Rattlesnakes in the sleepover House

"I was at a sleepover, and I knew something was wrong before anyone said a word. Rattlesnakes were loose in the house, their rattles sounding from under furniture and behind doors. Somehow it was up to me to trap them. I moved slowly, my hands shaking, scooping them into containers and pushing down the lids while the others slept, unaware. I recognized the place from a dream I'd had before. The story was continuing, just as it always does. In my mind, I could hear my own voice saying, "Not again." Snakes had filled my childhood home in other dreams. They had chased the people I love and killed my cats. I had been dreaming of them since I was four or five years old, ever since the first night I saw one kill me. I tried to tell myself it was only a nightmare and force myself awake, but it took everything I had. When I finally woke, I was drenched in sweat, my jaw clenched so hard it ached. My heart pounded and the images were as sharp as real memories. I lay there for a long time, checking the room, feeling the fear linger in my body. It would stay with me for days."