Ronan: To the Moon and Back

25. Nightmares of the Dark

TW: Nightmare, Panic attack, unintentional self harm 

Rae stands outside of Ronan's room, watching through the window and fuming silently. She never thought he father would come back, let alone finally acknowledge his son's cancer. Her eyes narrow, wishing to burn a hole through his balding head. It must have been a heated gaze anyway, for her fathers head suddenly snaps towards her. His dark gray eyes meet hers, and for a moment she sees nothing but regret. That emotion flashes away as quick as the lightening outside, turning into an sly smile, his lips spreading like the sudden shadows beneath his feet.

Rae blinks. She hadn't notice that before. She watches the shadows closely as they waver. It doesn't make sense. Her father stood there like a statute, cold and unmoving, so how were the shadows seeping forward? Rae feels a cold fear stab through every fiber of her body when the shadows sprout thin black arms, with long eerie fingers.

Abruptly, the arms shoot out, snaking their way around the bed Ronan is happily sitting in. Blissfully unaware of the creepy figures, traveling towards him.

"Ronan!" Rae calls out, but her voice doesn't carry through the door. She's useless.

She watches the arms slither up the legs of the bed, up to the sheets and straight towards the sick boy. He finally spots them, his innocent blue eyes stricken with fear. He tries scrambling back against his pillows, whimpering . When he looks up, he sees his sister through the glass of the door.

"RaRa! Help me!" Ronan cries out terrified.

"Ronan!" Rae attempts to open the door, jiggling the locked handle. Pulling it back with her foot against the wall next to it for leverage, and banging on the glass.

"Raelyn!" Ronan screams through his tears. The dark arms now wrapping tightly around his legs and quickly twisting up his small torso. "Don't let it take me!"

"Ronan! I won't! Dad help!" For the first since the arms reached out, she looks at her father. "Daddy, please!"

But the figure that stood in his place looks nothing like him; is no longer her father. Instead, it had turned black as night, with only a blinding white toothy grin, and laughing maliciously back at her. It stretches out his arms toward her brother.

Terror tears at Raelyn's heart, her little brothers shrieks vibrating through her bones. She watches helplessly as the shadow swallows the rest of Ronan's body, silencing his screams, and allowing one final glimpse of blue tinted horror. Just like that, Ronan is gone.

"Ronan!" Raelyn yells, bolting straight out of her nightmare in her bed.

She glances around wildly, panting with painful spams slicing through her chest. Her blood running cold with fear, sweat dotting at her forehead, dampening the roots of her hair. She frantically pushes her hair back with shaky hands before fluttering them around widely. Settling one hand on her chest, clutching her bare skin and digging her nails into flesh.

It was a dream. Just a dream. But no. Dreams are not like that. It is a nightmare, her nightmare, her hell, and suddenly Rae has difficulty breathing. She can't catch her breath, can't get enough air into her lungs. She feels shaky and hot and her heart will just not stop slamming against needles and she's alone. Alone in her dark room, with the vivid memory of her brother disappearing into the same darkness. She quickly reaches over and switches on the table light.

"M-mum!" She calls out. "Mummy!?"

Her mother doesn't answer, and its then she remembers her mothers night shift. Of all the time she needs her mother. Without thinking twice, Rae snatches her phone from the night able, automatically finding the right contact.