Another suggestion by my writing partner Matticus, this episode of SLS is based on lyrics from the Bruce Springsteen song I’m On Fire. Like the last song he suggested, I’m not a big fan of this one either. Maybe it’s because (to me, at least) there are times in this song where he sounds more like Elvis than he does Bruce Springsteen.

“At night I wake up with my sheets soaking wet and a freight train running through my head.” Springsteen – I’m On Fire

It happened again. I was on the tracks, frozen, while the train was bearing down on me. I stood there as the light kept getting closer and closer. The roar of the engine getting louder and louder. Then, just before it hit me, I tried to dive out of the way. But it was too late.

I fought to catch my breath after screaming myself awake. The darkness of my room did nothing to alleviate the panic which made it feel like my heart was pounding its way out of my chest. The lamp on my nightstand burst into life when I hit the switch and I took a big gulp from the water cup sitting next to it. My hands shook while I put the glass back down. This was the tenth night in a row that I’d had the same exact dream. You’d think going through it that many times would make it easier to deal with, but you’d be wrong. It actually makes it worse.

The clock on my phone said it was midnight. I’d only been asleep for around an hour before the dream assaulted me. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, but it didn’t do much for the sweat I had running down toward my eyes. Running my hands over it, I found that my pillow, sheets, and blanket were all damp. It felt like I had showered, then jumped into bed without drying off first.

I took my shirt off and wiped my arms and face with it. After tossing the wet garment into the laundry basket, I sat up and turned the television on. I knew I needed to sleep, but I didn’t want to. If I fell back asleep, the dream would haunt me again. It always did. So, I looked through my various streaming services until I found a movie to watch. Halfway through, I felt my eyelids becoming heavy. I tried to fight it, but the fatigue I was feeling was just too much. My eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep.

I heard it first. The unmistakable sound of a train approaching. Engine churning. Horn blaring. My head turned to see it round the corner and continue racing down the tracks toward me. I had been walking away, but the sight of the train’s light froze me again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move. The fear was paralyzing, which always confused me. There was plenty of time for me to step off the tracks and it’s not like the train could veer off to hit me. Although, this was a dream, so maybe it could.

The horn blared again, loud enough to hurt my ears. None of the other dreams had a horn that loud. Then again, the sky was lighter than it had been in any of my previous dreams. It was almost dawn. Did that mean something? Did that mean that I was closing in on the end of these dreams?

Another loud horn. The train was only ten feet away. Normally, this was where I would wake up, but I still couldn’t move. Sparks were flying from the train hitting the brakes. That was another first. Something about this didn’t feel right. Then the breeze brushed my face and I knew.

I knew that this time it wasn’t a dream.