Chapter 5: Nightmare!
Simon sat up in his bed and saw a Raven sitting at the end of it. It just sat there staring at him. Suddenly it flew off in the shadows and as Simon watched it go. It was then that he realized that he wasn't in his normal bedroom with his brothers, but in the quarters where he, Tom and Brian stayed in on the Island.
The air was cold and Simon could see his breath as it now quickened. He looked around and noticed that he was the only one there. Simon finally found the courage to get out of bed and walk towards the window.
Outside he could see all four of his friends sitting, in a circle, in the middle of the campus field. Simon figured that they were waiting for him, so he crawled out the window and climbed down a near by tree. He remembered doing this almost every night with his friends, they would go out and have a smoke and perhaps sneak a bottle of boos from their secret stash.
As soon as he got to the ground, he noticed that he was in his school uniform. A frown was placed on his face, as he couldn't believe that this was happening. Simon then looked up and remembered that his friends were still waiting. He began to hurry and catch up to them. When he finally arrived to join their little circle, they all stood up and looked at him.
"It's about time you joined us!" Tom said sounding a bit annoyed.
"Yeah! One might think you've forgotten us!" Brian said in a snippy tone.
"No, of course not! You're my friends!" Simon said in defiance.
"Come on, we'll be late!" Renee said in her usual cheerful tone.
"Where are we going?" Simon asked.
"You'll see!" Brenda smirked as she grabbed his hand.
The five chipmunk teens ran down the field and into the woods. It has always been some kind of game for them to start running through the tree branches and bushes of the forest. They would try to see how far they could go without tripping or slamming into a tree. As far as Simon could remember that hadn't happened, even when they were really drunk. They ran and ran, until they suddenly stopped.
Simon turned and faced his friends, as if to ask 'what now'. Tom lifted his arm and pointed to a narrow trail that went down hill. It was a trail that he sort of recognized; but was not sure where it had led too. Again he looked back to his friends for guidance.
"Follow the path, Simon." Tom said bluntly.
"Huh?" Simon was not sure what Tom meant by that.
"Just follow the path, it'll lead you to where you need to be." Brenda replied in an English accent.
Simon took another look down the path and had a question. He turned to ask his friends, but they had already disappeared.
"Guys? Where are you.? Please don't leave me!!" Simon called out in an almost panicked tone.
There was no response. He was by himself, alone in the woods. Simon felt like crying, but he was able to control that urge. There was only one thing to do. Simon swallowed a huge lump in his throat and started to walk the path downward. He could feel his heart beating faster every few steps he took. Simon could also hear the sound of water in the distant and knew that it was the sound of the waterfall. Finally he'd reached a cave at the bottom of the hill. The place seemed familiar somehow. He walked in and saw a beautiful woman sitting on a bed mattress inside the cave. She too looked familiar.
"M.Mary-Anne?" Simon nearly chocked on his breath.
"Come in, sit down!" She said, patting a spot beside her on the mattress.
He did as suggested and sat down beside her. When he looked up at her and noticed that she held a black box on her lap. After a moment she then placed the box in a secret spot in the wall of the cave. Beside her laid a rock, she picked it up and shoved it in place to hide the hole. Mary-Anne then turned around a faced Simon again.
"You won't forget your promise?" She asked in a concerned tone.
"Never!"
Before Simon could say anything else, Mary-Anne leaned over and kissed him patiently on the lips. At first it took him by surprise, but soon he relaxed and began to enjoy it. Suddenly she stopped and stood up.
"That's to remember me by!" Mary-Anne said. Simon could see the worry and fear in her eyes as she slowly got up and stepped backwards into the shadows of the cave. He remembered that she was always very calm and was able to control her emotions most of the time on the Island. There were times when she actually laughed, but that was rare and usually when they all were drunk. This was different to see her like this, almost scary.
Simon was about to ask her if everything was all right when a familiar voice took them by surprise.
"You will fail!" They both turned to see the Dean standing firmly at the entrance.
"No!" Mary-Anne responded with definite fear in her tone.
"The Project is over, and so are you!"
"NO!!"
"You and everyone you know *will die*!!"
