A/N: hehe… oo; I know I kinda abandoned this story for a ridiculously long time, don't know if anyone remembers it XD Really sorry about not continuing with it but I lost interest and I can't force myself to write stories or they will just be complete nonsense :D Well I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway and also hope you continue to read my story! There should only be one chapter after this anyway :)
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Only Nightmares
Chapter 5
Beastboy prepared himself, breathing in and out slowly and deeply to calm his racing heart. He knew he would fall asleep almost instantly; he could feel the exhaustion dragging him down, urging him to rest. Once adrift in sleep the nightmare would surely take hold.
Thinking about his plan he became hesitant- what if it didn't work? What if he simply couldn't bare the horrific images that he knew he would witness? Still, he had to try.
He had to save Raven.
He slowly eased himself down onto the bed attempting to make himself comfortable. Reluctantly his let his eyelids droop, and was almost instantly swept up into the wings of sleep. Abruptly the calm of finally being able to relax ended as Beastboy was plunged forcefully into the nightmare as if someone had thrown him into a brick wall.
But somehow, this time it felt different. Almost as if by preparing himself for the nightmare and willingly experiencing it, he was more like a spectator watching from afar. He winced as Raven's injured body came into view, and found that he could look away from it. Confused, but intrigued he peered around the room that he was in, the image wavering drunkenly as if he were underwater.
He looked desperately for some sort of clue; anything that could lead him to her. He wasn't even sure if he was awake or not anymore, the whole thing was just so surreal. It was disturbingly like he was there, although when he went to move, he found that he was rooted to the spot, and could only pan around the room.
It couldn't have been a more plain or empty room; the floor was simply cold grey stone, the walls were plain brick and the room was fairly small and square. The majority of the room was in shadow, but from what he could see it contained no furniture at all, not even a rug. The only light there was came from a small window on the opposite wall, which could easily have passed for a small hole in the brickwork. He almost turned away, but suddenly realised the significance of that gaping hole.
Irritated that he could not move he strained to see what lay beyond that window, desperate for even the slightest hint as to where he was. He could just about make out the silhouettes of buildings against a night sky, the distant lights in warm rooms twinkling invitingly, a stark contrast to the cold, harsh interior of ravens prison.
On the verge of giving up, a familiar shape on the skyline caught his eye. Focusing intensely he realised what the building was.
It was one of Jump City's most famous towers besides Titans Tower. Its unique shape stood out from the other bland buildings, its spiked tower tapering towards the top into a sharp point. It was a small glimmer of hope to finding Raven, and that's all Beastboy needed.
At that moment his eyes flew open, and before he even knew he was awake he was running with all the strength and determination he had left to the roof of Titans Tower. He came to an abrupt stop as he burst out of the door into the cool night air, gasping for breath and looking wildly about him.
It was early in the morning; the sky was still dark but only the brightest stars still hung in the sky. Beastboy's eyes flitted about madly, scouring the skyline until he found the tower. It stood boldly against the rest of the city, proud to be so different from the rest of the buildings. He felt a small spark of hope light up inside of him, like someone lighting a fire on a frosty night. He let it lift him up, giving him new energy as he morphed into a hawk and glided out across the sea.
Finally… he was making progress. He soared towards the tower, frustrated that he couldn't reach it fast enough. When at last the building loomed before him, he spiralled its tapering point before landing neatly on its roof, being careful to avoid the sharp spikes that jutted out from the tiles. His bright green eyes –although lacking their usual cheerful spark- scanned around his surroundings, searching every building. Eventually they came to rest upon a distantly familiar sight.
There, just beyond a modern shop front, was a small rundown building which looked neglected and forgotten besides the others. Beastboy flew in closer, observing the finer detail of the building as he leaned in closer. Now he could pick out a small window which could have quite easily passed as just a hole in the brickwork. The flickering light of hope rose in Beastboy's chest, but was now accompanied by a cool rush of nerves.
Would she already be dead?
He pushed the thought away, gathering his courage and swooped down to the window ledge. He grappled at the crumbling brick with his talons, carefully steadying himself. He peered into the darkness. At first he could see nothing but darkness, as his bird form blocked what little light the room usually got from the insufficient 'window'. He transformed into a small cat, crouching down on the narrow ledge. He was too afraid to jump into the room, not knowing just what would await him. He sat patiently, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim light, his fur bristling.
Then suddenly there she was, lying there just as he had always seen her; her lifeless and bloodied body sprawled across the stone floor. Even after seeing her so often in his nightmares it was still nothing compared to the shock of seeing her now, lying before him real as the cold air that rushed rapidly into his lungs.
