Distressing Dreams
He heard laughter.
Was he laughing?
No he hadn't laughed in such a long time.
It was only a painful echo of the past, weaving around him, dragging his body down deeper.
Deeper into what?
His head was swirling… Or was it staying in the same place? He couldn't tell.
It was dark.
No.
It was pitch black.
And empty.
Oh so empty.
Like him.
He was drifting. Drifting to some where he didn't want to go. To a literal nightmare of a reality.
To that dream, again.
Of him.
His face.
His smile.
His sacrifice.
All for him.
"Hey Mattie!"
No please, not this dream!
"What did you think of the movie!"
"It was good" I smiled.
He grinned.
"I liked the part with the huge explosion! You know, the part where he blew up the building!"
"There were a lot of explosions Al, you'll have to be more specific" But I smiled more.
These few evenings that I could spend with my brother were always filled with his boisterous chatting and beaming smiles. He was like my own personal ball of sunshine, even if it was dark he could still bring me into a good mood.
Always kind and self-righteous, bringing me to movies, spending time with me when nobody else would.
He was a model older brother, if not a bit immature. And I loved him, because that's just what a younger brother is supposed to do.
He pointed at an alley and said "Let's cut through here! Maybe if we get home earlier, dad will let us watch the recorded game on the big screen"
"It's already late, why don't we just walk home normally"
"Come on Mattie!" He whined "Let's go!"
I sighed and looked at the time. It was eleven, by the time we got home it would be around midnight, and there was no way dad would let an obnoxious teenager watch football in the middle of the night screaming at the ref. Let alone a second one if they decided to watch the hockey game. I was about to explain this to him until he grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the alley way.
What was I thinking; I couldn't explain anything to him. He was my stubborn brother after all.
We weaved around the sides of buildings, going past a road every now and then, only to be reassured by him every block we were going the right way, until.
We stopped.
He let go of my hand. I wasn't even aware that he was still holding it.
He was still with a small frown on his face.
"What's wrong Al?"
"We're… Lost… Sorry."
"What? Lost? Jeez Al. Well nothing we can do, lets back track or call a taxi" I tried to smile but had a bad feeling.
I felt a cold chill go through my heart.
But how? It was warm out.
I looked around and saw we were at a dead end. I looked behind us, and there was a car parked in the middle of the sidewalk blocking our path.
"What's going on Al?"
He stayed silent, and I started to panic.
There was some shifting in the car and a large man slowly opened the door facing us and silently closed it. He was tall wearing a black fedora that shaded his face, almost ominous in the dim alley way.
"Are you Mathew Williams? Son of Senior Inspector Arthur Kirkland?"
I stayed silent, looking up to my brother.
"Sorry stupid question. I know you are Mathew Williams. Now," He pulled out a gun from his well-tailored jacket and pointed it directly at me.
"I know this is a bit unorthodox, but you're just a kid so you should know, that my client has hired me to… Well get rid of you." The man tried to give a smile.
"So… Um yeah… Sorry?"
I was shaking. Was this a joke? I gave out a squeaked giggle and the assassin looked sad.
"I really am sorry kid money is money"
"N-no!" I shook harder, and my brothers face turned from placid to a determined grimace.
"I' am really sorry Mattie, this is all my fault."
"What?" I felt tears well up in my eyes.
"I should have listened to you"
I felt like there was an earth quake, and I was about to collapse.
"I won't let him hurt you Mattie" He pushed me behind him.
The Hired killer grimaced.
"You know, I never used to be a killer!" He exclaimed. "I had a family, and kids, even a well-paying job!" He gestured with his gun towards the sky and Alfred tensed in front of me.
"Now look at me!" His face flashed angrily and he resumed pointing the gun at Al.
"Are you going to shoot or what?" Alfred said calmly, and I almost smacked him, but then I noticed a small red light.
His phone!
I slowly reached for it, heart pounding rapidly. I quietly turned the volume down, while the man Walked closer, but I barely noticed. He was a talker, which meant we had time…
Nine… One… One…
"Hello what is your emergency?"
I heard a gun fire, and my shaking froze.
No.
Dear god no!
My head whipped over tears already starting to stream down my face, and saw…
That Al was alright, I let out a breathy sigh of relief and the shaking worsened.
"Did I just hear a phone?" The man asked playfully.
I ignored him and thankfully remembered seeing a sign on the street before us.
I hurriedly whispered it into the cellular device, and prayed to god, she heard.
"We will be at your position shortly" And the line went dead.
We might be able to get through this!
I heard another shot and almost fell to my knees. It came from the other side of us and I looked up to my brother again.
He was unfazed, or so I thought until I saw a slight tremble of his shoulders, and I knew then he was as afraid as I was.
"A-Al, I love you"
"I love you too Bro, we're going to get through this."
The man came closer grinning a little too widely.
We were going to die.
No not him! Anybody but Him!
"Please…" I whispered.
"Please leave him alone!" I squeaked a little louder pushing away Alfred's trembling arms.
"Tick, Tock, your Time is up, eh? Mathew Williams?" The man came a little closer.
"Don't touch him!" Alfred yelled, but it was too late.
The barrel was already on my forehead.
I fell to my knees, shaking so hard my teeth almost chattered.
"No!" He pushed me down, grabbing the gun in the same motion.
I sat in horror as my brother wrestled with the deranged man, trying to pull the pistol out of his hands.
That's all could do, I just sat there, Useless!
I heard it fire and my heart dropped.
My arms lost their tension.
And I screamed.
"Alfred!"
It was long and echoed through the ally way, as my brother, my dear beloved brother convulsed on the ground. I ran over to him disregarding the mad man to his side.
I shook him. "Al! Al! Al, don't die! Don't die!" I broke down leaning over him.
Was I the one shaking him?
The world seemed so slow.
No I was the one shaking.
Alfred, reached up an arm and grabbed my shoulder pulling me close, and whispered quietly into my ear.
"I' am sorry, Mathew. Looks like we can't watch the game tonight."
I slumped down on him, and shook.
"Th-this isn't happening… You're still alive… I' am just asleep… Don't die, don't die!" It was like a sick mantra that only I could sing.
"Not dead, not dead!"
The man who had been quietly watching pressed the gun to my head.
"Its ok, you'll be ok"
I was numb not noticing his figure go limp under me, or the cold barrel against my skull.
"It's just a dream, go away, and disappear. It's not real, wake up, wake up, Wake up!" I screamed.
"Why won't you wake up, Al?" I sobbed.
The gun was gone, with the man at the first sound of sirens. I continued to sob, and scream into his jacket.
"Not here…"
I watched with glassy eyes as someone rolled me off him.
"Just a bad dream" I assured his motionless body.
There were lights and people shaking my body.
Or was I just shaking again?
I couldn't tell.
I stared at their mouths as they said muffled words to me.
I looked back to his body watching them press down over and over again on his chest.
I lay down beside him, ignoring the blurry people who grabbed at me.
"It's just all a bad dream." I said.
To no one in particular.
The muffled scene around me shifted into darkness, and I cried, silently to myself.
I heard a bell ring, a slight trickle of a sound, like that of a cats bell.
A small form bounded into my sight.
It meowed.
"The cat." I said in a deadpan voice.
"The cat that saved my life."
He opened his eyes.
His cheeks felt hot, and sticky as if he had been crying.
Funny. He thought to himself.
I don't remember dreaming.
He stared at the ceiling.
"I wonder…What you're doing, right now. Brother..."
And his tears flowed freely. Just at the memory, of him.
He didn't know what to make of it.
Crying because of a dream he couldn't remember.
It must have been a distressing Dream.