As the Dean said that his voice started to have an animal-like growl to it. He also began to transform into a humanoid reptile with a tail, sharp teeth and claws. To Simon's surprise the Dean leapt and attacked Mary- Anne, while he could do nothing, but watch in horror.
"NOOO!!!" Mary-Anne screamed her last breath.
Horrified, Simon watched as the 'alien lizard' covered in Mary-Anne's blood slowly turned towards him. "DIE!!" The creature yelled, in a monstrous voice. With his, bloody, outstretched arms the monster ran towards Simon to start attacking him as well.
********
Simon woke and sat up screaming in terror. Trembling all over, he was disoriented and drenched in sweat. It took some time, but he was able to regain his composure and breathe a little more steadily.
"Simon, are you ok?" Came a groggy, but yet familiar voice in the bed next to his.
"Huh?" It took a moment to discover that he is back home in his own bed, and that Alvin, his brother, is talking to him. He blinked a couple of times before answering. "Yea, j-j-just had a.dream."
"A dream? Sounded more like a nightmare!" Alvin added as he sat up.
The room was dark and it made it more difficult to see, especially without his glasses. Simon reached for his glasses on the table beside his bed. Then he whipped some of the sweat from his face with the arm sleeve of his pyjamas before put his glasses on his face.
"What's going on?" Came another groggy voice.
"Simon just had another nightmare, but everything is ok now, Theodore! Go back to sleep!" Alvin looked over to see that Simon was getting out of bed, putting on his robe and heading for the door. "Where do you think your going?"
"To get a drink of water!"
"You are going to be ok, aren't you Simon?" Theodore asked worryingly. He remembered when Simon use to get up from nightmares and go downstairs to not drink water, but alcohol or to have a smoke to calm his nerves. Even though he no longer smokes, and there is no more alcohol in the house, that he knew of, it still worried Theodore whenever Simon looked depressed or stressed about something. Especially, when he woke up screaming from a nightmare.
"I'll be fine! I just need to walk it off!" Simon answered as he left the room.
Both Alvin and Theodore looked at each other with concern for their brother.
Simon sat up in his bed and saw a Raven sitting at the end of it. It just sat there staring at him. Suddenly it flew off in the shadows and as Simon watched it go. It was then that he realized that he wasn't in his normal bedroom with his brothers, but in the quarters where he, Tom and Brian stayed in on the Island.
The air was cold and Simon could see his breath as it now quickened. He looked around and noticed that he was the only one there. Simon finally found the courage to get out of bed and walk towards the window.
Outside he could see all four of his friends sitting, in a circle, in the middle of the campus field. Simon figured that they were waiting for him, so he crawled out the window and climbed down a near by tree. He remembered doing this almost every night with his friends, they would go out and have a smoke and perhaps sneak a bottle of boos from their secret stash.
As soon as he got to the ground, he noticed that he was in his school uniform. A frown was placed on his face, as he couldn't believe that this was happening. Simon then looked up and remembered that his friends were still waiting. He began to hurry and catch up to them. When he finally arrived to join their little circle, they all stood up and looked at him.
"It's about time you joined us!" Tom said sounding a bit annoyed.
"Yeah! One might think you've forgotten us!" Brian said in a snippy tone.
"No, of course not! You're my friends!" Simon said in defiance.
"Come on, we'll be late!" Renee said in her usual cheerful tone.
"Where are we going?" Simon asked.
"You'll see!" Brenda smirked as she grabbed his hand.
The five chipmunk teens ran down the field and into the woods. It has always been some kind of game for them to start running through the tree branches and bushes of the forest. They would try to see how far they could go without tripping or slamming into a tree. As far as Simon could remember that hadn't happened, even when they were really drunk. They ran and ran, until they suddenly stopped.
Simon turned and faced his friends, as if to ask 'what now'. Tom lifted his arm and pointed to a narrow trail that went down hill. It was a trail that he sort of recognized; but was not sure where it had led too. Again he looked back to his friends for guidance.
"Follow the path, Simon." Tom said bluntly.
"Huh?" Simon was not sure what Tom meant by that.
