A/N: SECOND LONGEST CHAPTER YET!
I sought to redeem myself for not posting for so long and for the boring-ness of the last chapter, so here it is! Don't worry, I'll update my other two (er, three) ficts soon, but I had to get this one out or I'd explode. The plot bunny was eating my feet!
I got to warn you, there are some really creepy parts to this chapter. Anyone who's read all of the posted Nobody's Listening should know what I mean when I say creepy. (Yes, there are parts close to the creepyness of "Strings" from Vincent's Soul...lol)
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS BLOOD AND CHARACTER DEATH! Though, FYI, none of the characters actually stay dead...
THANKS TO Aurora M. Tepes FOR BETA READING THIS! -hugs- You rock!
THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS/READERS! YOU ALL ROCK!
For your reading information: Anything in italics is Drakra talking. -
How to Be Human
Lesson Eighteen: How to Have a Nightmare
Chains of the Past: Zel's Nightmare
"Where am I?" I sat up, rubbing my head and looking around. I was surrounded by a world of concrete….this wasn't my apartment. It was cold…very cold. I shifted around, looking for warmth when I heard it.
Jingling...The jingling of a chain….
I looked down and screamed. The chain attached to the wall, which, in turn, attached to the collar around my neck. The collar…
Dog's Cage…
That explains the concrete, the collar, the chains, the bars, and the feeling of overwhelming dread. I looked around for a familiar face. Rosa, maybe…or Wolf. No, I didn't want Wolf to see me here. He'd be…pissed, to say the least.
I was (un?)lucky to find out that there was no one around. I was alone, in this dark, dismal prison. Just for kicks, I pulled on the chain to test its limits.
To my surprise, it snapped. I stood up and moved away from the wall; my legs were shockingly jelly-like, as if I hadn't used them in days. I wobbled around trying to get my footing before setting off down the hallway. Every so often, I called the names of one of my friends. Rosa? No answer. Wolf? No answer either. Switch? Kiln? Jumper? Lika? Decem? No answer from anyone. Where were they all?
Poor little Strife, all alone.
"Who said that?!" I stopped and looked around. No reply…but I didn't really expect one. Nope, I'm going crazy; why not add to the fact by adding more voices for me to fight off. As if Drakra wasn't enough….
Where is he, anyway? He's normally right over my left shoulder, making my normal, drug-induced headache (side effect) ten times worse by harassing me. But right now, he's gone.
So this is what is like to have an empty head. I like it. It's very…peaceful.
I trudged along the empty hallways, letting my feet carry me…wherever. I really didn't care. Though it would be nice to see the light of day…even if it's only the synthetic light created from the plates.
Suddenly everything looked familiar. Just like the shockingly horrifying realization I'd had a few minutes ago about the dog cages, I was struck with the mortifying sense of dread and doom that I had felt every day for the first eleven years of my life. My feet went on autopilot, making it impossible for me to turn around and run for my life. An invisible force pulled me towards a scene I'd repeated thousands of times, both in dreams and reality.
The Arena: bloodstained concrete floor, razor-wire and glass shards stuck into the wall to prevent the Dogs from climbing out, discarded weapons littering the floor like old gum wrappers, the Keepers stationed everywhere, laughing at their Pets' pain, and the crowd of blood-thirsty maniacs waiting to watch two humans rip each other apart for a chance to live longer…just a little longer…in this place worse than Hell.
Yes, I recognized this place. Drakra's playground, my personal torture chamber. Good times, good times (I'm TOTALLY sarcastic right now).
Another surprise: the Arena was silent. No lights, no crowd, no Keepers, no Dogs fighting to the death. Nobody. I walked timidly onto the dark floor, waiting for Drakra to take over like he always did before and let me shy off into the shadows of my mind, far away from the insanity that is reality.
But even Drakra didn't come out to play.