"R- Raven…" he muttered nervously as he stumbled into the room- human once more- terrified that he would not get a reply. When she did not so much as twitch he began to panic, fearing the worst. "Raven!" He said louder. His heart began to race as he knelt down next to her. He placed his trembling hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently, desperate to somehow revive her.
Her head lolled like a wilting flower, exposing her face to Beastboy. He looked over her, horror stricken.
She was even paler than normal, her face seemed thinner, and her skin was mottled with bruises and dried blood. Suddenly her eyes flickered, opening ever so slightly. She tilted her head a little, struggling to focus. When at last Beastboy's features came into view her eyes widened.
"Raven!" Beastboy exclaimed, a smile spreading across his lips. "You're alive!"
"Beastboy!" Raven stuttered, a look of disbelief, confusion and hope in her eyes. "H-how?"
"It doesn't matter, I've got you now Rae! You're going to be alright!" He smiled broadly, tears forming in his eyes. She smiled feebly back, tears running down her own face.
"I wouldn't be so sure." A menacing voice rung out from the shadows, echoing around the small room and lingering in the air like a bad sensation.
Beastboy flew around, scanning the shadows desperately. He cautiously got to his feet, standing defensively beside Raven. Something was shifting within the shadows, though he could not pinpoint the source. His eyes anxiously flitted around, the suspense making him uneasy. He flinched as he felt a slight tugging at his ankle and looked sharply down to see Raven's terror stricken face looking frantically up at him.
"You have to leave, now!" She said, her eyes pleading. Beastboy gave her a look of wild disbelief.
"Are you kidding? I just found you! I'm not leaving this place without you!"
"Awwww, how touching…" the voice came again, hanging in the air like a deadly mist. But before Beastboy could turn back something flew at him, forcing the air out of his lungs and crushing him into the floor. He cried out in pain as his back and head were smashed against the stone, and began to panic as he felt warm blood trickling through his hair. He scrabbled around desperately trying to get up, but- whatever it was had him pinned down, its claws digging into his shoulders as if someone had stuck him to the ground with knives.
He craned his neck to try and see what it was that was holding him down, but it was completely silhouetted. He morphed swiftly into a gorilla, and kicked the creature forcefully off him. The thing landed in the small patch of light from the rising sun, illuminating its body.
It resembled a very lean wolf like creature with long legs and threateningly large claws that gleamed red with Beastboy's blood. Its fur was matted and missing in places, and was a dull purple and grey. Its tail was long and tatty, as if the fur had not been brushed or washed in months. Whimpering, it slowly got to its feet and faced Beastboy. Its face was slightly reminiscent of a dog, but more like a fierce rat; its dark eyes glinting evilly.
"What is that thing?" He asked nervously, vaguely horrified. But before he could contemplate it once again the animal was lunging for him, claws unleashed, teeth bared. But this time Beastboy was ready. He changed quickly into a hare and dashed underneath its belly. Stunned, the beast landed heavily on the floor where surely a human had just been standing?
"Hmmm… a changeling, be careful of this one…"
'There's that voice again!' thought Beastboy. 'Don't tell me there are more of these things!' He swiftly morphed into a wolf, and leapt onto the back of the momentarily confused creature. He sank his teeth deep into the creatures shoulder, ignoring the repulsive taste of its flesh as it howled in anger and pain. But the monster was still larger than Beastboy, and effortlessly threw him off, slamming him into the wall.
"Beastboy!" Raven cried out feebly, barely able to sit up. Tears streamed down her bloodstained cheeks as she watched her friend struggle against the huge beast. The creature instantly turned its gaze to Raven, a deep growl erupting from its throat.
"Uuugh…" Beastboy stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support. "Raven, no!"
But the creature was already stalking towards her. Focusing all her remaining strength, Raven chanted slowly, "Azarath, Me…metrion…..ZINTHOS!" A flicker of black sparked tauntingly around the creature as she concentrated her powers. Bewildered, it stopped in its tracks, head raised. Suddenly all it could see was black as it was launched at the wall. Raven collapsed from the strain, breathing heavily.
"Raven!" Beastboy yelled between coughs, choking on the dust that had been thrown into the air when the beast had come into contact with the wall. Tears streamed from his eyes as the dust momentarily blinded him. He flailed around, straining catch a glimpse of where the creature was. As the mist finally settled, he could just make out the creatures limp body sprawled across the floor, rubble about its body.
Raven had managed to throw the creature with some force at the window, which evidently had been too small for the creature to fit through. Rubble still crumbled from the window, it now being twice as big as it had been before. Beastboy used the extra light to his advantage, peering deeper into the room. Just for a second, he thought he could see a tall figure standing against the back wall. But the sound of Raven coughing and spluttering feebly made him tear his eyes away from the shadows.
