Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. Jak & Daxter belongs to Naughty Dog, as they should forever and always, and not to that company whose name I shall not mention that made Lost Frontier.
Despite the intense workout that day, Jak felt restless back in his cell. After the pull-ups, a large slat had opened up on the floor, revealing a long, murky pool. It obviously hadn't been cleaned in a long time, because the water was brownish and contained all sorts of disgusting unknown objects floating in it. The men had been ordered to swim twenty-five laps without stopping.
Jak sat in his cell, still dripping wet from the swim. His legs were aching, and his arm muscles were screaming in pain, but that wasn't what bothered him. What was beginning to make him panicked was the itching, buzzing, crawling sensation behind his eyes.
It felt like a horde of insects had flown in his ear and stuck themselves onto the back of his eyeballs. Jak could feel the constant skittering and twitching so keenly that he was certain he would go insane. It was only getting more intense by the minute. The millions of tiny little bug feet increased their tempo, as if they knew the revulsion and irritation they were causing him. Jak felt the urge to scratch at his eyes, to get rid of that wretched itch. He blinked his eyes rapidly instead, but to no avail.
Beeker noticed his plight. "What's wrong, Jak?" he asked. Jak rubbed furiously at his eyelids in response.
"Something wrong with your eyes?" Beeker asked, confused. Realization dawned on him and his face became grim. "You're feeling some aftereffects of the Dark Eco. My stomach's been feelin' pretty bad today and my hands won't stop shaking. Look," Beeker held out his hands. True to his words, they were shivering, like he was cold. Jak swallowed, afraid he would go crazy from the 'insects.'
…
Jak stood in a dark alleyway. It was so long that he couldn't see an end in sight, and the path was narrow enough to make him feel claustrophobic. The air around him was foggy, making it even harder to see what was in front of him. He took several hesitant steps forward when he heard a low rumbling sound. It was a growl, a noise that a wild animal would make.
Jak picked up his pace, anxious to get away. The growling increased in volume, and the sound of nails scraping against concrete signaled that the mysterious animal was coming closer. Jak was running now, afraid of whatever was following him. The sound the beast was making came from all directions; the fog echoed it, making it impossible to know where its true location was. Jak could only sprint, his feet making slapping noises on the ground. He felt a hand close around his ankle and he cried aloud when its claws sunk into his flesh. He tripped and fell, hard. He turned around quickly to face his attacker.
The fog lifted a little, and from the shadows a booted foot emerged. A leg came next, and Jak's eyes continued to venture upwards as the creature revealed itself. An arm appeared, clothed in a blue sleeve. The hand attached had deadly claws instead of fingernails; they were long, sharp as daggers, and black as night. What little light that shone in the alley glinted off them. Jak gulped, and scooted backwards, but then thought to himself in a moment of courage, "I can take him on."
He started to get up, determined, but the creature's foot connected with Jak's chest, pinning him. The beast leaned over Jak, its claws dangerously close to his face. Its own face slowly came into view, pushing aside the shadows that cloaked it. The face that appeared was terrifying, but familiar. It was the mysterious creature Jak had seen in the fountain in his previous nightmare.
The monster's face, contorted with anger, still contained those shining black holes for eyes. They narrowed at Jak once again, and he felt exposed from the heated glare; despite this, the malicious expression sent a chill down Jak's spine.
Jak thought to himself, "What are you? Why do you look like me?" He trembled with fear; the beast's strength was overpowering and flowed from him in waves, making the air thick. The beast opened its mouth, stretching it to vaguely resemble a smile, but looked more like a scowl. Jak's eyes latched onto its gleaming, jagged teeth, unable to look away.
"I am you," The beast answered Jak's thought, like it had read his mind. It had a deep, guttural voice.
"…What?" Jak whispered, horrified. He shook his head back and forth in disagreement. The monster leaned more of its weight on its foot, pressing into Jak's lungs. Its face loomed closer, menacing.
"It is true. This is what he'll do to you," it hissed. Purple electricity crackled in the air and Jak was thrown into a pit of darkness.
Jak's eyes flew open and he sat up so fast his head spun. He glanced around: back in the prison cell. Just another nightmare, but more disturbing than the last. The monster had seemed so real this time. Jak had felt its hot breath on his face, seen its razor-sharp teeth drip with saliva, and felt its claws just barely graze his skin. His chest still felt the weight of its foot. Jak looked over at Beeker, who was snoring in the corner. Beeker's fingers were an odd shade of purple, reminding Jak of the Dark Eco inside him. Jak sighed heavily and tried not to dwell on the experiment that would take place in two week's time. It loomed in the back of his mind, threatening to crush him.
...
I had fun with this one. Nightmares have oodles of fun adjectives to use.
I hate when bugs land on me, so I figured it'd be hellish if I believed they somehow got inside of me, where I couldn't shoo them away. Poor Jak. They aren't actual bugs.
The name of this chapter is actually the name of a song from my favorite band. I think the lyrics go really well with the story. Go check it out if you have the time. XD