"Hello?!" I called, feeling stupid. Silence answered at first, and then I heard drip…drip…drip. One spotlight came on, blinding me for a second. Drip…drip…drip…the spot light moved away from me and towards the wall behind me. Following it required me to turn. Once again on autopilot, noting with disgust the feeling of foreboding creeping up my spine, I followed the light…
…and held back the wave of nausea that caused bile to rise up in my throat.
"No…" I moaned, backing away form the light. But the image didn't change. The dripping continued, the light still shone on the wall…and Wolf Brandel stayed impaled there, crucified by razor wire, glass, and a weapon that looked wickedly similar to the one I used to carry pierced his heart, pinning him to the wall. "Wolf!" I called. It did no good. He stayed dead. His lifeless eyes forever gazed to a point behind me, face full of pain.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I ran to the hallway and emptied my stomach of a meal I didn't remember eating. After dry-heaving for about ten more minutes, I braved walking back into the Arena, fully ready to un-impale my friend and get him a proper burial…at least…
But Wolf was gone. Now, in the spotlight at the center of the floor lay a woman covered in a thick grey blanket; she was clutching the blanket closer to her body, as if she was freezing…at least, it looked like a woman. I walked timidly up to her and nudged her shoulder.
"Hey, you alright?" I whispered.
"Zel?" the woman replied, not turning to look at me. "Is that…my Zel?"
"Mom…?" I said, my voice going hoarse.
"My Zel…" my mother said again. And again and again. Like a broken record, she called to me over and over, and no matter what I did, it was as if she couldn't hear me. It made me hysterical.
"Mom, I'm right here!" I shouted, shaking her shoulders. "Turn around! Look at me!" My mother struggled to sit up and turned, just as I had ordered. "AH!" I crawled back, eyes wide with fear as I tried to get far away from her.
It was my mother, alright. Except one thing was missing. Her face.
"Zel…" she reached for me, some how able to talk without a mouth. "Run, Zel. Get away from here!" The hand outstretched to me began to decay, as did the rest of the body. "Run my son!"
I watched in horror as my mother faded to dust. I felt sick again as I continued to crawl away until I reached something hard. I thought it was the wall.
But then again, the wall couldn't strangle you.
"Let…me…go!" I screamed, struggling against my assailant. In an amazing show of flexibility that I didn't know I could produce, I swung my leg up to kick them in the head…
My assailant didn't have a head. Oh great, I'm fighting a headless zombie…
The next thing I knew, I was back on the floor, breathing hard from the lack of air and reeling in pain (the collar dug into my neck, causing me to bleed). My headless assailant stumbled forward and dropped next to me. I studied him for a halting minute.
He looked like Kriev.
Even the dead hate you, Strife.
"You again?! Go away!" I jumped to my feet and spun around, looking for the voice. The spotlight helped again, highlighting a shadow perched on the top of the barbed-wired wall. Something lay at its feet, shrouded in mist.
Yes, me again. Did you think for a second I'd leave you alone? The voice drew a memory. Sickened, I replied.
"Drakra? How…how'd you get out of…?"
Of your head? It wasn't that hard, Zeliki, if that's what you're asking. The light brightened to reveal Drakra in all his dark glory, smiling wickedly at me, his fangs glistening with blood. How are you, Zeliki?
I didn't reply. I was too mortified. Because I had just realized what…no, who lay at Drakra's feet.
"RIVER!" I took a step forward and heard the cocking of a gun. Stopping quickly, I looked up and stared Drakra in the eye. He smiled back at me, yellow eyes bright with bloodlust as he pointed a gun straight at my heart. Not just any gun, mind you. "Why do you have River?! And where'd you get Vincent's gun?!" I shouted.
Don't move, stupid Terrain. I'll shoot you and your precious one. Your foolish brother is dead…but River doesn't have to join him. It's your choice.
"My choice of what?!" I shouted back.
Who lives, who dies. Simple, isn't it? Or am I moving too fast for you, Terrain? He sneered at me.
"Give River back!" I screamed. I was already shaking with disbelief. Vincent couldn't be dead…he was impervious to everything…!
