Sorry for the late update, I got a bit caught up in some other matters...whoops!
Chapter #8
I woke up to the feeling of butterflies. Or at least I had thought I would.
Light, airy, delicate, butterflies grazing in the surrounding scenery. It felt warm; like they were all part of the sunlight. I could have sworn I was sleeping in a meadow somewhere out far away. But then again, I feel those words make me seem oddly misplaced in the setting of it all. Adventually came to the conclusion wasn't a meadow. No, It was the slip of time between the ending of a dream and the slow rise back to what was referred to as reality.
As I basked in the still moment, waiting in anticipation to wake up from my daze I felt my hand firmly gripped in place. It felt like someone had intertwined their fingers with mine comfortably. The more I thought about the feelings in my hand the more butterflies seemed to appear around me.
My heart began to beat faster.
I feel like a school girl again.
I raised my arm up slightly to reach the one with the royal blue wings on edge of my forefinger. But as I did the scenery around me changed dramatically. In the blink of an eye I was no longer in the same meadow.
The first feeling that radiated from my surrounds was blades of grass were significantly taller, and though they were in truth shorter than I, they gave off the impression that they were superior.
The horizon was outlined with a rufous red and carmine instead of that of the suns warmer array of natural colors. Instead of sunlight, there was a vermillion moonlight that casted shadows between the tall grass rapidly growing around me. So it only made sense that when I whipped my head up to the sky there wasn't a sun, but a bright crimson moon indented with twisted crevices.
At that moment my eyelids seemed glued to my face, unable to cover my bare eyes from the sight itself as cerise light burned itself on my face.
My heart thumped wild: restless eager to escape my cavernous chest. Russells between the now 3 feet tall grass caused me to stumble backwards as a crawled. Craning my head around slowly with the rhythm of a rust infected machine I searched for the source. Though the blades of grass seemed abandoned of anything but wind gliding between them. Lifting myself up on sweaty palms and thin, wobbly ellows I began to run through the feid tirelessly.
And then there came the blood raining down from above.
I slumped down to the ground in realization. I-I-Its Blood! I brought my knees up to my chest and rocked my self back and forth, squeezing my body tighter my my chest until I lost track of time.
I kept my eyes closed until the storm seemed to pass. Constantly shaking as I hugged my legs closer to my chest and bent my head even further down in my balled up position. My skin twitched at the feeling of another glob on my back and the drips of tiny drizzles on my hair.
Please…. someone…. anyone just make it stop!
They were shut so tight around my eyes I wasn't sure if I had the courage to open them. Because if I did it would allow tears to accompany my dry sobs. I hugged my legs closer to me and brought my head up slightly from.
The air tasted metallic. Only to be expected though, but I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth in fear of tasting it too. Inhaling it through my nose was bad enough. I was tempted to not breath at all, but I knew better than that.
I felt a drop of liquid weave its way p down from my forehead, my face, and then drop into my sanguine streaked hand. I inhaled painfully. It proceeded to come down in globs off my hair and down my body from my shoulders.
I was immersed in blood.
My breathing became immediately aroused and my hands shaked unnaturally. The crimson liquid lathered parts of my body and in disgust I quickly began to whimper and slide as much as possible off. But the color only ingrained itself in me more. Deeper though my clothes and possible absorbed in my skin.
I feel so dirty.
I darted my eyes to the spinny and decaying plants around me, in horror at their blood tipped edges and blood soaked leaves.
The area soon became silent of my cries and I watched emotionlessly as a droplet errily slid its way down the curvature on a decaying vine. It curved its way gracefully and calmly past the thorns and leaf stems. This only seems to dull my eyes further.
The condition of the air didn't bother me anymore. I was unresponsive to any stimuli thrown my way. I closed my eyes drowsily, flopping backward onto the soaked ground. As I did, the blood below me jumped up in the air and fell on my face in a splatter. Even so my body didn't react.
Everything around me was either crimson, black, or both.
