Cynophobia

☠₁₆☠

I was back in the school. A Cynoid rounded the corner and lunged at the girl running in the front of the panicked hallway of kids. Her screams of terror were cut short when the Cynoid hit her jugular.

I grabbed Rose's hand and went to a smaller hallway. I knew it was a nightmare, I had this one many times. My first encounter with the Cynoids.

Someone was laying in the hallway, this was new. The hallway was empty when me and Rose really escaped. They looked up when we approached, their throat drenched in blood and their arm missing. It was a girl in my math class, Ana I think her name was. Her eyes were black, she looked terrified. She reached out to me, "Don't leave us!"

I shook my head and continued for the roof. "This is just a nightmare, it's just a nightmare."

I looked left to see a pack of Cynoids wolfing down some students they just killed. I veered right for the ladder. I could hear Rose trying to muffle her sniffling behind me. I couldn't have gone back for anyone, I would have been caught, right? At this moment in time, all I cared about was getting Rose and myself to safety, saving the rest of my school didn't cross my mind.

I made Rose go first, we both climbed the ladder quickly. Below I could hear the frustrated growls of the Cynoids we barely avoided. We pushed the hatch open and climbed out onto the roof. This was where my nightmare usually ended.

But this time it didn't.

I pushed the hatch down when were were safely on the roof. I looked around, the plank with the nail in it and the crowbar were laying there. It was exactly how I remembered it. But there was one more thing.

A woman with black hair was laying on the ground, crying. I looked at Rose, she looked back at me. I walked over to her and touched her shoulder, forgetting that she was just a creation of my imagination. "Are you okay? You should be safe up here, they can't climb ladders."

She turned to me, I recognized her right away. "Mom? I whispered. A second later, her pale white skin was drenched in blood. She reached for me, but her long arm turned into a cut off stub. "Cynthia... why did you leave us in the city to die?"

I fell to my knees, crying. "I couldn't save you... I could barely save myself... You left dad and went to Japan, I can't get to you."

A bloody hand held my mother's shoulder. I looked up, it was my father. His blonde hair was dyed crimson with blood. He had five scars that crossed his face, like a Cynoid raked its claw along it. "Cynthia, why did you abandon us? Why did you run?" His blue eyes rolled back into his head. "You left us all to die."

I sobbing uncontrollably now on my knees. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. We couldn't go back for anyone, we could only run away."

"Cynthia," my father said.

I didn't look up.

"Cynthia," the voice said again, more urgent this time.

I looked up. When I did, I was laying on my back in a dark room. I screamed when I saw my father's blue eyes staring at me. I tried to kick him away. "I'm sorry! I didn't want to leave you!"

I was grabbed, my arms were restrained to keep me from shoving the nightmares away. "Calm down, you're awake. It's me, Vincent."

I looked up, tears still in my eyes. I forgot how similar Vincent looked to my father. He released his grip on me. "You were shaking and talking in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare about Liam's brothers?" He got off of me, looking at me from his side.