Something Is Wrong

"I can't sleep."

I rolled over on my side to face Aimee. I ran my hand over her shoulder briefly before tucking the covers under her chin.

"Close your eyes," I whispered so lightly I wasn't sure if she even heard me.

I strained my eyes to make out her face in the darkness that filled the room. Her eyes were open wide, staring at the empty ceiling.

"I can't," she muttered, breaking the silence, "I can't sleep."

I let my eyes linger on her for a while before shutting them. I gave her a little squeeze on the shoulder to let her know I was there.

"Close your eyes," I repeated, "you're thinking too much again."

The room was silent for a while after that. I never once felt her move besides the gentle rise and fall of her chest. It all felt so serene. Finally, I found myself drifting off to sleep.

"Something is wrong." Aimee insisted, causing me to awaken from my dream-like trance. Her voice was difficult to hear even in the quietness.

I wasn't sure how to respond, so I didn't. Instead, I gave her shoulder a slight squeeze again. I hoped she knew I was comforting her, even without words.

It grew quiet again, almost eerily quiet. Together, Aimee and I laid on the bed shoulder-to-shoulder in absolute silence for many minutes.

I fell asleep that night, and I assumed Aimee had, too. I didn't hear anything of Aimee until the next morning when I had woken up.

I cringed at the sunlight peeking through the blinds before rolling back over to face Aimee. I smiled at what I could see of her face. She must have been exhausted in order to sleep in this late.

"Aimee," I said with a smile on my face, tangling my fingers in her hair. "Wake up now."

There was no response from Aimee. There was no sound or movement coming from her at all.

"Aimee," I repeated again, "wake up."

No response.

I sat upright, feeling a frown stretch across my face. I fiddled with the covers before tugging them off her, knowing that doing so would wake her up for sure.

I screamed.

Just below the covers, Aimee had a gaping hole in her stomach. Inside the hole was a note that read "Something was wrong, very wrong."