A/N: Okay right at the moment I have a lot on my plate so any updates from me are going to be a little less frequent…psh, who am I kidding! I'm a slow updater despite the Drivers Ed. Again, sorry.

Thanks for the reviews! They float my boat. Hehe.

Chapter 5

Nightmares with Meaning

The house was silent. All three floors were still and asleep. Nothing creaked, nothing groaned, nothing stirred. Even Zack who was still very much awake at midnight did not dare disturb the tranquil quiet that had settled over the great house like a choking blanket, silencing even the shrillest of screams.

Deep in thought, he watched the shadows of trees dance across the ceiling. Having resided in the city for half his life, he had never had shadows of any sort flit across the ceiling. So it was with mild fascination and perhaps some fear (for the shadows looked frighteningly like clawed arms reaching for him) that he studied the silhouettes trying to perceive their motions and detect a pattern of the wind.

Across from him, on the far side of the room, Cody slept. His soft breathing added to the mysterious aura of the night. The side of his face was mashed into the pillow with his mouth cracked open and an arm dangling over the empty space under his bed. He looked like he had been hilariously dropped a distance and landed, sprawled and limp on the mattress.

Cody had dropped into dreamland almost as soon as hair met pillow. If only it were as easy for Zack. Sighing, he rolled over onto his side facing the wall and forced his eyes closed and mentally begged his over worked mind to shut up with the rush of thoughts so he could just sleepa dreamless dream and awake fresh for another day. Of course it didn't work…At least not the dreamless part.

An hour later

Cody rose stiffly from his bed, the pressure on his bladder too great to ignore. He didn't even reach for his glasses figuring he could make it to the toilet on pure shapes and familiarity of the well beaten path.

Washing his hands in the sink after relieving himself (his bladder thanking him all the while) he cursed at himself for not using the common sense he had been blessed with.

You idiot. You know drinking anything before you go to bed makes you have to go pee--

Cody froze his hands dripping over the shag rug, not sure he was hearing right. For a moment there it sounded as if someone had screamed. When the noise did not come again he relaxed and moved to dry his hands, shaking his head.

"Must be hearing things."

He dropped the towel suddenly and cocked his head, listening intently. There was no mistaking it this time. Somebody was screaming…

Zack!

Without a thought he dropped the towel and raced to his room, heart pounding violently fast for someone so healthy.

Cody smashed into the door looking wildly about searching for the attacker. The room was surprisingly empty save for himself and the…still sleeping Zack. He paused confused. He had heard screaming. He was sure of it…

Zack moaned and kicked at the covers. Cody then understood. Zack was only dreaming. Panting in relief he slumped against the door frame, clutching at his tha-thumping heart.

"No! Your dead! Your n-not real. Not real!" Zack sputtered from under the covers, trembling.

Frowning, Cody stepped closer. Zack cried out, begging for help as if he could sense Cody's presence.

"Zack, wake up it's only a dream," Cody said soothingly, touching his twins shoulder. Zack swung at him swiftly and unexpectedly, nailing Cody right in the gut. Cringing in pain he sank to his knees and touched his forehead to the carpet, completely winded and stunned. What was that?

Above him Zack gasped and made a choking sound and then went oddly silent and frighteningly still.

"Zack!"

Clutching his bruised stomach, Cody painfully sat up and desperately shook his brother, screaming "Wake up Zack! WAKE UP!" But Zack was limp and pale beneath his hands and would not stir.

"Zack! Please! Wake up!" Cody yelled, terrified, practically shaking his brother now but all the shaking in the world could not rip Zack from the horror taking place inside his mind.

Enter…Zack

The eyes he stared into were the eyes of someone long deceased who he'd never thought he'd see alive again. But here he was, inches from his face, his breath rank with cold decay. Eyes that had been a lively exotic green were now flat and dead and lacked the hue they once held. The eyes Zack was staring so fixedly, but horrified all the most were the eyes of Duncan Dowrey.

"…Zack. You promised…"

"I-I know…"

Duncan regarded him silently, his chilled hand still frozen on Zack's forearm. His grip upon the younger boy's arm was painful and firm but he did nothing to lessen Zack's discomfort.