"Just follow the path, it'll lead you to where you need to be." Brenda replied in an English accent.
Simon took another look down the path and had a question. He turned to ask his friends, but they had already disappeared.
"Guys? Where are you.? Please don't leave me!!" Simon called out in an almost panicked tone.
There was no response. He was by himself, alone in the woods. Simon felt like crying, but he was able to control that urge. There was only one thing to do. Simon swallowed a huge lump in his throat and started to walk the path downward. He could feel his heart beating faster every few steps he took. Simon could also hear the sound of water in the distant and knew that it was the sound of the waterfall. Finally he'd reached a cave at the bottom of the hill. The place seemed familiar somehow. He walked in and saw a beautiful woman sitting on a bed mattress inside the cave. She too looked familiar.
"M.Mary-Anne?" Simon nearly chocked on his breath.
"Come in, sit down!" She said, patting a spot beside her on the mattress.
He did as suggested and sat down beside her. When he looked up at her and noticed that she held a black box on her lap. After a moment she then placed the box in a secret spot in the wall of the cave. Beside her laid a rock, she picked it up and shoved it in place to hide the hole. Mary-Anne then turned around a faced Simon again.
"You won't forget your promise?" She asked in a concerned tone.
"Never!"
Before Simon could say anything else, Mary-Anne leaned over and kissed him patiently on the lips. At first it took him by surprise, but soon he relaxed and began to enjoy it. Suddenly she stopped and stood up.
"That's to remember me by!" Mary-Anne said. Simon could see the worry and fear in her eyes as she slowly got up and stepped backwards into the shadows of the cave. He remembered that she was always very calm and was able to control her emotions most of the time on the Island. There were times when she actually laughed, but that was rare and usually when they all were drunk. This was different to see her like this, almost scary.
Simon was about to ask her if everything was all right when a familiar voice took them by surprise.
"You will fail!" They both turned to see the Dean standing firmly at the entrance.
"No!" Mary-Anne responded with definite fear in her tone.
"The Project is over, and so are you!"
"NO!!"
"You and everyone you know *will die*!!"
As the Dean said that his voice started to have an animal-like growl to it. He also began to transform into a humanoid reptile with a tail, sharp teeth and claws. To Simon's surprise the Dean leapt and attacked Mary- Anne, while he could do nothing, but watch in horror.
"NOOO!!!" Mary-Anne screamed her last breath.
Horrified, Simon watched as the 'alien lizard' covered in Mary-Anne's blood slowly turned towards him. "DIE!!" The creature yelled, in a monstrous voice. With his, bloody, outstretched arms the monster ran towards Simon to start attacking him as well.
********
Simon woke and sat up screaming in terror. Trembling all over, he was disoriented and drenched in sweat. It took some time, but he was able to regain his composure and breathe a little more steadily.
"Simon, are you ok?" Came a groggy, but yet familiar voice in the bed next to his.
"Huh?" It took a moment to discover that he is back home in his own bed, and that Alvin, his brother, is talking to him. He blinked a couple of times before answering. "Yea, j-j-just had a.dream."
"A dream? Sounded more like a nightmare!" Alvin added as he sat up.
The room was dark and it made it more difficult to see, especially without his glasses. Simon reached for his glasses on the table beside his bed. Then he whipped some of the sweat from his face with the arm sleeve of his pyjamas before put his glasses on his face.
"What's going on?" Came another groggy voice.
"Simon just had another nightmare, but everything is ok now, Theodore! Go back to sleep!" Alvin looked over to see that Simon was getting out of bed, putting on his robe and heading for the door. "Where do you think your going?"
"To get a drink of water!"
"You are going to be ok, aren't you Simon?" Theodore asked worryingly. He remembered when Simon use to get up from nightmares and go downstairs to not drink water, but alcohol or to have a smoke to calm his nerves. Even though he no longer smokes, and there is no more alcohol in the house, that he knew of, it still worried Theodore whenever Simon looked depressed or stressed about something. Especially, when he woke up screaming from a nightmare.
"I'll be fine! I just need to walk it off!" Simon answered as he left the room.
Both Alvin and Theodore looked at each other with concern for their brother.