Fire as Strong as Iron

Living Nightmares

"Get up!" I was getting thrashed back and forth violently, my eyes heavily opening.

"Hm?" I grunted, my eyes heavily opened to see a blurry image of my younger sister, Alyssa. 

"Get up!" She shouted again, thrashing me. I grabbed her arm and pushed it away.

"What do you want, Pebble?" I asked in a heavy voice.

"Thor and I want to make pancakes!" She cried.

"What time is it?" I muttered.

"6:47!" She said.

"I am not getting up!" I grunted before pulling the blanket over my head.

She huffed and I felt the small amount of weight disappear. After a while I felt myself get lifted up, I grunted thrashing weakly.

"Off!" I shouted.

"Get up," The voice said.

"Steve?" I muttered.

"Get up, Thor will destroy the kitchen," He said.

"Why don't you go help?" I muttered, kicking him in the arm.

"Is something up?" He asked.

"No, I just want to sleep!" I shouted.

This went on for a while, before I finally got up.

"There she is!" Nat cried out, putting her arm around my shoulders. I grunted in response. Still heavily sleepy.

"Come on, your sister is being a brat!" Loki cried, pointing outside. I walked out to see the once mighty Winter Soldier trying to shake a young child off his leg, holding both arms up.

"..." I just stared, trying to suppress my laughter.

"Help!" The man shouted. I burst out in pure laughter, soon covering my face with my hands to try and quiet it down. He grunted, I heard a loud thump. I uncovered my hands to see that he had fallen over on his back, the child snuggling close to him on his left side. "Please!" He shouted.

"Steeve!" I cried.

"What?" He came out, a confused expression on his face before it became an amused one.

"Steve! I swear to god if you d-" Pebble slapped her hand over his mouth. He grunted loudly, the girl yanking her hand away in a disgusted manner.

"He licked me!" She cried. He was able to scurry away just in time.

I just watched this go on until Pebble turned to me, an evil smirk on her face as she ran at me.

"No! No! No!" I shouted before turning and running away from her. I was able to run behind Steve, causing her to crash into his leg holding on tightly.

He made a loud 'gack'ing noise. I bolted back into the tower, hiding away in my room. I sighed.

My face fell, I had just stopped thinking about my mother. I felt a sudden weight on my neck, I lowered my eyes and grabbed onto whatever was there. I pulled it out and looked at it. It was a golden locket, the one my mother would always wear.

I opened it.

'If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever.' It read. My eyes watered only for the tears to evaporate. I took a deep breath, the lump in my throat falling away with the breath out.

I closed it with a soft smile, placing it beneath my shirt as I looked outside. It was darkening, my eyes closed as I went deep in thought.

She would want me to be happy.

Stay strong.

Be kind.

Protect family.

Live happy.

I opened my eyes, unbeknownst to the darkness that had fallen outside. I changed quickly, slipped into bed with a smile on my face.

"Get the hell back upstairs!"

A low growl came from the girl.

"Who told you that you controlled me?"

My eyes grew wide. Shadows shaped around the girl I loved. My heart clenched painfully.

A monster appeared before me. I scuttled back, away from the now frightening figure of my mother. My eyes blurred with tears, only for my body to be gripped by tendrils of shadow. I choked, gasping for air.

"Its your fault!" It roared.

"N-aaackg" I cried out.

"Stop lying!" Its voice deepened like my sister hated me.

"Ple---aasse" I cried out with strained effort.

She dropped me. Pain stabbed me as I cried out in pain. My sister was lying on the ground, dead. I stared, my eyes wide. 

My fault.

Could've saved.

Now dead.

Kill.

Kill.

KILL.

I screeched for the voices to stop.

I jerked up in my bed, breathing in quick gasps, eyes wide. My bed was once again like a slip 'n slide. I sat in my bed, my body shaking uncontrollably. I checked the clock.

1:04 AM

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths.

"It wasn't real. Not real. Not real," I muttered.

"What wasn't real?" The voice of my sister in the dream whispered in my ear. I flung myself out of bed, landing violently on the floor. I scuttled away, my back pressed against the wall. I closed my eyes once more.

I felt rough, almost non-existent hands- or rather tendrils - grab me, shoving me harshly against the wall. I cried out in pain, thrashing rather violently. "Its all real," It muttered.

I watched as it held up a tendril, long and sharp.

I screamed. I screamed until my throat was raw. It jerked back before shoving me against the wall, wrapping a tendril around my throat. I gagged, the scream cut off. I heard faint footsteps, the door opened and a loud growl coming from the person. I was dropped, my body clashing with the ground.

Pain sizzled from my left side. My eyes were blurred, half open.

"Allyson!" A faint voice called.

"Allyson!" It called again. I felt myself being lifted. I saw a blurred image of... who was that? Tony? I tried to call out. I kept on trying to call his name. Nothing came out, my throat raspy and raw. I was placed down into my bed, it felt like forever since I've been able to sleep.

I fell asleep slowly, my throat still rasped in pain, my sleep was blank.

Nightmare? Yes.

Real? Some may say it was my imagination, just ask whoever was there. It was.