Lana was sitting on the edge of the lake, knees drawn up to her chest, chin resting on her knees. It was pretty there, she noted- clear waters, thick trees with vibrant green leaves lining the place. It seemed surreal- too calm, too pleasant... like someplace a family would go to on a vacation.
Not paradise.
But for the FAYZ, close enough.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lana saw Patrick bound for the waters. A small smile spread across her face. "Come on, you dumb dog. Get back here."
In the past month, she'd been happier than she ever remembered since Grandpa Luke disappeared. She didn't know why- it wasn't like there was anything more to be happy about- but she just... was. It almost felt out of character for herself.
Must be the change of scenery, she told herself.
Sighing, Lana pulled herself upright. She always got restless if she sat for too long, and really, you could only stare at water for so long, even if it was pretty. She turned around and faced away from the water-
Stopped.
Thousands of thoughts flickered through her head- it can't be real no just hallucinating dead gone it can't be real it can't be real it can't be real it can't be real-
One word.
Louder.
REAL.
That voice.
That voice.
She knew that voice.
"No," she whispered, too low to be heard. "No!"
"It can't be... you're just hallucinating. Yeah, that. Hallucinations..."
But.
Come to me.
She screamed, this time.
Lana wasn't a screamer. She never had been, and she took pride in that. The things that brought out an ear-piercing shriek from girl's her age had never caused so much a sound out of her.
She collapsed into a heap, shaking. She curled her knees tight.
And then she felt the sting first, then the pain set in, over and over again. She didn't look up; she knew who that was coming from. "We need you," the coy voice whispered.
Drake.
"No!" she yelled.
"Come on, Lana. Nothing bad will happen. I promise." A girl's voice.
Brittany.
Another scream lifted itself from her mouth, causing her entire body to shake. "I won't!" she said, her voice hoarse. "I won't!"
"Those words mean nothing, Lana."
This time she looked up.
Duck.
Duck Zhang?
"You're dead," she whispered. "All of you are."
"So are you." Orsay.
Lana saw a circle encroaching on her. People walking slowly, stiffly, like they weren't used to walking.
Dead people.
And then there was a toddler. No older than three. Toddling up to her. Small fingers brushed her cheek.
"Come, Lana."
"We need you."
"NO!" she yelled as loud as she could.
The toddler's big blue eyes narrowed. Its small foot kicked out, sending a small cloud of dirt at her. And then all of the dead people joined in.
Dirt and insults.
Dirt and insults.
Kill the Healer.
Somehow, even though she knew she must have been dead by then, she screamed again. Her hand flew up and she felt her nails tear into someone's flesh. There was no dirt on top of her. No voices yelling at her. No feeling of a whip on her back. And then she realized her eyes were closed.
She opened them slowly.
Lana saw sun.
Fake sun.
But beautiful.
"Lana, it's okay. Seriously. You were dreaming. Very freakily, but dreaming."
She saw water. Pretty water.
She looked over for the owner of that voice. The first thing she saw was a tanned hand, with small bits of blood flowing from where she saw five cuts. Up slightly, black eyes.
"Oh, god," she whispered to herself. "Sorry."
"It's alright. Not much." He glanced to the side. "I think you more freaked everyone out than anything. We heard you screaming everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if the people down in Perdido heard you." She glared at him.
"I wasn't that loud, was I?"
"I think we should check the wall. Make sure it didn't crack from the loud noise." He paused. "Okay, you weren't that loud. Though... never mind. What were you dreaming of that was so terrifying?"
Lana took a deep breath and sat up. "Remember that... thing? The gaiaphage? That. And a bunch of dead people yelling at me." She shrugged. "I don't know why I found it so frightening. It jus was."
Sanjit smiled a bit. "I know what you mean. I've had those before. It makes you feel like you're stuck in the past, and you know it's over, that nothing else is going to happen, but it's terrifying."
He helped her stand up, which she hated, and then flinched away. "What are you doing?" she asked, more like how she had been.
"Helping you to balance. Come on, Lana- you still need it." She crossed her arms.
"No, I don't. I'm fine."
"If you're having nightmares that bad, you need help. Trust me."
"Oh, and are you some sort of expert? I don't need help. I've said it before."
He held up his hands. "Okay. I'm just saying."
Then she stumbled.
And then, that night, she woke up shaking from another nightmare.