Ludwig...
Ludwig...
Ludwig...
LUDWIG!
He heard a voice calling to him as he got closer to his bed. He was shaking as he stared at the bed, wondering if he had finally lost his mind. The voice seemed feminine, or, at least, it was of a higher pitch. It had some sort of accent, but he couldn't focus on it at that moment. He tried to think straight, attempting to defeat the panic that was gnawing at the back of his mind with logic. Alas, he felt his palms becoming coated with sweat.
'Gott verdammt! Think straight! You have to think! It can't be real! It just can't be! Calm down!' he thought to himself, staring at his simply-decorated bed, his eyes glazed over with terror. The blue and white striped bedsheets didn't seem like his own at the moment, and the wooden floor beneath him seemed sickeningly cold.
Ludwig...
Ludwig...
Don't you remember me? How could you not remember me?
Ludwig stiffened, his eyes widening, and he stumbled backward, his mouth opened in a silent scream. He told himself that he was just imagining things, but it all seemed to real. Everything seemed out of place.
He knew that he couldn't speak, couldn't protest, couldn't shout for help, even if he wanted to. He was terrified. He backed up until his back was against the wall, and he pushed himself against it, wishing it would break. He was sure this was real. He knew it had to be. He hadn't even laid down to sleep yet.
'Remember who? Who are they talking about? What do they want?! I'm not understanding a word they say!' Ludwig thought, alarm bells ringing in his head. He felt sweat slowly drip down his forehead and slither its way down the right side of his ghostly-pale cheek.
His heart was beating in his ears as he tried to decode what was happening. Not only did he not understand, but he wasn't sure if it was what he desired. Understanding would probably make the situation even more daunting. As apprehension closed its sharp, harsh claws on his heart, he tried to mentally distance himself from the voice.
Don't try to escape, Ludwig. I'm in your mind, now. I'm just trying to warn you about what is about to happen. I can hear your thoughts, so don't even try tp decode me. I am now part of your conscience.
Ludwig tried to reach for the cold, metal handle of the door, but he as out of reach of the door. He wanted to scream, but his breath was still hitched in his throat, and he couldn't even scream if he could breathe properly. He couldn't give his brother any more hints about his mental health, which, he was sure was slipping.
'It was just bad food that I ate. I'm sure that this is fake. I'll go to sleep, and I'll wake up without a problem. It will all be just fine. This is fake.' he tried to convince himself, practically relying on this very thought.
He had just returned from the dinner table and gone to retire in his room, when he had begun to hear this voice. He was terrified. He hadn't had any warning of any schizophrenic instances. In fact, he had never had any sort of problem like this. He had always been completely healthy.
You're lying to yourself, Ludwig. Just accept me. How could you not recognize my voice? I'm your best friend.
'Verdammt! You CAN read my thoughts...okay, well then...who exactly are you, and what are you doing in my mind? Are you the reason for my nightmares? Can anyone else hear you? Am I insane?' Ludwig thought, feeling his body slightly tremble. He tried to calm down and make out the accent, and try to place the voice with a face, but it was to no avail.
There was a moment of silence. It was eerie, but it also gave Ludwig time to think. He couldn't quite remember the personality, but, as he thought about it, he did vaguely remember the voice; he just had trouble placing it with a face.
Ludwig, I'm your old best friend. Does the name Feliciano ring a bell? I'm in your mind because you and Gilbert are in danger. It is something that is out of the hands of the dead. I can make myself heard to anyone I feel like, and you aren't insane. I am not a figment of your imagination.
After Feliciano explained himself, the memories hit Ludwig as if they were a train. He remembered the day that changed him forever; the day when he saw his best friend get shot. He remembered every single part about that day, for it was horrible. He remembered the sketchy murderer walking up to Feliciano, his violet eyes glinting with mania. He had heard later that the murderer's name was Ivan Braginski, and that he was mentally unstable. They had Ivan in a mental institute, since he had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder as a child, and the doctors discovered that he also had been dilusional, and arguablely schizophrenic. He was the violent sort of crazy, and as he put a bullet through the bubbly Italian's head, it was easy to see. It was terrifying. In fact, Ludwig had been changed by it. He was much more cautious than he had usually been. Although he had suppressed those memories, he felt them flooding back now as he listened to his friend speak.
'You certainly have changed, Feli. You used to not have a serious bone in your body. What happened?' Ludwig thought, genuinely wondering what had happened. He was calming down a little bit, even if he was still freaking out. He had learned that nothing was impossible; especially with him.
I see that you have remembered me. Bueno. Now we can get down to business. Well, basically, Heaven happened. It's not exactly what people would think it is up here. Actually, we work more than people down there. We fight off certain things if they try to invade your world. Anyway, I am trying to tell you about what's happening with you. You know those dreams that you have been having?
Ludwig's breath hitched in his throat at the mention of his nightmares. He composed himself, and then he decided to answer his dead best friend.
'Of course. What about them?' Ludwig thought, hoping that Feliciano had all of the answers to the questions that he had. He was tired of being kept in the dark about his own future. He wanted to know what was going to happen, and what the dreams symbolized.
It's a signal that something terrible is about to happen. You have to tell Gilbert, or he will die. You will die too, if you aren't careful. Just try to be aware of it. None of us in Heaven actually know what it is, but as I was snooping around down there, I sensed a presence in your house that seemed terrifyingly powerful. You should be very wary of anything peculiar, okay? Not even angels, who have superhuman powers, can see exactly everything that is going on.
Ludwig shivered, knowing that something terrible was about to happen, and he tried to mentally prepare himself for everything to come. He was now fully aware that danger was looming over their heads. He knew that there was some sort of creature that was preparing to drain the life out of him, and his brother.
'Ja, I will tell Gilbert. I'll make sure that we are both careful.'