Disclaimer: I do not own TSL.
Dark Angel
Chapter 4: Endless Nightmares
Zack found himself yet again in the vast sea of darkness. The ground was slick and hard, casting his reflection against its shiny surface.
'Where is this place?' he wondered, 'Why do I keep coming back here?'
Bewildered, he took a step forward. The ground in front of him burst into flames and Zack scrambled back for cover. The fire died down and he saw a mirror hovering over the flames with a low, steady hum. Still curious, he peered into it, expecting to see himself but instead, he saw a room. An empty one. As his eyes examined it, he noticed a figure curled up in a corner, seemingly crying.
'Cody…' he whispered.
The blonde-haired kid lifted his head and looked around. He was covered with cuts and scars; some of them were still fresh.
"Zack!" he shouted, tears running down his cheeks. "Zack, help me!"
The door banged open and a man walked in, holding a black pistol.
"ZACK!"
Bang.
---
Zack woke with cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was only three in the morning. He slowly lay back down and thought about his nightmare.
"T'was Cody," He muttered, "He's not… dead."
Zack felt hot tears sting his eyes and he opened his bedroom window, gazing out onto Boston's peaceful night. Zack sighed and looked up at the star-studded heaven.
"Please, help him." He whispered, "Please."
A Week Later…"Hey, mom. I'm home" said Zack and closed the door to their suite, heading towards his room.
"Uh, honey, set your homework on the table so I could check it." Carey said.
Zack did as he was told and went over to the bathroom and peered into the mirror. His eyes were red and bloodshot and his face was pale. He took a shower and slowly strode into his room. He lay his head down against his pillow and picked up his brother's picture. Twelve-year old Cody was holding up a banana slug with one hand while giving a "thumbs up" sign with the other.
Zack sighed then smiled. 'That dorky smile.' He thought and set the picture down on his side table.
He closed his eyes and heard his mother humming a soothing melody, causing his eyelids to droop.
'I can't go to sleep!' he thought and his eyes shot open. But eventually, he gave up and let the gentle tune slowly lull himself to sleep.
---
Zack found Cody lying on the ground next to him, clutching his shoulder. Blood trickled down and pooled as the man approached him.
"No, please. Please stop!" he begged, but the man only kicked him in the gut, causing him to cough up blood. Zack threw himself at the man but he phased through and landed on the other side, as though he was intangible.
'Why can't I touch them?' he wondered. He stood there helplessly as Cody's life flashed before his eyes.
'Why?'
---
Zack awoke again soaked in sweat. He bolted up and grabbed a cardboard knife. He crept to the living room and made sure his mother was sleeping. Unsheathing the blade, he walked back and locked the door. He pulled up his sleeve and pressed the knife down against his wrist.
He felt the cool blade against his skin and then his warm blood, slowly trickling down. Absentmindedly, he pulled his wrist back and licked his wound. He savored the taste, he savored the pain. Never in his life did he enjoy the taste of blood but he knew. The only way to get over pain… is with more pain.
---
Zack got on the bus and sat at his usual spot, fourth window on the left, window seat. He was wearing a wristband to hide the cut from yesterday. Zack slumped down in his seat and looked out the window. Feeling the time slowly tick by. Third Street. Arlington. Windsor. Boilinger.
At a stoplight Zack's eyes rested on a street corner. Several people were waiting for the light to turn green. Amongst the crowd, Zack saw a flash of gold. He nearly swallowed his tongue.
"Cody?" he said in amazement, his voice hardly a whisper.
The kid's ice-cold eyes locked on to Zack's. He felt his throat turn dry and his heart began beating uncontrollably.
He tapped Tapeworm on the shoulder and pointed at the spot on the sidewalk. "Look, isn't that Cody?" he asked, breathing hard.
Tapeworm merely shrugged and turned back to his conversation with a geek. Zack couldn't believe his eyes, nobody believed him. He spun back to examine the boy, but his spot in the crowd was unoccupied.
'I'm going crazy!' he thought to himself as he sat there, speechless. 'Was I seeing things?'
Hahaha! All right, I swear that if the Sprouses saw this, they're going to sue me. So enjoy! I'm so tired…but I'm back from Australia:) Wednesday, I'm going to NYC! I'll update as soon as I can, I'll bring a laptop anyway. Holla!
Trivia: They didn't air "Ghost of 613" in the UK due to compliancy issues with British Broadcasting Standards dealing with exorcism and the occult.