Aftermath: Awakening

Nightmare

 -1-

He sits in silence, confined behind a desk surrounded by his classmates. The teacher's voice drones on as his eyes drift downward, his head falls to the desk making a heavy thud. He jolts up looking around to see all eyes upon him, their faces pale and distant. The teacher's voice drones on then suddenly stops. Eric watches as her head snaps back her throat begins to rip itself apart revealing rows of sharp teeth, her arms snap at the wrists as the bones elongate to form sharp spear like points. Her head lolls back almost useless as the rest of her body distorts and rips out under the clothes. She lunges forward her –Its—Teeth tearing into the flesh of the first student. The room suddenly falls into darkness, all he can hear is animalistic screeching and the snap of bones. Ahead a solitary beam of light shines down on a lone figure. As he approaches the details become more and more clear. The fiery red hair, the slim figure, and that scream. "ERIC! HELP MEEEEE!" He runs as fast as he can but all he can see are the hungry eyes, and the faint outline of teeth, just behind her. The light goes out and he is shut into complete and total darkness. Her screams cut out just as suddenly. Snap! The crunch and grind of bone, and the sound of flesh ripping with sickening wet sounds causes his stomach to drop. The feeling that he is being watched surround him, his spine tingles and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as hot breath breaths down his collar, he turns but only in time to see claws, and hungry red eyes bearing down on him.

He awakes with a scream trapped within his throat, and a cold sweat dampening his skin. Silence surrounds him; his heart beats frantically against his chest as if a frightened animal is trying to escape its cage. Eric's blankets are twisted about his middle; his legs are tangled hopelessly in the mess of blankets as he swings them over the edge of his bed. He kicks out of them and walks blindly to the bathroom where he stands regarding his reflection in the mirror, he nearly jumps out of his skin when her arms wrap around him from behind, her face appearing just over his shoulder. She giggles and kisses his neck.

"Jumpy much?" She asks fighting back a yawn.

"Nightmare, it's the same one from last night." He turns into her embrace, a look of concern crosses her face.

"Well let's get back to bed, maybe this time you can feed me to it." She says trying to distract him.

He smiles and shakes his head.

"It did eat you... I couldn't get there in time. At least I think you did, I didn't see, but I heard... Your screams..." he pauses and turns to look at her. "Those were the worst. The feeling that I couldn't protect you." Eric says and looks down at his feet.

"I know you'll do all you can to keep me safe. You've done it before." Her arms squeeze his waist tighter as she speaks.

"But it still got you, then it got me." He says, she begins pulling him back to the bed and he lets her.

"Well maybe I can keep them away from you so you can sleep?" She tries. Eric yawns and smiles at her.

"I am getting tired of these nightmares." He says lying down, she curls up behind him. Eric rolls to face her and lays his head on her chest listening to her heartbeat as her fingers twist and pull at his hair.

He lies unable to move in complete and total darkness, the sound of footsteps moving about him, a hot breath on the side of his face, a sharp claw-like point dragging against his skin, soft enough not to pierce but hard enough to feel it. Suddenly he is jerked upward the claws digging in, there before him is Shannon standing as if through a window, completely unaware anything is happening. The feeling of dread overwhelms him as she steps out where this creature is lurking, it launches itself at her like a puma, mouth open wide revealing sharpened teeth its eyes small and red, gleam in the darkness. Its teeth tear into her arm, she tries to flee but more come from the shadows like little imps, they bite tear and claw ripping flesh from bone. They range in size from small cats to some that are as big as people. Her screams cut out suddenly as everything goes pitch black once more. He walks through the darkness unsure what to expect, no sound no light nothing. "Open your eyes and you will see." A voice says very near. He opens his eyes completely surprised they were closed. He finds himself standing upon a field of grass so green it had to be fake, he kneels down and feels it to be sure it's real. The moon is huge and takes up most of the sky. A figure stands several yards away, as Eric stands staring at the stars, and the moon, he can see that the moon has different colored bands going across the surface, much like Jupiter, but only different colors. Eric's eyes go to the figure standing before him. "We will meet once more, when your Time has come. We will talk more. For now Rest." The figure is suddenly upon him thrusting out a hand to his forehead the ground suddenly opens up under him and he falls, as he falls he see's creatures ripping people apart, leathery wings and sharp teeth diving down onto people running and screaming. Other creatures dragging people into the shadows with thick tentacles. Fire and chaos, gunshots and screaming. Eric lands in a small dark room, with thousands of dark crimson eyes watching him, the sounds of wings rustling as he gets up. A light cuts through the room and they all take flight, ripping and tearing at his flesh as he beats them off uselessly with his arms. "You have the power to stop all of this from—"
WAKE UP the sound cuts through the void. YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!