Dream Trap || ONC 2021

Chapter Twelve: Struggle

That night was very long indeed. Matt sat near the window, his eyes floating in their sockets. He couldn't get the picture out of his head. Lisa being cut into half. The heavy machinery with its spiked circular blade piercing into her soft, plump flesh and she tied to a block like pig for a slaughter. He gulped in and tears flowed out of his eyes. He moaned as he cried. Letting it all pour out. All the horrific thoughts mashing into each other.

Then he picked up Baby Rose and looked at all three of them. Jack twitched his lips. 'I'm not giving up.' he said looking at Rose.

Then he opened the door, the icy cold winds rushed to push him inside, but he wouldn't give up. Answers would not be found sitting in the cabin. There had to a clue here somewhere, there had to be. Matt hugged Rose closer to him, she looked at him with her big eyes trying her best to understand what her stepfather was doing. He closed the door behind him and raised his arm and began to push himself towards the nearest house.

He walked towards the house; Rose was shifting in her place. Matt had tied her to his chest, almost like a koala keeping its baby. He tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't open, he tried harder. The winds began to gain speed, cutting cheekbones and trying to slice anything. Stopping anyone.

He began to push the door, but it wouldn't budge. He had been careful with Rose tied to him. Aiming his shoulder at the center of the door, he took a few steps back and then tried to run towards the door. He collided with it, sending jolts of pain to his shoulder. The reaction had him landed on his back. Rose began to cry.

Matt placed a hand in his shoulder, then began to cradle Rose. The winds continued to gain speed, now trying to pick up the snow on the land. Matt looked around there was darkness everywhere, he looked up the sky was completely hidden with clouds. He cradled Rose more, but it seemed that Rose was not stopping, she needed her mama to caress her and make her feel better. Matt tried his best at it but failed. He began look at the windows.

They could break, he thought. He took off his scarf from his neck and at an instant the cold winds were at it, trying to bite him. He wrapped the scarf around his right hand, Rose was only sobbing big tears now. Then he cleared off some of the snow and brought his fist back, taking a deep breath - it made him feel weak rather than strong because the cold wind practically numbed his nose - and landed his fist on the window.

His hand connected with it and a blast went inside Matt's hand. There was loud crack, and Matt stepped back a little. His face had become red, and his right arm was shaking to its fibers. The increasing coldness didn't help. He began to release his fist, but shots of pain needled their way into his hand. He grunted and cursed in agony. He held his right with his left and slowly began to take off the scarf. It was all red and speckles of black and blue scattered across his knuckles - especially around the second and the first knuckle. He looked up from his hands at the window, hoping to have made some progress. But here was none.

There wasn't even a dent on the window, it stood still with all its glass intact. Matt imagined the window to smirk at him and laugh on its own. His faith began to break, maybe they had to find answers to this in their dreams. But he hadn't yet given up. He looked at Rose, she was asleep again. He began to get worried because she often slept a lot ever since they arrived at this god forsaken village.

He shoved his way towards another house, this time he peeked inside of it. There was furniture inside, but it was all tattered and broken. Springs coming out of the sandy coloured sofa, the walls were scratched and caved in roofs. He cleared away more of the snow and he noticed the marks on the floor. There were footsteps in the ground, clear as water. He began to follow those footsteps from window-to-window. They started from the kitchen as he went towards them backwards, there were more of them in there. All I'm different sizes and soles. He followed the small sized, it went from the hall to the room beside the hall, in-between the second room and the hall there was a staircase. The footsteps circle the room and then went up. He looked at those footsteps for a moment.

How do the footsteps stay in the house? He thought, and how do these dilapidated houses have such a strong door and windows?

He could feel at the back of his mind, he wanted it to stay at the back, but he couldn't keep it in. This is supernatural, the thought screamed inside his mind. So, if this is supernatural, he thought, why don't I follow the footsteps.

He began search for a foot hold in the wall, then he carefully unwrapped Rise and laid her in the snow covered with scarves, he didn't want to think about anything right now. If it's the footsteps, then footsteps it is. He grabbed the upper part of one of the windows and began to lift himself up. The snow was slippery here and it cut his fingers. He struggled to lift and gave up. Then tried again this time he could hold himself for a minute or two, but he couldn't get up. He was beginning to get tired, there were Huff's and Puff's coming out of his mouths. One last go, he said. Grabbing the ledge again he grunted through his teeth and tried to find a place to keep his feet but there was none. His finger started slipping but he didn't want to go down,

'For Christ's sake get up!' he said, his knees colliding constantly with the windows. There was nothing to hold on to. He tried to bring his elbows up, his right hand was weakening due to the strain. He pushed himself a little more and finally an elbow was up on the ledge, he stopped for a second, a celebratory feeling rising slowly inside him. Then he pushed himself once more-

CCRRRRRAAAK!

There was a loud sound of wood and the ledge fell like lighting on the ground. Matt fell on his knees, he scampered away as the more of the wood came down. He shivered throughout his body, scolding himself for overdoing it. There was anger and discouragement brought down waves of tears in his eyes. Useless, that's what he thought he was, a useless piece of shit.

He stomped his feet on the ground and placed his head on his knees and closed his eyes.

Red everywhere, slimy, and sticky paste-like thing surrounded the floor and the two sides of something in which Matt was trapped, then he could hear giggling. He craned his neck and there was baby Rose mulling Hersey over the red thing and smiling, a stroke if terror drove Matt as he spread his hands around. He touched the thing and it moved. Matt pulled away his hand in revulsion. Then he could hear something flowing. He looked around and it seemed to come through the walls of this thing. He began to take a step towards Rose, but she had vanished. Then the flowing sound free louder and he looked back to see yellow liquid with an awful stench coming over him, it made him vomit.

He snapped out of it and jerk still tried to jerk away the liquid which was only in his dream. The realizing what he had seen he screamed again with rage.

'WHAT DO I FUCKING DO?!' He roared; baby Rose woke up crying in her sheets.