City Of Dreams

Seventy-Eight

Darren's POV cause why the fudge not.

I close my eyes, feeling the warmth from Charlotte next to me.

My hand reaches over to find her hand but there is nothing there.

I open my eyes and sit up.

Charlotte isn't in her spot.

I panic.

I call out for her but she doesn't answer.

My heart beats faster.

I put my hand to my chest, trying to calm my breathing a bit.

"She's just taking a shower."

I start muttering to myself like I always do when I get nervous.

"She wouldn't leave me again."

I stare at her spot,running a hand over it.

It's cold.

Charlotte is warm.

I stand up but fall to the ground, clutching my head.

When I stand up, I am weighed down by a heavy backpack and a weapon in my right hand.

The breath I was taking in gets knocked right out of my chest.

"Bara! What did I just say?!"

I jerk around to see a man yelling at me.

As if in slow motion, something lands on the ground next to him and explodes.

The blast sends me backwards into a ditch.

I lay there, staring at the sky.

Powder from our weapons covers the bits of blue that were peeking through.

The smoke stings my eyes.

I can't get up.

Someone stands over me, their face morphing into nothing as I fade in and out.

"Darren, you gotta get up man. We can help you if you just get up."

I hear the man over  me yelling through the noise.

"Darren listen to me."

I shut my eyes tighter.

"Don't leave your wife without you."

I open my eyes and look up at the man.

"She did it to you."

I scowl at him.

Something blows a hole right into his arm.

He screams for a second before his light goes out.

I shudder and close my eyes again, trying to breathe and think of home.

I mutter to myself again, calming down a bit.

"It's just a dream. I'm ok. It's ok. Everything's ok. I'm ok."

The sounds around me fade away and I shut my eyes tightly.

The heavy weight of the backpack is lifted off my shoulders.

I open my eyes.

I'm on the Hamilton stage, pistol in hand.

A shot rings out and I feel a cold piece of metal hit me in the shoulder.

Someone screams and sirens wail.

I go onto my knees and when I look back up, I'm not on the stage.

I'm in the street, holding Charlotte from turning around and seeing what was before her.

She lets out a long scream, ringing through my ears.

It seems to go on forever.

And then...

It stops.

And I'm all alone, a paper with words hastily scribbled on it in my hand.

The room is dark and quiet.

I'm all alone.

I wake up with a start, panting and gripping the fabric of my shirt.

Charlotte jumps three feet in the air and dashes over to my side.

She hesitates before she does anything.

She doesn't know what to do.

I put my head in between my legs, watching the tears fall onto the blanket under me.

"Shhh...You're ok."

"I'm here."