Parasomnia

Chapter 4

A/N

Hello! Quick note; please read the A/N at the end of the chapter as it's important. Thank you and enjoy!

George's blood runs cold at the chilling voice yelling from the direction of the woods. His spine stiffens as he sits straighter, trying to identify the voice.

"George!"

There's a hint of familiarity in it but George can't quite pinpoint the owner. He stands, urging his legs not to lock due to the fear that starts to set in his bones. The screams persist as George slowly makes his way towards the trees. He soon picks up speed, wondering if the person was in danger or needed help. His feet hit the dirt with every pound of his escalating heart. He starts to huff as he nears the horrid sounds that are starting to sound more desperate. He passes the first set of trees and darts through the darkness, the only light being slivers of silver from the moon that just broke through the leaves.

In the distance, George can see a small clearing. Just a circle of more tall trees with a small outcropping of grass in the middle. Someone was standing in the center of the clearing with their back turned to him. Whoever it was was tall with a slim build, a mess of hair atop their head that looked as if it had been distressed rather aggressively. The man's shoulders shook with every trembly breath he took, so forced that it was auditory even from George's distance. The man's head hung In his hands, fingers clenched around tufts of hair.

George stopped just before entering the clearing. He could hear faint mumbling coming from the tall man. George only caught a couple words, the rest being unidentifiable. His face laced with concern, he tried to get a better look of the person, seeing if he could Identify them in the darkness. As George walked around the circle of trees, the dark skin tone of the man abruptly changed to a stark white that would make the man recognizable anywhere.

"Ranboo?" George's concern turned to genuine worry, walking slowly towards the half-enderman. Ranboo's back stiffened at his name. His head still hung in his hands though George knew he was listening. "Ranboo, are you okay?" George took a tentative step towards him, slowly placing a reassuring hand on his back.

As soon as George's hand touched the soft silk of Ranboo's suit, cold, bony hands latched onto George's wrists as Ranboo spun to face him. Startled, George jerked back but he was unable to break free of the steel grip. Red and green eyes met George's brown ones. George didn't recognize those eyes. Even though he hadn't spent a significant amount of time with Ranboo, his eyes looked a little... off. Inhumane, almost. They looked void of human emotion, but George could practically see the desperation behind them.

"George," Ranboo's voice had changed significantly, dropping in tone and adding a slight rasp to it. "I have a message for you."

George tries his best to build up his courage and resist the urge to kick Ranboo in the shins and hope he could run faster than the man. He doubted it. "What is it?"

Ranboo's face didn't change, still that same blank expression. "He told me to tell you... he wants to... he needs-" he abruptly stops and contorts his face in pain. He lets out an agonizing shriek and squeezes his eyes shut, pressing the heels of his hands into his temples. "Get out of my head!" He screams. He stumbles backwards as George, face horror filled, stands frozen, unsure of how to help the poor man. Ranboo seems to be fighting some invisible force, something inside him arguing with itself.

"Ranboo! Please, tell me how to help!" George urges him, taking a couple steps forward and trying to get in the half-enderman's line of sight. Ranboo suddenly lunges at George again, finger nails scraping at his forearms as he's shoved harshly into a tree trunk. George lets out a panicked cry, desperately trying to assess the situation and glances around for something he could use as a weapon, anything. He comes up short having left his knife back at the spot he and DreamXD had fought.