The world was wrapped in a blanket of clouds, pulling Vanessa deeper into the fog. Dark shapes were looming in the distance, but all Vanessa could focus on was her feet against the asphalt. Rocks digging into her skin, causing her to take small delicate steps. Lines painted on the pavement proved to her she was in the middle of the road. But what was she doing here and how did she get here?

Vanessa followed the white line, slowly stepping to not damage her feet more than she would have to. She needed to figure out how to get back to her apartment again. Had she fallen asleep? She didn't remember doing so.

Vanessa tried to listen to the surrounding sounds, but there was an eerie quiet settling in. Off in the distance in front of her, she saw glowing lights. Two small yellow orbs that seemed to be getting closer and closer as the seconds passed. No sound came from them, though.

She grabbed her ears and plugged them with her fingers, trying to see if they still worked. But nothing changed.

The lights drew closer to her, and before she could move out of the way, she realized what they were. Headlights.

Vanessa hunkered down in her body, preparing for the impact to send her flying at least twenty steps behind her, but when the lights finally grew so bright she couldn't see anything else, they disappeared.

A gust of wind tugs at her dress, pulling it behind her in the direction the car must have gone.

Was Vanessa dead?

How did the car just go through her like she wasn't even there?

Vanessa searched the fog behind her, looking for any sign of brake lights. The car really just hit her and kept driving? She searched her body, looking for any sign of damage, or any sign of her not being human anymore. She started with her fingers, putting them out in front of her and watching as she wiggled each one of them. They moved like perfectly normal fingers. Then she looked at her toes and saw that they did the exact same. Her hands and feet were fine, but she'd have to look in a mirror to see the rest of her body.

In the distance, two yellow lights glowed again, doing the same as the first set. Vanessa shook her head, desperate to get out of the middle of the road, but her feet were frozen, and she couldn't run away.

"Help!" Vanessa screamed out, searching for anything that would pull her away from the speeding car.

She couldn't see it coming other than the lights, but she knew it was coming fast and if she didn't move, she would be in for a world of hurt.

"Help! Anyone, please help me!" Vanessa screamed until she had no voice left to scream. Tears were pouring down her face, soaking the few dark pieces of hair that had fallen out of her low bun.

There was no use to screaming though, because no one was around to help Vanessa.

Vanessa tried to take a step forward, to no avail. The lights were rapidly getting closer and if she didn't do anything she'd be hit again.

The lights grew so bright, much like the last ones, and right as the car was about to hit her they disappeared again. The same gust of wind blew her dress behind her, sending shivers against her bare skin.

"What's happening to me?" Vanessa cried out, her voice hoarse from her sobs.

Another set of lights grew in the distance.

Was Vanessa stuck in an endless loop?

She pulled at her feet, and begged them to break free, a dull ache filled her body. Finally after what seemed like hours she was able to get her right foot free, planting it on the other side of the white line. Her foot was comforted by warmth as soon as it crossed the line, much different than the stark cold air on this side.

Vanessa struggled as hard as she could, finally ripping her foot free from the asphalt as the third car came whizzing past her. She fell towards the other side of the road, catching a glimpse of the driver before she hit the ground.

It was Talon.

Vanessa's throat went dry, her mind unraveled at the sight of the boy from the coffee shop once more. She shook her head. This had to be a dream.

Vanessa hit the ground with a thud, feeling the warmth of the sun shining down on her skin. She turned to look at the sky, laying in the middle of the road like she didn't have a care in the world.

"What the hell?" She muttered to herself. The clouds drifted across the sky. A light breeze danced across her skin. This seemed like a whole different world, one that was filled with happiness and pure joy.

Vanessa pushed herself up on her elbows and took in the new world around her. Rolling grass hills were spotted with daisies. Small little white flowers that sent chills down Vanessa's spine.

She stood up, brushing her dress off, inspecting the blue material for any damage. The edges were still burnt, but Vanessa couldn't remember what from.

Birds chirped in the distance, bringing a sense of peace to Vanessa. She took a few steps down the road, avoiding the white lines as best as she could.

In the distance Vanessa could hear the whirring of engines, but she couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from. She looked around, feeling slightly on edge as the noises got louder.

She checked both directions, her eyes spotted a black vehicle in the distance, quickly coming over the hill in the distance. Was it coming towards her?

Fear filled Vanessa as she watched the vehicle hug the road and close the distance between them.

As if something whispered it in her ear, she knew what she needed to do.

Vanessa ran.

"Thank you so much for letting me take you on a date." Talon smiled, resting his hand on top of Vanessa's. She wanted to pull away, but she was frozen. Images of him flashed through her head.

He felt more familiar than just the boy at the coffee shop, but she couldn't pinpoint where she recognized him from.

