Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction. Thanks and enjoy!
Within Dreams—Chapter 2
TK watched as Matt plunked the telephone back onto the receiver. He involuntarily shivered, more from the fact that the heat in the room was gradually dissipating and had been doing so for the past half hour.
It had started out a normal visit to his brother and father's apartment. Of course he was happy to be seeing his brother again; it had been nearly a month since the last time either had been allowed to visit the other. His father had left to go to work at the TV station soon after TK arrived and the two brothers were home alone ever since.
It was the middle of winter break, so neither of the boys thought it strange when the snow began falling that afternoon. But they began to worry when their father did not return home at his usual time. Matt supplied that maybe the snow was causing traffic that would delay him. An hour passed. Then two, and still no sign of their father.
That was when that phone call came. It was from their father and he said he would be unable to get home until the morning, when the streets would be plowed. He asked if everything was all right and Matt assured him everything was fine, that they would be OK.
But that was before the lights went out. That was before the heat stopped working. And that was before the phone went dead.
"You mean you can't call dad?" TK anxiously questioned.
Matt shook his head and replied: "it'll be fine, TK. Don't worry. I bet the lights'll be back on in the morning." He suddenly seemed to remember just how late it was and suggested: "let's go to sleep. It must be about eleven now."
TK yawned and agreed. It was already eleven? When had the lights gone out?
"Matt, it's cold in here."
"I know, TK," Matt replied. "I wish I could do something about that, but the heater's not working."
Matt shuddered, just now noticing how cold it was. He looked at the thermostat, aiming the thin beam of light from his flashlight at the small box on the wall and his eyes widened in surprise. How had it gotten to be twenty-eight degrees? And the indicating needle was rapidly dropping. 28…then 27…then 26, 25, 24….
He turned away from the box and saw TK now shivering uncontrollably. "Just a sec, I'll get some of the extra blankets down, OK?"
TK nodded and sat down on the couch, huddled into a small ball to keep warm.
Matt pulled down several heavy blankets from the top shelf in his father's closet and walked out to the living room. Again, he glanced at the thermostat and this time his stomach dropped to the soles of his feet. It was down to only five degrees.
There's got to be some mistake, Matt thought, tapping the box with his free hand. But it was no mistake. And the numbers were steadily dropping.
He quickly walked out into the living room before spreading out the blankets over himself and his brother. It was so cold…why did the heater have to stop working on a night like this? He wondered. We might as well be sleeping outside. It can't be much colder than in here.
A shrill ring from the telephone broke Matt out of his thoughts and made him jump in surprise. Beside him, he felt TK also jump in surprise.
"I thought you said the phone was dead," TK whispered, fear apparent in his voice and eyes wide with unspoken terror.
"They were. Maybe…maybe it's dad," Matt haltingly answered. Yeah, that's it…It's dad, he decided. "I'll be right back, OK?"
Matt got to his feet and took one of the blankets with him. Even through the heavy woven fabric, the bitingly cold air sent a shiver down his spine and made goose bumps appear on his skin.
"Hello?"
Matt listened, but heard nothing on the other line. "Hello?" he repeated. But there was nothing. He shook his head and hung up the phone, brow furrowed in confusion. The line had certainly sounded dead and yet the phone had distinctly rang seconds earlier.
No sooner had he hung up the phone than it rang again. He stood beside the jangling telephone, hesitant to pick up. It rang a second time and then a third insistent ring. Finally, after the fourth ring, Matt snatched the phone off the receiver.
"Hello?"
This time there was faint static that sent a chill through his body. Then again, the chill could have been caused by the freezing cold of the room as well.
"H-hello?"
There was no answer, save the static.
He took a deep breath and hung up the phone. Then he picked it up. No static. No dial tone. Nothing. The phone was definitely still dead. He hung the phone up and walked back to the couch.
Once he sat down, the phone rang once again. He made no move to answer it.
"Aren't you going to get it?" TK sleepily queried.
"No."
"Well, why not?"
Matt did not reply. He realized how stupid it would sound if he said he was afraid of static. So he walked back to the phone and picked up.
"Hello?"
A voice that was void of emotion said: "once you go to sleep it'll begin…yes, it will be begin…are you ready?"
Now Matt was scared. He quickly slammed the phone onto the receiver, and then picked it back up. Silence. The line was dead. He walked back to the couch and sat down, this time leaving the phone off the hook.
"Who was it, Matt?"
"It was a—a—telemarketer," Matt lied. He yawned. It had to be almost midnight by now. "Let's go to sleep."
TK nodded and closed his eyes and Matt got under the covers before closing his eyes as well….