Chapter 5: The Nightmares, the Comfort
A few months hadpassed and Karonewas still trying to move on with her life. Well, one day,Karone had just dropped her children off at school and she decided to spend a little time to herself before going to the lab to help Kendrix out. She yawned and sat down. "Hey, you look exhausted," a familiar voice commented. Karone looked up to see Leo standing there.
"Hi, Leo," she greeted.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" He asked.
"No, go ahead."
Leo sat down and he looked at the sky. "It's a nice day," he commented.
"Yeah, it is," she replied.
He then looked over at her. "How are you holding up?" He asked. Karone sighed as she played with her wedding ring.
"I'm hanging in there. I still just wish that he'd be here," she replied.
Leo wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a sigh. "Hey, if you need anything, remember that we'll always be here for you," he reminded.
"Thanks for being here, Leo," she murmured.
Leo nodded and watched the girl lean against him and sighed.
That night, Karone had just gone to bed and Leo was just about to leave. He and Karone were talking for a long time and she had fallen asleep on the couch. So he gladly put her to bed. After making sure her children were okay, he decided to head out. However, he heard moaning and whimpering coming from Karone's room. He walked up the stairs and towards her room.
When he entered her room, he found her tossing and turning in her sleep. Sweat was glistening on her forehead. He hurried over and tried to wake her up.
(Karone's Dream)
"ZHANE! ZHANE WHERE ARE YOU?" She called. She ran through a dark hallway and burst through a door. She gasped when two hideous monsters grabbed her arms and held her down. She gasped when she saw Zhane being held down by the leader of the monsters.
"Give up helping the people of Aquitar and I will set your beloved wife free," the leader snapped.
"Never," Zhane hissed.
The leader put a sword underneath Zhane's chin. "Then you will be destroyed," he snapped.
"ZHANE!" Karone screamed.
"I'll do anything, but please just don't let my wife watch me die," Zhane begged.
"You should have thought of that before deciding to stay true to your friends on Aquitar," the leader snapped.
Karone watched in horror as the leader stood a few feet from her husband. "ZHANE!" She called out. Zhane looked over at her.
"I'm so sorry, Karone. I love you so much," he murmured.
"FIRE!"
"NO!"
(End Dream)
"ZHANE! ZHANE!" Karone screamed. Leo was shaking her trying to get her to wake up.
"Karone, Karone, Karone, wake up. Wake up," he urged.
Karone gasped when she woke up and sat up. Leo saw tears falling down her face. "Karone," he whispered. Karone looked to her side to find Leo sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Leo?" She asked.
Leo nodded and he found himself holding her. "I keep having that dream about him. I keep dreaming of watching him getting killed in front of me," she sobbed. Leo rocked her back and forth like a young child and stroked her hair.
"It was a nightmare, Karone, it'll pass," he assured her.
"I just wish I could've helped him," she whispered.
"There was nothing you could have done. You would have been killed too and your children would be left orphans."
"I just miss him."
"I know you do."
"When will these nightmares end?"
"Time will have them end, Karone. There's another thing too. Stop thinking about it before falling asleep. Think of something happy that you have in your life."
Karone looked at him. "Like what?" She asked.
"Think about your children, your family, and your friends," he replied.
Karone sighed and held his hand. "You're such a great friend, Leo. Thank you so much," she murmured. Leo kissed her forehead and was about to leave when she grabbed his hand. "Please don't leave me yet," she begged. Leo looked at her to find that she really didn't want him to leave. "Just stay with me until I fall asleep," she whispered. He nodded and the next thing he knew, he was laying next to her on the bed. He knew she only wanted this so she could get some sleep. He knew she needed the sleep. Before Leo knew it, when Karone fell asleep, he did too.
Early the next morning, Leo woke up and found himself in Karone's bed. He looked over to see Karone still fast asleep. He decided to take his leave and left the house.
When he got back to his house, he threw his keys up on the counter and sat down on the couch with his head in his hands. "That was stupid, but we didn't do anything. I just fell asleep next to her," he reminded himself. He sighed and leaned back. "Yeah, I fell asleep next to the girl I have loved for years," he mumbled.
Karone woke up and yawned. She remembered what happened last night and quickly looked over her shoulder. She sighed in relief when she found that Leo was already gone. "I shouldn't have asked him to do that," she mumbled. She then got up and went to take her kids to school.
