Nightmares Within Me

Night 3 Part 2

As I sat and remembered things about each of the people sitting there, whether it be memories or feelings I couldn't help but think, though I knew I was going to see something bad happen, that everything was going to be ok. I watched them talk and laugh and play around, Ryder finding that they could indeed stand up and move. He got up and began running around and dancing and being a moron, and soon enough ran towards me, and the barrier. I yelled, knowing he wouldn't hear me, warning him there was a barrier but it did nothing and he ran straight into it, getting knocked on his ass. Everyone else stopped to look before breaking out in fits of laughter and getting up to follow him and look at the barrier. Lillian came up to it and put her hand on it. I put my hand up to match hers and watched as nothing happened. Soon enough everyone was walking away, that's when I noticed something. At first, i played it off as my eyes messing with me until I realized everyone else saw it too. Caitlyn, she was becoming more transparent as minutes passed by. I had no idea what was going on and soon she fell to the ground. Everyone rushed forward and was panicking as they tried to do something. No one knew what to do, they had never seen this happen and neither had I, so we all sat helplessly and watched as she slowly vanished. It was weird to me. I thought that maybe she was safe now, that she wouldn't have to go through what I knew was in store for the group and I was happy until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

" They are going to have no idea what to do now. This might get entertaining watching them all run around like chickens with their heads cut off," Caitlyn said as she sat beside me. I gawked and looked from where I had just seen her to where she was beside me now.

" What is going on? I thought you would be safe?" I said as I kept looking between the two locations. SHe simply laughed, a light and carefree laugh I had heard so many times.

" I am now. You know none of this is real, you know everyone in that field is safe at home," she said that but something in the sentence caught my attention.

" You say everyone in that field, why are you on this side of the barrier then?" I asked as I looked at her questioningly.

" I passed away. I'm no longer alive so I no longer need a place here," she said. If you thought seeing the shit with Ryder was bad or knowing that they were in this nightmare it is nothing compared to knowing your friend is gone in the real world.

" Then why are you on this side. Shouldn't you just have gone?" I said

" Hey, where's the fun in that. I wanna see them act like idiots still. Plus it's a nightmare, I'm here to help you through it. I don't have to abide by the rules of the living anymore so I can basically do whatever. So I'm here to help. You're not alone now," she said with a smile. This would be the only way I ever see her anymore and so I was going to make the most of it.

" God were all going to miss you, but thanks for being here," she simply smiled and we watched the group recover and continue to be idiots. It was also then I realized Nathan had moved, again, and this time was closer to the group. Moving further into the field. I pointed it out to Cat and she said she had seen him while in the field but said nothing as no one else saw him. We had both been keeping tabs on him when something hit me.

" Try to pass through the barrier," I said. If she no longer abided by the rules theoretically she could pass through. My idea was cut off when her hand stopped flat on the wall. We sighed and I fell back to lay on my back. That's when it happened. After three days of waiting, it finally came.

I heard an earth-shattering sound, like a bomb being detonated. I simply sighed and threw my hands up and yelled. It was finally making an appearance and it had to be now, of all times. I sat up and looked at Cat. She was looking at it strangely and looking at me and how I reacted. I simply said I'd explain later. As I had expected it had changed. It now looked about the normal side of a human with all the attributes and limbs, except the face was the same, and it's claws now scrapped the ground as it walked. I shuddered as it walked up to the group and they were completely oblivious to its presence. I watched everyone and looked to see that they had some type of reaction but all that I saw from anyone was them still being idiots. It was only when it past Austin did I see a reaction, though as small as it was I saw. He straightened and began looking around. The group stopped and looked at him. She motioned to be quiet and move towards him slowly. It was then I realized something I hadn't before. It was blind. It relies on smell. It had no ears to hear, but could still hear just not as well but the second I saw how it smelt them I began making plan after plan. Snakes use their tongues to smell and navigate and find where they were. It flicked it's tongue out and it reminded me of a snake. It never did this in the other room because it always knew where Ryder was thanks to the chains. The chains hitting each other was like echolocation for the thing. It was using the sounds of the chains to navigate, now it had no chains and because everyone was listening to Austin, who by some way bestowed upon him by the gods, knew it was here and they were being quiet. There were so many scents that it was having trouble but the second it picked up on one it turned. Nathan. Nathan was pale as a ghost when I looked over. He could see it. He began slowly backing into the tree line when he stopped and smirked. He was looking directly at me. He could see me. He laughed a little and began walking towards the thing.

" Nathan what are you doing?! Get back!" I yelled and he simply looked at me and winked, that wicked smirk still on his face. He walked right up to the thing and began speaking.

" I'm here to help you," he said. The thing looked to where Nathan was and smiled, the same smile that I see every time I close my eyes. I shot to my feet, "Your brother is here! You bastard!" I screamed. He looked at me, then Cat and she nodded in my peripheral. She put her hand on my shoulder and willed to sit.

" I know it looks bad, but you need to trust him Raelyn," she said. I was pissed and had no idea what I was going to do but I was going to kill him. He was going to die. He was the only one I didn't mind the creature touching. He would die a slow and painful death and I would smile as I watched him scream. It was going to be his end, " Trust him Raelyn, trust that he knows what he's doing," she said. If it was coming from anyone else I would have said screw that, but Cat was here with me because she was no longer with us outside of this nightmare.

" Fine, but it doesn't mean I'm happy, he's putting everyone at risk," I said as I glared as Nathan and made sure he saw it.

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Hey guys. Sorry, this chapter took so long, it was hard to write about until now. But I was wondering if anyone would mind suggesting something to call the "creature" because im getting tired of calling it that. If not that's cool but it would be much appreciated. Thanks and hope you liked this chapter.

-E