Hope Is A Waking Dream

Based off Ally Carter's young adult books, the Gallagher Girls series.

Hope is a waking dream. It's just that; a waking dream. You wake up and realize that this is reality, and most dreams don't come true; especially when you're a spy.

It all started when Zach lay dying at my feet and I couldn't do anything about it. Watching the love of your life slowly die in front of you, and seeing the pain in their eyes makes you feel like you're bound, and can't move your hands and feet. In my case I was exactly that; bound by my hands and feet. My head ached and my side burned, but all I thought about was him, Zach.

Two things happened after that; one was the flashback of what went wrong, and the second was a memory of him.

It was what you would call a night raid if we were in the army. We were in cammo, comms units in, and had sniper rifles trained in front of us as the warehouse building came into view beyond the hill. It was midnight and I remember thinking about the fog that was just rolling in. There was nothing but a crescent moon guiding us to the big industrial building. The moon was our ally in this, but it didn't mean that it didn't give off a dark, ominous glow. The crunch of the leaves was the only noise we gave off as we advanced across the field. There was a hoot from an owl and a howl from some unseen creature in the forest that outlined the field.

We were each other's backup; we would keep each other safe. What I didn't know was what was going to happen next, including Zach dying. He gave the signal and we busted through the door of the building, our flashlights leading the way. If I knew then what I know now, I would have insisted on going in first. Within seconds shots rang out from our left and Zach's flashlight went scattering across the concrete floor; it was hit. I trained my rifle to the left just as shots were fired in a rapid concession. At least two of our assailants were hit and I knew that if we wanted any chance of making it out alive I had to get rid of the only light in the room. I threw my flashlight across the room to allow us to blend in with the dark room. It was still on, casting an eerie ray of light to appear in the corner of the room. I couldn't see where anyone was; you could only see three feet in front of you; the flashlights weren't much help based on the position we were in. There was the occasional flash as their guns were fired and we would shoot back, but it was no use because they would have already moved position and the darkness acted like a shield for all of us. We had somewhat of a disadvantage because we didn't know the warehouse like they did. I remember the pain in my side as a bullet came from behind us and buried itself within me. I called for backup just as our signal was lost and static filled our ears; a deafening sound in the now quiet building. I didn't know if the message had gotten through or not.

The next moment I felt blood run down the side of my face as someone hit me on the left side of the head and bound my arms and legs once I hit the floor. I was aware of Zach yelling at me, but he sounded so distant and everything was blurry. I was faintly aware of more shots ringing out as I was hauled up so quickly that I almost passed out from the pressure. My hands were tied to a concrete pole and I winced in pain as the rope cut into my wrists. Zach came into view, stepping in front of me as more shots were fired from all around us. From the shadows I saw the flare as another shot was fired and seconds later Zach's left shoulder was jerked back by the force of the speeding bullet. He winced in pain, but took out three more of the ambushers like the bullet didn't affect him one bit. I saw flashes from around the room as guns were fired; Zach killed two of them easily before training his gun in front of him. That's when I saw a flash six feet in front of him. I heard the shot as it traveled through the air in a speeding motion, and then I saw the blood as he fell to the floor feet from where I was chained. Red spread from his chest as his eyes filled with pain. The ambushers surrounded us with their guns trained on us, but I didn't think about that. Truth was, I couldn't think at all.

I remember yelling out Zach's name as I struggled against my restraints, drawing blood as the rope cut into my wrists even more. It seemed like hours that I stood there screaming out his name, but I knew it was only seconds. My voice was hoarse as I tried to get his attention, get him to look at me, and listen to me to stay awake. It was no use though; he was incoherent and struggling to remain alive. I knew in that moment that there was nothing I could do; I was going to watch the love of my life die before my eyes. I stopped struggling; I stopped moving, and I became numb.

You know how people say that when someone you love is dying or you're in a dangerous situation your life flashes before your eyes. That's not necessarily true. I felt numb as everything around me slowed, and the pounding in my ears started; followed by a ringing sound. My life didn't flash by in colors, only the moments with Zach that were most meaningful to me: the first time we kissed, up to the time when he told me he loved me for the first time. Everything felt like a distant memory as just about all hope I had left about someone saving him was lost. I kept screaming his name even after he lost consciousness. I was aware of the tears streaming down my face and landing on the floor below me. There was nothing else I could do to save him.

Hope; like trust, is a hard thing to come by as a spy, and once we get it it's hard to hold onto and keep to ourselves. We want to be able to hope, to dream, to trust, but most of the time we never get that chance because life's unexpected, and there's never a guarantee for tomorrow. Not only that, but it's stupid to trust because if we trust one wrong person we can end up injured or worse. The one exception to that rule is when everything's wrong and they make it right. When nothing is as it seems yet there they are, the same as they always were. When everything's falling apart, and they're stable; reliable.

I had lost just about all hope I had left when all of a sudden cranes flew from the crates; a sign of hope; freedom. They must have been part of our ambusher's plan to smuggle drugs out of the country through the cranes. A bullet must have loosened the lock because there they were, flying high above us in the warehouse. There was a sudden light as dozens of flashlights were beamed around us and dozens of SWAT filled the room shouting orders for everyone to drop their weapons. I watched as they moved in closer, leaving no crevice unseen. Some of them rushed to Zach as a few more rushed to me to untie my restraints. What seemed to be the lead SWAT personnel felt for Zach's pulse, and then looking up he signaled for back up as medics rushed in to get Zach out.

I watched as lights flashed outside and Zach was rushed to a waiting helicopter. Someone had draped a coat over my shoulders as I was lead out of the building into the field as more SWAT ran by into the building; locking it down. Before I got to the ambulance that would help clean my injuries I turned and looked behind me as the cranes flew into the night sky; a small breeze starting up through the trees guiding them home. The rain started to pour down as I looked up at the heavens; not being able to help the small smile that appeared on my cold lips. I would be okay; I would survive. We both would. The rain washed away all my worries as if saying that there would always be tomorrow no matter what happened today.

Sometimes though, hope is a waking dream. You have to dream to have something to look forward to. You have to look forward to something to have a reason to live, and you have to wake up to accomplish that dream. Without hope that dream can never come true. Sometimes, in rare cases, your hopes and dreams do come true, and you just have to believe that everything will turn out the way they're supposed to and you'll live to see another day. Hope is a very powerful thing and is saved for the best of people.

~The End~

Authors Note: I love the quote 'Hope is a waking dream.' I thought of this idea a few weeks ago and finally decided that I really wanted to write a Fanfiction using that said quote. I hope youliked it.

Fact About Me: Three days before I turned three I was bitten in the face by a big dog. It basically had its whole mouth over my face because I was so small. I was bitten on the forehead, left cheek, and under the chin. The one on my left cheek was the deepest so it scarred and I've had it ever since then.

I have another scar on my ankle from when I was three or four and I was playing Cinderella with a water glass. I couldn't get it off, so I hit it against the carpet to get it off and it broke, cutting me. Let's just say I was a reckless, adventurous child.
Once again I hope you enjoyed the story.

-GymGirl904.