Seeing Buttons

Chapter 2 (W)

Chapter 2: Dreaming

Wilbur struggled to fall asleep on the airplane. Wilbur had gotten annoyed with Tommy's loud, angered complaining about going to America, and he wasn't shy to say it. But all his complaints about Tommy dried up when he stopped responding to Wilbur's calls.

And they definitely weren't coming back when he heard Tommy's shaky and quiet voice.

TommyInnit wasn't quiet. He was loud. He let everyone know how he felt when he came in the room. So Wilbur knew something was very, very, wrong when he had spoke with a voice that soft. It was like he would shatter instantly if he spoke louder.

He called Tommy frequently while he packing for a sudden trip, and buying plane tickets as fast as possible.

Tommy didn't get louder any of the times he was on the phone.

Wilbur struggled to fall asleep on the airplane. And that was thanks to his worry for Tommy. Just sitting in a chair didn't feel like helping Tommy. Even though he knew it was. As he was getting closer to helping Tommy every minute.

But eventually he fell asleep.

Wilbur's dreams were never the normal kind. They tended to almost warn him of happenings, whether good or bad. When he prepared to go to London, he had frequent dreams of sitting in a train station that was dimly lit, and greyscale, apart from the color red. As if it was a bad place to be.

When he went to London, he was miserable. It was a bad place to be. Just as predicted.

Wilbur did a lot of research on dreams and documented his own. He knew what signs meant what.

This dream consisted of Tommy running down a large rounded tunnel, which looked almost like it was made of fabric, but it breathed in and out like it was a living creature. The tunnel, was bad. As signified by the grey and red colors. But, Tommy was excited. He thought it was good. The light at the end of the tunnel was good to him. Even when Wilbur saw it shining with a slightly red tint.

Before he made it to the end of the tunnel, the walls suddenly closed in on him and crushed him in an instant. Tommy barely had time to blink before it happened.

Wilbur woke in a cold sweat.

Bad. Everything about that scenario was bad. It was very abstract. Compared to his dreams normally, but he'd seen worse.

He had to get to Tommy.

...

He was still going over the dream in his head. The fabric of the tunnel made him think childlike. But he doubted that was the case. And the breathing walls made Wilbur think that maybe Tommy was walking into a trap designed by a person. Or at least something alive. Or maybe it meant that he was walking into the belly of the beast.

Though he doubted his dream would use an analogy like that.

Either way, he needed to stop Tommy from going down the tunnel.

Whatever The tunnel meant.

...When Tommy opened the door he looked almost as bad as he sounded on the phone.

He was pale. His eyes almost looked greyer than before. Like the color had dulled, he had his arms folded while he griped his jacket.

Man, Oregon was cold in April. Wilbur wanted a jacket too.

He looked up at Wilbur before giving him a small, but genuine smile.

One second Tommy stood in front of him, the next he was hugging Wilbur so tightly he almost couldn't breathe.