Turn Out The Lights

Dreams Do Come True

I woke up on the ground, covered in dirt and feeling warm as the sun enveloped me in a blanket of light. I stood and searched the horizon for whatever I was supposed to do, but it was just desert for miles around. I heard something quiet, so I stopped moving, and just listened. A voice called out to me. I couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from, or where I could go to find it. All I heard was my name, over and over again. I walked forward for what seemed like an hour, and then suddenly the ground gave out below me. I fell into a burrow. I looked around and saw a huge owl, tending to what looked like her owlets. I heard the voice again, but much clearer this time. Still, it only called my name. The owls looked thoroughly frightened, and they huddled around me. I stroked one of them to calm it down, but suddenly they all started hissing, trying to ward off an oncoming predator.

I looked around their burrow to find the cause of their agitation and realized there was a coffin on the other side. It started smoking, and the mama and I looked at each other. We began hoisting her babies out of the burrow before she jumped out. She looked to me and seemed to be begging me to hurry, but the voice called again. I turned to the casket and watched the smoke now pouring out of it. I pushed the mama away, and she nipped at my hand before calling to me loudly. I pulled my shirt over my face and ignored her pleas, walking slowly towards the casket. I put my hand on it to try to open it, and we both burst into flames. The casket burned away in seconds, leaving behind Octavius' burning body.

It smelled like burning rotted flesh, and I turned to leave, but he grabbed me. He pulled me back to him, still calling my name. I looked at him, now choking on the smoke and the smell. He pulled me and dragged me closer to him. He grabbed onto my shoulders and held me close enough that I could see his flesh melting off of his face. I turned and gagged, trying not to let my nerves get the best of me. He clawed at my arms, insisting that my death was the only way to fix the damage I'd caused. Soon, my arms were gone, and he pulled me closer to him, puckering up what was left of his lips. I flapped my wings, trying my hardest to create as much space as possible. The flames spread around the burrow. I heard the Mama and her babies calling out to me again, but this time it sounded like the mother was hissing and the babies were calling for backup.

I turned to Octavius, begging for my life and theirs, "Please, they need me. I can't help you anymore, I've already tried. Please let me go, I have to get back to them!" I felt the tears leaving my eyes and turning to steam on my cheeks, and I used all my strength to try to get away from him. He grabbed a fist full of my hair and dragged me down, trying to line up our lips while I screamed, begging whatever god that was watching to make him let me go.

I gasped for air and bolted upright, throwing off the man who'd apparently cuddled up to me at some point during the night. He mumbled something about me being an asshole and making him cold. I ignored him and stuck my arms out, checking to make sure they were still there before feeling my face and wiping off what I could of the tears that had rolled down my cheeks. I reached for my phone to see what time it was, only to realize it was dead and had probably died a long time ago. I let out an exasperated sigh and dropped my head into my hands, trying to steady my breath as much as I could. He'd started mumbling about me cuddling him and then pushing him away, and I decided I could use some air. I stood up and pulled up my hair, and upon realizing I didn't have a hair tie, threw my useless phone onto the floor officially destroying it. Aizawa sat up, mumbling some form of soft apology to me, but all I could hear was my heart still bruising my rib cage with it's beating.

I looked around the room, feeling like it was closing in on me. I left the room and jogged outside into their yard, collapsing into the grass and trying not to hyperventilate. I rolled onto my back, trying my hardest to count my breaths like Jessica's told me a million times. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. In for four, hold for seven, this shit is stupid for eight. I'm a hero for four. Adults don't function like this for seven. I can't fucking live like this for eight. This isn't working for four... I sat up, figuring that I could rationalize myself out of it. There's nothing wrong, I'm perfectly fine. Octavius is dead and won't come out of a fucking casket and kill me. He would never kill me, even if he wasn't dead. I pulled my legs into my chest and looked up at the stars, trying not to think about how it looked like the night in the observatory again. I heard someone call my name, and I jumped. I tried not to shake as I turned but by the look of the face of the man in the door, it wasn't working out so well.