THE DREAM CATCHER

38.

As soon as Niccòlo leaves the room the most horrible, blinding pain sets me down on my knees. I fall helplessly on the floor and it happens again. I'm once again attacked by visions. My sight switches from one reality to another like a click of the TV remote. And I'm once again just a witness to what's playing in front of my eyes.

I see the crowd, the platform, the snow. The fight. It's almost over. Niccòlo lays on the stage unconsciously and Drill - the same guy he had almost shot - is sitting atop of him and he pulls out a smuggled knife from his shoe. Carrying a weapon during a fight is forbidden. Only once your opponent yealds. I gathered that during the last fight. But his honour, tainted by the last fight was stronger than the rules. And he holds a knife to Niccòlo's throat. It's like a slow motion. Drill moves his dagger stabbing Niccòlo directly in the wind pipe. He coughs out a muffed breath, almost spitting his lungs out. Blood starts oozing from his neck, spilling from his mouth. It's a matter of seconds until he's done. Drill stands up in triumph, the crowd explodes. And Niccòlo's dead.
Another flashlight pointed directly in my eyes and I'm back in reality. But I'm not on the floor, no. I'm standing straight on my legs, already gripping a burgundy piece of cloth in my hand. I have to warn him. Fuck responsibility, fuck caution. I have no proof that what I saw is real. But I'm not letting him die. I'm not letting any chance of that to happen. I'm not helpless. I never will be. He risked his life for me. It's my turn. I wrap the bandana around my head and covering half of my face. And I storm out of the room. I am absolutely insane. Listening to the visions of a crazy person, me, will be my undoing. But it was so real. It was like a fate had shown me a scenario that will play if I won't react. I can almost hear its whisper in my ear; ,,Try to ignore me." I'm not. I'm not ignoring it. I'm not weak. No matter what a world thinks about me. I'm not a coward. I'm just stupid, emotionally disabled, inexperienced in living. But I'm not a coward. I burst out through the door in the back of the hallway and find myself in the square of the Borderland. The fury, anger, fear pounding in my veins are threatening to rip them apart. I walk away of the door not giving anyone a suspicion that I left that exact building. I scream his name. As quiet as I can not to bring anyone's attention but loud enough for him to hear me. The scream that comes out from my mouth is so blood freezing I'm surprised myself. I can see him at the back of the platform, shirtless, warming up. And as he hears my scream he raises his head in terror. He recognises me in instant and breaks down running towards me as I do the same towards him. We meet halfway and he practically tosses me onto the wall. He grabs me by my chin trying to cover me with his body from people around.
,,What are you doing?!" He shouts as quiet as he can while he is absolutely fuming with anger and worry.
,,Drill wants to take a revenge." I say trying to catch my breath. ,,He smuggled a knife in his boot. He's going to slit your throat." I say, desperately begging for him to believe me.
,,How do you know?" He asks quieter, loosening his grip on my chin. He's confused to the bone.
,,I just know okey?!" I'm practically sobbing, helpless in case of my raising panic. ,,Get your own dagger or steal his. And watch your neck." I fight for every word, for every sip of breath. He looks me so deadly in the eyes I'm freezing. And I'm escaping his embrace and run away. I don't turn back, I can't. I already hear someone calling his name. I can't go back through the same door I used to escape the building, they'll know where I'll be hiding. So I pick the right wall path and squeeze through it as I already hear heavy footsteps behind me. They're trying to catch me. I won't let them. I pass the building, escaping the suffocating tunnel and I find myself back on the street. I try to reach the door but they're locked. Of course. They close the door when the fights starts. I look up. I have to climb three floors up to get to my, his room. I track the line of windows leading to the one on the proper floor, letting a sigh of relief as I spot it being open. Thank god it's already dark outside and the lanterns in the suburbs work like they wanted to but failed trying. There's no other way. I hope the walls are not slippery from the snow. And I have to swallow my paralysing fear of heights as I jump onto the first window still. The bricks that the block is made of are jagged. It's not going to be hard to climb up it. Unless I fall down due to my fear of heights. Or snow. Or shot wound. Or all of the above. I swallow a lump growing in my throat and catch the first jagged brick that crossed my sight. And another. I climb up so fast I can't even focus on my fear and the ground that is slowly starting to move away leaving a gaping space of nothingness in between. I'm already on the second floor. Only one more to go. Through the open window I'm gluing my cheek to at the moment I can hear muffed sounds of footsteps. They're close. I have to hurry. I climb higher praying for my legs not to slip from jagged stones I use as my support. I'm there. I'm on the third floor. I peek through the slightly opened window praying for the swallowed by darkness room on the other side to be empty. As I push the glass slightly I look down. It was a terribly bad idea. My head starts spinning like it hasn't the whole climb. I'm fifteen meters above the ground and I fight the urge to throw up. I feel dizzy, praying to whatever holds my fate in their hands not to slip. And as I somehow manage to open the window and toss my legs over the still I trip. I fall face-first to the floor, the action forcing the air from my lungs. I hear a high, female scream from behind. I make it to my shaky feet just to see a couple looking at me stunned, covered with blanket. I'm using my every piece of self-control not to throw up.
,,I'm sorry." I say in rush not wasting a time to look at them.
I run through the door and storm onto the hallway. The footsteps approach from the staircase. I have a few seconds to overcome the corridor, burst into my room, lock the door from the inside and hide in the forsaken box under the mattress. My heart threatens to slip out from my chest as I run towards the familiar door. Adrenaline pounding in my veins so loudly it almost silences the footsteps terribly close to me. I practically jump into the room, lock the door on instant. Only the beautiful lamp standing in the corner enlightens the space. It would most definitely fulfil me with peace if it wasn't for the man chasing me. I try to make as less noise as I can while I lift the mattress and open the door of the box beneath. I slide my trembling body inside, closing the wooden wings as quietly as I can. I hear the muffed noise of the mattress falling onto the box. It's quiet. And dark. And suffocating. Too suffocating. I barely manage to breath. And the cracking noise of the door being kicked open makes breathing even harder. I force every cell of my body not to shake. And it happens again. I'm once again taken to the forbidden reality. But this one seems familiar.

I'm looking at the exact room I'm currently in but from the different perspective. I see the man hidden under the black hood, certainly the one that is chasing me in the reality. He holds a gun. And he approaches the bed firing it at the folded duvet. On the right sight.

Suddenly, the already familiar flashlight in my eyes attack me and I'm back in the box.
I can dare not obey the vision that warns me to move to the left to check if my insane mind is right. But that might earn me a bullet in the chest. So I silently move to the left side of the box. And what happens next freezes me to the bone. A man fires a gun. To the right side of the bed. The bullet misses me. I almost bite my tongue off, trying to stop a scream. My own mind warned me. And it was right.