Nightmares

Eight months after the FAYZ had started. Eight months and everyone had changed so much they could never go back to their old lives. Eight months of loneliness, pain, starvation and hatred.

Another day in Perido Beach.

Today, though, something brought all the emotion bubbling back to the top. It was a warm sunny day in the town- a perfect summer day- except for the absence of birds tweeting and tense atmosphere. Something was up. Caine was back in town.

Sam POV

There were only three bedraggled figures walking towards them, however, totally different from his smooth efficient takeover the first time they met. There was a silence as thick as fog as the shapes slowly became clear- Caine, Diana and Bug, visible for once. Sam didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed the other two were alive. He wouldn't normally wish anyone dead but this could be dangerous. However as the people drew nearer it became obvious that they were in no fit state to pose a real danger to anyone. Their clothes hung in tatters and they looked far more malnourished than anyone from Perido beach- concave cheeks and unsteady stick legs. Diana suddenly teetered where she was standing and Sam ran to catch her. She was dangerously near a cliff face and there was no way Caine would be able to catch her in his condition.

She smiled weakly and looked up at him. "Hey Sam. Long time no see. Still burning people's hands off?" She had meant it as a joke but it touched on a painful memory of his. Come to think of it, he had a lot of painful memories that he saw every night in his sleep.

He tried to keep a blank, leader face. "Diana. What are you doing here?"

"Sightseeing."

"Funny. If you don't answer I'll have to force you to." She glanced at his dead serious face.

"You've changed a lot, Sam." She said softly. "But it wasn't up to me. Talk to Caine." Sam looked over his shoulder to see Caine standing, immobile, half unconscious, staring at him with a mixed expression of defeat and something else unidentifiable. He went over.

"Caine," he said, not harshly, and loud enough for everyone to hear- an informal speech. "I don't think you're bad all the way through. Everyone deserves to live so I'll help you if you accept defeat and change the way you act. If you don't accept I'm going to have to fight you which I don't want to do with you at such a disadvantage, but I will. So what is it?"

"OK." Caine said in a low voice. "OK. But don't-"he suddenly collapsed in a heap. No- one rushed to his side but most people seemed to accept he was staying and gradually drifted off. The remainder of people weren't moving so Sam went over to him. Astrid and Edilio joined him and they stared at his limp body for a while.

"You know what?" said Edilio, "I think he's going to be okay." Astrid nodded in agreement. They lifted and moved him together to a more sheltered place.

Caine POV

Caine opened his eyes. He remembered what had happened earlier in the day. It bothered him, the giving in part- but and the moment hunger was a more pressing concern. Quinn was standing by him. He gave a nervous half smile. Caine wondered how he had got enlisted to watch him. It couldn't be out of choice- Caine had pushed him to betray his best friend and probably polluted his nightmares as well from all the battles. Funny, they seemed a long way away now. And Quinn probably disliked Diana and Bug just as much… Diana! Where was she? He swivelled his head around and saw her lying beside him, asleep. He couldn't see Bug, but that was hardly surprising. He groaned and pushed himself into an upright position.

"Um… hey." Quinn said warily. "I'm meant to watch you because you were like, dying. I brought you some fish. You're really meant to work for it but for the moment Sam's given you some of his." Huh. That was nice of him, Caine thought. But that was the last thing he thought before the smell of fish dominated his mind.

Five seconds later, the plate clean of fish, Caine remembered Quinn. He was pacing up and down edgily, twisting his hat between his fingers. Wow. He was nervous, even for talking to a "crazy killer" Caine tried to turn on his charm. "Are you okay, Quinn?"

"Sure, sure," he hastily replied. "It's just… there's this massive freak storm coming and I need to get you all into the town hall. That's why I'm here, not some randomer. It's kind of pressured and Diana and Bug still aren't awake…" Caine was relived. Not fear of him, then. But then he looked overhead and saw the storm. Huge black storm clouds were filling the sky and rain was starting to fall. Quinn was right to be scared of it. It wasn't the kind of thing you wanted to be caught outside with. Time to wake up Diana. He put his face right up close to her and shouted in her ear. Her eyes flickered open and Caine wondered why Quinn hadn't tried that already. Then he realised he would have hurt anyone who went anywhere near her and maybe it was quite a smart move to leave her alone. He smiled. He liked to still have power.

Sam POV

Sam herded the last of the prees in to the town hall and glanced around anxiously. Quinn wasn't back yet and he was starting to worry they would get struck by lightning or something. Storms in the FAYZ weren't something to take lightly. The last one had killed a little girl and wounded two others. At least Astrid was here, laying out sleeping bags and generally organising things in an efficient way. This had never happened before and they were determined to make sure everyone could sleep in the same room without killing each other. They were pretty positive about the room layout working. There was something Sam was dreading though- he couldn't be seen having a nightmare, it made him look vulnerable and weak. He couldn't stop them though; if he could he would have done it months ago. There was a bustle while 300 kids tried to find spare spaces- luckily it was a big hall, designed with room for everyone who used to live in Perido beach and with the adults gone and depleted numbers everyone found a place for a sleeping bag. Suddenly Quinn burst through the doors, followed by Caine, Diana and probably Bug. Relief flitted across Sam's face; they were safe, followed by shock at how ill they still looked. However there was nothing to do about that now, the storm was getting worse and the under sevens needed to go to sleep. Sam beckoned them over to a group of sleeping bags and spoke softly to Quinn while Mary and John got the kids into bed.