The blades of grass began curving downwards on me and the vines slithered their way, inch by inch, to my arms.
The blades of grass are covering the sun now. It makes me tired. And the vines are gently grasping at my arms. I can hear them growing ever so slightly as they intertwine around me. But they make me feel comfortable. Everything around me is getting darker too. I think the moon is being covered with clouds. What a shame.
I tilted my head sideways and and faked a frown.
Oh well, at least I can sleep now. Yes that will be nice. I'm really tired after all, aren't I?
I moaned longingly
Sleep.
Before I was able to close my eyes a single droplet of green slime dripped on my face. I craned my neck forward and then upwards, lifting my dulled eyes to look as well.
Above me was a large hand with a glove. It was an innocent purple, a pure kind of color, but it was no longer that anymore. There were crisping rd stains and a grea slime that was intaged in some of the fingers along with a coat of fresh semed to reach down at me as though I were a item in a jar, slowly, ever so slowly extending itself ownwards.
I felt a jolt that stunned me back to reality. looking around me the blades had curled together to form a solid jar structure around me and the vines held me in place. They weren't calming they were demonic!
The vines gripped to my arms harder and they kept at it until my skin began turning red. I panted and struggled from its grasp as it held me down to the ground harder, pinning my hands above me against me will.
Squermining I struggled. The hands was within reach now, and though it wasn't as big as I had envisioned it only added to my fear. Claws began pointing out from the rubber of the glove, splatting warm blood on me.
"NO, NO, PLEASE! NO! NO PLEASE! NOO! STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!"
The hand froze above my face. My heart pounded louder as I ceased to struggle.
It….stopped?
My eyes widened as tears began to break to the surface. My thought hiccuped and my chin began to quiver. I began to cry and sob louder and louder in rilf as the hand began backing away.
I was so scared I thought... I thought... it as going to get me. Oh god, I'm safe! Its going away! Its really going away!
And soon, just like that, the hand was gone. It disappeared back where it came from and the vines around me hand loosened limp as well. I sat up and lifted my arm up and they fell to the dirt as though they were ash. The same with the vine on my left as well. They both decayed into a dead color and shriveled up like they were thousands of years old.
I should have felt relief, like a weight had lifted itself off my chest but something in me told me otherwise. The area around me was still lit by the crimson moon, the darkness gone yes, but not the moon.
There still more to this dream, isn't there?
I groaned and fell limp back down on the ground. Why can't this dream be done yet? I cant stand this creepy place one more minute! I just wanna leeeeeeeee. Sighing I pulled myself back up and trudged through the dead grass. It had grown to be taller than me by a few yards in such little time that when I pulled my way though sizable bits locked themselves into my hair.
Rolling my eyes I shook most of them out. But as soon as I took a step forwards gravity began to pull me back to the ground causing me to fall backwards inside the area again.
Im not sure what is was I stumbled on in that monet. It could have been a rock, stick, log, or maybe nothing at all. But for some reason I fell down to the ground and was able to move.
Everyone always said I was a klutz.
But from my position now sprawled on the floor I felt the fear from the mist of shadows forming a pitch black hole circle around and underneath me.
When I reached my hand to grip the grass before it was torn there was nothing there but empty space. All sound ceased and all movement from the wound and field grew early. I struggled helplessly and aimlessly moving my arms about it my floating position I began to fall.
To say the least, I was scared. Scared of dying, scared of the impact, scared of the hurt, all in that one tiny moment of a hallucination. But as I looked down onto my hand I still felt the same sensation as before. Someone is holding my hand somewhere.
In the corners of my mind I allowed the repetitive feeling of the sudden drop and impact over and over again. The slip, the fall, the landing back into my body.
I now felt awake.
The first thing I remember was the dark. At first I had though I was dreaming again, but after a pinch to my arm I realized I was truly awake this time.
It was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a-
I stopped short of my mantra and panic when I heard the door creak open. A tall, thin man in a doctor's coat stepped into the room. Shadows hid his face from view. I squeaked and hid my face under the blankets. I heard the snap of rubber gloves on his wrists and his footsteps got closer, and closer. My breathing increased.
