GAH, I can't stand it anymore. I need to start this story. I don't care if I'm not done with the cover art.

Request: Please read the author's note at the bottom, I'd really appreciate it. I'll let you read now.

Just a Nightmare?

Shadows ran across the walls. Her heart raced, her breathing labored and short. They were on her heels. She rounded the corner, pushing herself off the wall, in hopes of getting more leverage. Her sneakers slapped the pavement. 'Almost there,' she thought, adrenaline pounding in the head, 'you're almost there.' The underpass opened before her like a creature threating to devour her. It wasn't this creature she feared. 'Faster, faster!' Her muscles ached. She looked over her shoulder to see if she's lost them. Skin hits pavement, burned by road rash. She took note of the scrapes, starts to rise…

She saw their glowing eyes in front of her. Parts of their bodies glowed in the darkness as they moved closer to her, their claws clicking on the pavement with every step. The darkness clung to them, cloaking them in shadow as they moved closer and closer. She ccould smell them…something almost like electricity. Their breath fell on her bared skin. She looked into the eyes of the largest one and tried not to scream.

"You cannot escape us," it screeched. She covered her ears as the others agreed, sounding like microphone feedback.

"Please," she whimpered.

"You are one of us."

"No," she cried. "Please…I'll do anything." She felt something like a blade touch her.

"You belong TO US!..."

"NO!"

"RHYME!" The door slammed open, Beat's dark frame filling the space. Rhyme looked at her older brother, trying to still her heart. "What happened? You hurt?"

"No," the girl said, shaking her head free it from the nightmare. "It was just a bad dream, Beat. Just a nightmare."

"Musta been one heck of a nightmare," he said, sitting down on his sister's bed. She let him hold her, taking in his strength. "You sure you're aight."

"Yeah," she lied, "I'm fine." She smiled up at her brother, then let her eyes wander to his other hand. "What's the bat for?" she asked, prompting him to lift the sports item up. "Were you going to beat my nightmares into submission?"

"If it'd help, sure."

Rhyme laughed and hugged her brother tighter. "I love you, Beat."

"Love ya too, Rhyme." He pushed away and looked into her eyes. "You sure you're fine?" She nodded. "Want me to sleep in here tonight?"

"Beat!" she said exasperated, pushing her brother off the bed and towards the door. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Now go back to bed."

"You sure."

"GO!" Her brother smirked as he left and she shut the door behind him.

Waiting a few minutes after she heard his door click shut, she snuck down the hall to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Turning on the light, she gasped as she looked down at her nightshirt: blood. Lifting it up, she grimaced as she fingered the wound under her left rib. Trying not to think about how the Noise had stabbed her in that same spot in her dream, she cleaned the wound, dressed it, put the bloody linens in the laundry, and climbed back into bed. Before drifting off to sleep, she whispered a prayer that this is all some nightmare and that she'll wake from it very soon.

It's been three months since Neku won the Reaper's Game, three months since we came back from the dead. None of us have been the same, myself included, even though I was barely in the game. We're all friends now: we hang out, joke, stuff like that. Things have changed for the better.

Three months since the nightmares began; nightmares were they threaten me, stab me, and try to drag me back that place they call home. They've been getting worse, the nightmares and the Noise. My body's taking a toll over their war for me. But it's all just a nightmare. They can't really hurt me anymore. We won.

It's only a nightmare…right?

Yay! Another TWEWY fanfic. If any of you have read my first one, Flatline, thanks for reading this one. If not, I'd love it if you read it, but you won't be left in the dark if you haven't.

As stated above, this takes place AFTER The Worlds Ends With You. I will be incorporating 2 OCs, but other than that, all characters will be derived from other places.

I'd love to hear what you thought of this first chapter. For those of you who have read my other stories, I'd love to know if you like this format of writing. I usually write in 1st POV, and I'd like to know if you like it like this or if I should write in 1st POV.

Ok, I think I'm done. As always, please leave comments and feedback. Thanks lots.

~Ami