CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE : Spring Break

It's dark, and I'm holding a shovel. The walls and floor of the circular hole I'm in are black dirt that seems to suck the energy from the air. When I look up, I'm so far down that I can't even see what's above, only a misty void. I hear a voice, crackly like a radio with bad reception, telling me to get back to work. I obey, digging my shovel back into the ground. I look around, but I don't see any speakers. I pause for a moment to make sure I didn't miss anything. Something slams into me that hurts a lot, and I fall to the ground face-first as the world around me becomes black.

When I come to and get up, someone else is lying on the ground. Someone with brown hair, like mine. Someone with long legs, like mine. The only difference is the reddish-brownish stain spreading across the back of her faded army jacket. I raise my hand in front of my face. To my horror, I see nothing but a transparent specter of what it should be. Intrigued, I walk over to my shovel. I am able to pry it out of my own dead hands, giving me an idea.
I fly up the hole, the uneven walls blurring with speed. Even so, it takes me a while to reach the top. I almost want to fly back down when I get there and see what was guarding my prison. I realize that I'm staring at the reason I am dead, but not gone.

Two men are standing at the edge, peering down. They are wearing the same outfit I was, with the same massive brown stains on the back out their jackets. Their faces are grotesquely skeletal, like their inner tissues are wasting away below their skin. They don't seem to be able to see me or the shovel I'm holding as I float up ten feet above the dark abyss.

"Any minute now," one of them says. The only sound that comes out is a rattling noise, like bones tumbling together. I don't know why I can understand it. The fact that I can is terrifying enough to stop me from attempting any revenge.

Just as well, because I can hear something flying up the hole beneath me. I drop the shovel in a panic and try to fly away, but it's like I'm suddenly moving through molasses. I push the two zombielike guards in to try and stop whatever it is. I hear them hit something, but I don't hear them hit the bottom.

My body floats gently out of the hole and lays on the ground. I touch down out of curiosity and walk over to investigate. I look almost peaceful except for the trickle of blood at the corner of my mouth. I turn and begin to walk away, toward whatever awaits me beyond.

Something freezing cold grabs me around the ankle. I turn back and my body's eyes are open. And glowing. I scream as my soul is sucked back into my body with a white-hot burst of light and pain. It feels like I'm being ripped in half.

I'm still screaming when I wake up.

I sit up, breathing heavily. Lizzie runs in, a worried look on her face. I try to calm myself down as she hands me a water bottle and takes out the dream tally.

"They're getting worse," I say, accepting the small notebook. I scratch a quick mark under the title Revenge, the thirtieth or so that I've made. I lost count around fifteen.

"No kidding," Lizzie says. "It's been, what, a month and a half now since they've been two a night? I think they're getting more frequent, too."

"I hope not. Maybe it'll get better over spring break," I say.

"Yeah. Maybe," Lizzie says. She doesn't believe me, I can tell. She offers me a smile, then leaves the room. I settle back down, glad that it's over. For tonight, anyway.

God only knows about tomorrow and all the days after that.

-oO0Oo-

*MITCH'S POV*

"You're flying in at 5:30, right?" I ask. Mat makes kissy faces at me from the couch, and I flip him the bird with my free hand,

"Yeah," Lily says, her voice distorted by the cell phone. "You better be on time, dood. I promise I won't do a Mat and get sidetracked for two hours."

"DON'T WORRY MITCH, I'LL HAVE PLENTY OF CONDOMS FOR YOU AND LILY," Mat yells. I do a fake punch in his direction.

"I heard that," she says.

"Sorry," I reply. I turn back to Mat, but he's long gone.

"Nah, it's fine. Gives me an excuse to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time," she says. I raise my eyebrow.

"Oh really? And what's that?"
"Y'know how the first thing he texted Jerome's ex-girlfriend was 'tits or GTFO?'" she asks.

"Jasmine? Yeah. I remember," I say, wondering where she's going with this.

"If you give me his number, I will repeatedly text him 'tits or GTFO' until he flips the fuck out," she says. I laugh. That's actually pretty good.

"Stunningly mediocre, I know, but I think it's funny," she says.

"Nah, you're good, you're good. Hey I gotta go but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I say.

"'Kay. See ya tomorrow."

"Bye, dood," I say.

"Adios," she says, and hangs up. I text her mat's number, then go off to rough him up a bit for trolling my phone call. Just as I'm putting him in a headlock, his phone goes off. I let him go to check it, hoping it's Lily. Sure enough, Mat laughs.

"Dude, dude, Mitch, someone just texted me 'tits or GTFO," he says. I laugh like I didn't know it was coming.

"What are you gonna do?" I ask.

"I told them wrong number," he says. We wander down to the kitchen and I start getting stuff out to make some dank drank.

"Dude, what the fuck, they just texted me it again," he says. I repress a smile.

This could get interesting.

A/N TIME! YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT: Hey guys! QD here with chapter 23! We're closing in fast on the six-month anniversary of this story, and I just wanna thank you guys again for all the support you've given me so far. All of your feedback means the world to me, and I'm so grateful that you guys find my content enjoyable. Shoutout to Matthew G for giving me the idea of how to bump up a key plot point. I'm not doing quite what you suggested, but you definitely gave me awesome inspiration! Thanks dood! That being said, here's the facts!

-This nightmare is another one based off a poem I wrote. This one is called "Bye-Bye" and I wrote it when I was in sixth grade. Yep. Hopefully that poem will be up in Lily's Nightmares soon!

-I'm good at NOT wasting time at airports. Also, when people are late to pick me up, I start worrying that they're dead. Fun times.

-I would love love LOVE to pull that prank on Mat. That right there is a life goal. Ever since I watched bYd episode one and found out that that's what he said to Jasmine, I have wanted to do that.

-I love the phrase "stunningly mediocre." I also like "ah yes, the sweet sight of mediocrity."

-I do say "adios" a lot, even though I never really took Spanish. I also speak a bunch of German. Strangely enough, I took two years of French and I barely speak that at all. To other people, anyway.

And the fictions:

-I don't have nightmares like this, luckily.

I think that about sums it up! Don't forget to follow, favorite, etc. because I love it but more importantly I love you beautiful individuals. Also, check out my companion story where I post the poems that the nightmares are from. ALSO, follow me on Twitter at gracefulhappens to stay in the know on all my updates for all my stories (which includes Ancient Merome which you should chek out if you haven't yet.) Now that the shameless self-promotion is over, I give you all internet hugs and I hope you have a lovely week! Much luv!

-Quiet Defiance

PS - Seriously though. Have a fantastic week :)