A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 97: Nostalgic Nightmares

I hear them running through the halls, under desks, outside the academy itself. Their hurried footsteps make a racket and an echo—it must be close to midnight.

A Mogadorian bumps into a desk, and the thing screeches. I swing my ergokinesis towards the noise, then shake it off, and the room plunges into darkness again, but the fading voices consume me much more in depth, burrowing deep into my ears. I follow them out into the hall.

My whole body stiffens. "Who—Who's there?" I stammer, but only laughter answers me, a haunting low laugh. I recognize it like no other—Setrákus. He skitters and stalks, dragging his nails along lockers, and it's like the sound emanates all around me, burying deep in my ears. I don't know where to look to avoid him. Mogadorians encircle me; they're nothing but black silhouettes. Meanwhile, Setrákus Ra stalks towards me from down the hall, as if this school—the HGA—is the same as his maze-like cavern. "Leave me alone," I murmur.

I try to summon my ergokinesis, but it doesn't work. Something's different. Something's wrong. Setrákus leaks a trail of black blood behind him, but his eyes are the thick jet-black that I remember; I remember them all too well. They're different now, less satisfied, more enraged.

My chest won't slow down. "I trusted you, Emily," he says. "Why must you betray me? I told you to let this boy go, to let all his people go forgotten. I made myself so clear."

"I—I'm sorry," I say, my knees trembling. "I couldn't get him out of my head."

"I warned you about this—these feelings," he declares. "Love only leads to weakness."

"No. No, you're wrong. It's not as bad as you think."

In that instant, I see his eyes flare, black swirling in the dark. His fists clench, and he shows me his teeth. I drag in a sharp breath and hold it. "Is that so?" he asks. "Is that what you think?" I don't answer him this time; I merely look down. "Emily, look at me." He closes in to lift my chin 'till my eyes catch his again. "Let me show you what love is capable of."

He lets go, and as soon as he does, I hear him scream. I spin, and there, behind me... is John, stuck in place against the face of the lockers. As dark as it is in here after hours, he's like a halo. He dangles from the ceiling, his wrists wrapped in wire, and a sticky, slow sap marks his flesh. I can tell it burns based on the way he cries out. "John!" I yell, and he looks at me, but briefly. "No!" I turn back to Setrákus. "Stop this! Don't do this to him!"

"I am not doing anything to him, Emily," the Mogadorian Leader explains, as calm as can be. "It is you that's responsible, not I."

"Me?!"

"Indeed. It is your feelings for this boy that makes this unbearable," he says. "Your love for him is too strong. You must learn to let him go... that is, if you are ever to avenge me."

"Avenge you? Why on earth would I avenge you? You blinded me, controlled me; you wouldn't let me do anything for myself. You never gave me free will!"

"I believe you and I both know that isn't true."

He's right. I know he's right. He offered me anything on the Anubis. I was allowed to do and go anywhere I wanted, so long as I remained loyal to him. But he did blind me. He made me see that he was right when he wasn't. He convinced me he wasn't a monster... didn't he?

Again, I'm stuck in a dilemma of whether it was my fault or his for everything that happened. I don't know what to believe! Was he the best thing for me or did I just make that up? Is John right? Is he the one at fault? Or am I the problem? Who should I have listened to?

"Emily, please..." I hear alien boy whisper, his voice interrupted by a gasp—it just makes me mad. "Don't do this," he chokes. "You know what's right—"

"What do you say?" Setrákus asks, leaning in close to pull some of my hair behind my ear. I feel him, smell him. I try to shut my eyes to block it out. "Won't you return to me, dear?"

It's hardly a question. He's expecting me to return to him, to do what he wants me to do, but there's just one problem: I don't want to. I want John. I know that better than ever now. I listen to him breathe, cough, gag, and suddenly, something snaps. "No." I won't lose him again. I won't make the same mistake. I shove the intrepid dictator away from me and yell, "Stay away from me, Setrákus! Stay away! I'm done listening to anything you say!" I run and push my way through the Mogadorian crowd. I run straight to John, tears cascading down my cheeks, but he seems to only be getting farther away, the hallway growing unending.

He looks up at me, eyes bloodshot but smiling, but before I reach him, I'm yanked back by the collar. It's as if a giant invisible hand pulled me by a long, invisible string.

Again, I'm at his feet, and when I look up, he's smiling down on me. A Mog takes me by the arms, holds me down to the floor so my cheek is kissing cold tile, and my head is jerked upright. I let out a cry. "You think you can outthink me, Emily?! I am the rightful commander of this world! I deserve redemption, and if it won't be from you, it will be sought out another way; I assure you." I don't know how he plans to do that if he's dead. I know he's dead; I held him until there was nothing left. But now... it's obvious how cynical he is. He wanted this the whole time...

"How?" I ask, shaking, straining with the hold they have on me; I can't break it. "How can you do anything? You're dead."

"Don't be so sure about that, Emily," is all he says before I'm yanked back hard, harder. I roll away with a scream, but—thankfully—that's when I wake up.

John has me by the waist, half on the bed, half off, and staring at the floor. I'm back in the cabin... He rolls me back into his arms, and I do absolutely nothing except tuck my head into his chest. I try not to cry, but sob regardless. "Another nightmare?" he asks after a while, trying to fight back a weak chuckle, I think. "I thought we were past those..."

I only shake my head—because apparently, we're not. It feels like forever since I've had peaceful dreams, instead of... of...

John smooths down my hair, kissing the top every so often. He doesn't say much. He does nothing except wrap his hand around my torso, legs folded around me like a ball of yarn.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks. Again, I shake my head. "How long has this been happening? You... waking up in the middle of the night?"

"Dr. Cambridge said they're night terrors..." I murmur, only half shrugging.

"Dr. Cambridge?"

"My therapist back home."

"I thought you said you don't like therapists...?"

"I don't. But... I don't know... it was just easier to talk to him about stuff..."

"What did you talk about?"

"Random stuff."

"About what happened? About Setrákus—"

"Don't say his name," I ask. "Please."

"I'm sorry," he says, sounding a bit taken aback by the harshness in my voice. I shut my eyes and try to focus less on what I saw in the nightmare and more on John's heartbeat, trying to erase the remnants of his wails from my head. "You know I never meant to hurt you, right?" he asks, squeezing me close. "I didn't kill him to spite you. I killed him because I thought it was the only way to free you from his control. I killed him so we'd be together again."

"I know..." I murmur. "But I told you; I never asked you to free me..."

He's frozen at that, saying nothing, doing nothing; even his grip on me seems to loosen. "I know," he says then, eventually. "You wouldn't. That's part of the reason why I did it—because I knew if I didn't, I'd lose you forever. I didn't want to lose you. I don't want to lose you ever again." He buries his nose in my hair again, sniffs me, kisses me.

For the longest time, we lie in silence. I'm too scared to move, too scared to feel my hair pulled, to hear his voice. Please. No. No. No. No.

He kisses me and holds me like a soft baby animal. I hate it, but I also don't; his touch is a welcome sensation compared to Setrákus' hand on my shoulder. He keeps his nose against my neck. He's warm, so incredibly warm. I let out a shuddering sigh.

"Shh... it's ok," he hums. "I've got you. You're safe. I won't ever let you go again."