Olivia woke with a gasp as a nightmare dragged her out of her sleep and back into the real world, blood roaring in her ears and a dull ache in her chest. She sat straight up as the pounding in her ears quieted, letting in the calm ambiance of the suburban night.

Breathe in. Hear the quiet hiss of sprinklers watering Mr. Pinkerton’s yard. Breathe out.

Her heart finally slowed as the stillness of the night soothed its manic rhythm, the details of the nightmare fading. She glanced at her clock. It read 2:57 A.M. Slumping back into bed, she closed her eyes and tried to drift off again.

Sleep, the cautious creature, crept back in slowly. Right as it settled down, ready to sweep her away into the darkness, a loud crack from outside spooked it away once again. Olivia groaned. She rolled out of bed and cracked open a slat, squinting as the street lights met her eyes. Once they adjusted, she saw the new neighbor’s car running: a backfire.

She let the slat snap back into place as she retreated from the window, frowning slightly. Of course, the first night the new guy moves in, he decides to take his sports car out for a 3 A.M. joyride. Still annoyed, she settled back into bed, half-listening for the sound of the car pulling out of the driveway. But as the minutes passed, the loud hum remained. The car’s rumbling engine was white noise, encouraging sleep to return with its purr.

The elusive thing finally returned, wrapping tendrils around her mind and slowly dragging her down into the abyss. Distantly, she heard the car pulling out of the driveway, the engine roaring to life as the new neighbor sped away. She charted his path in her mind. She saw him grinning at the empty streets, ready to conquer them with his speed. He reached the end of the street, breezed past a stop sign, and, oh, that wasn’t safe driving.

Olivia watched as he continued driving, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, listening to some high-intensity rock band. He got on the freeway, whooping as his car roared along with him, displaying their exhilaration to the world.

He sped, faster, faster, and faster, until the freeway curved, but, oh no, his eyes were closed for just a moment as he listened to the music. No, no, open your eyes, see the curve, slow down, do something!

With a blink, she was in the car. His eyes snapped open, her hands clenched the wheel, and his throat tore open in a scream with hers as they sped straight into the concrete wall. She felt things breaking, his body, her body, the car, her car, all of it crumpling, screaming, dying, until—

Olivia woke with a gasp as her nightmare dragged her out of her sleep and back into the real world, blood roaring in her ears and a crushing pain radiating throughout her body.