It was him. the man who would come and kill me. Oh gods no I have to get out. Please someone, help me. Please.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEP! My heart monitor flared violently. I almost had the urge to jump up and throw it on the ground in rage. I could hear his breathing now; rough and ragged...
Beep, beep, beep.
The rhythmic pattern repeated itself over and over again like a tape on rewind. Only it wasn't; it was now part of my life line. I groaned and my eyes dilated from the merciless light glaring down from above.
My back cracked as I lifted my body from its twisted sleeping position. My legs refused to move from under the blankets no matter what I told them. Talking to your legs won't make them move Mai, get a hold of yourself!
So instead, I moved my arms away from the bed and stretched them out.
Left arm: stretch
Right arm: stretch
Left arm: stretch
Right arm: stretch
I repeated this mantra over and over in my head until I had felt significantly more awake and refreshed.
It was then that my stomach decided to speak some "encouraging" words of wisdom.
Grrr Annnnnn…...
I sighed and scowled at my body's lack of manners. To fulfill my impatient hunger I began my observational search for food. Sadly it didn't take long for me to realize that nothing in the dull room was even remotely edible.
Grrrrrr Oooooooo Aaaa Nnn…..
"Oh just shut up!" It was then that the door opened revealing a young (totally handsome) man with a clipboard wearing a nurse's scrubs. My face instantaneously turned red and stuttering became inevitable. "I- uhh- that was-wasn-wasn't-directed at u I just- uhh well u see…" The man just held up his hand and smiled.
"No worries it's my fault for barging in I can just leave now if you-"
"NO NO! You don't have to leave its ok i jst well umm.."
"No please, its all right I-"
"U didnt do anything im sorry its my fault! My stomach was being impatient and it kept being so loud and um well I um I wasnt screaming at you I swear by it and um," When I was finally out of words I came to the embarrassing realization that I was screaming.
In the impregnated, skyward silence of the room I began to blush even worse. "Argh I'm so sorry I didnt mean to yell I just-" My eyes widened and I stopped when I saw him covering his hand over his mouth and stifle a laugh. "Nurse?" I looked at him curiously and tilted my head to the side as he exploded into full blown laughter.
I began to blush even redder at his outburst. Oh no, no, no,no, Mai why are you always making a fool of yourself! Get a grip and act more mature!
"S-sorry Taniyama," he said between is laughs. "I was instructed to test your vitals, so if you are willing and able it would be most appreciated."
"Oh of course, what do you need me to do?" I straightened up and ran my hands through my hair to calm its from his unearthly friz when the handsome nurse looked down to check his clipboard.
"I just need to examine how your shoulder is doing under the wrap and then your leg too. Would you prefer me to put a new wrap on either one?"
"Ah, no its alright, they are holding up nicely." He smiled and began to examine me. He asked many questions like how much it hurt or if I wanted any more pain meds. I answered politely to all, and I tried my hardest not to blush a single bit. But by the moment he had left the room I felt myself release a large breath or relief.
I sat in the bed relaxing and counting the beats of the monitor.
Beep
Beep
Beep
Beep.
As I did I began to remember my dream. Fear crept its way into my thoughts and a felt a wave of nausea elope over me.
I need to find Professor Davis, he'll know what to do, but i wonder if Naru ended up waking again. My lips drooped downwards at the thought of him in his comatose state. I thought about him for a long while, longer than I should have for my own good. I thought about his brother. Gene..dream naru...The guilt pounded at me a little bit more.
I sighed and rested my head to the side, feeling drowsy from the new dose of pain meds. I felt my eyes close. I didnt want to fall asleep. I would end up in another nightmare. I panicked silently, but it was no use. I found myself losing conscious to the small beep of the monitor and a hand stroking my head lovinging. I didn't question it, I just let the warm feeling engulf me and drifted off to sleep.