Is that your choice? River?
"Yes!"
Don't you even want to see the other option? He taunted me, eyes glistening.
"Other…option?"
Yes! Behind door number one, stupid Terrain! I turned and watched as Shera walked out, lead by an invisible person dragging her by a chain attached to a collar similar to mine. Her arms were bound and legs chained together; her clothes were torn and her face was bloody and tears streaked from her eyes.
Is River your final answer? I was dumbfounded, looking helplessly from an unconscious River to the chained Shera and back again. Tick tock, tick tock. Make your decision, Turk!
I couldn't choose.
"Take me instead! Please, let them live and kill me!" I screamed, falling to my knees and bowing to the Demon. He laughed.
No, stupid Terrain! Does it look like I was born yesteryear? If I did that you'd be happy. We can't have that, now can we?! So choose!
"I…can't…." I mumbled to the ground.
Then I shall for you.
"NO!"
Too late! Behind me, Shera gasped in pain and fell to the ground, dead. Drakra once again moved the gun to my heart and smiled. Since you couldn't choose one, you get neither. Keeping the gun pointed at me, he picked up River with one hand as if she was weightless and laughed. I always loved her, anyway.
Back to Reality
"Zel! Wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Helen shook Zel to try to wake him from his torment.
"Give them back…" Zel whispered in his sleep, over and over. Tears streamed from his eyes, open but non-responsive. "You can't take them from me…Give them back to me."
All Helen could do was clutch him to her and hold him tight, whispering that everything would be alright.
False Hope, True Lies: Shera's Nightmare
I woke up in a strange bed, one I didn't remember falling asleep in. Groggily I sat up, looking around me with surprised eyes. The room was grandly decorated, and looked nothing like the spare room Riley and Aaron were letting me use. The bed was too plush, the walls too bright, the floor too clean.
So luxurious and grand that it was sickening. Wherever I was, I wanted out. I stood up and shivered. Wait a minute… someone needs to tell me why I am naked.
Looking around the room, I found an ornate dresser and quickly crossed to it. Pulling out the first thing I found (a black dress…yuck, but whatever) I put it on without a second thought, despite hating the color with a passion. I'd find something else later, when I figured out where I was.
I felt so strange. Like my skin didn't fit right. Everything looked slightly smaller, too. Next to the dresser was a vanity stand with a mirror. I moved in front of it and my eyes widened.
Somehow, I'd grown up overnight. I was taller; my hair was longer; my body was changed to look more like a woman's than a little girl's. I touched the reflection before moving back to touch my face in disbelief. Despite the fact that I was shocked to see that I had grown up without my knowledge, I was happy to see that I'd grown up to be at least a little prettier than I was before.
No, I'll take that back…I think I'm just as ugly as before. The black dress isn't helping either.
I was so engrossed in my reflection that I didn't hear the door open.
"Good morning, dear Shera." Master Zel? He sounded funny. I was fully expecting to turn around and smile at him.
Instead I turned around and screamed.
"M-master K-r-iev…!" Master Kriev, head and all, smiled back at me, his hands on his hips in mocking surprise.
"Yes Shera? Who else did you think it would be?"
"N-no one…" I whimpered, frantically telling myself that this was just a nightmare. A horrid, sickening nightmare that I need to wake up from! He's dead he's dead he's dead he's DEAD!
"You can't lie to me, Shera," Master Kriev walked up to me, cupping my cheek in his hand. His other hand found its way to my hip and rested there. "I've known you far to long. Now, I repeat the question. Who else did you think would be here to greet you?" His hand on my hip pressed harder into my skin, making me wince.
"M-master Z-Zel…" I whispered, trying not to make eye contact with him. Kriev forced me to look at him.
"That Dog?" he hissed at me. "Of course, I bet you miss your Pet."
"What?" I asked, eyes widening. He smirked at me.
