Dream Trap || ONC 2021

Chapter Three: Recovery

All his friends surrounded him. He could feel the sweat slide down into his mouth. That salty taste, he couldn't taste it. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling. He could see all of them and their worried sick faces, hovering over his face. His hearing was gone. They were speaking but it was as if his hearing senses had been shut off. Then he started shivering, shaking like a storm was raging inside him. His eyes felt drained and heavy. Then they began to lose focus, he tried to move them, but they weren't following him. It was like, every command that he gave was not even worth thinking about, his body simply resisted it.

He felt like an ant, the ant worked very hard to bring in food from miles and miles together and then as it tries to find its way it's squashed by a human. That's it, life over. No control over that thing, no matter how many times it tries to evade.

'Matt, his bag!' came a muffled sound in his ears but it was more like, Mmtt hiss bugg!!

A sudden pull began to drag his head down. He began to close his eyes. The darkness returned. He felt like falling down but there was no end.

(His blddig!!)

Down and down he went and now he didn't care if they punched him in the face because he was feeling better. His senses still didn't reply to him, but he felt strangely calm, he thought this is how the Buddhist monks must feel when they meditate. The falling changed to floating. He shifted towards the side, it was like floating in the dead sea.

(Qck git smetng!!O Jck! Hold O)

He was still floating when a spike of pain flared inside him, it was like his inside were trying to burst out. He tried to resist it, the senses were coming back. Now that they were ready to respond, Jack wasn't sure if he wanted them back. They cause pain, they are bad. He felt elevation but then something pulled him down.

(Hold O!!! Jck!)

He was being torn apart. One side was pulling him up and the other down. His body ached, the joints had begun to stretch. Then another spike of pain, now he wanted to scream. Crying was his initial response. He could feel more salt in his mouth. Then suddenly a flash of white surrounded him. A ping sound, like that when you get tinnitus, began to resonate in his ears. A sudden push from below and he took a gasp of air.

He felt as if he just went through a black hole. He didn't want to open his eyes, maybe they weren't here, and he was still alone. Maybe he went down the deep gorge. The ringing enhanced. But the white flash faded away. Now he could taste the metallic taste of blood. He tried to swallow, and it happened. He was relieved could be his own self again. He tried rotating his eyes and they did.

'Oh he is awake! Quick!' Lisa spoke.

So they were here, he thought. He took a deep breath and wished they were here and opened his eyes. Everything was just as it was, same amount of loneliness, the same amount of smell. Everything was just as normal as weird it had been before. First glance, he spotted Lisa holding his hands in hers. She looked like hell broke loose on her. Second glance was on the fire, it had went down a little, but it wasn't completely gone like before. Third glance went over to the door, which was kept open, all the snow coming inside.

'Jack, Hey Jacky. Here' said Matt,

Jack turned back, Matt was holding out a pill and a plastic water bottle over his mouth. His eyebrows were frowned, and he was also as much terrified as Lisa. Jack saw his hand shaking. He opened his mouth and took the pill.

He tried getting up, but the pain returned, he fell down again.

'Don't stress it.' advised Jenny,

He took a minute to gather himself. What had happened? He put a hand on his stomach and found that it had been bandaged several folds. There were lots of blood everywhere. His eyes budged, he looked around and everyone's hand had blood. What were they trying to do? He thought.

'What happened?' he croaked.

'You screamed. . . Very loud and then everyone woke up and you were shivering and then Lisa found blood on the sleeping bag.' explained Jenny,

He began to take the story in, piecing it one by one. The puzzle came clear, the wound was on his stomach and where did the Nightwalker strike him? You won't need to play a game to know that mister, it had struck him right in the stomach too. So it was true! But what about the warm snow? About his friends? The puzzle was not so clear anymore now. He drank some more water. Then tried to speak but Matt cut him off,

'You had enough today buddy boy. Go back to sleep, we'll talk sometime in the morning.'

He tried to reason but thought this would be better, maybe he could find a logical explanation after some rest. But then he felt worried about sleeping, it's where it all had started.