Once Upon a Living Nightmare

Memory Lane Burning Part 2: Trapped with No Where to Go...

  "It was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. It took my breath away when I saw it, sitting there on the shelf. I can't believe he put the time and thought into making it complete. It must have taken him weeks to get it right, there were even several different failed attempts in the basement. But that just makes it all the more precious to me, to know that he did everything he could to make sure the last one, the important one, came out perfect."- Noodle's Journal

  For two days 2D didn't move from his bed, he barely moved in his bed. It was like his body had shut down, as if none of his muscles worked anymore. It felt like he was choking; their just was no catching his breath, and his chest and throat felt heavy. He wanted to cough, no he needed to cough, but no cough came. Whatever was in his throat was stuck there. His head was swimming and crashing all at the same time. He couldn't focus, he couldn't think, he just lay there numb.

  When he was awake it was like a blank slate, no thoughts at all. Everything seemed so distant, there was someone talking far away, or were they singing? To 2D it was just blurred together noise from somewhere in the distance. A neighbor perhaps? Someone down the street? Sounded like it was coming through a mile of water. Someone down on the beach maybe? His years of doing hard drugs had developed a little bit of a 'high instinct' of sorts. Naturally when high if he were laying down, turning on his side was the go to. This caused him to stare at his window sill the whole time.

   When asleep however, he was trapped with the man in the cold room. With the air freezing; twinkling like glitter, he thought his tongue would freeze. But the man seemed to be completely unaffected by it. How long had he been here? And how is he still alive? These were questions 2D needed answered but just couldn't find it in himself to ask, like the words were stuck to the side of his throat.

  "You have much on your mind Stuart, I can feel it. You wish to ask who I am, again. You want to know why you are here? But you have asked these questions, and you have not accepted my answers" the chained man said coyly. "I have shown you one possible answer, perhaps it's time to show you a few more?"

  "Wot do yew mean?" As soon as the words left 2D's lips he was no longer in the glittery frozen room. Instead, he stood in his room back at Kong Studios; not from after their return, but well before their first departure. It was a wreck as all of his rooms had been. No surprise there 2D didn't guess. After all it was a touch difficult to keep the place tidy when his head was swimming with either drugs, music or the perfume lingering that belonged to his darling....

  Hold on a minute, this was Kong, he and Noodle weren't romantically involved yet, she didn't even wear perfume then. Then that can only mean it was Paula's, and if this was anything like the last time he was in a frozen memory, then this was bad. But she was never in any danger here, sure there were a few ghoulies lurking, however Murdoc typically walked with her to....oh....

  It was this memory. It was this day. He looked out the window expecting to see Russel throwing Paula to the curb and beating the hell out of Murdoc. But there was no Paula on her ass with her clothes half off, nor a bleeding Murdoc. There was no rampaging Russel coming to his defense. Maybe it hasn't happened yet, maybe he can stop it before. With this thought, 2D ran down the stairs to the basement toilets to try to head them off. 

  When 2D got to the door he could hear them, it was too late. The moans of Paula and the grunts from Murdoc grew louder with each second, buzzing like a wornout light, getting louder and louder till it was swarming across the inside of his skull and into his eyes. The longer he went, not able to pry his hand away from the doorknob, the louder it got, and the sadder he got. Then the sadness pooled in the bag of his throat like bile, going rancid and stagnating. The pool festered into a new feeling, a new emotion. Rage. Pure, innocent and unadulterated lividity. He had been mad and angry before but this felt like he was holding ten thousand volts in his hands, he was a live wire waiting to arc.

  With that 2D threw the door open and charged in to crush both of them beneath his feet, but was met with a swarm of flies. He could barely see the two of them sitting there, motionless like dolls. The swarm filled the room and didn't give an inch.  The two just sat there, like puppets with no masters, smiling at 2D without any light in their eyes. The swarm became denser and denser, swallowing 2D in a miasma. Then it was cold, still black, but cold. Had the flies suffocated him? Was he dead? 

  The flies swirled for a few more seconds and began to fall. Shattering on the ground like glass. He was back in  the cold frozen room with the chained man. His arms were heavy and there was an obvious lack of energy. 2D was getting tired and his throat was getting sore. It felt as if he had been screaming for hours. Had the flies scared him that much that he had screamed without knowing it? 2D was pretty good at remembering when he screamed, so he doubted it. He thought he heard someone screaming in the distance. Through the water, pounding on something. Was it a new band practicing on the beach?

   He opened his eyes to watch the day pass him again. He felt so weak, and hungry, and cold. But for the life of him he couldn't find the will to get a blanket. But there was that lovely singing again, from the distance. Through the water it came, like a symphony on the waves, a melody of rainfall. It was oddly soothing, getting louder but farther away. As night fell he was taken up by another dream of the chained man.

  As 2D stood before, him the chained man did something new. He closed his eyes.  With a heavy sigh he said " I don't think you are quite ready Stuart. We have been here for hours and you have stood like a scarecrow. Clearly you must figure out how to move into the next part on your own."

  Hours? 2D could have sworn he had just gotten there. Had he really lost hours? How coul WAKE UP 2D! with just a few seconds? Is the chained man asleep? Why isn't he TOOCHI YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! and he still hasn't told me who he is? 

  "Who I am Stuart? My name is Pr OI, FACEACHE! and with that 2D was awake. His head was splitting like a chord of firewood, and standing on his right was a towering Russel holding a wet rag in one hand and in the other was Murdoc. Speaking of whom, was busy trying to get out of Russ' grasp while hitting the large man with a....cattle prod? Noodle was now on top of him with a deeply concerned look in her eyes. She was muttering something meant for only 2D as she looked back and forth at his eyes, but it was lost over the sounds of the other two fighting. But 2D didn't care, he simply wrapped his arms around Noodle, held her close, and smiled as he drifted back of to sleep. This time, it was perfect.

A/N: Sorry it's been a few days. Work is running me ragged and when I'm not at work, I'm asleep. Besides that I needed the right tempo to write and I tried a few times, but only got a sentence each time if I were lucky. But I was laying in bed and I dunno, it felt like the mood was there. So when my fingers hit the keys, it all just kind of fell into place as I went. Anyway, hope you are all still enjoying the story. May take advantage of the upswing and put another one out tonight. If you think it's deserving give it a vote and through a follow my way to keep updated. Keep the comments positive, and as always, happy reading.