"Don't you remember Shera? I bet you don't…you were so distraught that night…here, let me show you…" Without asking me (though he never did) he dragged me out of the room and into a long series of hallways I'd never seen before until we were outside. I squinted into the light for a second. "Look over there, dear one. At the tree. That should jog your memory."
Obediently, I looked. And began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Zel!" I screamed, running for the tree. Kriev caught me and held me in my place, forcing me to stare at the lifeless body hanging by a noose from a high branch of the tree. The blue suit and blonde hair were impossible to miss. "What'd you do to him?!" I accused. Kriev shook me but I refused to stop glaring at him.
"I did nothing, you insulate fool! He did that to himself. Couldn't protect you or some other stupid shit like that. Honestly, though, what's another Dog dead? No one cares." He smiled and shrugged.
"I care!" I screamed back at him. "Master Zel never deserved any of this!" Kriev's eyes became full of cold flames.
"What did you call that rat?!"
"He's my Master and always will be, even if he's dead!" I screamed back at him, defiant. I knew the slap was coming before it did, and the pain only ignited my anger into rage.
"You understand nothing girl!" he shouted. "Listen well! That fool is under you! Dog's are the lowest form of scum, even under a slave like you! If anything, you should have been his master!"
"Don't talk about him that way! I love him, not you!" He slapped me again, harder this time.
"Idiot! You don't know how to love. That's an emotion that slaves aren't allowed to have. Humans only, of which you are not." I tried to get to Zel, to get him down, to hold him again. Kriev held strong, pulling back into the darkness.
"No! Master Zel, wait for me! You promised! We'll go together! Wait!" I cried. "Let me go! Let me go!"
Back to Reality- Aaron's View
I was always a light sleeper, so when the door to Riley's and my room opened, I woke up immediately. I watched little Shera walk up to Riley and nudge her gently. Nothing. She tried again. Still nothing.
"Shera!" I whispered. The girl jumped, startled. I smiled at her and waved her over. She walked around the bed and over to me. "What's wrong?"
"Riley won't wake up," she whispered back at me. I noticed that she was sniffling, as if she was crying or afraid…or both.
"She's a heavy sleeper. Do you need something?" I asked, trying to sound comforting.
"I….had a nightmare….I can't sleep anymore…" she muttered.
"Do you want to sleep with us then?" I asked, looking over at Riley, the epitome of "sleeps like a log," and figured she wouldn't mind. Shera nodded quickly. I smiled and picked her up, placing her next to me in the space between my body and Riley's. She dove under the covers and looked up at me. Taking the hint, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a quick hug. She nestled herself against my chest and closed her eyes. I waited until I heard her breathing steady out before shifting slightly and drifting back to sleep myself.
Memories of a Past Life: River's Nightmare
I awoke to a strange feeling of warmth surrounding me. Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at someone's chest. Shocked, I pushed the body away and scrambled back.
"Ow! Riv, what was that for?" the body mumbled from the floor.
"Zel?" I asked, face flushing. "What were you doing in my bed?!"
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Zel said, his head appearing at the edge of the bed. I noticed that he was still wearing all his clothes (thank Gaia!). "This is my bed, first of all, and you fell asleep on me. So this isn't my fault, please don't kill me. Plus, why does it matter anyway? We're engaged after all."
"We're what?!" I swear, if eyes could physically pop out of heads, mine would be in Zel's lap by now.
"Engaged…wait, you don't remember?" Zel looked crestfallen. "But…but… you were so happy when I asked you…"
"Wait, when did you ask me this?" I asked.
"Yesterday…well, last night," he answered, playing with a stray hair.
"And I said yes?"
"Does that mean your saying no now?" he answered my question with another one.
"No…I just don't…remember anything…" Zel laughed slightly.
"You didn't drink last night, you know."
"Very funny Zel!" I slid off the bed and sat next to him. He smiled cockily at him and stood up. I followed suite, still glaring at him. He pouted for a minute and then smiled again, looking mischievous. "What are you up to now?"
