The Smallest Knight

Nightmare

Sometimes Neal gets haunted by the past, very few moments a flashback will get triggers. The cause ranges from seeing a woman looking identical to Molly, his abusive mother, or another parent publicly disciplined a child. Neal's has a major anxiety attack one time he saw a woman who look like Molly, he doesn't remember much. When flashbacks strike he completely blacks out of reality, few moments later he'll come back and what he sees completely shakes his core. Finn always looks terrified, as if Neal done a horrible crime, other people also would look terrified. Finn says Neal changes, he became angry, scared and violent. It happens once at a store, but they no longer talk about it. Neal hopes whatever the flashbacks are, they would disappear. He only one had episode, perhaps Neal's finally over that weird episode. Neal hasn't lost his cool since few months ago, but at home when the teen falls asleep things are terrible. Lately, he's been having dreadful nightmares which make him waking up screaming bloody murder. Neal keeps telling Finn they are about his dads car accident, except the truth is the nightmares are of Molly. Each dream starts out Neal at home, he'll be completely be alone on his old couch. Until the front door opens, entering is Molly. Neal tried running, yet he never moves. Molly would get close, first she wrapped one hand around her sons throat tightly. The other hand rises in the hand violently beating Neal, the nightmare feels endless. But that's not the worst type of dream he has, one other haunts him. One which he'll never talk about when awake, the nightmare which he loses the one thing Neal cares about the most.
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Neal's walking down a long hallway lighted by two lamps at the end of the hall. Pictures of Finn and Neal hang on the wall, however Finn's not a giant; he's normal human size but still taller than his brother. Neal glances at a picture, he and Finn are standings by a large open lake. Neal looks bored wearing a life jacket, Finn's smiling brightly one arm wrapped the kid, and he's also holding a fishing pool that has a freshly caught fish handing off the end. Neal hates fishing, but Finn desperately wanted to have a brother bonding day when they first met. The younger brother agreed and so they ended up fishing. As Neal continues looking at each picture they all start showing Neal smiling more and more. There's one with Neal and Finn taking a silly selfie at the bookstore, their trip to the beach, day at the movie theater and when they tried baking a cake. "Neal! Neal, where the heck are you!" Finn's voice echos, Neal swings around seeing no one in sight. "Neal! Dude I'm at the lichen!" Finn shouts, Neal follows the voice. At the end of the hall is a small stair case heading downward, he follows them and is taking to another hallway. One large arch leads into the living, another arch way on the left connected to the kitchen. Delicious pancakes smells fills the entire air, the teen is lead to the kitchen. The rooms wide, large long counter, and a round table with two wooden seats. Finn's at the counter flipping pancakes, "Hey bud! Want some food?" Finn asked. "Nah, not really hungry." Neal replies. "Shame, worked really hard making breakfast! Guess more for me!" Finn cheers, he slips four huge pancakes onto a plate. "Ewww, are you gonna eat all of those?!" Finn's little brother ask, he's questioned answers once Finn starts eating them like a animal. "Use a napkin please." Neal begs, Finn smirked having syrup drip his chin. "Wanna see a movie today?" Finn asked wiping off his mouth. "Sure, not a scary movie though!" Neal replies. "Why? Too chicken?!" Finn jokes. "No, I hate horror movies because their stupid. No real plot, lame characters, bad acting, and cheap jump-AAAAAAH!" Neal's tossed over Finn's shoulder, he immediately began smacking the older brothers back demanding to let go. "What about jump scares?! God, your really light! Definitely should eat more so you can be muscular and in shape like me!" Finn said. "What muscle? Your super fat, flabby as a whale!" Neal laughed loudly. "Shut up bro!" Finn dropped Neal, he began ticking Neal ribs. "HAHAHAHHA! FINN PLEASE STOP! I SURRENDER!" Neal giggles. "Never kiddo! I won't stop unless ya admit I'm not a whale!" Finn said. "HAHAHHA, FINE YOUR NOT A WHALE!" Neal shouted, Finn finally let his brother go. "Your such a giant jerk." Neal chuckled. "And your a little dork." Finn ruffled Neal's hair. Their laughers interrupted by knocking at the front door. "Wonder who's here? Be back in a second kid." When Finn spoke, Neal's became uneasy. Almost as if Finn said something identical before. In fact, the whole scene feels oddly familiar. He waits for Finn's return, pure silence sits until a loud boom echoes and a huge thud followed. "Finn?! What's happening?" Neal shouts, but no one responds. "Finn?!" Neal screams again, still no answer. He runs into the living room, Neal screams of pure horror after seeing Finn down on the floor bleeding out of chest. "FINN!" Neal cries, he kneel close to the big brother.  