elegant motion, he cut the restraints on my hands and feet. It took him no more than a few seconds.

I tried standing up; my legs felt like jelly, but I still forced myself, and as a result, I almost fell down pathetically. Idris caught me by the back of my collar like a misbehaving kitten. As he sat me back on the bed, I noticed a dark-colored liquid on the floor.

Was that blood?

Was this really a dream? I never dreamed of things so gruesome. I turned my head to the side, in the direction of my dresser.

There Alex was.

Well, something that looked vaguely like Alex was. The figure looked grotesquely torn apart, his face  was unrecognizable. He also had quite a few bald spots. Alex's blond hair seemed to have been ripped forcefully from his head. That wasn't the most shocking though. There was a hole the size of a fist on the right side of his head and he was covered in blood—his own, no doubt.

There was blood everywhere on the carpet, as well as glass from the smashed mirror, but somehow the bed was entirely clean. As if some strange barrier had protected it.

I looked quizzically at Idris, and he flashed me a dazzling smile. "That filthy weakling is dead; you don't have to be afraid anymore."

That didn't answer anything. "Why are you here? How are you here? Why have you been appearing less and less in my dreams? I don't want to leave; can't I stay with you in dreamland forever? Did you kill him?" The questions kept coming out of my mouth in no particular order, and I didn't know how to stop.

Thankfully, he put his hand over my mouth, effectively stopping me from talking. His hand was so warm, it was weird. I had never felt this warmth in my other dreams. It was almost like he was real, like he was made of flesh and blood.

He slowly removed his hand from my mouth and gave me a wink. "We're not in dreamland, but I can see why you'd be confused. This is the real world, which makes him," he pointed at Alex, "really dead."

"Uh? But you're a figment of my imagination; you can't be real!" I exclaimed loudly.

He wagged his finger in my face. "Tsk, not even you, dear sister, could imagine someone as perfect as me. Also, it is really offensive of you to deny my existence when I came to your rescue. I thought I taught you better manners."

Was Idris always such a tease? He seemed somehow different than in my dreams. He was more lively, high, and mighty than before.

I squeezed his cheek, then mine, then his again. It hurt, but nothing else happened. I didn't wake up to witness my own rape. On the contrary, Alex was still very much dead, and his blood was still sleeping on my carpet.

He swatted my hand away. "Are you done verifying, or do you plan to probe me further?"

He was a bit of a cunt.

I weighed my options while ignoring his yapping about the state of my house. If I pretended I was satisfied with his answer and just stayed with him here, it wouldn't be that bad, would it?

Could I abandon everything and stay trapped with Idris here? Yes, I could. Was my most desesperate wish finally heard? Was this the answer to my prayers? But what if he wasn't the real Idris? What if this was the beginning of another nightmare?

Hmmmm, I needed to find out for sure. I abruptly got up, almost hitting Idris in the process. I went into the living room to fetch my phone.

I needed to research how to get out of a dream. The screen lit up when my results were done charging.

I opened a couple windows and browsed through them. Hmmm, these techniques weren't scientifically proven but were recommended by sleep experts. I guess it'll have to do.

Idris tapped on my shoulder, and I let out a loud shriek. I wasn't used to anyone being in my space, and since I had been so enrapted by reading, his sudden touch startled me.

"Sorry if I scared you, Moonie," he murmured in my ear. It had been a while since he hadn't called me by my nickname. 

He snatched the phone out of my hands before I could protest. He browsed the tabs. "Trying these techniques won't prove much of anything to you. Just give it up; as time passes, you will come to see that this is a truly wonderful reality. The culmination of both of our desesperate wishes."

I nodded slightly. He was right, of course; he knew me better than anyone, after all. Maybe this was all really true. My heart was beating normally, unlike in the dreams; nothing was deformed in my surroundings, and he felt warm.

But then...

That would mean blood truly had seeped into my carpet. My beautiful carpet was going to be ruined. Ruined ! When it was one of a kind.

How could I have been so foolish?

Cleaning the carpet obviously came before anything else. How could I have prioritized anything over it?

I sprinted to the bedroom, Idris in tow.

As I dropped to the floor to pull the carpet from under Alex's corpse, I heard Idris chuckle behind me. Was that bastard mocking me ?

Then his voice rang out, traces of amusement still lingering as he said, "I see you're still obsessed with carpets. Don't worry, I'll save your precious carpet. Maybe then you'll believe everything I tell you about who I am."

I was still panicked, but for some reason, Idris' words were having a calming effect on me. Maybe he could save this carpet; maybe he could save the last keepsake I had of my mother.

Maybe, just maybe, his existence was something truly wonderous.