Wronged

Chapter 13: My Dreams, Their Bloody Reality

I've always wondered why we dream. Some say it's so we can work out real life problems. Others say it's so our mind can entertain itself while it recharges. Either option sounds fine. With that said, what are nightmares for? Is it the minds way of hurting itself? I'd like to think that everyone deserves a good scare every one in awhile, but some nightmares just…they're too much. It doesn't make sense that we'd hurt ourselves that much.

But then again, aren't I doing that now?

When I run away inside my mind, either forced or not, whenever I wake up it's always like waking up to a nightmare. I thought I'd grown accustom to it, but now I don't think I ever could. It began with just a shred of hope, which diminished as soon as my eyes opened. Dreams within nightmares. And I've come to realize that I don't know what reality is anymore. Could it be that I've been living in a dream? That all those times I woke up they were really just false? That, maybe, I'll really wake up. That when I do I'll find that Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Terra are all alive. And that Slade never even existed. But I'd be running away from the truth if I could even possibly believe that. They're all dead. And now, so is Terra. The reality that I live in, whether it be real or not, has thrust the one true nightmare I still have. That Terra is dead. And I'm the one who killed her.

Slade wanted me to get rid of everyone. Even her. I was stupid enough to listen. I woke up to her lying on a cold cement ground. We were in a warehouse on the edge of the city. I'd practically painted the walls red with her blood. Her stomach was torn open and organs were strewn about; though I hadn't even touched her lungs or her heart. They lay perfectly fine, though both were moving rapidly. How she was still alive was a miracle in itself. She obviously wouldn't stay that way for very long. With a lack of internal organs and a lower body she was more likely to die any second. But she was hanging on; driving out the numbness that her body gave her while slipping into shock.

I was choking on my own misery. My body refused to move to help, refused to give back my body heat, refused to do anything but make me sit there: cold and drowning in the emotions Rage had held back. At this point I just wanted to lie down next to her and die as well. But again, my body wouldn't have it.

So instead, I cried.

"…there." Terra rasped, blood spilling out of her mouth and down the side of her face. "…right there. T-that's the man I knew." Her words were uneven and just barely loud enough for my ears to hear.

What did she mean? The monster in front of her is the guy she knew and fell in love with?

"The…the tears. You were never…never afraid to cry b-before."

Before? Before wha-

Oh…before I changed.

She nodded weakly, seemingly understanding my thoughts.

"Don't…don't give up," she paused, taking a breath. Was it her final one? When would that breath come? "Don't let him take you away from…from yourself. From your friends."

A bit late for that my friends are dead. And even if they weren't I doubt they'd consider themselves my friends anymore.

"They survived…they're still here."

…No. They couldn't still be alive. She buried Starfire and Raven, I drowned Cyborg, and Robin fell to his death. They can't be alive.

"I failed you. I saw what…what Slade was doing to you. But I never moved to stop him. I t-thought you had everything under control. I was wrong. And now…now I'm giving up on my-myself. I'm leaving."

No. Don't say it.

"I'm gonna die."

Her words were slurring. She was close, so close.

"I'm not gonna survive. I'm not gonna come back." She paused again, seeming to think about something. "Did you ever wonder…wonder if we were just dreaming?"

Yes, oh how I've wondered.

"What's happening now…it seems too fucked up to be real. None of this makes sense. I wanna wake up and maybe…maybe I will. Maybe our escape is through death? I guess I'll find out." She coughed, blood slicing through the air and landing just centimeters away from me. "Don't die yet. Don't follow me. You gotta make sure that you'll wake up. I'll be there yelling for you. If I wake up that is."

I finally felt my limbs relax, releasing my from its iron hold. I crawled over to her and held her hand, she moved her other one to grasp mine.

"I have one more thing to say before I go. I think that I…that I said it before, but I can't remember. I wanna be sure you know."

My tears fell fast, each holding the reason for their fall, the very thing she was about to say.

"I love you." Her lips formed a smile; she didn't need to hear me say it because she already knew. Those words took her last breath and her eyes closed never to open again.

She was gone.

"I love you too," I whispered. I hoped beyond hope that maybe, just maybe, those words would bring her back. That some way to cheesy effect would appear and she'd be alive and whole. But that was a dream for another day.

I had to end this one first.

I let go of her hands, let them drop to her torn chest, and walked away. Back to the very place that had started our sad story.

Slade's base.

Because, you see, I think she's right. I think that she'll wake up and I'll be there next to her; sleeping and running through a nightmare. I want to see her again. I want to wake up and see her smile. And I will. I'll die and I'll take this whole goddamn place with me. It isn't real. It's fictional; all the characters have been living a lie. My dreams became their reality. And I'll end it for us all.

The familiar wave of Rage worked through me, but instead of threading its will through mine I controlled it completely. Because I had the power to destroy everything, because under Slade's base is a good source of destruction he planned to use if Jump City got out of control. A back up plan that I was now resorting to. A back up plan that would leave the city in flames. Because there's no world outside of the city, because the world is the city. I'll bring hell to this world.

And then…then I'll wake up.

TheLightningKing: I'm glad you like it! And to one rootbeer addict to the next...it's good to see bud. And sadly I have not seen heads or tails of that deliciously amazing ice cream since...um...whenever I had it last.
DIM666 - Insane Leader: My work here is done!

A/N: Well, 5 days of being home and I got really into the chapter...probably because I had a horrible 'vacation' and was feeling just shitty. Still, I can't help but to think that I got a bit to deep into this one. Meh, deal with it. I had big plans for this story, but sadly the next chapter will be the last. I stunning conclusion I hope? That is up for you readers to decided. I may start writing it after I load this one up. I'm not to sure. Well good night...or day...and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.