Nightmare

108 1 0
                                    

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured here.

"No!"

That scream was what first woke Wybie from his sleep. Instincts he honed all summer long kicked in first, and at first he thought that some creature had broken into the Shack and had begun making a mess of the place. However, as his vision came into focus, the room was still dark, quiet, and nothing looked out of place. He began to think he imagined that scream, or heard it in a dream, when he heard a whimper, and heavy breathing, and the rustling of bed sheets coming from the bed on the other side of the room.

Wybie jumped out of bed and crossed the room in an instant.

Coraline tossed and turned, her breaths short and ragged, mumbling words that Wybie couldn't make out. The sheets of her bed were strewn about, looking like they were soaked in sweat. Wybie had seen Coraline like this only once before. He hated it then, and he hated it just as much now.

Wybie grabbed both of her shoulders and started shaking her.

"Coraline! Coraline, wake up! Come on, Coraline! Coraline!"

Wybie stepped away as Coraline jumped awake with a gasp. Her eyes were wild for a few seconds, searching around in the dark until her gaze met Wybie's.

"W-Wybie...?" Her eyes narrowed. She looked down, at herself and her messy bed, then around, at the room still barely illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window. "H-how-? Y-you... where-?"

Fear suddenly filled her eyes, and she began to scramble unsteadily off of her bed. "Th-the others! We gotta go, we gotta-!"

Wybie grabbed Coraline by the shoulders again, trying his best to hold her down. "Coraline, everything's fine!" he quickly blurted out. "You were dreaming! It's just a dream! Just a- just..."

Coraline gradually stopped pushing to leave her bed. Her rapid breathing slowed as realization of what's happening dawned on her. Wybie breathed out in relief. He wouldn't be able to hold her down for long.

"Just a nightmare, Coraline. Just a nightmare."

Wybie was caught off-guard when Coraline's eyes began to water, and she suddenly pulled him into a hug. A tight, crushing hug. He could feel her nails digging into his back. He nearly pulled away, until he noticed Coraline trembling, and he noticed liquid beginning to soak the clothing on his shoulder.

"Y-you and th-the others... she... she was..."

Wybie resolved to stay like this, hugging her, for as long as she needed.

"It's fine, Coraline. Everything's fine," he spoke, over and over again, and he would've said it as many times as she needed to hear it.

Eventually, Coraline pulled away. She sniffed, trying to get her breathing under control, hastily rubbing away any remaining tears. Wybie quietly sat down at the foot of the bed. His shoulder was completely soaked, and he could feel a few lines on his back that now throbbed with dull pain, but he paid them no mind at the moment. What mattered now was Coraline, and how she averted her gaze when he looked at her, like she's embarrassed or something.

The two sat in silence for a while, with Coraline breathing in and out to calm herself, which was kind of awkward, but also kind of good, because it left him free to wonder what he should to help Coraline calm down. The first thing that came to mind was to bundle up her in blankets, which he did do, and which Coraline mumbled something in reply, but she said it so low that he couldn't make out what was said, so Wybie just guessed it's probably a thank you.

When You're a Mystery KidWhere stories live. Discover now