Chapter 21 - Haunting Nightmares
He was there, right in front of me, katana in mid-air ready to strike. I tried to scream, but my lungs felt suffocated and not a single noise left me. Everything went in slow motion; deliberately torturing me as I awaited for the ninja to deliver my death.
The alleyway was isolated and smothered in darkness. Despite being prepared to defend myself, it was as if my body was paralysed, preventing me from using one of the new moves Matt had taught me.
That's when I remembered him. The blind vigilante who was the only one that could possibly save me, but tonight he was too late. I also remembered the gentle and friendly lawyer; the other side of the mysterious man. My heart squeezed in pain as I realized that I would no longer be able to see him, talk to him, or even kiss him goodbye.
It was at that moment I saw him. The devil running towards us, determined as ever. He yelled in anguish as he witnessed the ninja lunge.
"Matt!" I screamed, finally able to find a voice.
But then his face changed, suddenly becoming relaxed and calm. I looked at him confused as his whole demeanour changed.
"Scarlett, you're ok," he soothed, "Stop screaming, you're safe now."
A tear escaped my eye. What was he thinking? I was seconds from death and he thought I was safe?!
I could only watch in horror as the sword came down on me and finally collided with my skull.
I was jolted awake, quickly realizing it was nothing more than a nightmare. Matt had a hold of me and it took me no more than a few seconds to realize the reassuring words I had heard came from his mouth, not the version of Matt I had dreamed. He went quiet as he saw me wake, giving me chance to breathe.
"Sorry about that Matt," I sighed.
"It's not your fault," he reasoned, "You were screaming my name."
I looked at his concerned features, my heart swelling at the evident worry on his face.
"It's fine, I'm used to it," I gingerly explained, "I've been having the nightmares since the stabbing."
Matt nodded, "I remember, you had one when I checked in on you in the hospital."
I let out a slight laugh at the memory, quickly remembering what had occurred in the dream in question.
"Yeah, that one was actually of you," I admitted.
"You had a nightmare, about me?" he asked in confusion.
"To be fair, you were pretty scary at first."
"I find that hard to believe," Matt joked, "The ladies usually love the devil mask and horns."
I scoffed at his statement, instantly taking my mind off the sickening event I had dreamed up. Matt knew how to calm me, and he did it so well. It was then that I looked at the clock, immediately realizing that it was only 4am. Guilt filled me at disturbing the lawyer and waking him in the middle of the night.
"I'm sorry again Matt, I didn't realize it was so late."
He only smiled in reply, merely stating, "I think it's more appropriate to call it early, I have to get ready for work at five."
"Now I feel even worse. You have to go and serve justice, or whatever you call it, with barely any sleep."
Matt yawned, "I'm used to it."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the overpowering drowsiness that began to overcome them. It was clear that Matt was feeling the full force of fatigue too as he lay back down next to me. Instinctively I leaned into him, taking comfort in the safe feeling I had whenever I was in his arms. He didn't seem to mind at least, and before I knew it I was drifting off once again.
My eyes opened to the blinding sunlight that streamed through Matt's windows and lit up the apartment. I breathed a sigh of relief at not having to experience yet another paralysing dream after being comforted by Matt. It was then that I realized the missing presence of said person, leaving my still half-asleep mind confused.
It took me a few seconds to remember; of course, he went to work. I reached over for my phone to check how long he had been gone, but I was left shocked at the time it displayed to me.
2pm? How could I have slept so long?!
Despite my mind reeling about wasting most of the day, I knew deep down that I had been seriously in need of such a lengthy rest, especially after the eventful week I had endured. As my mind fully awoke, I noticed a text left on my phone and opened it.
Still up for meeting at Josie's after work at 4? - M
It took me a moment to realize Matt had remembered my suggestion from last night and still planned to go ahead with it after all. I smiled and quickly typed a reply agreeing to meet him before deciding to finally drag myself out of his bed.
I headed straight for the shower, knowing that I needed to hot water on my skin before I could fully function. As I reached the bathroom and headed in, I still found the change in accommodation odd. It would be hard to get used to not always living on my own, especially when my roommate was far from ordinary.
My body relaxed as I finally turned on the faucet and allowed the soothing water to rain down on me. Gladly, I could enjoy my shower much more this time due to my significantly less hungover state. I still cringed at the memory of my drunken behaviour towards Matt, causing me to vow to take it easier tonight.
After a brisk 10 minutes I forced myself away from the steamy water and decided to take on the impossible; cooking an edible meal. My skills weren't nearly half as good as Matt's, which I told myself was because of his much better sense of smell. The truth was, it wouldn't be hard to be a more skillful chef than me.
