Chapter Two:
Leon awoke to a faint stinging on his shoulder. After a few burning seconds, the full force hit him and he jolted up with a loud groan.
"Hey, calm down, would ya?" Claire whispered soothingly. "I _have_ done this before, you know."
Unaware of what was happening but too drowsy to care, Leon laid his head back down and allowed the pain to travel through his
body until it was over and he was feeling much better than before.
He dozed off again and was shaken again not too much later.
"Ugh." he moaned as if he were intoxicated. "I don't care what he says, I'm gonna throw the trash in the pool..."
Claire rolled her eyes and choked back a laugh. "Okay, that just made no sense whatsoever. Wake up." she shook him
again and he forced himself fully awake. "Morning, sleepyhead."
He muttered some grumpy reply and she sighed. "Are you up to taking me to work today? Or should I just walk? Oh, and by the by, don't
you have a job to be getting to also?"
"Claire, please...not too many words so early in the morning." Leon murmured dramatically. "I can't take it."
"Okay." Claire said hesitantly. She tapped her foot, looking around the living room as if she were considering changing the colour from
butter yellow to lime green. A click of her tongue on the roof of her mouth, a quick glance at her watch and she blew an exasperated
breath which caused her long bangs to fly upward then fall back in feathery wisps.
"Leon? Leon? Wake up!" Claire bit her lip. "Come on, Leon, this isn't funny. Hey, I know you're only doing this to stress me out
so come on." She sat back on the fold-out couch and looked at her watch again before she leaned over and fished Leon's keys out of his
pocket. "Of course, you know, I could just..._take_ your car with me and--"
At that, Leon leapt up and grabbed her arm. "Give." he said sternly, holding his palm out.
Stubbornly, Claire released the keys and brushed her hair away from her face. "I knew that would get you up."
"Get me up nothing." Leon replied, straightening himself up. "Nobody but NOBODY touches my baby."
"You and yo' cars." Claire replied in a Louisiana accent that she had picked up from some movie. It wasn't very good. "Just what do you
think you're laughing at?"
Leon shook his head as a response and ran his hand through his hair.
"How's your shoulder? Is it all right?" she asked as she followed him out the door.
"It's better. Don't forget to lock the door."
Claire shut the door and rolled her eyes as she had already known to lock it in the first place.
"So protective..." she murmured.
Leon chose to ignore her last comment and opened up the door for her. As she climbed into her seat, Leon yawned and grinded the sleep
crust out of his eyes with his fist.
"Are you okay to drive?" she asked, yawning herself as she did so.
Leon nodded and closed her door then crossed to his own.
************************************************************************************************************
The only intention Leon had when he entered his apartment shortly after dropping Claire off at Harrison Elementary was to brush his teeth (just
to get rid of the awful taste in his mouth) and then fall asleep. His superior had told him to take as much time as he needed recovering from the wound
but Leon was pretty sure he would return to work in less than a week. He was devoted to his job but he had to admit that this brief hiatus would do him
good. Sleep wasn't a luxury to him. Most of his hours were spent in the station and by the end of the day, he was so hyped up on caffeine that the rest he
got was a cat nap on some couch in the break room. That was why he was surprised that he was able to sleep so well at Claire's house.
After he did his obligatory routine of tooth-brushing, Leon practically tumbled onto his bed and knocked out before his head hit the pillow. Which was just as well as his pain killers decided to give out at that very moment. His mind's eye blurred and fizzed away in ribbons of hazy colour as he slipped deeper and deeper into sleep. He was on a path of stone, lined with trees...it was cold and windy but he didn't feel the effects of the weather. He was too busy staring at the end of the path where there was an out of place white door. Leon was never an honours student but even he had to wonder how stupid he was in his dreams. Who goes to an ominous door just standing in the middle of the woods?
Well, stupid or not, he went towards the door, down the path that seemed to get longer and longer the more he went. Almost like walking on a treadmill. You could walk miles and miles without ever getting anywhere... After what seemed like hours, he reached the door; he hesitated for a few seconds, wondering what could possibly be on the other side? He heard a noise from behind him and looked back. To his horror, he saw images he hadn't seen in years since he went to a psychologist to talk out his problems with an objective, unbiased third-party. Stumbling zombies, lizard-like lickers and all the other horrors he thought he had left behind were coming toward him as if he were still there, living the whole thing over again.
He turned back to the door, no longer caring what was on the other side, so long as he wasn't on this one anymore. His heart sank when he looked down to where the doorknob would have--_should_ have--been only to see that it was gone. From the trees all around came wriggling snakes of all origins and the ground began to shake and split; sending fiery spouts of inferno into the air.
