Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

Seventy Eight

     Link sat bolt upright in bed, gripping at the blankets in shaky fistfuls. He was heaving for breath, sweat matting his hair to his head and causing his clothes to stick to his body. He looked around the room, feeling ever so grateful that it was all just a terrible dream and that he actually wasn't dying. 

     He closed his eyes, his lips trembling. He took a shaky breath before opening his eyes again, deciding he needed to use the restroom. He took a look at Christy who was sleeping peacefully like an angel, and then he moved to his feet to head to the bathroom. He stopped midway to look at the doorway leading to the darkened hallway, apprehension boiling in the pit of his belly.

     Was Rhett waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs again? Link narrowed his eyes and shook his head. It couldn't be. Why would he be? It was all just a dream, right? After going to the bathroom, he decided that he was just going to go back to bed instead of wandering into the hall again. He figured he would just go back to sleep and hopefully it would be morning and the weirdness will stop. 

     As far as dreaming goes, that is. Link gratefully climbed under the covers and pulled them up to his chin, staring up at the ceiling. It was fuzzy without his glasses, but a light that was bright enough to illuminate a good chunk of the bedroom made it easier for him.

     He turned his head toward the window, curious as to what could be causing such a bright and wondrous glow and he threw the covers off of him, placing his glasses on his face and sprinting toward the window. He pulled the curtain aside and looked up toward the clear night sky, a particular orb that everyone was familiar with coming into sight. 

     The moon. Link felt his adam's apple painfully bob in his throat as he swallowed, and he slowly turned on his heel, hearing a shuffling in the hall. He briefly glanced at Christy before heading toward the door, completely forgoing the robe this time. He stopped just at the threshold of the doorway that met the hall and he poked his head out, looking both directions. 

     He didn't see any little figures indicating any of the kids, and he definitely didn't see the only giant figure that would be in the house. 

     Rhett. The curiosity of wanting to know if Rhett would be at the bottom of the stairs ate away at him and he decided against his better judgement to venture into the hall and pursue the top of the stairs. Once he was standing in front of the stairs, he took a deep breath and squinted his eyes in the darkness, looking for the tall shadow.

     "Rhett?" Link called in a whisper, expecting something back almost instantly. When he didn't receive a response, he took off down the stairs and was met by nobody at the bottom. Link shivered, wrapping his arms tight around his chest. He had wished he hadn't left the robe behind as he walked curiously through the downstairs hall and into the kitchen. He flipped the light on and took in the details of the kitchen, making extra sure that it wasn't his own and this wasn't a dream. 

     Everything seemed pretty normal so far and he allowed himself a breath of relief. Link then reached for the pantry door and quickly swung it open, and much to his disappointment, there wasn't a box of frosted mini wheats anywhere in sight. He sighed and closed the cupboard, slumping his shoulders as he made his way toward the light.

     As he brought his hand to the light and flipped it back off, he was looking into the living room. When the light went off, a tall shadow suddenly emerged at the entrance of the living room. Link's eyes widened.

     "Rhett," he said excitedly. The shadow didn't move, and it didn't respond to him either. Link flipped the light back on in the kitchen and it was gone. His eyes widened even further, and he felt his blood run ice cold. He turned the light off again and there it was again. His heart started to accelerate in his chest.