Heart of Stone - final revised version :)

Meaningless

The monsters. They're chasing me. They have long scary arms. They're gonna grab me. Mommy. I want my mommy. Help me. I'm scared. The monsters are getting closer. And closer. And closer. I look behind me and one of them, the scariest, is reaching out his scraggly hand and then-

I jolt awake. I quickly jump out of my bed. I'm too scared to look behind me to check if the monsters are there. I open my door and walk down the hallway to mommy and daddy's room, still shaking from the nightmare.

I softly knock on the door and hear my mom say after a while, "Come in sweetie."

I hesitantly open their door, and the fear is probably painted across my features.

"What is it, honey?" She asks me as she sits up in her bed.

"I had a scary dream." I say quietly.

"Oh," she pulls me closer, rubbing my arms. "It's okay. It's just a dream. It's not real." She smooths my hair.

"Can I sleep with you guys tonight?" I ask timidly

"Yes, of course. You're safe here." She hugs me and places a soft kiss on top of my head.

I climb into bed with them. My dad shifts and grumbles. He opens his eyes little and smiles when he sees me.

"Hey, bud." He says, his voice scratchy from sleep. "Nightmare?" I nod. "Well you know what gets rid of nightmares" I shake my head. "Tickles!" He starts tickling my belly and I giggle for him to stop.

I slide into bed between them and my mom pulls me close to her. "Better?" She asks me.

"Better." I say and fall asleep in her arms.

***

"Ryan. Ryan, wake up." I shift in my sleep. Not right now mommy. I'm tired. I feel a hand shake my shoulder and I reluctantly open my eyes.

I see someone's face directly in front of mine. Brendon. Oh. Right. He is kneeling in the soft sand and looking directly into my eyes. I feel heat rise to my face.

"What?" I say with as much rudeness as I can muster, sit up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Let's go on a hike." He responds, not as weirded out by our current situation as I am.

"Why?" I get up, moving away from his soft brown eyes. I shake the sand out of my hair and brush off my clothes.

"I still need pictures for your movie. I figured I'd get better ones up in the mountains." I notice the camera he has grasped in his hands. He looks at me impatiently.

"And why this early?" I yawn.

"So we can see the sunrise, asshole. It'll be pretty."

"Oh, I thought it was because you wanted to catch the squirrels before they got dressed." I snicker. He gives me a dirty look.

"Fuck off. Grab your bag and let's go."

"What about breakfast?"

"God, stop asking questions. We'll eat it when we get up there."

"Alrighty, Penis Picasso." He rolls his eyes. I grab my bag and we head out.

The mountains aren't far from here. It's about ten minutes of walking through the dusty terrain until we reach them. I look up at the rugged structures dotted with trees and bushes. There's somewhat of a path, the area being traveled by daring hikers. A sign of humans. That's good. Brendon has his camera around his neck, poised to take some photos. The air is still chilled but not as cold.