The Suite Life X

34 - Zack's Ordeal

Zack, for his part, was blissfully (for lack of a better term) unaware of anything that happened after the Man-O-War incident, due to being knocked out by a certain two people he thought he could trust.

He hadn’t had time to think about that at first, as unconsciousness allowed for an unwelcome yet frighteningly common visitor into his psyche.

The nightmares.

They had been there on the odd occasion for some time but had gotten much worse over the past month.

They’d start relatively similar. He’d either break something or pull some sort of ill-advised prank that wound up blowing up the hotel or ship (which one, he could never really tell, but that’s dreaming for you) or killing someone.

Then came the worst part: everyone he knew systematically disowning him. It would start out small, with every girl he ever so much as looked at dumping him before picking up with some of his more distant friends such as Max (even though she hadn’t even seen her in a while), Bob, and Woody (he couldn’t imagine the rotund, curly-haired oddball hating anyone, let alone him, but there it was). Then it would hit closer. Esteban would no longer call him one of the “little blonde people” or call him a “disaster” in a far less funny way than normal. Arwin would threaten to build a time machine to go back and make sure they never met. London wouldn’t say anything, instead not making eye contact while staring daggers at her when he wasn’t looking. Maddie would simply pretend he wasn’t there.

Then things got that much more personal. His dad, normally a laid-back jokester (exactly where Zack got it from), would say, stone-faced, “I have only one son, and it isn’t you.”

His mom, tears in her eyes, simply wouldn’t look at him. She would just leave with her ex-husband.

Finally, Cody…

This would vary a bit, not only depending on whether or not he was killed in whatever he did (zombie Cody freaked him out far more than he’d ever say aloud), it would also depend on what he supposedly did.

“You may be my twin, but you certainly aren’t my brother.”

Agonizing as that was, it the least painful possibility, actually.

“I wonder if it’s too late for mom to get an abortion. You know, correct the mistake in front of me. You’ll never measure up to me, anyway…”

If only he had stayed asleep during health class…

The third option was him just staring back at him, blue eyes apathetic and cold. He’d infinitely prefer Cody, who always wore his emotions on his sleeve, to be eternally angry with him over having to deal with that look.

A look that said that he didn’t care whether he lived or died.

Now, of course, Mr. Moseby would be in the fray as well…

…if he hadn’t already given up on him in real life.

Instead, another person he couldn’t quite make out appeared. The voice was mocking, dark, and deep.

“You poor, poor, thing…”

---

Normally, when whenever he woke up from these nightmares, Zack would be in a cold sweat, quickly forcing himself to calm down so that anyone who might possibly bring it up (like a certain friend of his who shared a cabin with him), well, wouldn't.

That didn't happen this time, considering his robotic state. The voice and face he was greeted with wasn't immediately familiar, either.

“You need to get up. Come on!”