"Hey. Did you take a look at the storm? How long do you think it will last?"

"Hard to say. Maybe 12, 15 hours? Definitely the whole night, but probably gone by tomorrow lunch. Don't worry brah. Soon it'll be over." That was bad. Very bad. He would have to sleep here overnight. Really not good. Sam watched the minutes tick by and too soon it was 11:00. Everyone had to go to sleep now and as always he had to set a good example and do the same. He lay down and felt a sympathetic hand brush his shoulder. It was Astrid. He felt a sudden rush of hope and fell into a deep sleep.

And then the nightmares started.

Cassie POV

It was all happy. I was with my mommy in the bathroom eating lots of marshmallows and it was all nice and bright and then suddenly my mommy went and there was a bad thing and Mary was there and it was all horrid and there was green and purple light and then I was hurt and blood and all the nasty stuff I saw on that big boy in the fight and the bad thing was coming towards me…

"Cassie! Cassie its okay, I'm here, I'm here." Mary suddenly was holding her and smiling a bit. Cassie forgot why she was crying and looked around and she was in a big room with lots of nice people and it was all okay. She thought she went to sleep.

Jack POV

"So naïve…"

Smart stupid stupid smart not smart stupid stupid stupid Jack Computer Stupid Jack

"How will you feel when Caine and Drake start going down that list?"

Taylor was lying in the middle of the floor. Blood dripping off her. Caine, Drake, Diana around her laughing.

"Come on Jack. Naïve Jack. Hand over the list" Couldn't control my muscles. Moving. Moving. Moving. Handing over the list. Good dog. Good Jack.

"You'll feel guilty Jack. When they start going down that list."

And now it was Brianna on the floor. Screaming in agony. Astrid the genius. 2 bars. Question mark. Sam. Lana. Dekka. Edilio. And now him. His hands suddenly encased in cement, in so much pain…

Jack shot bolt upright, sweating. He didn't know when he had started screaming. This nightmare always came back.

Quinn POV

There was a coyote and a kid. Screaming, crying, innocent kid. And suddenly a gun was in my hand, could kill the coyote, save the kid. But the kid- he'd hit the kid. Now they turned and he had a clear shot. No. Too slow. And the kid was dying, dying, dead. And somehow he'd hit Sam, his only friend instead and he was crying out and more dead bodies, more graves in the Plaza. All his fault.

The scene shifted and his mom and dad were there.

"Mom! Dad!" he was shouting but they didn't turn. Couldn't hear him he was behind a glass panel, shouting and screaming and crying and then- they were gone. Poof.

Quinn woke twisted into his sleeping bag, Sam next to him. Alive. Of course alive.

Lana POV

I was on the end of a fishing line, being reeled in, in, in like a helpless fish, gasping. I was in so much pain I should just be dead, reeled in, all of it over. And then- the Gaiaphage, real as anything, not just a dream. Using her. Using her healing power to… to… I didn't know. And I didn't want to know.

Caine POV

Pack leader was dragging me to the mine shaft. To see the terrible thing inside. It was inside of me, pouring liquid fire into my brain, erasing my defences, totally, completely, controlling. Had to move, couldn't, trapped, vulnerable. The darkness. I couldn't escape but this time it was only a dream and faded... I was standing in the wreck of the church shooting stuff at people, aiming to kill, lights flashing everywhere and then Sam fell. Dead this time. And it felt wrong, I was shaking him awake and he lay lifeless and it was my fault and Astrid hated me and Quinn hated me and the Mexican hated me and Diana hated me too, loathing and Drake was there and I was falling…

I heard a scream and realised it was mine.

Sam POV

We were in the power plant, running doing something important and then I turned a corner and Drake was standing there, teeth bared in a shark grin. Ready for me. And I was rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to stop it, even unable to scream. And the whip hand came down. Again. Again. Again. Blood everywhere and I realised it was my blood. Coating the floor, the walls, everywhere. The urgent alarm blaring. Louder and louder until I was drowning in sound… And the whip hand came down.

Sam jolted awake to the sound of screaming. And not just his own. Dekka, Diana, Edilio- the FAYZ was a nightmare for everyone. But mostly in was just him and… Caine. Of course. Sam reached over to Caine and gripped his arm as they both gradually relaxed. The past battles didn't matter anymore. They were all in the same boat now. The boat of nightmares.