It was always the same, every detail, every word, every emotion exactly same. There was no escape. There was no hope. The dreams were horrible; the waking hours were unbearable. She'd shut her eyes and see abysmal things. She'd open them but the images didn't leave.
There was no way Artemis could live like this anymore. The initial shock wore off right after the funeral. The funeral, the whole team showed up, Ollie and Dinah, even Roy. Some of her mom's friends from before her huntress days said their last goodbyes. She swore she even saw Jade outside the cemetery. Artemis had betrayed one of her most important rules there, she had cried in front of other people. But that didn't matter anymore. The tears she shed at the funeral where nothing compared to the tears she cried over the next few weeks.
The nightmares started soon after that. At first, they weren't so bad. She'd wake up in the middle of the night crying but she didn't remember why. She could have lived with those dreams. But they got so much worse. One night she woke up screaming and sobbing and didn't stop until Ollie came in and calmed her down. He always asked what she had seen in her nightmares but she refused to tell. Dinah suggested that a change of scenery right after a trauma could cause extreme nightmares. So, they tried having her sleep in the cave. All that did was disturb the sleep of the cave's other residents. It had become a routine in the Queen household. Dinah slept there every night she could just to be there for Artemis. But nothing they tried worked and she continued to refuse their pleas for the details of her nightmares. It was just something Artemis thought she'd have to live with.
But she couldn't live with it anymore. Her arm was still healing even though her stitches had been removed and the wound on her back was almost healed. Because of this, she wasn't allowed on patrols. The young blonde spent her days wandering the halls of Queen Manor or the cave. Sometimes she cried but other times she didn't. There was nothing to stop her mind from wandering to that gruesome scene at her apartment. The nightmares began to seep into her everyday life.
"We can't leave her like this," Ollie exclaimed as he paced through the main hall of the cave. He and Dinah had escaped there while its inhabitants were gone to talk about the nightmares that had plagued their house. Artemis was back at Queen Manor, watched by Roy, so they could talk in peace. "This is hurting her and everyone around her. It's not fair to her. I mean, can't we do something?"
Dinah silently watched him pace. She had no more ideas to offer. The nightmares were something she had hoped would pass as time went on but, of course, they didn't. The girl was always so terrified of what she saw in her dreams, leaving Dinah wondering what sort of demons haunted her subconscious mind. It was that thought that made her understand. "We can't do anything until we find out what's bothering her. There's got to be some way to find out what she dreaming about," Dinah muttered, catching more than just Ollie's attention. "How can we convince her to tell us? Artemis barely trusts me sometimes and I doubt she'll tell you. But I don't understand why she won't tell us."
"She's afraid if she tells somebody it will be real," Wally explained as he stepped into the training hall. He ignored their shocked and rather unhappy looks and continued. "Look, I know what she's going through, not the whole losing a mom thing, but the dreams. I've been there and I think I can help." Ollie had known this kid for three years and he'd never seen a more serious expression touch his face. It was like a totally different Wally. "I think I can help if you let me."
x
The eyes were the same shade and the face was a perfect replica but this girl wasn't Artemis. The longer she looked in the mirror the more convinced she was that the girl staring back was not her. There were bags under her eyes from countless disturbed nights. Her hair was a total mess and her eyes had lost their shine. The Artemis from a few months ago wouldn't even recognize this girl.
The blonde turned away from the mirror and fell face first onto her bed. Rolling over, she glared at the ceiling determined to stay awake tonight. If she didn't sleep, she didn't dream. As she picked up her sister's copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, she could feel her eyelids droop. She wasn't getting enough sleep already but this couldn't be helped. Slowly she forced her eyes to stay open and began reading, taking the book and the night one word at a time.
She had reached the end of the second paragraph, most of it was recited out of her memory, when she realized she was no longer in her room at Queen Manor. Instead, she sat on her bed in her old room in Gotham. It looked the way it always had. Jade's bed was, as always, empty and her poster of Alice was still hanging in its place on her wall. Outside the window, it was pitch black but a warm yellow glow flowed from a crack in between the slightly ajar door and its frame. She felt a shiver run down her spine. She had fallen asleep.
All of the details were the same just like every nightmare before this one. She could tell anyone how it went from this point on just from memory. It was always the same.
Her mom's voice floated into the room just like always. "Artemis, wake up. You're going to be late for school." Artemis had already decided to try and change the outcome of the dream by changing her reaction to the events. Rather than rush into the kitchen like she normally did, the young archer stayed put and refused to budge no matter how many times her mother called. Though she did manage to change the fine points of the nightmare, it kept rolling without her having to move. The room around faded into the scene of her kitchen. Just like every other night, she was now face-to-face with her mother. "Artemis," laughed her mother. "You wouldn't be so hurried in the morning if you just woke up when your alarm goes off."
Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what came next. "Artemis, what's wrong?" Her eyelids flew open without her consent as the room darkened. The front door slammed open allowing several shadowy figures to enter her apartment. Her mother's shocked screams echoed in her head. As the figures closed in the poor woman in the wheelchair blood splattered everywhere, landing on the carpets, walls, and even Artemis's face. The dead body was thrown to the floor and the attackers turned towards their victim's daughter. A tear escaped her eye; they'd be upon her in a moment. No matter how fast she ran she could never get away before that knife slid into her stomach.