"Raven? Raven are you ok?" he asked frantically cleaning the dust out of her face and supporting her head. He carefully brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, and gently stroked her hair.
"B-Beastboy…" she spluttered, "He's still here!"
"Wha-" Beastboy stopped abruptly as he looked up to see the dark figure looming before him. His face and body were completely concealed by his dark cloak that seemed to melt into the shadows. "Who are you?" Beastboy yelled, trying to sound defiant, but fear leaking into his voice.
The figure laughed quietly, "to you, I'm sure just another villain." He spoke in that cold voice that seemed to echo mysteriously around the room. "I am the tamer of all beasts… even you." Before the words could even register in Beastboy's brain, the foul rat-like creature leapt up from the rubble and once more onto his back, slamming his face down into the stone.
"Aaaargh!" He cried out as fresh, warm blood trickled down from his nose and head. Once again he could feel the beasts claws digging into his tender flesh, fixing him to the ground. The shadowed figure laughed again, causing the hairs on the back of Beastboy's neck to stand on end.
"What do you want with Raven?" He yelled, spluttering with blood.
"It's not that I have any interest in her, I just need to split up the team… one… by… one…" he said maliciously, letting the words drip from his mouth like poison.
"What?" Beastboy whispered.
"You see, without your little… 'crime fighting team'," he smirked, "the Rattlin can once again roam free and do as they please." He gestured towards the creature that was currently crushing Beastboy's shoulder blade, a low growl emitting its throat.
The thought of more of these creatures running riot throughout the city… it was sickening.
"I am the only one who's ever been able to gain their trust… to bargain with them." Beastboy could almost hear the smirk in his voice. "So, I agreed to help them defeat the 'Teen Titans'," he spat, "providing that they would do exactly as I say. They gave me command over Karz here, and I ordered him to capture one of you discreetly, pick you off one by one."
"But why not just send them all to fight us you coward?" Beastboy interrupted, shuffling under the weight of 'Karz'.
"That would be an idiots move you fool. If I had sent them to fight there would have been injuries, they would never have trusted me again."
"So what were you planning to do with Raven? Leave her here to die?" Beastboy snapped, the pain becoming unbearable.
"Precisely!" He sniggered spitefully. Beastboy felt the anger boil up inside him, his heart racing. He desperately calmed himself- this was no time for the beast. Or was it? Beastboy thought carefully, a plan forming in his mind.
Karz suddenly jumped away from the skinny green changeling, bewildered as Beastboy took on the form of a Rattlin.
"What… it's not possible…" The tamer muttered.
'It worked!' Beastboy thought to himself, relieved to be free of Karz' grip. He turned to face Karz directly. He growled threateningly and the wiry fur that ran along his spine and around his neck bristled in warning. The creature bore a look of utter confusion, not wanting to fight one of his own kind. Beastboy used this moment of hesitation to his advantage and lunged at him, his claws unsheathed and his teeth bared. He slammed the creature against wall, forcing him back by the shoulders so that he could not so much as wriggle under his grip. Karz still did not attempt to defend himself, obviously loyal to his own species.
"What are you doing? Attack him! He's a titan!" The figure yelled furiously. Karz pulled his ears back in submission, appalled at being asked to attack his own kind, and still thoroughly confused.
/You hear that/ Beastboy asked the creature in a series of growls//He's telling you to attack me! I'm not your enemy, I don't want to harm you! He's just using you and your species to get what he wants! You think he really cares what happens to you/ Karz looked down, contemplating his options. //You don't need to follow him, he needs you! And he's willing to sacrifice you all to get what he wants/ At this the creatures ears pricked up, and he looked Beastboy directly in the eye as if trying to identify whether or not he was telling the truth. A small snarl rumbled up from his throat. Mildly unnerved, Beastboy continued, /You think if you destroy me and my friends that'll be it? You can't live in this city; the people, other heroes will rebel, you can't win! He's leading you all to your death and he knows it/
At that the creature threw Beastboy forcefully away from him, and stalked towards the tamer. The fur on his shoulders bristled, his ears flattened against his head, his teeth bared threateningly. The man stepped back a little, nervous at the creature's behaviour. In the blink of an eye the creature was on him, ripping at his flesh and cloak. Gruesome specks of blood and shreds of material stained crimson were flung into the air.
Suddenly he had scrambled to his feet, and rushed from the room in a strained limp. The creature leapt after him, his tail whisking around the corner and out of sight.
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A/N: Heh, sorry if that was kinda crappy oo; Anyways I hope you enjoyed it, there will probably only be one chapter after this, so please keep reading and review!