Dream Trap || ONC 2021

Chapter Nineteen: Second attempt

A shock to everyone and they woke up. Gasping for air desperately. Time was losing, they all felt it. This time they didn't come back feeling good. Jack's head was spinning and aching, Matt looked at place and ran to the next room. The rest of them could hear vomiting noises, Lisa kept her eyes closed but she knew she was destroyed. Jenny lay on the floor holding her head. This time a larger part of their brain was taken. A bigger part with more reality, taken from these mere humans. Jack smacked himself on the cheeks, but the pain didn't go away, Jenny blinked open her eyes, still in the same ole cabin, she thought. Then she saw Jack. She tried to get up, but her vision was extremely distorted. Matt came back from the room, spots of blood all over his shirt. Lisa opened her eyes, things were unusual. She felt like her brain was emptying itself.

'What the fuck was that!?' Matt screamed, Jack put a hand over his ears. Jenny tugged Matt's pant and told him to stay quiet. Matt moved to Lisa, she got up. Her lips were quivering.

'Are you okay?' He asked, Lisa nodded. But she was not okay, how could she be? But still it was necessary to keep it like that.

Matt closed his eyes and pressed them with his hands. Jack got up and looked for some water. He found the last plastic water bottle, he gulped most of it down. But things weren't coming back to normal. It was hard to keep track of what is reality. He remembered hearing Lisa saying that they are in a dream. So this was all not true right? He thought, So when do I wake up?

Jenny crawled closer to Jack and asked for the water bottle, she splashed the water on her face, but the pain stayed just like for Jack. But she got more than him, for her being Jack in her dream was terrifying, then kissing Carrie, that was just too much. She thought she would forget all of this and wake up. The pain was unbearable. Matt hugged Lisa, they shared their pains.

Jack went back to his bag and sat down. Jenny too came back.

'This crazy, just crazy. We are never gonna make it.' He said, then laid down on his bed.

'Don't say that,' Jenny mumbled through her half working mouth.

'No matter what we try it will always have us! Always! Because it knows our brain, because it goddamn controls us!' shouted Jack,

Jenny felt silent, Matt looked at Jack. He was always the firs to crack, even when they played baseball. Two strikes in a row and Jack would declare that the batsman is out. He moved towards Jack and looked into his eyes,

'Look buddy, this is only the first strike, there are two more chances-'

'What difference does that make?'

'The whole world would've never formed if the gravity was wee bit high or low. The Earth wouldn't have formed if it wasn't at the place that it is now. One fall, one strike means nothing man. People try and fail, try and fail, try and fail. Then they succeed, you gotta get rubbed it in the face before you get up. We lost once and that's fine. Yes, we are distorted and in pain, I just vomited blood in the next door and that's crazy but still we are capable of walking, talking, and doing shit. Right? Then if can do shit, then let's do the right shit.'

Jack's eyes glowed with tears, he didn't wipe them. He rolled over and sniffed. "Yes of course he's right. He is Matthew Bunch, he's always right." He thought.

'Jack, we can make it if you help me, we can still make it,' Lisa said weakly, then coughed.

Jenny went closer to Jack and hugged him, inside her heart thumped louder and she cried.

They spent ten minutes just sitting still, collecting themselves.

'Did you find anything?' Matt asked Lisa,

'Too much to be honest. But lost it in the white abyss, I only remember seeing you, Jenny, and Jack. Can you do that too?'

'I don't think so, I hardly could move. The only thing I kept thinking was how do I get outta there. Can't remember anything. Its frustrating.'

'It's the only way, it keeps us here so that we can't piece the puzzle together. But we will.' Lisa turned to Jenny and Jack,

'Hey, do either of you guys see anybody when you close your eyes?'

Jack shook his head, Jenny looked down,

'Nope, I don't see anyone. I was too busy...' She looked up and blushed, 'Too busy in my dreams.'

Lisa looked at the roof of the cabin, she kept staring at it for couple of minutes then,

'Yup. I think I know what do I do.' She said,

Almost instantly, the three of them looked up.

'If I can see all of you guys then it's simple that I have to jump in your dreams. Like that.' She snapped her fingers.

'But how does that help?' Jack asked,

'I don't know but I do know that each on of us dreams different which means that it can only deal one person at a time. Two is the limit for it because we have never had a dream together. So I think our only way out is if we dream together make it lose its balance.'

Lisa looked down, the three of them rushed to hug her. She smiled,

'You are the most amazing person I've ever met.' Jack said.

They were back into their sleeping bags. This time no one was serious, they were all happy. Smiling and cheerful. Outside the wind the howled, they closed their eyes to dream, and it came easily to them but just as they went off, two big eyes opened up. There was soft giggling and she rolled up, awake. She climbed up the wooden log and looked outside to the movement of the trees. Rose clapped her hands in joy 

Word count: 1020