Chapter 32
Amai was ticking off the days, he just got through he first week of November. The family just settled in for the night and he himself was about to go to bed.
Until he heard it once more.
The creaking outside his doorway, the large figure shadow peering just under the door, then it opened. Amai looked up and saw Draven once more entering his room. "Come on in," Sweet Mask sighed.
Draven slowly made his way in, but there was something odd. Amai didn't notice it at first, but there was a look on Draven's face. "Is this the same nightmare you have been having?"
"Yes… same one… each time…" he was embarrassed. "I shouldn't be doing this, but… it scares me so much!" he began to weep a little, for the first time, Sweet Mask knew Draven wasn't doing this to annoy him, he was sincerely scared.
"Come, tell me all about it."
Draven didn't go to lie on top of him for a moment, instead he merely leaned again Amai as he thought over the dream. "I see everyone… surrounded by the same looking man with this strange machine. It hit Snake, but it turned him back to what he should be, a human. He was so happy too when that occurred, but then… they turned it on dad… dad got really weak and looked sick. Mom yelled for us to run, trying to get us to escape as these men continued to attack. We just made a hole in the wall to escape from when we were all struck from behind. I got cold… very, very cold."
Draven paused as the tears began to escape. "I remember but a number 78. And he said he was going to kill us to bring about a new world, a new evolution."
His hand began to trembled, but Draven appeared to have settled as his hand went onto Amai's back. "I felt better, when I felt Snake's scales… I knew I was safe."
There was nothing he could say. Sweet Mask was rendered silent as Draven looked to him. "I'll go to my parent's room…"
"No, you can stay. Come on, up you go," Draven slowly eased himself on to Amai's back, luckily he just ate so there was a nice wide surface area for him to rest on. "Get yourself a blanket too, I think you left one here the last time." He tucked Draven in, he was quick to fall asleep.
Sweet Mask however knew that he suffered from a trauma, perhaps Melee and Garou need to be told about it…
#
Throughout the night, Amai woke here and there when he felt Draven grasp on to his side rather abruptly. He was grabbed every so often, but it wasn't painful, he began to believe it was Draven's way of soothing himself. Making certain he was safe, this was why he slept on Snek the way he did. Snek was security, and Snek was safe in his mind.
By morning, Draven usually was quick to wake and try to slink back to his room before his parents knew what was happening. However, as Amai woke that morning, he found Garou peering into the room and notice Draven. "We really got to break him of that habit." Garou sighed.
"Your son needs therapy."
"Hey!"
"No, I am serious." He said with sincerity in his voice. Amai turned to Draven and paused. "Garou, what happened with the house of evolution? What happened in the event that nearly took your family?"
Garou appeared surprised that Amai wanted to know, nearly word for word as to what Draven told him last night, it was the same story. The event traumatized him. "The twins were young when it happened, Goliath was able to process and understand it better since he matured faster than his brother… Draven at the time had the mindset of an eight year old child."
"Draven hasn't been able to process it. He has nightmares of the event. Garou, I mean this with great respect… he needs help. It is the reason why he sneaks into not just my room, but when Snek is here as well. He remembers what happened, he relives it nearly every night. But, the moment he feels serpent scales… he settles. He knows Snek saved the family, and he feel safe when he is within reach of him. Garou, you need to help him."
There was a stunned look on the face of the human monster. Just then Draven woke up. When he noticed his father, he fell off of Amai and tried to explain himself. Garou however was quick to silence him. "Draven… it's okay. We need to talk about your nightmares. Let's see if we can resolve them."
Draven began to cry once more. He picked himself up off the floor and rushed into Garou's arms. "Why did they want to hurt us? Why did he want to have us killed?"
Garou held his son tightly. "I don't know, come on, let's go talk to your mother about this. I don't want you to be scared anymore."
Amai had never seen Garou act so affectionate towards his children before. He could feel the love he has for his child; he could hear it in his voice. He has seen Garou as a cold and heartless soul, but just that moment, Amai realized there was far more to the human monster. He led his son out of the room, but Sweet Mask thought there was something more he could do to assist them. He rose up and slithered out just as he was about to speak, he froze. Garou grew himself bigger and taller, his dragon serpents then unraveled from his body and took hold of his son, and gently he was coxed into his body side and was enveloped. "What… on… earth…" he whispered.
Peering out behind Garou was Melee, she went to Amai and explained what was happening. "Garou is going to help him confront the nightmare." She whispered. "But he need to mediate to do so. It's best to keep silent."
Sweet Mask nodded as he watched from afar. Garou set himself up on the floor near the corner of the room, his eyes closed but the third eye opened. He gently braced his body. His wings wrapped around himself tightly, his arms came down and held where Draven was contained and then, there was silence. "He's done this before, hasn't he?" Amai whispered.
Melee nodded. "You know of our incident with Metal Knight?" she asked, he shook his head. "Metal Knight wanted to experiment on the children, believing they were the key in defeating monsters. So he wanted to study them, see what made them tick. Despite the association refusing the notion, he went on ahead and did so anyway. Garou and I were lured away into a fake meeting, he took the children and did his tests… that was when we had to fake our deaths to lure Metal Knight into a false sense of security," Amai froze to the news. "It was shortly after we were able to get them home, the triplets grew themselves into teenagers out of the trauma and fought their way out. Garou took them into himself, they were exhausted from the event. He did this when the triplets were small, we didn't have Snek. Instead, Garou would take them into his body and hold them until they were ready to come out again."
"Remarkable. That must be a strain on his body, isn't it?"
"I never asked him, but I know he never hesitates, he never refuses his children either when they ask. Garou cares for his family."
Amai froze as Draven began to move about violently, Garou strained a little but was quick to settle his son. He remained still for nearly an hour, until relief came over him. His wings opened, his side began to unravel, and he eased Draven out and on to the floor. He appeared far more calm and relaxed since this morning. When his eyes opened, he looked about the room. "If you feel scared again, remember…" Garou explained.
Draven nodded his head as he slowly stood up once more. He turned to Amai and smiled. "Thank you…"
"None is needed." Sweet Mask explained. "I never knew you went through so much distress before. I am sorry that happened to you and your family."
"Get to know us, you'll realize we've been a lot," said Melee.