"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" I scream.

I snap awake to see Hanes pinning me down. I startle again, unsure of why he's holding me down. He's panting out of breath.

"Ellie?" He asks concerned.

"What?! What's going on?!"

"You kept hitting me, over and over. I had to hold you down to stop you from hitting me. You were screaming." He looks so heartbroken and scared.

I don't remember what I was dreaming about. All I know is that my heart is racing and Hanes is suddenly terrified.

I've been having such terrible dreams lately; none of which I can remember.

"I-I'm sorry... I don't know what I was dreaming about." I admit and he sits back, letting go of me.

I sit up slightly and take in my surroundings, feeling strange and dissociated. Then I hear that familiar rustling coming from downstairs. I can tell he hears it too by the way he looks over to the door and then back to me. Am I still dreaming?

As I think about it, I can't remember much but I remember it being something like the dream I had about the statue coming to life. It's strange. I can't quite remember what happened but I remember the feeling it had — one that was similar to the one I had that night. I remember it feeling real and I remember seeing Hanes. I remember the dog but I don't quite remember what it was about or how it went down.

I settle back into bed and Hanes does the same. I've never been a very aggressive sleeper but I guess this fear is really getting to me.

THE DAY has gone by relatively slow. With Hanes over in his usual corner, this time not reading but just staring out to the snow-filled gardens, I find myself in the kitchen thinking of making myself something while staring into the decorative bowl of pomegranates. I've never been a fan of them but it seems he must be.

I think back to the dream I had and peer over to the statue. It still gives me creepy vibes. Every time I look at it too long, I swear that I can see it breathing or moving in the smallest amount. I know I'm just seeing what my mind wants to see. I fear that I'd truly be losing my sanity if I saw it in my waking life. But I think it's safe to say I'm not alright regardless.

Still, I think about the dream and remember one part that I didn't pay much attention to; that gate. The gate burnt me. It wasn't hot to the touch but it scolded me anyway as if I was the Devil touching a cross.

Questioning my sanity, I wonder if I should go to the gate again and see just how difficult it would be to get over. You know, being that I could be in danger any day now, it might be nice to know if I can get out if I need to.

I look back to Hanes who seems so lifeless in that chair; so terribly drained and ruined. He's like an inanimate object these days.

I head to the door, hoping he doesn't question where I'm going, knowing he'll only worry if I go. But when I open the door, he turns to look and I simply say that I'm going out to get some fresh air. I can't use the excuse of the garden anymore since the snow has killed off or sent all the flowers to sleep.

When I step out, the cold snow braces my feet. I might be insane for doing this barefoot, but the cold stinging of the snow is a constant reminder that I'm awake. In my dream, I would never be able to juggle this many senses at once.

I walk over quickly, not looking back and just hoping that Hanes doesn't get curious.

The pain of the snow becomes nearly unbearable once I get close to the gate. It's icy and looks like it'll hurt to touch regardless. But the sensation of burning from a flame is different than that of frostbite.

I reach out my hand and then hear Hanes yelling. That's when I draw my hand back.

"Don't!" He yells, running after me in his robe and bare feet as well. "Don't touch that!"

Now, he's really making me question if my dream was right.

"Why not? It's a gate."

"Why are you touching that... why do you want to, I mean?" He stumbles on his words, seemingly struggling to find the right ones as he runs over closer.

"I just... I need to see something." I reach my hand out again.

"No!! Stop!" He yells, but it's too late; my hand is on the gate.

A horrible sharp, stinging pain burns my hands and I pull away. My skin bubbles as if it's been burnt. That's not frostbite. That's a burn.

"What the fuck..." I whine under my breath.

I'll admit I'm stupid. What did I expect? Well, truthfully, I expected to come out here to find that I was being stupid all along but I'm beginning to question my reality. What's real and what's not? But I didn't actually think it would burn me.

I hear several loud crashes and thuds and suddenly, my heart sinks. If the gate is real... then Cerberus is real too.

I snap back to look at the Hanes who looks mortified by me having done what I have. He still runs after me, getting closer now.

He collides into me, holding my burnt hand.

"What are you doing?!" He snaps, hissing his words in fear. "Look what you've done! You've—" he says only to look back at the house as the doors both swing all the way open and slap the stone walls of the house.

The three-headed massive doberman looks directly at us and my stomach falls to my feet. My feet still sting although they're falling numb — reminding me that I'm awake. This is real.

"Get away from the gate." He tells me as he rushes me away from it.

"What the fuck is happening?!" I panic.

"He's meant to keep you here. If you try to leave — by grabbing the gate — he'll know and think you're trying to leave. That's when he'll charge."

"Why are you acting like this... this is normal?!"

"Just shhh!!" He covers my mouth as the dog walks over to the gate, making quick strides to get there in a short time.

After sniffing and peering around, he then turns to us. I can hear Hanes' heavy breathing as his fear takes over.

The dog walks over towards us, one of its heads with its teeth-bared, the other with its nose sniffing off to the side and the middle one growling with drool dripping from its jaws. This feels terribly similar to my dream with slightly different details to remind me that this is all actually happening.

"Don't look at him in the eyes," Hanes whispers to me.

"Why is he coming after me? I'm away from the gate."

"Just shhh..."

As the beast slowly approaches, I tense up and brace myself. It looks from Hanes to me and back and forth over and over, each head repeating this.

"It's okay, buddy... she's with me. Everything is fine." Hanes calls out to it.

But his words don't seem to calm the beast but instead infuriate it. As it bares its teeth, I close my eyes and wait for the end that I know is near.

Peeking my eyes open, I watch it lunge and  I snap my eyes closed again and feel the excruciating pain take over.

"No! Cerberus! Stop!" Hanes commands but the dog's teeth sink into my body. How I'm not dead yet? I don't know.

With my arms stretched and bitten into by the two outer heads and the middle one digging its teeth into my back, the pain has never been so strong. I can feel my skin ripping from my back and my organs being punctured. This is worse than any burn or any cut.

"ENOUGH!" Hanes yells causing the dog to drop me before running off back to the house.

I lay tired from the pain and Hanes rushes over to see me.

"Hanes... I don't want to die..." I cry. "I don't want to die..."

The pain is slowly fading and I begin to wonder if this is what death feels like. Is this the numbness before I go cold?

He holds me, tears in his eyes, my body weak.

"I don't want to die..." I repeat quietly once more.

When I look down at my body, I see no bite marks. There's no blood, no open cuts, no bite wounds. As if it all never happened, my body is intact as it was. But I'm awake; I know I'm awake.

"What's going on...?" Tears fall down my cheeks. "Why aren't I hurt? Why am I not bleeding? How am I not dead?!"

His eyes look so painfully into mine, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh, dandelion... you already were."