But, before any of that could happen, Artemis was swept away by a familiar blur. She landed just outside of the kitchen, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "Do you always give up this easily, beautiful?" Wally stepped in front of her as her assailants came after their target. This wasn't supposed to happen, this never happens. He never arrived so soon in the dream. His presence made her feel sick. The speedster's entrance always marked the worst part of her nightmare.
"I could use a hand here," he called, snapping Artemis out of thoughts. No matter how fast he was, he was still outnumbered. Jumping into action, the blonde blocked the punch of an enemy who had gotten past her personal guard. In the dream her arm was completely healed, permitting her to use it in the fight. Feeling like her old self again Artemis quickly conquered her opponent and moved on to the next shadowy figure. Together they took out all of the attackers.
Once the fight was over she turned to face Wally. She was breathing hard and her body ached everywhere but she felt better than she had since her mother's murder. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Even though this was only a dream she was actually energized. Maybe she could face the next part. "Alright," she practically yelled at him. "Let's get this over with. Give me your worst"
"What?" He nudged one of the figure's unconscious form with his foot. He was dressed in his civvies, a plain t-shirt and jeans. Sneakers covered his feet. Usually, he was dressed in his Kid Flash uniform but this nightmare had already shown itself to be out of the ordinary.
"Come on. We both know what happens next." Her heart was slowing and her arms began to shake. Why wasn't the dream progressing? Everything had always been the same but this one was different for some reason.
"Artemis, it's me. I'm here to help you." He took a step towards her but backpedaled when she flinched.
She shook her head. False reassurance, her subconscious was getting creative. Her courage was fading fast. Maybe she couldn't face her nightmare as bravely as she thought. Out of the corner of her eye, the murderous figures began to melt into the floor. Tears stung her eyes as her fear returned. "Please don't," she whispered, closing her eyes again.
When Wally put his hand on her shoulder, she let out a small whimper. "Listen to me. It's not going to make sense right now but it's really me. I'm not a part of the dream. I'm trying to help you but you need to trust me."
He glanced around, realizing that things were changing. Somewhere in the apartment, a door slammed shut. One by one, people began to surround them, Sportsmaster, Oliver, the team, Cheshire. He caught sight of himself and her behavior made sense.
"Things go way differently when you're in my dreams," he muttered, mostly to himself. He grabbed both of Artemis' shoulders and forced her to face him. "Artemis, this isn't real. You're having a nightmare. Nothing here is real. Well, I'm real but- It's just a nightmare."
"I know." She managed to look up at him through her tears.
"Then make them go away." He nodded towards the people around them.
Artemis shook her head. "I can't." A high pitched wail pierced the air. Wally grimaced at the headache it induced but kept his attention on Artemis. He tightened his grip on her shoulders. "I can't," she repeated.
"Yes, you can." He grabbed her hand and held it between his own. "Fight back." She collapsed into him but the figures faded away. He wrapped his arms around her to steady her and let her sob into his shoulder. Despite her victory, the wail persisted. "Do you want to explain what's going on?" he asked as he glanced around nervously. The sound of metal skidding across tile complimented the cries for a moment before dropping out.
"Artemis," her mother sobbed. Wally jumped a foot in the air when her voice pierced the air. "Artemis, where are you?" Her mother's dead body used its arms to propel itself towards the two of them. Its skin had gone pale white and blood leaked from the stab wound. "Come here, baby. I won't hurt you." Artemis bolted out of Wally's grip and stumbled backward before freezing in fear. "Artemis, why? Why didn't you save me? You could have saved me. If you had been here for me, like I've always been there for you, I wouldn't be like this. Artemis, what kind of daughter are you? You can't even save your own mother." The corpse continued to crawl after them as Artemis wept uncontrollably. "Artemis." Its hand latched onto the bottom of her sweatpants and refused to let go.
Wally pulled the girl away causing the cadaver to glance at him for the first time. "Give me my daughter," it hissed. "Give her to me. She's mine." The redhead kicked the grasping hands away startled at the turn the nightmare had taken. Even so, the body kept creeping towards them.
"Wally," Artemis cried. "She doesn't give up until she gets me." He only tightened his grip on her. She tried to pry his fingers off but he didn't budge. "Please, let me just get this over with so we can wake up. It'll be easier for both of us." Giving her a skeptical look, he began to protest.
He readjusted himself so he was holding her hand. "We can fight this together." It was her turn to protest this time. "Where am I supposed to go? I'm with you until the end. Trust me and I'll trust you." Too exhausted and seeing no point in arguing anyway, she nodded and tightened her grip on his hand. They allowed the corpse to grab hold of their legs. The floor opened up and they were dragged downward.
x
When Artemis finally woke up, she did so quietly. There was no screaming or crying, just silence. Wally burst through her door followed by Ollie, Dinah, M'gann, and J'onn. The speedster sat down next to her bed and offered his hand. She took it gratefully and they sat in silence. When anyone asked neither would elaborate about the events after Mrs. Crock had pulled them into their own personal hell. They just sat and comforted each other.