Not Feeling Well (Eddsworld - Tomatt)

Recurring Nightmares

"LOOK OUT! THAT BEAR'S GOT A GUN!"

A sudden gunshot was heard.

"FATHER!" Matt's eyes widened as he covered his mouth, muffling his gasp.

A young Tom looked at the ground, the pieces of his dead father surrounding him, with tears filling his sockets. The bear dropped the gun on the ground and ran away, while Tom stared at the murder scene in horror. He shakily picked up a pair of eyeglasses that had once belonged to his father, now nearly shattered into pieces, and his blood started to boil. Now filled with shock, terror, sadness and rage, he cried, "I WILL AVENGE YOU!"

Matt watched from a bit further away, having not realized what he had done until it was too late. He slowly walked over to Tom, trying to find a way to comfort him. "T-Tom?"

Tom turned around quickly, becoming more angry at Matt than at the bear who Matt had given the gun. "You– you killed him!"

"Tom....I didn't mean t–"

"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" he screamed through the tears now pouring down his face. Matt had no idea how to respond. When he gave the guns to the bears, he didn't think that this would happen. He didn't mean for it to happen. It was an accident. Matt stayed still in silence as Tom grew angrier. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!? I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"

"I am your friend, Tom! I didn't– it was– I–"

"I HATE YOU!"

It was a nightmare; the same nightmare Matt had been having for years of that one haunting memory. Though Matt still felt scared, sad and regretful about it, he at least knew what would happen next. His mother would come over, he would pull a cute face, and she would immediately forgive him as she takes him away from the murder scene to go out for ice cream. All while Tom would stare at Matt, a rage building within him. That was how it always ended. That's how it would end this time. Right?

Suddenly, something that wasn't part of the original memory came into the dream. All of the stress and shock from earlier that day had leaked into Matt's nightmare. As Tom got angrier and angrier at Matt, he grew taller and larger. His skin turned gray. His hands became monstrous claws. Horns grew out of his head. His two empty sockets merged into one. The young Matt stood still and watched in fear as the monster finished his transformation. Now feeling only rage, the monster looked down at Matt, roared, and attacked.

Matt woke up in a rush. He was sweating and his eyes were filled with tears. He wiped his eyes and looked at the clock. It was 2 AM. Normally, Matt would respond to his usual nightmare by just trying to go back to sleep, but this time, he was too shaken to even try. He could only think about the murder and Tom's monster form. He felt both the guilt from years ago and the terror from earlier that day. He got out of his bed and tiptoed out of his room, down the stairs and across the hall. He quietly knocked on the door of Tom's bedroom.

Tom slowly opened the door, yawning and rubbing his eyes. All of his monster form from earlier had disappeared, which was a good thing, because if even his tiny horns were still there Matt might have had a heart attack. "You okay, Matt?" Tom whispered. He was silently hoping that the reason why Matt had come to him had nothing to do with what had happened earlier.

Matt's eyes were wide and red from crying. "Tom, I, uh....had a nightmare."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "And what was this nightmare about, exactly?" he asked nervously.

"Well...." Matt looked away and scratched the back of his head. "It was sort of about you....and sort of....had something to do with....what happened yesterday...."

"Shit." Tom buried his face in his hands. "Matt, I'm so sorry...."

"No, don't be, Tom," Matt said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just....I've been thinking about you, that's all." He didn't exactly feel the best, but he didn't want to worry Tom any more than he already had.