oc preferences ( #1 ) [ COMPLETE ]

dream killer ~ harper

harper herron was in sixth grade when she first heard the story of the dream killer, she was in social studies, and they were talking about famous serial killers in history with the teacher.

~

"ted bundy!" one girl called, humming. "my mum was watching a documentary about him a few days ago."

miss fitzgerald nodded, "ted bundy was a very famous serial killer, yes, i think they're making a new documentary on him now..aren't they?"

"my mum said they are." harper shrugged.

"zodiac killer!" a boy called out, miss fitzgerald nodding again.

"oh, that was a big one. they never caught him." she sighed.

"the dream killer." a boy hummed from the back of the class, "i think that one was just a myth, though."

"the dream killer himself was a myth, we all know nothing like that could ever happen in real life..but there was a killer on the loose when that myth was made." miss fitzgerald nodded, "i think it was the forest behind the seavey manor that all the children were found in?"

"it was," he nodded, "i remember finding newspapers about it in my dad's basement."

"what's the dream killer?" harper asked, looking up, earning gasps.

"you don't know who the dream killer is?!" they gasped.

harper shrugged.

miss fitzgerald got up, "well, during the time, a lot of children were going missing. some of their bodies were found, one being anna seavey..or persephone sanders, i remember reading about one..deja..oh, what was her last name? i'm not too sure, but deja, that girl wasn't found." the woman sighed, "well, the dream killer was a myth made my children to scare each other. i believe it was, "don't fall asleep, he'll catch you in your dreams-" oh..what else?" she paused, before nodding again. "don't fall asleep, he'll catch you in your dreams. no awakening from these nightmare-ish things, he'll take you down to the seavey forest, leave you for dead..no more..turning?" she shook her head, "i can't remember all of it, but it was a song the children used to sing to each other." 

harper furrowed her eyebrows, "what..so he was a myth about a guy that killed you in your dreams and then took you to a forest?"

"well, he was made because during the time a lot of kids that stayed out late were disappearing and turning up deceased, the children didn't know how to react, so they made a song about it."

~

harper walked in, her backpack slung over her shoulder, humming quietly.

the tune caught phoenix's attention, the girls eyes widening, "what're you humming, harper?"

"well, in social studies we learned about killers, auntie phoenix." harper hummed, "and one kid brought up some guy called the dream killer-"

the name itself caught rosa's attention, the girl choking on her air, and then playing it off as coughing.

"and apparently the kids in the neighborhood used to sing it to each other."

"don't fall asleep, he'll catch you in your dreams. no awakening from these nightmare-ish things, he'll take you down to the seavey forest, leave you for dead..no more torture." phoenix nodded, biting the inside of her cheek tightly, "i remember it."

"it happened when you were alive, phee?" harper furrowed her eyebrows.

"what did?" zach hummed.

"the dream killer!"

zach stared at harper, "he's not real, harper."

"i know that, dad." she giggled, "miss fitzgerald told us he was a myth, said there was a real killer, but he never got caught." she shrugged, "i think he's dead now, i mean, no one's disappearing, are they?" she smiled, going back to humming the song.

~

it was years later, and it was halloween. harper had trapped anastasia in a hallway that she had made dark, all the doors in the hallway boarded up. anastasia couldn't see a thing. "don't fall asleep, he'll catch you in your dreams." harper sung slowly, anastasia shaking her head quickly.

"nonono, harper, you know i hate that song!" she whimpered, looking around.

"no awakening from these nightmare-ish things." harper hummed, next to anastasia. 

the girl couldn't see a thing, and she was terrified of the dark, she whimpered again, trying her best to not cry. "he'll take you down to the seavey forest.."

"leave you for dead," harper whispered into anastasia's ear, "no more torture!" harper yelled, grabbing anastasia and earning a scream from the older girl.

harper laughed, grabbing her stomach and turning the lights on.

"harper paris rose herron!" meadow snapped, seeing the tears streaking down anastasia's face.

harper's face fell, frowning, "ana- i'm sorry, i didn't know you were that scared of it." she murmured, rubbing her arm.

"you know you're not allowed to sing that song, let alone make the damn hallways all dark!" phoenix huffed.

zach bit his lip, staring at harper. "for a minute i thought she was gonna like seeing anastasia cry." he whispered to anna as harper jogged up to her room.

"not everyone's ryan, zachy, she just likes scaring people.." anna murmured, wrapping her arms around anastasia.