Sorry for the delay in updating.
This chapter is a little more violent then the others so be warned. It took a little longer then I expected for me to get through it. I hope that you will like it and give me your reviews.
As I said this chapter has some very violent images, so if you don't care for that then please don't read. I will say that it will get less violent after this chapter but still full of angst.
The Search – Chapter 9
Waking into a Nightmare
Luke could see a light at the end of a long tunnel. He could hear a voice calling his name over and over again. God how he wanted that voice to shut up, he didn't want to look into the
light it hurt too much. But try as he may his body was not listening to his mind and it was acting of its own accord. He could feel his eyelids moving rapidly, they were trying to open, but
every time he cracked them open a bit, the light would be so bright that he would shut them again. He tried to speak, but his mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls, a sensation that
seemed very familiar to him. Right now, though, was not the time to think about it. He tried once more to open his eyes and winced. Luke could hear voices around him; one in particular
was very commanding and very familiar. 'Where do I know that voice from? Why can't I open my eyes?' Luke could hear his voice in his head but knew that he still was unable to
physically say the words. The voice was telling someone to dim the lights, "it hurts his eyes, dim those damn lights, now!" That man's voice was thickly accented and Luke couldn't help
but wince at the pain whenever he tried to connect the voice with a face in his memory. It was as though his mind didn't want to cooperate. He was still stuck in some kind of fog that he
couldn't get clear of.
The lights began to dim and Luke could open his eyes a little further without too much pain. As he tried to focus on the ceiling above him, the voice spoke again, "Luciano, son, look at me."
Luke turned his head to the side and began to make out a blurry shape. The blur began to take shape, and for a moment Luke couldn't figure out who he was looking at. Then all of a
sudden the fog lifted and Luke knew with dread whose face he was looking at. "Damian!" With that one word, Luke's body filled with adrenaline and he tried to jump out of the bed he
was lying in. To his surprise Luke found he couldn't move his legs. Panic began to overtake him, "no, no, not again, this can't be happening again." Luke let out a guttural cry as he pounded
on his legs, trying to feel. Hands came out of nowhere and grabbed his wrists, pulling them away from his legs. More hands grabbed at his shoulders and pushed him back down onto his
bed. Luke tried so hard to fight, but his body seemed to run out of adrenaline and give up. He was breathing hard and crying as that voice he knew so well came back, "Luciano, you have
to calm down. This is hurting you more than anything son. Please Luciano, look at me…."
Luke turned his head towards the voice. His vision slightly blurred from the tears still streaming from them. Damian was looking at Luke with love in his eyes, and something else,
something Luke couldn't quite get his muddled mind to process. "Damian, where am I? Where's my family, and…." Luke shook his head, he knew someone was missing, but who; god his
head felt so thick. He shut his eyes tight, feeling the tears falling down the side of his face. He began to see something; blue, yeah that was it, he was getting there. The harder he tried
the more his head hurt, but he didn't care, there was something very important, no someone very important that he was forgetting. Then like a flash of lightning it came to him, blue eyes,
the color of the sea on a clear day. "Noah! Damian, where's Noah? Oh, my god, how could I forget him?" Luke looked over at his father and saw sadness in his eyes. "Damian, what aren't
you telling me? Where is he and where the hell is my family? If I'm in the hospital they would be here." Of course, a hospital could be the only explanation to what he saw around him. It
was a sterile white room with monitors and machine that seemed to be attached to him. Luke had been in enough of these rooms to know one at first glance.
Damian looked down at his son and knew he had to word his answers right. He knew that Luke would not accept his word right away, but he also knew that Krieger had done all he
could and that Luke would be more susceptible to the story Damian would tell him. "Luciano, you are in a hospital in Malta." Watching his sons' eyes open wide with shock and fear, Damain
proceeded, cutting Luke off before he could say anything. "Son, I will tell you more, but you need to rest." Damian knew Luke better then Luke would ever know, and so he used that to
his advantage. He knew that Luke would not let him stop there. "NO! Damian, tell me what happened to my family and to Noah, now!" Damian, exhaled. He looked at Luke and put on
his best façade. "Luciano, you have been in a coma for 3 years. Your family was tragically killed and you and your mother were the only survivors." Luke felt his heart stop. 'No this can't be
true, how can this be true.'
