10-25-2019, 07:20 PM
A yell and Jay bolted up. The room spun shadows that clawed darkness into his chest. The demons hiding in the corners receded, and Jay put his face in his hands. The nightmare wasn’t hard to interpret. The demonic faces had names. Families. Cayli stood at their lead. As though ushering their souls toward heaven, but they dragged her toward the abyss into which Jay hurled them.
His arms curled about himself, knees digging into his chest. The bed may have well been his own funeral pyre, and no ropes were needed to tie him to the licks of fate’s flames. He sat there, unable to move but for the hauntings swirling bats in his mind. Terror froze his limbs. The flames would have been welcome, then. Pain was a welcome trade for paralysis. What have I done, he asked the void, and the faces warped and wove in and out of focus until he began to count each.
One. Two. Three….
Cayli’s limbs hanging in his arms. The doctors’ pleas for mercy echoing in his ears. The digging of knives flaying his arm. The terror of losing his powers. Still gone..
Nine. Ten. Eleven…
When he opened his eyes, the shadows we’re only shadows again. The numbers fell to whispers in the back of his mind. Sounds of a shower sprayed in the background. A small measure that Natalie wasn’t there to see the startling wakeup. Since it was probably not the best time to just jump into the shower with Natalie, he opted to snatch the wallet and check those outstanding messages.
The first picture plucked a grin. Shit, who knew Nox had it in him to be steamy.
The last few days were a blur. Jay fell off the map, no wonder Nox was sending these 411 messages. The dog. The status-checks. The memes. Yet the subtext of those stand-alone messages crept toward genuine worry.
The last one brought out some blinks. Lost an arm? What. He shot a quick message in response.
The shower fell quiet about then. He closed the wallet. They’d have to catch up later.
Jay peeled himself from the blankets. The room was depressingly empty. They had no clothes to change into. That’s when it dawned on him. “Shit. My uniform.”
His arms curled about himself, knees digging into his chest. The bed may have well been his own funeral pyre, and no ropes were needed to tie him to the licks of fate’s flames. He sat there, unable to move but for the hauntings swirling bats in his mind. Terror froze his limbs. The flames would have been welcome, then. Pain was a welcome trade for paralysis. What have I done, he asked the void, and the faces warped and wove in and out of focus until he began to count each.
One. Two. Three….
Cayli’s limbs hanging in his arms. The doctors’ pleas for mercy echoing in his ears. The digging of knives flaying his arm. The terror of losing his powers. Still gone..
Nine. Ten. Eleven…
When he opened his eyes, the shadows we’re only shadows again. The numbers fell to whispers in the back of his mind. Sounds of a shower sprayed in the background. A small measure that Natalie wasn’t there to see the startling wakeup. Since it was probably not the best time to just jump into the shower with Natalie, he opted to snatch the wallet and check those outstanding messages.
The first picture plucked a grin. Shit, who knew Nox had it in him to be steamy.
The last few days were a blur. Jay fell off the map, no wonder Nox was sending these 411 messages. The dog. The status-checks. The memes. Yet the subtext of those stand-alone messages crept toward genuine worry.
The last one brought out some blinks. Lost an arm? What. He shot a quick message in response.
Quote:@Nox You lost an arm? Leave it behind at the coffee house or something? Hope your name and a return address was written on it.
The shower fell quiet about then. He closed the wallet. They’d have to catch up later.
Jay peeled himself from the blankets. The room was depressingly empty. They had no clothes to change into. That’s when it dawned on him. “Shit. My uniform.”
Only darkness shows you the light.