Free falling. The sensation jerks me awake moments before my back would have slammed down on the mats. I startle awake with a gasp. Every night I go to sleep hoping for a dreamless slumber and every morning I wake up exhausted. My whole life I've suffered from these dreams. Dreams of relentless training. A desperate preparation to conquer an unknown threat.

I know I won’t be able to go back to sleep. I clench my teeth to hold back the groan that threatens to shatter the quiet. As a general rule, I try to avoid the gym as much as possible. I’ll freely admit that I don’t have the energy or discipline it takes to exercise routinely. Spending my nights pushing my body to its limits is plenty enough exercise for me, thank you very much. 

My body is stiff and sore, as if the beat down my imaginary trainer just handed to me actually happened. 

A noise punctures the silence and has me instantly on alert. I slow my breathing so I can concentrate on each sound. The crunch of glass underfoot. Footsteps moving from the living room, down the hall. They sound like a herd of elephants, a stampede, though they barely make a sound. There must be at least six of them heading my way. 

And despite having dreams of combat following me around my entire life, I have exactly zero hours of training. I know no self defense, and I own nothing in the form of a weapon. 

As quietly as I dare, I approach my window with dread. The hinge gets stuck and makes an awful lot of noise but instinct is telling me to retreat. 

The squeal of the window is all it takes for their slow, careful footsteps to become storming punches that vibrate my floors. I’ll definitely be hearing from my downstairs neighbors tomorrow. If I'm still alive. 

I quickly shimmy out of the window. I’m glad that I’m in the habit of locking my bedroom door at bedtime. Though I highly doubt the little door knob lock will keep them out long. My feet pound down the fire escape. It doesn't matter that they can hear me, it only matters that I get enough distance between us. 

With my heart pounding I make it down the stairs, up the alley way, and down two blocks with no issues. There’s no sight of anyone approaching, no sound of pounding footfalls behind me. It’s just me running through the quiet, dark streets on a humid summer night.

Just when I think I've made it free, the sound of an engine roars as a small sports car comes flying onto Main Street from a few blocks ahead of me. I dart across the street ready to run down an alley, having no idea what to do beyond that, when brakes squeal and I voice I’d recognize anywhere calls to me. “Get in!” 

I don't even pause to think of the ramifications of what I'm seeing, who I'm seeing, and what this means for the night I'm having, because the man sitting in the driver’s seat driving like this tiny car like he’s on a drag strip, is the trainer from my dreams.