The reason for this was partially my own fault, I never had to fend for myself until my parents had gone. I avoided thinking back on the day I lost them as much as possible, but there was no way of escaping the murmurs of the incident every now and again. I had learnt to hate the super-powered beings that couldn't save my only family, and now I was living with one of them.
Matt had never asked about my family, and for that I was grateful. I guess the topic was as sore a subject for him since losing his father. But I couldn't deny that the almost apocalyptic event which occurred over 2 years ago had hardened and moulded me into the strong-willed person I was.
I tried my best to wipe the somber thoughts from my mind as I settled on making a plain sandwich; the only real meal I was capable of. It tasty slightly odd and had a dry texture, but I was hungry enough to ignore this and digest it anyway. It reminded me of why I ordered takeout so often when I lived in my own apartment.
After a few final hesitant bites of the not-so edible substance, I placed my plate in the sink and headed towards the bedroom. I had managed to unpack a few of my clothes and find a place for them in Matt's wardrobe, so decided I would just quickly grab one of those. It wasn't like he would judge my appearance.
I slipped on some jeans and a leather jacket, praying it would keep me warm in the cool winter air. I checked my phone again and cursed as I saw it was already almost 4:00pm, causing me to hurriedly find a pair of shoes and some cash before rushing out of the door.
Thankfully, I still remembered the directions from the last time I took this journey, which significantly cut the time I needed to walk over to Josie's. The glowing lights of the familiar drinking spot came into view in no time. I smiled as I saw the standing form of the lawyer waiting outside for me, his head shifting as he detected my presence.
"Good evening Mr Murdock," I greeted in a fairly sarcastic manner.
However, his mood didn't seem quite as light as my own, responding with a small smile that felt forced.
"Is something the matter?" I asked in concern.
"It freezing out here," Matt replied, "We can talk about it inside."
My eyebrows furrowed at his vague response, but I followed him to a small table in the corner nonetheless. He remained silent as I ordered us a bottle of scotch from the bar; he looked like he needed it. As the barmaid arrived with our glasses, I poured us both a large sum, my blind counterpart readily taking swigs from it as soon as I handed it over to him.
"Frank has escaped," he abruptly announced, quickly allowing me to realize the cause of his agitated mood. I honestly didn't know how to feel upon hearing the news, but tried to mask my reaction as much as possible. Should I be terrified or relieved? I knew that the last thing Matt needed was another argument over the morals of Frank's murders, so decided to keep my opinions to myself.
"How did you find out?" I questioned in curiousity.
"I heard murmurs down at the precinct today. The whole police force is out on the streets looking for him, before it can go public," his tense form stated, "I'm going out to do some searching for myself tonight."
No words could come to the forefront of my mind that could possibly comfort the man filled with anger opposite me. I offered a simple nod instead, showing that I would voice no opposition to his plan of tracking down the Punisher. But a part of me would worry for Matt, even I knew Daredevil's odds weren't great up against a man with a loaded machine gun.
"So I take it you've had a great day then?" I added sarcastically, hoping to lighten the mood.
He let out a small scoff and shook his head, allowing a small break in his current stony facade.
"I've actually been dealing with a new client today. He's just a kid, but the system failed him and he landed himself in a gang. Now he's in the hospital and being charged for murder."
"Shit," I sighed, "That's terrible. I guess you really have had a rough day."
"It's not all bad. He's being discharged in the morning and I'm confident that I can at least reduce his sentence to manslaughter, but I need someone to keep an eye on him tomorrow to make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble whilst he's on bail," Matt explained.
"And I'm guessing that someone is me?"
At that moment he hit me with one of his charming smiles.
"Of course."
"And you don't think that may be a bad idea with a cult of ninjas following my every move? Why can't Foggy do it?"
"Foggy and I both have a court hearing to attend tomorrow," the lawyer explained, "And the Hand wouldn't dare target you during the daylight, there would be too many witnesses."
"Well then, how can I say no? Looks like I'm babysitting tomorrow," I agreed.
"This is why you're a great partner," Matt smiled.
I wiggled my eyebrows, "In many ways."
At that, he looked like he was about the choke on his drink, but decided to let the comment slide.
If only I knew what tomorrow would entail.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait, but you'll be glad to know that my exams are now officially OVER! I can't wait to dive back into this story now that I have no more school work to do.
I hope you enjoyed this new update, even if it is a bit of a filler. Be expecting plenty more action soon!