Bloody Dawn - MCD AU [REWRITE PENDING]

Eighteen - A Horrid Nightmare & Failed Deception

Aphmau was half running, half stumbling through a void as she tried to escape.

But no matter how hard she tried, it kept up with her. A creature, a force, something was chasing her as she tried to escape, reaching forwards to grab her, yet pulling back each time, as if to torment Aphmau.

Aphmau called for help.

But nobody came...

As Aphmau ran, the void began to take shape around her. Soon, she was running through a dark forest on a new moon, tripping over and stumbling on every root.

The creature behind her began to take shape, too. Suddenly, Aphmau was in a dead end, and she turned around, pressed up against the cold stone behind her.

Facing her was... Garroth? He held out his hand, and helped her up, holding her close.

Aphmau looked around. His shadow was not that of an angel, but of something sinister. Aphmau struggled, but Garroth just laughed, and pulled her in close, his lips touching hers.

Suddenly, Garroth disappeared, as if he had been tackled. Zane came into view.

But the creature reformed behind him, becoming a giant spider. Aphmau tried to call out and with horror realized she couldn't move, couldn't speak. The spider lunged, and Zane disappeared.

The spider moved closer and closer to Aphmau, taking on a slightly different shape. Suddenly the forest around Aphmau fell away. She tried to move, and realized she was in the spider's web, caught fast.

The spider advanced on her, it's eyes glowing. Everytime it touched the web, small, icy particles flew from its foot. As it advanced towards Aphmau, she struggled.

Aphmau heard a sound, and looked down. She could see all her friends below, except they were different. Aaron was beating the ground, Zane was wingless and unconscious, and her other friends seemed to be crying.

Aphmau looked and saw what they were crying over.

Aphmau.

Limp.

Cold.

Dead.

Aphmau tried to call out, but couldn't seem to summon her voice at all. Aphmau tried to struggle one last time as the image faded away, but the spider was upon her. As she weakly fought back, the spider wrapped her up in a cocoon of web, and pressed it's mandibles up against the web.

Aphmau slowly realized she was beginning to freeze, and this spider was exerting some kind of ice magic.

Suddenly, Aaron's sword pierced the spider, causing everything to fall away.

Aphmau, cold and hardly moving, was sinking downwards, through water. Or what felt and seemed like water.

Aphmau didn't particularly care... about anything. Her mind was half frozen. So she let herself sink.

Aphmau was only half aware of a figure, barreling towards her, reaching out to grab her. The figure carried the limp Aphmau onto a dark, foreboding beach, only for the creature from before to reach out from the forest and grab her.

Aphmau, now fully aware, struggled against the creature, to no avail. She was lifted, into the air, and saw some unfamiliar figures. She was aware of someone fighting the figures, but everything was murky.

Aphmau got the sinking feeling again, only for-
+=+=+=+=+
Aphmau shot up like lighting, and looked around. She wasn't in the clearing anymore. A figure dropped from the tree above.

Garroth!

"Aphmau, there's no need to worry." Garroth said in his highschool voice. "All of this-your trip to the Overworld, talking to your mother-it's all just a bad dream. You're going to wake up from it, as soon as I find you."

Aphmau backed away. "How are you here?"

Garroth pulled out a small, flower shaped crystal. "With this Dreamvisitor, I can visit you in your dreams."

Aphmau nodded, playing along. She knew that when you visit someone's dreams, they can't actually see the Dreamvisitor. Which meant Garroth was lying. She also recognized the amulet Garroth was wearing. An old Dreamwriter, which could manipulate someone's dreams.

"C'mon, now go back to sleep. This dream will be over soon." Garroth said.

Aphmau nodded, and fell asleep.
+=+=+=+=+
Aphmau woke up. She looked around. She was in chains, in some kind of dungeon. Aphmau looked around some more, ignoring the feeling of reality. Then she saw it. A faint outline of a Dreamwriter.

Aphmau knew right then that Garroth was trying to manipulate her into believing her trip to the Overworld was just a dream.

Okay, Garroth. I guess I can play along.

For now.
+=+=+=+=+
Aphmau woke up. She was back in the clearing. She looked around, and saw the authenticity of the scene.

She smiled to herself, knowing that Garroth's attempt at manipulating her had failed.

But then she realized, with a growing horror, that what it meant was that Garroth was here, in the Overworld.

What had he said? That this dream would be over soon? Aphmau shuddered as she realized the truth behind those words.

Garroth was coming to get her.