Zack shivered within himself as those dead eyes searched his, looking…for something. A part of him tried to force through reason, tried to convince his brain that this was only a simple little nightmare and that Duncan wasn't really kneeling before him, his ragged clothes stained with blood, and his frosty breath harsh and puffing out steam but here he was, eyes locked on his own searching the depths of his soul…or so it seemed. But then if this really was a nightmare then it was the most detailed and most horrifying one he had ever had, point blank.

"How did you survive? You weren't supposed to."

Zack went cold at his question, his veins icy. This was not the Duncan he knew. He had changed in a demonic sort of way. But then how can a dead person change?

"I don-don't know…", Zack answered his voice quaking.

"Liar," Duncan hissed, voice heavy with vengeance as his lifeless hand swung to Zack's throat.

"Three times. Three freakin' times you escaped death and yet, your still here," Duncan's voice was changing, becoming deeper and evolving into something that resembled Faires's grunt. A blink of an eye later and he was Faires, eyes livid with hate and disgust.

Zack choked in protest, eyes swimming and vision blurring. He felt faint and he struggled, trying fruitlessly to draw in air but the merciless fingers around his neck only tightened.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening!

"Your not even special. I don't see why anyone would want you alive. I'd be doing your family a favor, killing you now. They don't need some worthless piece of shit dragging them down," Faires spat, eyes gleaming maliciously.

"N-No!…"Zack gasped with his remaining supply of air.

Faires snorted.

"Your lucky I cant kill you now. Oh so lucky. But no worries. I'll get my chance," and just like that the man's rugged image began to fade and Zack could breathe.

Eyes watering and throat burning Zack sucked in mouthfuls of precious, precious air. Chest heaving he looked up just in time to see Faires transform meticulously back into Duncan.

"Don't forget Zack. Don't forget your promise,"

Duncan turned to crawl away, joints creaking and snapping stiffly, sickeningly but he paused and looked back at the cowering boy on the floor watching him fearfully.

"Oh and Zack? He's coming for you," and then he was gone.

Zack awoke panting, shirt sticking to him with cold sweat and Cody hovering over him looking like Zack felt. Terrified.

"Oh thank God," Cody sobbed in relief, sagging wearily against the bed frame. "You scared the crap out of me, man."

Zack didn't respond as he sat up shakily, hands gently exploring the areas of his skin that felt as if they were on fire. The areas Duncan/Faires touched. His throat and forearm felt as if they were heavily bruised but they were mercifully unmarked.

"You okay?"

Zack looked up, eyes glazed. He nodded slowly, uncertainly.

"What-what was your dream about?"

Zack shrugged, reluctant to share. "It was nothing."

Cody frowned. "It wasn't nothing when whacked me. Come on you can tell me you know?" he cajoled gently.

Zack shook his head and swiped at his forehead, not meeting Cody's eyes. "I don't remember."

Cody's frown deepened. He knew Zack was lying. He wasn't born yesterday for Pete's sake. He knew when his brother was lying but he didn't press the matter only because Zack was shook up and a little on edge.

Trying to hide his hurt that his own twin wouldn't confide in him, Cody only nodded and stood up. Just before entering his bed, he turned to face Zack.

"You can trust me you know?"

"I know," Zack whisper, seeing the hurt in Cody's eyes and hating himself for putting it there.

"Just wanted to make sure…," Cody trailed off sadly, and pulled the covers over his head.

Zack watched him for a second more before burrowing deep into his own covers, his heart still very much racing. He knew he could trust Cody, but he was worried that his twin would do one of two things. 1.) Take the dream too seriously and panic, or 2.) Scoff and disregard it for being anything but fears of being in an unfamiliar house and tell him it was nothing when it most certainly wasn't. At least not to Zack. The dream was vivid and though he had nothing to back it up, he just knew, deep down that it was real.

So with a heavy heart and a few shaky prayers to not be bothered with another dream or what ever the hell it was, Zack rolled over and with Duncan's dire last words ringing in his ears, ('He's coming for you') he persuade his weary mind to take on sleep once more.

To be continued…

A/N: Go on, push the pretty "Go" button and leave a lengthy review.