Darkness from Within #2: Tension Rising (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

Lloyd was restless. He was sick and tired of lying on a bed in the hospital room doing nothing. It had been a week since he woke up, and he was feeling as energized as he used to feel.

At last, Pixal walked through the door. "Well, everything's settled," she said, looking over her clipboard. "By my calculations, you are more than ready to move back into your own room."

"Yippee!" Lloyd jumped to his feet.

"But remember to take it easy," Pixal warned. "You're aren't fully recovered. No training yet."

Lloyd nodded. "Sure thing!"

"Come on." Pixal turned and led the way out of the room.

Lloyd followed the robot down the hall, running his fingers across the walls. He felt like it had been months since he walked through the monastery.

Voices came from one of the rooms he was passing. He ignored them at first, then froze as he heard someone say "Lloyd".

Curiosity tugging at his chest, Lloyd backed up against the wall near the door and eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Lloyd's moving out of the hospital room." That was Cole's voice.

"That must mean he's getting stronger," Jay murmured.

"Is that a good thing?" Kai asked.

There was a sigh. "I do not know," came Zane's voice.

Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows. Why wouldn't that be a good thing? He listened as the voices came again.

"I'd keep my distance if I were you," Kai warned. "We still don't know what he's capable of."

"Agreed," Cole's voice came again.

Lloyd blocked out the rest of their words. What? Confusion and hurt hit him all at once. What are they talking about? Don't they trust me?

"Lloyd."

Lloyd snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Pixal's voice.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

Suppressing a sigh, he gazed at the door one last time before turning back to her. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'm coming."

* * *

Garmadon jerked awake as his insides jolted. Lloyd, he thought. Flicking on his night light, he walked out of his bedroom door, finding it was only the middle of the night.

As he reached his son's bedroom, he heard heavy breathing coming from inside. Blinking in surprise, he pushed open the door.

Lloyd was sitting up in his bed, panting. He looked up as his father entered the room.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Garmadon sat beside him.

"Only a nightmare," Lloyd murmured. But the lost expression on his face didn't fade.

"Tell me about it," Garmadon urged.

Lloyd hesitated. "Well..." He sighed. "I dreamt that I... I was attacking you... and Sensei Wu..."

Garmadon struggled to stay calm. This is okay, he told himself. This is fine. He waited for Lloyd to go on.

"I didn't know what I was doing," the green ninja continued. "I pushed Sensei against the wall and hit you across the face..." He shook his head. "I know it was just a dream, but it felt so real."

When Lloyd looked back up at his dad, he noticed for the first time a faint bruise on Garmadon's cheek. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. But that's where I hit him in my dream...

Garmadon turned his cheek away before Lloyd could get a closer look. "It was only a dream, son," he told him. Then he rose to his feet. "Get some sleep." He gazed at the ninja intensely. "You might need it."

Lloyd watched until his father left the room. He couldn't push away how uneasy Garmadon had looked when he told him about his nightmare.

Lloyd draped his blanket over his shoulders and stared at the far wall, deep in thought. He remembered the ninja's conversation he had overheard earlier that day and how tense everyone was when they were around him.

He sighed. I just feel like there's something they're not telling me.

* * *

Early the next morning, Lloyd was gazing out his window, feeling both frustrated and slightly confused. There was something nagging at his chest as he looked up at the mountains in the distance, but he couldn't quite decipher it. He knew that must be where Baddie Bend was, but whenever he tried to think more on the subject, his mind went blank. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember what had happened up there.

There was someone... he thought, furrowing his eyebrows in deep thought. No, there was more than one someone. He grunted as his memories faded from his mind again. He shook his head. Come on, Lloyd! he told himself. You gotta remember. Your memories could hold important information the others need to know.

He closed his eyes and struggled to remember. As he reached out for his memory, a scene suddenly flashed in his mind. The Overlord! he realized. The Overlord wanted me to give him something. But there was someone else... His second-in-command was there, too... a girl. What was her name?

Lloyd opened his eyes again, wondering why he couldn't remember everything. What happened? Once again, he grunted as he struggled to remember something else. The guard! he suddenly thought. I-I talked with him, didn't I?

But what did we talk about?

With an exasperated groan, Lloyd turned and crashed onto his bed. He rolled around and stared up at the ceiling. There was still that feeling in his chest—that nagging of responsibility.

And then there was something he did remember.

Some sort of promise was weighed upon him. Something of help and rescue. I told someone something, he thought. I promised something.

Suddenly, his own words flashed in his head.

I promise you, I will get you out of this place.

Lloyd sat up. But who? Who did I promise that to? And what place? Drawing his hand over his face, he fell backward again. He couldn't remember everything, but he knew his promise was important, and, somehow, he would find a way to fulfill it.