Waking Nightmares|NewScapeSquad Fanfic

Disbelief

The three turned their heads to look in the direction of the voice. "Cory!" Ashlie exclaimed. The blond stood nearby, holding on to some rubble with his left hand and wiping sweat with his right. The male looked weak and unsteady, but his blue eye burned with anger. "This is why you piss me off, Tommy. You always go prancing around, trying to be the hero and hiding what you're really feeling. How long has she been talking to you? Have you ever really been on our side in this place?" He spat angrily, taking a step forward.

Tommy seemed too shocked to be able to respond. The fact that his friend looked so healthy and so angry left him speechless. He didn't expect him to be so angry about the Siren's constant toying with him. Ashlie furrowed her brows. "Cory..." She mumbled. UNi opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly shut up by a glare from the blond. Nick seemed hesitant to meet his eyes, looking down at the ground instead.

Cory narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "And you, Nick." He said, his voice icy. Cory took another step forward and crouched next to the male. "You ou-" "Cory, don't you dare!" Ashlie cut him off angrily. The male turned his gaze to his female friend. "And why not?" He asked with a natural tone of voice. "You haven't learned anything from your fight with me." Tommy responded before Ashlie could speak. Cory raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the blond.

"And what should I have learned?" He asked. "Because you don't know the pain and hardship of being a toy for her deeds." Tommy replied, his voice deadly calm. He had recovered from his shock and now seemed to be very angry. Nick clenched his fists and looked over at Ashlie. She looked back at him steadily. He was losing control already, she could tell by the look in his eyes. "Cory, it's not as simple as just willing yourself to be free." Nick spoke without breaking eye contact with Ashlie. "It's not just your body being stolen-it's also your will." He added.

Cory seemed surprised by the male's words. He couldn't have begun to comprehend what he was saying, but he could tell by the urgency in the brunette's tone that he was serious. "Then how do we help you?" He asked finally. "Cut it off at the source." Tommy replied. Ashlie broke eye contact with Nick and looked over at her friend. UNi watched him. He seemed to have been able to push her away, his brown eyes still reflecting tiny specks of bright blue.

Nick went silent and looked at the ground, intentionally avoiding Cory's gaze. He had to remain calm or the Siren would take control again, but the guilt clawing at his heart was so immense he could barely breathe. He knew that if he thought about all the terrible things he did, he would surely lose control, but he couldn't block the images from his mind. His breath hitched, when he thought of how he had choked Ashlie until she had nearly passed out.

Ashlie looked over at the brunette, reaching her hand out to his. Cory coughed to break the silence. He wanted to speak up, but seemed hesitant to actually say it. Nick raised his eyebrows at the blond, quietly urging him to speak. Cory ambled over to the group, holding a hand out to steady himself. He settled himself onto the dirt and breathed out.

"What did you want to say, Cory?" Nick asked. "What happened while I was unconscious?" He asked after a slight pause. Nick hesitated. "I was the Siren's puppet." He responded as he placed his right hand over his left wrist, squeezing it. "I kinda figured. What else?" He asked. Nick bit his lip.

"The Siren sent me to follow you guys and we found you. I managed to gain enough control to speak to Ashlie, but not enough to control my movements... I stabbed her." He spoke. Ashlie put her hand over his. Cory raised his brows. UNi's eyes widened. "So that's what happened?" He questioned. Ashlie nodded. "You saw the rest of it." Nick answered. Tommy sat forward, his brown eyes sparkling.

Cory shook his head. "I didn't, though." He intervened. Ashlie and Nick broke out in smiles. "Ashlie kissed me to help me break free from her hold. I patched you and Ashlie up and we headed over here to help Tommy." Nick explained. Cory ran a hand through his matted blond hair. It was thick with sweat and dirt and was sticking together in clumps. "I need a shower..." He mumbled. Ashlie giggled. "We all do, Cor." Tommy nodded, his gaze straying to the left of them, towards the house.

"The Siren is getting restless. I can tell." He spoke up. The four looked over at the blond. "How do you know?" UNi asked. Tommy shook his head. "You can feel it too, can't you Nick?" He asked instead. Nick blinked slowly. "I do." Ashlie noticed that Nick was walking around without his glasses. She felt at her pocket. "Do you want your glasses back, Nick?" She asked as she dug the object out of her pocket. Nick looked over at her, a smile spreading across his lips. "You found them?" He asked. She nodded. "I've had them since you were first taken." She responded. He reached out to take them, pausing with his hand outstretched.

"She's coming back." He spoke quickly, reaching for his outstretched hand. "She's going to take control again if she comes back." He said in a panic. His rich brown eyes were wide. Tommy looked over at the generator. "Let's at least get this generator done before we get out of here." He said. UNi nodded. "It's almost done, so it shouldn't take long." UNi, Tommy, and Ashlie moved over to the generator and worked on it while Cory tugged at his shirt impatiently. Nick paced back and forth, his hands clenching and unclenching as he walked. Ashlie looked over at the two and furrowed her brows. This group will be in need of some serious TLC after the ordeal. She could tell that Nick was struggling for control, not only of his emotions, but of his body. She would have to talk to him when she had the chance.

"Will you ever have the chance, though?"