Oh God, what was going on here?! He banged and pounded and tackled the door, hoping it would budge but it was unmovable. All the nightmarish creatures were getting closer, zombies, snakes, fire and all. The only way out now truly was the door and he slammed himself into it again and again, ignoring the pain in his arm. With a final bash to the door, it gave way and he fell through, completely taken by surprise. There was no other side, instead, he was in a whirlwind that spun him round and round before dropping him into a lake that was teeming with skulls--not trout, but human skulls. He opened his mouth to scream and swam to the surface. He hit a solid barrier. The lake had frozen over.
Leon was beginning to get tired of this. Why couldn't he just wake up? Looking around, he saw another door, lying in the muck at the bottom of the lake. Without thinking about how annoying the doors were going to get, he swam for it. When he reached the bottom, he was shaken to see that it wasn't a door at all. It was a coffin. A split second after that realization was made, the coffin burst open and bony, skeletal fingers grasped him around the shoulders and started shaking him violently.
Bitter water entered his mouth, choking him as he let out a soundless scream. He instinctively reached for his hip holster and pulled out his gun. The minute the weapon came within view the scene changed rapidly. He was no longer in a turbid lake but in a dimly lit gun shop. In front of him was a mirror and in his hands was his prized desert eagle. Leon froze, his mouth was going numb and he wiggled his tongue around, trying to regain some feeling. He reached up and felt around inside his mouth. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. He looked down at his hands and yelped in fear. In his palm lay several of his teeth... He was losing his teeth...He quickly glanced in the mirror only to find that his all his teeth were still perfectly in tact. He reached up and pulled out five more of his teeth only to find that when he inspected his mouth, none were missing...
A loud scream from the phone woke him up and he bolted straight up in bed. His was reeling more from the dream than the head ache that was forming inside him at that moment. His heart was pounding and he quickly checked his mouth to be certain none of his teeth were gone. Once his breathing stilled, Leon turned to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" he said, his voice hoarse.
There was silence on the other line. Then a soft sniff and a stifled sob.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" he tried again, clearing his throat.
After a few seconds, there was a faint, "Is this Leon?"
"Yes." Leon replied, noticing the familiar timbre of his oldest sister's voice. "Lanna? Is this you?"
"Y...yes." she said, forcing a sob from her voice. "There's bad news, Leon."
"What? What is it?" Leon demanded, fully awake.
"It's Daddy." she murmured. "He just died."
Leon awoke to a faint stinging on his shoulder. After a few burning seconds, the full force hit him and he jolted up with a loud groan.
"Hey, calm down, would ya?" Claire whispered soothingly. "I _have_ done this before, you know."
Unaware of what was happening but too drowsy to care, Leon laid his head back down and allowed the pain to travel through his
body until it was over and he was feeling much better than before.
He dozed off again and was shaken again not too much later.
"Ugh." he moaned as if he were intoxicated. "I don't care what he says, I'm gonna throw the trash in the pool..."
Claire rolled her eyes and choked back a laugh. "Okay, that just made no sense whatsoever. Wake up." she shook him
again and he forced himself fully awake. "Morning, sleepyhead."
He muttered some grumpy reply and she sighed. "Are you up to taking me to work today? Or should I just walk? Oh, and by the by, don't
you have a job to be getting to also?"
"Claire, please...not too many words so early in the morning." Leon murmured dramatically. "I can't take it."
"Okay." Claire said hesitantly. She tapped her foot, looking around the living room as if she were considering changing the colour from
butter yellow to lime green. A click of her tongue on the roof of her mouth, a quick glance at her watch and she blew an exasperated
breath which caused her long bangs to fly upward then fall back in feathery wisps.
"Leon? Leon? Wake up!" Claire bit her lip. "Come on, Leon, this isn't funny. Hey, I know you're only doing this to stress me out
so come on." She sat back on the fold-out couch and looked at her watch again before she leaned over and fished Leon's keys out of his
pocket. "Of course, you know, I could just..._take_ your car with me and--"
At that, Leon leapt up and grabbed her arm. "Give." he said sternly, holding his palm out.
Stubbornly, Claire released the keys and brushed her hair away from her face. "I knew that would get you up."
"Get me up nothing." Leon replied, straightening himself up. "Nobody but NOBODY touches my baby."
"You and yo' cars." Claire replied in a Louisiana accent that she had picked up from some movie. It wasn't very good. "Just what do you
think you're laughing at?"
Leon shook his head as a response and ran his hand through his hair.
"How's your shoulder? Is it all right?" she asked as she followed him out the door.
"It's better. Don't forget to lock the door."
Claire shut the door and rolled her eyes as she had already known to lock it in the first place.
"So protective..." she murmured.