A bullet hole has gone straight through Finn's chest. Stop bleeding!" He sobs, Neal places both hands over the open wound; soon his own hands are covered by blood. "GET UP PLEASE!" Neal cries even harder. "Neal...run..." Finn weakly demands taking one last breathe. "NO! Stay with me! I'm afraid being alone." Neal whimpers hugging Finn's lifeless body. "Oh darling, you'll not alone. Mommy's right here, and she's not going anywhere." A hand softly rubs his backs, Neal quietly gasp and shakes terribly. "Neal, highly rude not giving mommy a hug." The voice hissed, Neal doesn't want to turn around, if he sees her it means she back. Yet, Neal faces her, she's holding a gun and her shirt covered by Finn's blood. "Stay the hell away!" He screams scooting away, she gets angry and slaps the gun across his face. "Swearings never appropriate darling. Mommy's very sad, her baby left." She overdramatized crying. "Y...y...you left me mom." Neal nervously stutters. "Quit the back talking or you'll join Finn." Molly threatens. "Oh what the hell? I'll grow tired talking care of a ungrateful, annoying, overdramatic, emotional wreck, little shit who's the death of so many lives." She points the gun at him. "I haven't killed anyone!" Be cries out. "Neal, if you never told Finn about the abuse, I never would never arrive and forced to shoot anyone!." Neal's horrified seeing several Knight family members bodies lying around them; each having bulled wounds. "Their dead because of you Neal. Your the real murderer, a overwhelming burden whom hurts anyone who actually loves you. Chris, Finn, Ingrid, Mike, and the others are dead because Neal's a baby! How does it feel knowing each person could still be alive if not for you?! Don't worry, you won't live with that guilt for very long." Neal's sobbing, her words sting. Suddenly the bodies start moving. "You...killed...us." Finn's corpse growls, his skins decaying and blood oozing from the shot wound. "Why Neal?! Though we were family!" Ingrid snarled. "I'm sorry! I never met to kill anyone!" Neal sobs curling into a ball and closing his eyes. "Sorry's not good enough!" Finn grabs Neal's shoulders holding him up. The teen keeps his eyes shut. "OPEN YOUR EYES! SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" Neal shakes his no, Finn squeezes tighter where his brother can feel horrible pain. "OPEN THEM DAMMIT!" Neal cracks, the sight before him is the entire Knight family who are now terrifying, dreadful zombies. "NOOOO! NOOO!"
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"NEAL! BUDDY WAKE UP!" Finn pokes a sleeping Neal, finally his brother jolts up from bed and spews vomit down his shirt. "FINN! SHE KILLED YOU! SHE KILLED YOU AND EVERYONE!" He immediately breaks down clutching Finn's finger. "Shhhh...shhhhh. I'm okay Neal." Finn takes the stains shirt off, and than holds Neal closely against his big chest. "Please...don't leave me..." Finn can feel the kid shaking, Neal's had nightmares before, but he's never seen his brother this disturbed. "Not leaving kiddo. What happened in your dream?" Finn asked scared to even know. "We...we were living together and you were human. The two of us had been in the kitchen goofing off when someone knocked at the door. I stayed behind... when... when I heard a loud sound. I investigated and found mom shot and killed you! She kept saying how I'm a burden, than our family was there too and they were dead. Soon everyone became zombies telling me I got them killed. Finn, I killed them, I got you killed! My past will never leave me alone!" Neal cried into Finn's chest. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry you saw those things. Listen it's only a nightmare." Finn rubbed Neal's back. "It wasn't the first one. I lied about my other nightmares. They to were about mom, yet none were terrible as tonight's. Also I keep having flashbacks by triggers." Finn hearts broke, Neal's really been struggling overcoming the past. His brother was mentally and physically abused three years. Both believed Neal was getting better, wrong they were. Finn recalls months ago they were at the store. Neal saw a woman looking like Molly, the kid completely freaked out. He screamed, shouted, and tried jumping out off Finn's shoulder. Neal wanted to get the heck out of there. He became nearly uncontrollable, Neal had bit Finn wanting to stop being held. It took 20 minutes until Neal finally calmed. The kid eventually quit talking the entire day, and told Finn he hardly recalled the actions he did. The event made Finn understand Neal's still hurting inside, he wishes the child would open up more. Now, Finn understands he can only do so much. If Neal hates the idea or not, Finn's getting him a counselor. "Buddy, tomorrow I'm seeing about getting a counselor for you. That might really help with these feeling." Finn softly said. "I'm pathetic Finn." Neal whispers. "Quit saying that stuff! Your not pathetic okay?! Neal, you've gone through so much emotional trials. Eventually there are gonna cause hard times. Seeing someone can really help." Finn told him. "Okay...I wanna sleep. Can I stay sleeping on your bed tonight?" Neal ask. "Sure bud." Finn smiled. Finn gets back in bed, Neal curls up next to the giants face. "Hey Finn?" Neal whispers. "Yeah bud?" Finn replies. "I love you." Neal said. "Love too bro, now and forever."