I woke up, screaming and withering. My mind could not contemplate what was happening. I could not understand anything, simply anything.

Everything was so confusing. I could not differentiate between things.
I could not understand what was the reality.

As I took in my surroundings, I found myself in the car. With Staci sleeping peacefully next to me. She had a content smile on her face. Her face held the innocence of a child. Her one hand tucked under head while the thumb of another in our mouth.

I held her delicate and soft hand by her wrist and removed her thumb from her mouth. As I caressed her head, she spoke in her sleep the word I was dying to hear. 'Boo' and then sge spoke'Botheee..'

Maybe I had never given this nickname much head earlier but listening to it today had me feeling the content which no one can understand.

Her little self was not able to speak 'r' and it somehow saved me. Saved me from my imagination or my dream or a crooked reality.

I looked at the passenger seat to see my mother sleeping but dad was not there.

I looked out of the window to see dad talking to the driver. As I tried to open the door. I saw dad has put child lock on the car.

This again made my wonder what the reality was.

Did I ever leave the car to start with?

If I did, who brought me back here? Why do I not remember anything  which had happened after that jump.
Why was everything so blur?

My mind was in a frenzy of things. I could not understand anything.

My mind would not let me forget the horrible things I saw. The lady, The Staci , The blood , The jump, I could not understand anything, simply anything.

As dad started approaching the car, I saw something on his clothes. Something not usual. Something which assured me that everything was real. The lady. The Staci. The Jump. And every other thing which happened in that dry evergreen forest.

There was blood on his shirt. Or so I thought. But I was not sure. I was not sure whether it was his blood or someone else's.

As he opened the car, his eyes held some shock in them. They were dilated as if they were trying to adjust to dim light but why. The amount of light reaching us was just the same. Then why.

"Oh, Alex you are awake? I didn't notice you there. You slept quite a long time, didn't you my dear child" he said.

But something was different in his tone, in the way he spoke was different. Quite terrifying. It was as if he was wanting me to go against him his ways. But why would I??

"ALEX!!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Yes , yes what were you saying dad?" Im sorry I didn't hear. " I said still puzzled and perplexed by his his ways.

" You slept long, didn't you?" He asked again with a unusually strict tone.

"Yes, I did father. " I replied. It was then I noticed, how hoarse my voice was. I was thirsty, I realised.

"I took the bottle out of Staci's bag and had a big gulp of water. Yet everything still felt so surreal. Like everything had happened yet it hadn't.

"How long have I been sleeping" I asked my father.

'He looked perplexed by my question. Much more confused than he should be, it was a simple question, quite simple, wasn't it? ' I thought.

His lack of response again put me on a trance full of unanswered questions. Answers of questions i did not even know if I wanted or not.

I was curious but waa I curious enough to go through the whole experience again. I would rather not.

"You have been asleep this whole time. " He replied.

I gave him a puzzled look, requesting him to elaborate what he meant.

"You have been asleep since we sat in the car first" he replied more calmly.

His answer made me think that it was all a dream.

           But as dad started the car.
I saw something which had my heart stopping.

I saw the lady in her tattered gown, patches of dried blood on it. A face full of scars and dried blood on her hand. And next to her stood, Staci, or should I say, fake Staci.
Waving her little hands at me.

Their image faded as dad accelerated but one thing was clear that my father is hiding something from me. Something scary. Something not so good.