"Nothing," he grinned, pulling me into a deep, heated kiss before I could stop him. It blew me away. "Does that jog your memory?" I stared at him, wide-eyed and blushing. I guess he took that as a yes. "See? All better!" he smiled that childish smile of his and let me go, heading for the door. "What do you want for breakfast anyway?"
"This is a dream," I whispered to no one. I didn't notice the room around me fading to black, with Zel walking into the darkest part.
No, my dear, a voice called to me, laughing. This is a nightmare.
Suddenly I was standing on a crowded concrete landing overlooking a pit. The Dog Arena? What was I doing here? It hit me then. This was a memory. I watched, a feeling of dread pulling at my heart.
I pushed my way forward so that I could see through the cheering crowd. I'd never liked Dog Fights, but there was nothing else to do today. Looking into the pit, I watched as three fighters walked out from the dark hallways to meet up with the seven already waiting. Seven against three? Seemed unfair to me. As they walked out into the light, I made guesses on which the three were which, just from the pictures I'd seen around the Slums. The girl in the back I guessed was the famous Rosa; the black haired man in front had to be the Pack Leader, Wolf Brandel. So that meant the last was…
"Drakra! Drakra!" The crowd around me cheered manically. The boy (he wasn't much older than me, it appeared) did nothing to acknowledge them but began to speak. I couldn't hear what he was saying, even though the crowd had gone deadly silent for a moment. Then I could.
"My name is Death, let me speak
From the darkest reaches of this hollow world
No light can reach me or you
They gave me weapons, They gave me will
You stand in front of me, do you understand?
I close my eyes; let the darkness pull me in
Forget the blood, the death, the infection.
Harbinger of destruction, I speak Their words
I leave no hope for you pitiful souls
My tortured existence is your entertainment
In Their language, my name is Drakra
But to you…my name is Death.
Let me speak."
A poem. The crowd began cheering again, but I sat there, silent, feeling pity for the child down there. I looked back at Wolf and Rosa, watching with surprise as they backed up. Rosa crossed herself and whispered something while Wolf just backed up, ending the poem with a line nobody but I heard.
"Yes, he has a name," Wolf muttered.
The match was now seven on one.
The seven never held a chance. After watching the first two go down, I began to get sick. This Drakra killed unmercifully, taking the Dog's Creed to a new height. But I couldn't tear my eyes away from it, no matter how hard I tried. Unfortunately, someone decided to help.
"Hey Beautiful," a voice behind me said, and I felt a hand grab my shoulder and pull me away from the crowd.
"Let me go!" I hissed, whipping around to face who ever it was that grabbed me. I came face to face with three very tall, muscular men. Oh great, I'd bet my life to guess what they wanted.
"Why, Sweety? Don't you want our money?" one asked. I spit off to the side.
"Leave me alone. I ain't working today," I replied, trying to get away from them. One grabbed me again, this time more forcefully.
"Too bad then, we'll have to get our services for free," he said. I guessed he was the leader, so I nicknamed the others Peon 1 and Peon 2. The Leader began to drag me towards an ally, his peons following behind with laughs. I yelled and screamed and called for help, but no one cared. No one came to help me.
Leader pressed me into the wall, smiling at me. His peons blocked my only exit points, leaving me stranded.
"Cooperate and I'll be gentle," he hissed.
"Cooperate, and I'll let you live," someone said behind us. The Leader dropped me and spun around. To his horror (and my shock) there stood a very bloody Drakra, smiling at the four of us. I guessed the blood was from the other guys he should have been fighting right at this moment. In his hands he held bits of razor wire, the very stuff that lined the walls which purpose was to keep the Dogs off the streets.
Wow, it worked well, didn't it?
"Stay out of this, Dog," Peon 1 hissed.
"Let her go, Men," he replied, grinning.
"If I don't?" Leader mocked. Drakra shrugged and then disappeared. The Leader laughed. "There went your savior." Next to me, Peon 2 made a gagging noise. I looked over and screamed. Peon 1 and the Leader looked to where I was screaming at and gasped.
