Dear Brother

7. Nightmares

Tumbling.

Twisting.

Falling.

Darkness swirled around, breathing leaving...fear descending so hard that life seemed unimaginable now.

Something warm erupted from his stomach now, red and seeping from him. Head felt dizzy, light fading.

Scream.

***

He woke in sweat, his breathing rapid and sharp, air trying to suck itself into his lungs, but nothing seemed to work when he was afraid. Hands shaking, Iyden sat up, feeling cool air circling around him, drying his sweat that made his back sticky.

He flexed the muscles in his legs, feeling them ache, and suddenly, a warm feeling over came his legs. He swallowed nervously, and ripped back the covers off his body to see piss soaking his bed sheets: he mentally cursed himself and sniffed, sickly, nasty smells protruding his nostrils- sweat and urine.

A familiar smell.

Iyden tried to push the memories out of his mind, but they rose through the other thoughts, flashing before his eyes. He closed them, trying to think of something else so his mind would not wander to darkness, but exhaustion covered him.

He let himself fall back into his pillow and relaxed, body relaxing, and let the memories take over him.

He was in the darkness, a cramped space which was crowded with barrels of strong smelling liquor and soiled rags which were spread across the concrete floor. He heard calls from above him, stamps on the floor which was his ceiling, and suddenly, his heart beat fastened. The footsteps came closer over head, and the door that lead down to the basement creaked open very slowly, shedding blinding light into his eyes.

"Quiet." came a rough voice, growling the command to the boy despite not opening his mouth. The door slammed shut. The man limped down the steps, each piece of the wood that made them creak under his weight, and he paused at the bottom of them, as though he was contemplating what to do.

Fear spread through the boys viens, making his hands shake. Crouched on the floor, he tried to shrink further into himself, but he failed to make himself any smaller. The man leant over him, intimidating. He could nearly make out his strong jaw line, and the smell of beer invading the space the boy had made his home.

"Get up." The boy managed to push himself up on stick thin limbs, and stood meekly in the dark as the man inspected him critically. "Undress." The boy started to slowly,  fearfully unbuttoning his grey shirt, shaking the buttons as they refused to undo-

"Iyden? Wake up!"

It was his brother leaning over him, his face animated with concern.

"You were dreaming. Again." he said simply, putting a cold hand under Iyden's back and lifting him into a sitting position.

"Oh, yeah." Iyden mumbled.

"Hmm...and you wet the bed, buddy."

Iyden felt shame rise to his cheeks and he remembered the sticky, smelling liquid that seemed through the cotton and stuck to his legs.

"Sorry."

"It's alright buddy..." Haydrian breathed, wandering over to the window and opening it. He leant on the wall, feeling the cool air refresh him. "So, we could go into town today, if you want? Go get a book, or DVD for tomorrow maybe...sound okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Iyden said, nodding. He pulled himself out of bed, trying to ignore the sticky feeling that swamped his body. "You can go make breakfast, I'll get dressed and sort this out on my own, don't worry."

Haydrian raised his eyesbrows, but nodded and smiled- it was good that Iyden could do something for himself.

"Sure buddy." he grinned, and moved towards the door, but Iyden could tell he was hesitant: his hand hovered over the door knob.

"Bacon sandwitches, please?" Iyden asked, with a small, shy smile. His brother's smile widened.

"Of course." he said, and left the room.