The Behemoth

Chapter 3: Dreams…


That night, long after the entire building's residents had gone to bed, john fitfully
tossed and turned in his bed, sleep fleeing his grasp.

Who was the man he had nearly remembered? Was he an old friend, or something
else? The thought kept him awake long into the night, up till around midnight, till
exhaustion finally claimed him and he began to slumber.

* * * *

In his sleep, though, he found himself dreaming almost instantly.

He was in a black place, he himself was in good light, where it originated, he had
no idea, but around him, was dark, blackness like a total void.

Then, a light buzzing in his ear started. Not like a fly, but more a ringing, he
turned to that direction, and a wash of myriad colors stained the blackness like
nebulae against a starless universe.

Now, there seemed to be faint voices, far away, and quiet. He strained to hear
them, but there was nothing more to hear.

The voices seemed to be coming from a white dot of light at the center of a nexus
of color, and, running on nothing at all, he tried to approach the faint sound.

"Let's see…" A high, grating, yet still faint voice became recognizable, and it
echoed. "What shall I do next… How about making clones…"

"What?" He thought. "Clones? What's this mean?"

A slight chuckle from the same voice again. And some of the color half materialized
into a very faint, fuzzy humanoid form. It was barely recognizable against the fluxing
backdrop, but it seemed to hover, and for all of his running, john didn't get the least
bit closer.

"You don't like that, your majesty? I suppose you wouldn't…" the image prattled.

"Wouldn't what?" he whispered, and started taking bounds in his spectral sprint.

"You're nothing but a puppet that I created…" the voice droned on.

"Puppet?" john said, grating to a halt. "What puppet? Who is he talking about?"

Another ringing in his ear sounded, this time louder, and more urgent. He turned
sharply and ran off towards the sound.

"Do you have a past?" A new voice, deeper, and commanding.

"Past?" he stopped. "I…"

"Whatever memories you may have…" the voice continued, and a new form
emerged, still half formed from the mists, large, strong looking, like the half formed
image in his mind after he'd seen Bruno that morning.

"-are nothing but false memories created and planted…"

"What…? False? Planted? What do you…" He asked, confused.

"I even know the person… the "original you"…"

"The 'Original me'?" What do you mean? Who are you?"

The form faded again, leaving Him just as confused as before. Standing there, he
didn't sense anything else, until a series of loud footfalls, slow, and steady, sounded
behind him.

He whirled around as if in slow motion, and stared at the apparition there.

A man… he was running at him… from far away, but every feature on him was
clear as if they were face to face. He was running as if in slow motion, towards
him…

The man had his face!

Standing there, rooted to the spot, he wanted to look away, but could not move a
muscle.

On the man's face was a look of dire determination, his mouth a tight line and his
eyes flashing a cool fire, but then it started to change…

It slowly changed into a tiger… bright orange and clear black stripes, and a pale,
creamy white chest, it's eyes a deep green…

Then, it leapt upon him, mouth opening in a snarl, ready to bite and kill…

* * * *

He screamed as he awoke, sheer terror, within moments, she was there, comforting him,
holding him, trying to reassure him, but words could not calm him.

"John! John, it's me, Charlotte! John, you were having a nightmare… John!"

He fought her embrace, trying to get free, away from the tiger, so like himself, who
seemed bent on destroying him…

Frantic to get him to calm down, Charlotte's mind raced, but nothing came to her, so she
did the one thing that might shock him into stillness…

She planted her mouth clear across his and kissed him.

He froze… the image of the tiger vanishing like a puff of smoke in a gale.

A moment passed, and she broke the kiss. He stared into her eyes, forest green, silent,
mouth agape, then, after a few silent moments, he began to cry.

He embraced her and began to sob into her shoulder

"John, what's wrong?"

"I…" he choked out. "I saw… something… from my past… it wanted to kill me, but,
it had my own face!"

Her own eyes going wide, charlotte held him. "But… you wouldn't want to hurt
yourself, would you?"

"I don't… Know." He said. "I'm so confused." He paused, something really hitting
him.

"But… why…"

"Yes john?" She asked.

"Why… why did you… kiss me?" he looked up at her.

She blushed heavily. "Oh… I'm sorry John, it was the only thing I could think of to
stop you from thrashing around like that… I'm sorry, you probably don't like me like
that, I've admired you myself, but I don't expect you to-"

"I enjoyed it."

She stared at him, and he at her, both staring into the other's eyes. His blue, hers green.

Though there was no more than a few inches of space between them, they almost lunged
for each other.

* * * *

15 minutes later, in Sarah's room, the vixen mother found herself being roused by her
children, Jared and Ashley.

"Mama, there's something going on upstairs!"

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the vixen looked at the clock by her bed.

"It's 1:00 in the morning, what is it?"

"There's noises coming from Miss charlotte's place, I think, what's goin on?"

Sarah strained her ears for a moment, and heard it, a series of bumps against the wall
and floor from the level above them, and the sound of two faint roars.

"What the…!" she said, just as the realization of what was happening hit her.

She laughed to herself. "HAH! Damn, I've heard of doctor/patient relationships before,
but this short a time?" Sarah thought and shook her head. "Be damned if I know what's
going on in that girl's head. I just thought she'd wait a bit longer…"

"What's going on up there mama?" Ashley said, tugging on her mother's nightshirt.

"Charlotte and her boyfriend are wrestling."

"Wrestling?" both kids asked incredulously.

"Yes, now go back to bed, nothing for you to worry about. Now go back to bed, shoo!"
she said, giving them a gentle push toward the door.

"Yes mama." they said in unison. But once they were five feet from the door, they
stopped and looked at each other.

"Wrestling?" Ashley said to her brother, Jared.

He shrugged. "How should I know?"