He began to shake as a primal scream erupted from his mouth. The hands were back, they were holding him down as he thrashed and screamed. A warm sensation began to pass
through his body and he began to feel heavy, he looked over and watched as a nurse inserted a needle into his IV. "Da..mia..n." he slurred "please, tell …me… just… a nightmare…
please." Whatever drug they gave him calmed him down enough for him to look over at his father and plead with him that he was lying. "not possible.. Noah and I have been together for 3
years. How could I have been in a coma? You're lying, you always lie." Luke turned his head away from his father, he couldn't look at him. "Son, I'm sorry, but you have to know." Luke
couldn't look at him, the tears were flowing freely and he didn't want Damian to see how much he hurt. "Luciano, the day Noah brought his father to meet your family." That got Luke's
attention. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He was so nervous about meeting the Colonel that he stumbled through his greetings and acceptance of the Colonels apology.
He once again looked at Damian, "yes, I remember that day." Damian took a deep breath, it seemed to Luke like he was trying his hardest not to cry. "Noah's father left and Noah stayed
behind to spend more time with you. Well, your mother and sister came home early from their girls scout camping trip. You and Noah were at the pound when it began."
Luke could hear a popping noise in his head. It sounded like fire crackers being set off, but then the noise was combined with something that made his blood run cold, he could hear
screaming, 'no, not the children, please…' Luke brought his hands up to cover his ears, in hopes that the screaming would stop, but it didn't. 'Luke run' it was Noah's voice he heard this
time. He shut his eyes, pressing them shut tight hoping not to see what he knew would be there.
The popping noise was coming from the house, as well as the screams. Luke and Noah had decided to take a walk by the pond. They were holding hands and kissing when all hell broke loose. Luke couldn't place the noise he was hearing, but when he looked at Noah to ask him what he thought it was, he saw terror in his eyes. Noah grabbed Luke by the arms and swung him around to face him. "Luke, I need you to run. Go towards the trees and hide. Please Luke do what I say.." He was about to ask why when he heard the sound that stopped his heart, 'no please, not the children…please they're just babies.' Luke's mind didn't even register that he was running. He couldn't hear Noah behind him begging him to stop. Luke ran into a nightmare. He ran into the kitchen and slipped on something wet on the floor. He began to wonder if someone had dropped water when he brought his hand up to his face and found it was stained red with blood. It seemed like it took his brain a while to register that the blood was coming from somewhere close by, from a body lying on the kitchen floor not moving. Luke tried to scream but found he had no voice. His body began to shake as he crawled to the body of his Grandma Emma lying on her kitchen floor staring at nothing. He reached out with his bloodied hand and touched her cheek. All of a sudden arms were around him. He screamed and tried to break free.
"Luke, Luke, please it's me.. Noah, please Luke stop fighting me." Luke could feel his body give and he slumped into Noah, crying and screaming in agony. When he opened his eyes he saw in horror that there were others in the kitchen. His little sisters where still at the table where they had been coloring. Noah grabbed Luke's head and pressed it against his chest, trying desperately not to look at the scene in front of him. That's when Luke heard the voice of pure evil. "Stay away from my son." Noah turned and placed himself between Luke and his father. "Noah, this boy has you all confused. Step away from him, let me finish wiping away these perversions to nature." Noah turned slightly towards Luke, he took his face in his hands and kissed him deeply. "I love you Luke Snyder, I have since the first day I met you." Luke looked into those blue eyes and knew what his love was going to do. But before he could stop him Noah turned and ran at his father. The momentary surprise took the Colonel off guard. Noah and he fought with the gun the Colonel was holding. Then the sound that Luke would never forget happened. A shot rang out between the two men. Luke couldn't move. He watched as Noah turned towards him, his blue t-shirt becoming red around his stomach, as his life flowed out of him. Luke reached out a trembling hand as Noah reached out towards him. He caught Noah as he fell. "Lu…k..e, I'm sorry…I couln….kee…you…saf….I love you, always will…." With that Noah closed his eyes and his head fell towards Luke's chest. Luke felt the scream more then he heard it, as his soul was being ripped out of his body. He looked up in time to see the Colonel point the gun at him, "this was your fault, you turned him against me. This was all your fault." He just looked at the Colonel, what was there left to live for anyway.
Luke's eyes opened wide, he couldn't breathe. His body began to shake uncontrollably and he felt as if it would break in half at any moment. He could hear muffled voices, feel hands on
his body holding him down. He could hear Damian, "do something, dammit, he's having some sort of seizure. Do something, NOW!" Luke felt more warmth envelope his body as he was
pulled under into darkness. The last thing he saw when he closed his eyes was blue. The bluest eyes you would ever see looking at him lovingly.