This Might Hurt A Little-A Dallas Winston Fanfiction

Drowning On Dry Land

Your nightmares follow you like a shadow, forever.-Aleksander Hemon, The Lazarus Project

Johnny and Dallas fell asleep that night only a couple minutes later, with Dallas laying against my shoulder and Johnny near my feet. My back was starting to hurt and I wanted to get up and crawl into my own bed but, I couldn't bare away to move from away from them. Dallas was snoring ever so slightly and looked more calm than he had in a while. And I didn't want to be the reason he woke up from that. The dark circles that had permanently etched themselves into his face seemed to fade with his eyes closed, overcome by sleep.

Around 3 AM Dallas started doing some strange movements in his sleep, his fists tightening and then relaxing. What I wasn't ready for, and neither was Johnny, was Dallas screaming bloody murder. Johnny shot up so fast he nearly smashed his head into the back of the chair.

"What's wrong with him?" Johnny shouted, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

"He's having a nightmare." I knew it as soon as it started.

I looked at Dallas, who was sweating something fierce. His eyes were shut tight, and I almost thought he was going to give himself a heart attack from how far his veins were sticking out of his neck. I grabbed his shoulders, thinking that was as good of plan as any, and shook him twice, hard. His eyes snapped open instantly with a wild look in them. He tried shoving me off in his confusion but, I held on so tightly it had to be painful.

"It's okay, you're awake." I told him, putting my hands up to his face.

He stared at me, his pupils dilating back and forth, fighting whatever demon was in his mind. Finally, he broke eye contact and looked down at the floorboards, trying to gain control of his breathing. Looking back on it, I think he was just too confused to be mad at us for seeing him like that.

"Dal? You okay?" Johnny asked, his voice and body shaking worse than ever.

Everyone in the gang knew to be quiet around Johnny. Don't tease him too much. Don't sneak up on him. Don't surprise him, basically. But, there was no warning for Dallas having that nightmare and that had rattled Johnny right down to the bone. 

Dallas didn't answer for few seconds, and then looked up at Johnny, stony expression on his face, "Yeah. Sorry for scaring you Johnnycake."

"Aw, I wasn't that scared." Johnny said, trying to play it off but, neither Dallas or I believed it for a second.

I'd noticed that Dallas hadn't let go of my hand yet, but what was I supposed to do? Just yank my hand out of the barely awake, very distraught and damaged teenage kid? Suddenly, Dallas stood up, threw his jacket over his shoulders and backed up into the wall, "I've got to get out of here."

"What?" Johnny and I said at the same time.

"I've got to go. I'll find somewhere, I can't stay here." Dallas shook his head one last time, a conflicted expression coming across his facial features.

He took one step towards me, and then a step back, and bolted straight out the door. Johnny and I both shot up to watch him go. He sprinted underneath the lamp posts in the darkness but, there was still enough light to catch his silhouette for me to be able to tell that he looked back this time.