Leon chose to ignore her last comment and opened up the door for her. As she climbed into her seat, Leon yawned and grinded the sleep
crust out of his eyes with his fist.
"Are you okay to drive?" she asked, yawning herself as she did so.
Leon nodded and closed her door then crossed to his own.
************************************************************************************************************
The only intention Leon had when he entered his apartment shortly after dropping Claire off at Harrison Elementary was to brush his teeth (just
to get rid of the awful taste in his mouth) and then fall asleep. His superior had told him to take as much time as he needed recovering from the wound
but Leon was pretty sure he would return to work in less than a week. He was devoted to his job but he had to admit that this brief hiatus would do him
good. Sleep wasn't a luxury to him. Most of his hours were spent in the station and by the end of the day, he was so hyped up on caffeine that the rest he
got was a cat nap on some couch in the break room. That was why he was surprised that he was able to sleep so well at Claire's house.
After he did his obligatory routine of tooth-brushing, Leon practically tumbled onto his bed and knocked out before his head hit the pillow. Which was just as well as his pain killers decided to give out at that very moment. His mind's eye blurred and fizzed away in ribbons of hazy colour as he slipped deeper and deeper into sleep. He was on a path of stone, lined with trees...it was cold and windy but he didn't feel the effects of the weather. He was too busy staring at the end of the path where there was an out of place white door. Leon was never an honours student but even he had to wonder how stupid he was in his dreams. Who goes to an ominous door just standing in the middle of the woods?
Well, stupid or not, he went towards the door, down the path that seemed to get longer and longer the more he went. Almost like walking on a treadmill. You could walk miles and miles without ever getting anywhere... After what seemed like hours, he reached the door; he hesitated for a few seconds, wondering what could possibly be on the other side? He heard a noise from behind him and looked back. To his horror, he saw images he hadn't seen in years since he went to a psychologist to talk out his problems with an objective, unbiased third-party. Stumbling zombies, lizard-like lickers and all the other horrors he thought he had left behind were coming toward him as if he were still there, living the whole thing over again.
He turned back to the door, no longer caring what was on the other side, so long as he wasn't on this one anymore. His heart sank when he looked down to where the doorknob would have--_should_ have--been only to see that it was gone. From the trees all around came wriggling snakes of all origins and the ground began to shake and split; sending fiery spouts of inferno into the air.
Oh God, what was going on here?! He banged and pounded and tackled the door, hoping it would budge but it was unmovable. All the nightmarish creatures were getting closer, zombies, snakes, fire and all. The only way out now truly was the door and he slammed himself into it again and again, ignoring the pain in his arm. With a final bash to the door, it gave way and he fell through, completely taken by surprise. There was no other side, instead, he was in a whirlwind that spun him round and round before dropping him into a lake that was teeming with skulls--not trout, but human skulls. He opened his mouth to scream and swam to the surface. He hit a solid barrier. The lake had frozen over.
Leon was beginning to get tired of this. Why couldn't he just wake up? Looking around, he saw another door, lying in the muck at the bottom of the lake. Without thinking about how annoying the doors were going to get, he swam for it. When he reached the bottom, he was shaken to see that it wasn't a door at all. It was a coffin. A split second after that realization was made, the coffin burst open and bony, skeletal fingers grasped him around the shoulders and started shaking him violently.
Bitter water entered his mouth, choking him as he let out a soundless scream. He instinctively reached for his hip holster and pulled out his gun. The minute the weapon came within view the scene changed rapidly. He was no longer in a turbid lake but in a dimly lit gun shop. In front of him was a mirror and in his hands was his prized desert eagle. Leon froze, his mouth was going numb and he wiggled his tongue around, trying to regain some feeling. He reached up and felt around inside his mouth. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. He looked down at his hands and yelped in fear. In his palm lay several of his teeth... He was losing his teeth...He quickly glanced in the mirror only to find that his all his teeth were still perfectly in tact. He reached up and pulled out five more of his teeth only to find that when he inspected his mouth, none were missing...
A loud scream from the phone woke him up and he bolted straight up in bed. His was reeling more from the dream than the head ache that was forming inside him at that moment. His heart was pounding and he quickly checked his mouth to be certain none of his teeth were gone. Once his breathing stilled, Leon turned to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" he said, his voice hoarse.
There was silence on the other line. Then a soft sniff and a stifled sob.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" he tried again, clearing his throat.
After a few seconds, there was a faint, "Is this Leon?"
"Yes." Leon replied, noticing the familiar timbre of his oldest sister's voice. "Lanna? Is this you?"
"Y...yes." she said, forcing a sob from her voice. "There's bad news, Leon."
"What? What is it?" Leon demanded, fully awake.
"It's Daddy." she murmured. "He just died."