The nightmares return, 
causing her to fall to the floor, 
curling into a ball and bring her arms over her head, 
as if doing so can make the images leave her mind, 
as if somehow,
she could make the flood of fear stop. 
She whimpers,
biting her lower lip hard enough to make it bleed, 
trying to prevent the screams that are forming in her throat. 
She shakes and shivers, 
huddled on the floor, 
keeping her eyes open, 
though it makes the images no less vivid, 
images of the horrors she's seen, 
of death and pain and fear, 
the smells and sounds come back to her as if they are happening again, 
she can no longer tell whats real and whats in her mind. 
laughter of the one who did this to her, 
rings out and she manages to crawl into a corner, 
there tears streaming down her face,
hours and hours,
until finally something bends and she finds herself back in reality, 
ashamed that she snapped.
Grateful, yet sad, that no one saw her like that...
She gets up, 
washes her face and goes about her day...
as if nothing has happened.