"I had a great time." Vanessa said, trying to be polite. She felt like she had learned a lot about Talon, but couldn't remember a single bit of it. Vanessa couldn't focus on what he was saying when his eyes drew her in. She felt trapped in the sea of green.

"I know this may seem awkward, but if you'd allow me, I'd love to take you out on another date." Talon played with his hair with nervous, fidgety movements.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Vanessa felt like she was just going through the motions. There was something about Talon that told her to stay, though.

"That's fantastic, well should we get you home then? It's getting late and I want to make sure you get plenty of time to sleep before work tomorrow." Vanessa nodded, pulling at the blouse that was a little too tight around her neck. Vanessa hoped she wouldn't get any sleep. The dreams seemed to be getting worse, but she knew it'd be weird to ask to stay.

Talon pushed Vanessa's chair in for her, leaving a large tip on the restaurant table. He led her into the parking lot and towards his car. Vanessa felt some nerves, very similar to the ones at the beginning of the date, that very quickly dissipated with Talon's smile.

But these nerves were different.

She looked around as she counted the lights in the parking lot.

"Four...five...six." She muttered.

"Everything okay?" Talon asked, opening the passenger door for her.

Vanessa nodded. The lights added a sense of safety allowing her to take a breath.

"I had such a wonderful time with you tonight. I hope you know that." Talon beamed as he started the car and pulled it onto the road.

Vanessa watched the buildings drift by slowly disappearing in what seemed to be a cloud. Was this fog?

Almost as if Talon could read her mind, he answered her question. "Whoa, I don't think I've ever seen fog like this in New York."

Talon fiddled with the steering wheel. He tapped his fingers in a rhythmic tune.

An eerie feeling washed over Vanessa, as any sign of where she was disappeared.

"What is going on?" Vaness turned in her seat, her neck twisted as she tried her hardest to see anything through the fog. In the distance was one singular light, slowly getting closer as Talon continued to drive.

"Is everything okay?" Talon asked, obviously noticing the panic in Vanessa.

"No, no, it's not okay." Vanessa's voice was short, her breath quick with fear. Her hands ‌became sweaty, creating an icky ooze-like feeling on her palms. Despite the clammy feeling, she used them to hide her face, covering herself from the inevitable doom this fog meant.

"Do you need me to pull over?" Talon was concerned.

"No, I just need to get home. Oh god, where is my home?" Vanessa shook her head, uncovering her eyes just quick enough to take another glimpse of her surroundings. All she could see were the low-hanging clouds drifting along the street, and two yellow dots glowing in the distance.

Talon sensed something was wrong, knowing that she wouldn't be acting like this if there wasn't something bothering her. Was it the date? Did she not feel comfortable with him?

"Let me know what your address is, and I'll make sure I get you home. It's just fog. Nothing will hurt you here." Talon froze for a moment. Did he just sound like a creep in every one of those movies he's ever watched? Talon cursed himself for not picking her up on the way to the restaurant. If he would have just offered to drive her instead of meeting her there, he would have already had the info he needed to get her home safely.

Something inside of him wanted to take care of her and make sure she was alright. He didn't like the way she was feeling and the tone in the car.

"I live on Dewey street." Vanessa paused for a moment. "We were getting close to it before the fog set in."

"Close enough we could have passed it?" Talon searched the signs, looking for anything that looked like it said Dewey, but the clouds were so thick it was hard to make the letters out.

"I'm not sure?" A small tremble echoed in Vanessa's voice, breaking Talon's heart.

Vanessa's hands shook against her face, trembling with the fear boiling up in her body. She couldn't look around her anymore. Talon, driving the car, kept sending chills down her spine. She couldn't remember why all of this seemed so familiar, though, and why it was affecting her in this way.

"Yes, come home to me, little girl." A slithering voice rings out in the distance, causing Vanessa's blood to run cold. She'd heard that voice before. She knew exactly where it was from.

"Take a left here." Vanessa pointed, keeping her eyes shut to not see anything.

"Are you sure?" Talon muttered. Unsure of her directions, he followed suit and took the turn, anyway. The car rumbled down the street, and soon a sign with the word Dewey on it appeared. To the right was a large brick apartment building. Talon pulled into the underground parking, leaving the fog behind them on the street. "We are out of the fog." Talon whispered.

Vanessa pulled her hands away from her eyes. She pried her eyelids apart, not realizing how hard she had been holding them shut. She took a deep breath, finally relaxing in the passenger seat.

"Are you scared of the fog?" Talon asked, parking the car in one of the guest parking spaces.

"No‌, honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me." But Vanessa knew exactly why it had all terrified her. The voice brought every little memory back to her, even the reminder that though it was almost a week later, her bathtub was still filled with water, just in case.

"Are you sure everything is alright?" Talon paused for a moment. His mind begged her to tell him something that made sense. "Can I walk you to your apartment, please? I really want to make sure you get there safely?"

"Yes, that would be fine." Vanessa nodded.