The worst way to be woken:
I have a long-standing habit of reacting badly to being woken suddenly. My sister made that mistake a few years ago - she shook me out of a particularly unpleasant dream to be rewarded with my hands around her throat for a moment before my brain caught up to my reactions.

But that's not the worst way I've ever woken up.



It was a couple of months ago when I was still at uni. Due to a few incidents the week before, I was quite on my guard even when in my room with the door locked. I woke up with a start (not from a dream) to hear laboured breathing directly. in. front. of. my. face.

I have very rarely been that scared.

The terror lasted for about half a second before I realized that it was my own damn breathing that I was hearing.
( MatJ LOOK, Mon 27 Jul 2009, 0:54, Reply)