Drakra stood above us, happily tying the long bit of razor wire to a lamp post. The other part was fashioned into a noose, which was proceeding to strangle the life out of Peon 2 and puncture his neck in about twenty different places.
"See? Let her go, or you guys face a death worse than that guy," Drakra pointed to the guy hanging from the lamp post. "He suffocated and bled to death."
"You freak!" Peon 1 shouted.
"Nope, I'm a Dog," Drakra replied. "What's a 'freak'?" Peon 1 charged him, the idiot. Drakra didn't even flinch, and the man was lying dead on the concrete. The Leader panicked and grabbed me, using my small body as a human shield against the demon Dog. He backed quickly towards the crowd, now watching us all intently. He wished to seek safety in the crowd, but they offered him none.
Smart people.
"Oh, come on! You're really stupid, aren't you?" Drakra said, walking out of the alley after us. He seemed in no hurry. The Leader pressed a knife to my neck.
"Back off, or I-I'll-I'll kill her!" he spat. I rolled my eyes and Drakra laughed.
"Bet I'm faster," he taunted, cleaning his fingernails with a pocket knife similar to the one Leader held against my neck.
"What…?"
"You loose!" Drakra's voice was right by my ear now, and it took me a minute to figure out that I was no longer in the man's arms but standing (safely?!) next to Drakra. The man who had been previously holding me at knife point was staring at his intestines, which now added some bright pink to the cold and drab concrete. He dropped dead the next instant.
Everyone clapped and I just stood there. Drakra tried his best to wipe himself off next to me, whistling to a tune. He then turned to me and smiled.
"As a reward for saving you…" he said, grinning and holding up one finger. "I request one hug!" The crowd gasped and a few people chuckled nervously. I stared back at the killer boy, wondering if he'd lost it. He just smiled at me expectantly, so I walked forward and gave him one timid hug. He laughed and wrapped his arms around me, nuzzling his face into my neck.
"I'm glad you're safe River," he whispered. My eyes widened. This was not the same as the memory that always played in my nightmares. What's going on?! "I was worried they were going to hurt you."
"But you stopped them…" I muttered.
"Of course, River. I needed you to know…" he said.
"Know? Know what?"
"You belong to me," Drakra whispered. I looked up to see his yellow eyes boring holes into my own. My breath caught and my heart stopped.
"No…"
Back to Reality-River's View
"Wake up, River!" My eyes shot open and I found myself staring into the worried eyes of Rito. My room was still dark. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You were screaming."
"I was?"
"Was it a nightmare again? Do you need to talk about it?" Rito asked, falling into the "loving brother" mode.
"No…it's alright. Go back to sleep. I just need a drink of water or something." I crawled out of bed and walked past Rito, who was staring at me skeptically.
"River?"
"I'm fine, Rito." He sighed and shrugged, walking out of my room and back to his. I waited until I heard his door close before heading to the kitchen and sitting at the table. I sighed, looking at my watch. It was only midnight. Tonight would be a very long night.
The Next Day: Lilith's View
The Turk's floor was uncharacteristically silent when I stepped off the elevator. I walked into the Commons, expecting to find no one there due to the silence, only to be surprised in seeing that all the Turks were there, sitting quietly, not doing anything.
"What's with you all?" I asked, looking around. They all jumped when I broke the silence. "You all look like shit."
I watched Zel's eyes dart to River and back at the floor. River's did the same only an instant later. Vincent and Riley exchanged worried looks. The other Turks did some kind of guilty shuffling or look exchange. For a moment, no one said anything.
"Well?" I asked, tapping my foot angrily.
"Nightmares," they answered in unison before all looking at Zel. He looked around, confused. The silence after that was deafening.
A/N: The poem that Zel says to introduce himself I wrote...I was bored. You'll see that Zel likes a lot of poetry, and if any more appears in this fic, it will be self-written. So, what did you think?! Thanks for reading!
Ideas? Questions? Comments? Flames? Reviews? Rants? Cookies? I'll take them all! -