Deep Down Under (Ashton Irwin)

Chapter 1- Megan

Chapter 1

Megan

The darkness was smothering, pressing down on my chest as I struggled to breathe against the pressure. Not like this...not like this... the mantra repeated over and over in my head and I thrashed around, struggling to get free from the confines, the ties that held me in place.

"Please... come back..." my voice whispered and cracked as the words forced themselves out of my mouth. It was happening all over again. It always happened, it was never going to end. I was going to be forced to repeat the horror over and over again, there was no way to stop it.

The faceless people just continued to walk away, not hearing, not listening to me. All I could see was the back of their heads, the only thing visible through the blackness. Two dark heads, long hair that rippled down their backs, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female. Not that it mattered. They were leaving me, as they always did.

"Don't...go..." my voice was so weak I could barely hear it myself, so it was doubtful they would hear it either. My hands curled into fists at the injustice of it all. All they had to turn around and see me, save me. But they never did. Instead they started to fade away. I knew it was coming, I knew it was about to happen, but it didnt stop the angry tears sweeping down my face. I closed my eyes so I didn't have to see them leave, as though somehow it would ease the pain.

"Megan...Megan!" A familiar voice broke through, sounding louder and more in focus than the rest of the scenario. "Megan, wake up!"

Forcing my eyes open, my breath coming in sharp, large breaths, I started in shock when I saw Kate standing over me, her blue eyes worried and searching.

"Meg, are you alright?" her voice was high pitched and her hands were still grasping my shoulders, holding me in place as I thrashed about, struggling to get free.

"Yeah, yeah..." I took a shuddering breath, calming myself, and stopped moving. "Kate, I'm okay, you can let go of me now." I said, looking pointedly at her hands. She quickly removed them and sat back on the edge of my bed, her eyes never leaving me.

"What the hell was that Megan? I come in here to find you screaming like a banshee, kicking and punching your way through the covers."

"It's nothing, Kate. Just another nightmare." Kate knew all about the terrors I often had, always the same faceless dream, and so did Audrey. I had been forced to tell them after they kept finding me acting like a lunatic before I woke up. The flat we shared wasn't big enough to hide it from them. They had been understanding, and knew when to not push.

"Maybe you should see someone about this, Meg. Recurring nightmares aren't anything to be taken lightly." Kate thought aloud, her hands twisting around themselves nervously as she put the idea out there. An idea I shut down immediately.

"No. Not a chance. Kate I'm not having some guy poking around my brain trying to find hidden meanings in everything." I sat up and pushed the tangled mess of dark hair away from my face. "I'm fine."

"Meg-"

"No Kate. Please...just drop it." We were hashing out conversations we had already had, and I was tired of it. "What's the time?"

"Um..." she glanced at her watch, "it's a little after eight."

"In the morning?" she nodded. "We should probably get moving then. We have to be at the recording studio in a couple of hours."

"And we have the gig tonight." My brow creased in confusion. As far as I remembered we didn't have a gig to perform tonight.

"What gig?"