Coven Camp

Chapter 4 - Wake me

David's body jolted awake, his body covered in a cold sweat. Gasping in panic, he felt as if he could barely take a breath. Desperate to calm himself, he slowly started to take long and paused breaths, trying his best to steady his racing heart. He put his hand on his head, trying to figure out what the nightmare had been about. A sense of dread washed over him as he remembered, and he started to quietly cry. Tears streamed down his face as his body tensed.

David's mind was racing, he couldn't catch his breath. The dream had been so vivid, so real. He could still feel the panic in his chest. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, rocking back and forth. The tears continued to fall as he tried to calm himself. It had been a nightmare, but worst, a memory.

His mind kept replaying the same scene from the dream, over and over again. The fear was still there, still fresh in his mind. He needed something to distract him, something to take his mind off of the memories filling his head. He tried to think of something else, anything to stop the panic.

He drew a deep breath and held it, trying to keep himself from hyperventilating. The tears had finally stopped flowing, and he took a few more deep breaths, his heart rate slowly beginning to return to normal. He has had panics before, and had to quickly stop them because of other people around, he was one to make sure NO ONE would ever see him cry, but recently he has been more vulnerable. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and looked around the room, trying to ground himself in the present. The room felt cold and empty, the silence almost deafening.

He pushed himself off the bed, and made his way to the bathroom, turning on the light. The reflection in the mirror was startling, he looked like a different person, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He splashed some water on his face, and dried himself off with a towel before heading out to the Covenstead. He needed something to eat, something to soothe his mind and body. He opened the cabinets and found some leftover bread and he sat down at one of the tables, devouring the bread as if he had not eaten in days.

The warmth of the food comforted him, and he began to feel his nerves calm down. When David finishes, he cleans up the crumbs that fell onto the table, sweeping them Into his hands, then putting them in the trash. He collapsed onto his bed, and curled up under the covers, finally feeling calm.

David suddenly perks up from his bed, startled by the faintest of noises he hears outside. Quietly and slowly, he sits up on the bed, waiting with held breath to catch another sound. His keen ears strained to hear what was making the noise, trying to catch the slightest of creaks or rustles. David doesn't want to wake anyone else up, as he creeps over to the door, and tries to open it as quietly as possible. He takes a deep breath and gently cracks open the door, wincing as he hears the wooden hinges creak.

With a determined look on his face, David turns his attention to the front door, and tiptoes over to it. He cautiously opens the door, peeking out into the darkness, trying to spot the source of the noise.

After a few moments, he scans the area, trying to find the cause of the disturbance. Suddenly, a figure starts to form from the shadows below, making David jump back in fear. He looks down, and to his surprise, sees Max looking up at him with his normal angry look in his eyes. David takes a deep breath, and tries to steady his racing heart.

"Oh Max! It's just you! I thought someone was.. uh.. never mind! Is there something wrong? Are you okay?"

Max puts his hands in his pockets and frowns, he didn't know if he should ask the thing he wanted to say, he slowly looks back up at David, with his eyes started to water up, before wiping them away Max turns around.

"Nevermind it's stupid..."

David watches Max turn and saw his eyes water, he reaches out his hand as he walks after him.