Just a dream (I can feel you staring at me)

Chapter fourteen: someone is in the basement

Gwen looked at him.
He knew, there was no point in lying and yet he still felt the need to do so. He wanted to protect her.

"What was that?"
"I- I do not want to talk about that." his head felt like there was pressure beneath the skull, like it would explode any second now. He felt like his whole world was spinning around him. He wanted to protect his sister. He wanted to protect her and yet she saw something she shouldn't have seen.
But deep inside there was this devastating feeling, like a shadow all over him that made it hard to breath.
Gwen had had a dream. She saw them reacting this way.
She did her own research. She wanted to know what was going on and he couldn't blame her.
He felt powerless.

"Finney." she sounded desperate. Of course.
Finney's hear felt like it was stopping and beating way too fast at the same time.
His hands were shaking.

"G-go to bed Gwenny, please. It's.. it's nothing." he tried telling her, but his voice was shaking. He knew he couldn't lie anymore and yet he still tried, because he didn't want to look at the truth.
No matter what he would do, Gwen would always be involved because of her dreams.
He couldn't protect her.

It was this horrible feeling of paralyzing helplessness that first spread through your arms and slowly but surely took over your entire body. It was numbing, the world seemed to be slowly turning into black and you were the only one left wondering: what for? Why fight if you can't change anything anyway.
"Finney no. What's going on? You haven't seen a horror movie, have you? You and your friends- you're acting so weird." Gwen didn't sound angry at all.
Maybe it was still tired, or because Gwen just had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Finney's hands were shaking. He felt torn, helpless. Everything got out of hand.

"Gwen. Please." he felt the desperation boiling it up for him, hot and fiery. He didn't want to get loud. He didn't want to yell at anyone the way his father did.
Gwen, however, did not give up, being stubborn and loyal to her brother.
"Finney! Please, maybe I can help! Talk to me." she pleaded, desperation thickening her voice.

The pressure was building and Finney hadn't even begun to process what the call meant.

"Gwen I just want to protect you." he pressed forward. His skull pounded as if someone was hitting him with full force. He just wanted to cry and couldn't bring himself to do it.

Gwen put her hands on her hips, looking at Finney determinedly. She had that about her, that determination to help others. After all, in the first version, she had also tried to find Robin... She was someone who wanted to help.

"What are you trying to protect me from, Finney!?" Gwen grew more awake, but he could still hear the desperation and anger she felt right in her voice. She just wanted to know what was going on.
She just wanted to help.

The first tears started to come out of his eyes.
He didn't want to risk the grabber getting even a hint of Gwen. He didn't want to risk her getting hurt or he felt the need to-dispose of her. (something, although he had a pretty good guess at the grabber's type, he expected the Grabber to do, though Gwen wasn't anything near his 'demographic', after all he'd also killed his own brother because he knew too much.)

Finney squeezed his hands, which were still shaking. He felt like he was about to fall down.
The air was suddenly so thin, thinner than in this basement. It couldn't even get into his lungs properly.

"Gwen..please-" It was his turn to plead. He still wanted to convince himself that somehow he could keep her out of it, even though it was so obvious he couldn't.

She would be dragged back into it, and without Finney, he didn't know what she would do.

"Finney! I could help! Just tell me what you're trying to protect me from!" she cried out. She was distraught, her voice was about to break, and Finney felt all control slipping away.