Nightmares

Chapter 1: the Nightmares

The sound of bone clinking on metal echoed into the room. It seemed eerily unreal yet so true. The sharp clacking making the shadows flinch in the dim light seeping into the room from the doorway. Clacking of a sharp piece of bone against another snapped in an uneven pattern, snapping louder every now and then. The shadows whimpering and shaking, slapping themselves away from the sound. Even when shadows hissed and curled back into the far corners of the room, it was still dark. The sounds of the room picked up, the whimpering of shadows drowned into the clacking, louder and louder, the clinking, faster and faster. The hissing drowned too, yet turned into trills and shrieks of tortured pain. Fast streaks of wind whipped past the doorway where a mass of figures shadowed by the light behind them approached. A smaller figure between the mass appeared as it split into two. The small figure struggled, thrashing and kicking, screaming and crying. Suddenly everything stopped, the noises, the darkness held in the still air. There was nothing, no pain, no fear, just... silence. A childish shreik split the eerie silence of the air, cut short by bubbled gurgles and soft sobs between the gasps. Light filled the room, the walls completely black as if they were a void, the ceiling a mass of light seeming to come from nowhere. The floor a glassy mirror, splattered with different colors. All were dry except for the new crimson, a thud signified the end of the small figure, the dark red leaked from its throat, seeping from their lips and nostrils. The last light could be seen in its eyes before a sudden pitch black.

A loud, screaming gasp shook its surroundings. The cot squeaked in complaint from the movement of the small figure shooting up from his sleep. He clutched his neck, still gasping in fear and shock. Too scared to reach out to his light he sat there in the dim light leaking into his room for the moon behind the curtains. He caught his breath, silence for a moment. Only his sobs and choked back cries filled the room. Creaking from the house outside his room before the door peaked open, an arm slipping into the room and then. *click* The lights flashed on, the door opening fully and a tall, well rounded man walked in. His face clean and soft with quiet yellowish eyes, his sleepy smile looked at the boy. The sobbing continued unaware of the entrance of the man.

"Hey buddy..." The man spoke. His voice soft and warm, filling the otherwise cold room. The boy continued to cry. "Bad dream?" the man asked, side hugging the boy and scooching onto the bed to sit with him. The boy nodded slightly as he sobbed. The man stoked the boy's hair, smoothing the creases that had picked up in the night. "It's alright buddy, you're safe at home, in your own bed, in your own room and safe here with your dad by your side!" He smiled sweetly, even if the child wasn't looking at him.

He waited for a moment, his hand still in the boy's hair as he sobbed. He sighed, "Alright you don't have to tell me what happened but I'll be here." He resumed petting his hair, leaning into the boy hugging into his side. The room became silent again, the boys crying still in full force. The two sat there for what felt like ages, the boy crying, the man comforting. It took some time before the crying slowed to a stop into sniffles and groans of the boy recovering.

The man yawned, stretching his free arm into the space beside him. "So, you want to talk about it or are we going to sleep here?" He asked, his face still sleepy. The child shifted his head to gaze at his father, "m-mhmm..." he barely let out a noise. "Mhm what? Sleep here or talk?" The boy's dad livened up a bit, still tired but loving none the less.

"T-to talk..." He squeaked, hugging tightly to his father's arm sniffling into it. The man chuckled, "Alright. So what happened?" He hugged tightly to his young son, his small body still shaking in fear. Silence. He looked at the boy confused, "Monsters?" The boy shook his head. "People?" He questions again. Yet again, the boy shook his head in his arm. "Hmmm..." The man paused, thinking. "Spiders? Snakes? Bears..?" He chuckled at his bizarre questions. And as expected, his son shook his head. "Ya know, you'll have to tell me what happened if this is going to go anywhere" He remarked. The boy nodded but remained silent. "Izuku..." The man spoke again, petting the boy's hair.