Jaeh – I am totally, extremely, seriously and indubitably sorry about the delay. I have no excuses beyond being busy, and… that's just totally lame. So yeah. Sorry, guys.

Lori- Yup. I would like to thank people for the kind reviews last chapter.

Warning: Some disturbing nightmare fuel in this chapter.


Riley woke up to Ben staring at him from a chair across the room. Ben's expression was unreadable, and he leaned over the laptop and tapped the screen.

Riley stared dumbly at the screen for a moment, until his eyes focused on the e-mail flashed liberally in full view. He looked up in quiet astonishment at Ben, and found his voice. "What's this? You read my e-mail?"

Ben didn't answer. He just stared at Riley unflinchingly, and tapped the laptop again. "Riley, is there anything you want to talk about?" He stated gently.

Riley stared in disbelief at his laptop, and back at Ben. "You read my e-mail. Ben! Why did you read my email? This is a serious breach of privacy! I can't believe you did this!"

"Riley I was just – "

"I don't care if you're trying to help! I can handle this on my own, Ben!" Riley snapped. He closed the laptop, not as gently as he usually treated his technology, and stood up with a wince of pain.

Ben didn't' move from where he was, staring evenly at his friend. "Riley… talk to me. Please." Riley shook his head, his hands clenching to his face. He tried to take deep calming breaths, and he glanced around the room, looking anywhere other than Ben.

"Riley." Ben's voice was calm but insistent. Riley squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his palms to his forehead. "S-She… I met her at Mt. Rushmore. Jacqueline. I told you about her once. And… you know. We corresponded through email after that because she lives in South Dakota. But we actually met up once… and we were thinking that, you know we want to take the relationship to the next step. She was actually moving out East… she'd be an hour away, Ben. And she wanted to think about it, and I said okay… and she emailed me back…" Riley swallowed and lowered his gaze. "What can I tell her?" He suddenly whirled toward Ben, the anger and sadness worn plainly on his face. "What can I tell her?"

"Look at this, Ben. Look at it." Riley gestured at his arms, swathed in bandages. He gestured to his legs where the ugly welts and wounds hidden by his pants, ran down his legs. "I can't… I can't face her, Ben, looking like this. I don't even know how I can face anyone else. If you think you can do something about all this –" he pointed to himself "– about everything else, about me, then by all means, miracles are definitely welcome!" He dropped back on to the couch, and buried his head into his hands.

"She can't love me – hell, she can't even like me now, Ben. Look at me." Riley sighed heavily. "I look like a freak. I am a freak."

Ben sat beside him, trying to put an arm around Riley. "Riley, you're not a freak. Don't ever think –"

"Yes I am. I'm a freak." Riley turned away, blinking back his tears. "I know what it looks like. I've seen myself in the mirror and I know how bad it is," he murmured quietly. He stared at the glass of water by his side. His face was mirrored on it, and Riley saw the small scratches on his face and thin bandage on his neck. He looked away. "I don't know how I'll ever show my face to her."

Ben sighed sadly. "Riley, this was a horrible thing to have happened, but there's no reason why she wouldn't like you. You're a wonderful, caring, loyal person with so much to offer. Your scars will heal."

Riley just shook his head. "No one would ever want a damaged man, Ben."


For the next week Riley tried act normal. It was obvious he was anything but to his friends, to an outsider however, he would seem okay. Ben hated seeing the forced smiles on Riley's face when he would talk to people. He tried to keep up the brave facade but Ben could tell it was really wearing on him. He could see how thin Riley was getting; he could see the dark bags under his eyes. He didn't talk much Ben or Abigail at all and Ben couldn't help but be concerned. Every time he tried to ask Riley how he was, he just retreated further into a protective shell.

Ben tried to get a clue into Riley's thoughts but then one night he got one. A big, ugly one.


Riley sighed and stared at the ceiling. He was so tired. Sleepless nights left him drained of any energy. He hated being in bed because then he could feel every cut on his body with more intensity. And inevitably Devin would plague his mind, and the pain and humiliation he suffered by his hands. Sometimes his mind would dwell on one of the tortures, but other times it would flick through every one so fast he wanted to scream.

I'm so tired, he thought, staring at the ceiling. It's not fair. I wish I had some sleeping pills. Maybe that would help. You know what would also help? Going to see a therapist.

Riley groaned and rolled over to his side. He just wanted to sleep. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would take him soon…

A rustling in his room made his eyes snap open. He heard it again and Riley gasped and sat straight up in his bed. Riley squinted toward the corner of the room and saw a dark shape moving. His heart began to thud in his chest.

"Riley…"

Riley recognized the voice. He would remember it until he died. And he couldn't make a sound. He wanted to scream, but he sat frozen, staring in the dark corner.

"Riileeey…. You can't escape me… I'm not done with you yet…"

Someone…something stepped from the shadows of the corner of his room. It was a corpse, it's body only charred remains…mutilated. Chunks of flesh fell as it dragged himself closer. It was Devin. Or what was left of him.

Riley was rooted to the spot in horror, trembling in fear as the thing shambled toward him. MOVE! his brain screamed. DO SOMETHING! Riley somehow managed to get his paralyzed body to roll out of the bed, as he tried to put as much distance between him and Devin as possible.

"Where are you goooinnng Rillleey? We have so much to catch up on…" The corpse moved toward him with unnatural jerky movements.

Riley was still stumbling backwards, barely noticing that his room had disappeared. It was suddenly replaced with a dark carnival tents, looming over him, twisted distortedly. Devin was still there. Riley couldn't get away from him no matter where he went. Now he was staggering, unable to get his body to move any faster. The evil laughter behind him turned his blood to ice.

Then, Riley lost his balance, and fell. He fell and fell until he landed in blackness. He didn't know where he was, and all he knew was that he couldn't get out.

"We're not done playing Riiileeey…."

Then they were all over him, crawling on him, his face his body, everywhere…. and raw terror was the only thing that existed. But he couldn't scream. His voice was caught in his throat.

Something cold slid across his chest and his neck. Then the hated voice whispered into his ear. "I told you that you'd never escape me… you'll always be mine." That's when Riley started screaming. He screamed until his throat felt like it would give out.

He screamed so loud he woke himself up.


Ben was pulled out of deep sleep by what he thought was someone shouting. He lay there for a moment, before he realized it wasn't just from his dream. The screaming was faint, muffled, but it was coming from Riley's room.

He bolted out of bed and ran down the hallway as fast as they could. The screams were so loud and desperate; a part of Ben was terrified there was someone attacking the younger man, although he knew it was impossible.

Ben burst into the room. He was horrified to see Riley thrashing in the bed, covers strewn about. His motions were panicked, as if he was trying to frenziedly eradicate something that was on him. The screaming was horrible to hear, and even as he ran forward Riley let out a loud gasp and sat up in bed. His wild eyes flicked to every corner of the room until they found Ben. Riley managed to whimper Ben's name before breaking down into sobs. Ben pulled his friend close, not knowing what else to do.

"It's okay Riley, you're safe now, it's okay!"

Riley attached to him like a magnet, terrified and shaking in horror as the dream rattled around in his brain.

Damn you Devin… Ben thought, hugging Riley close as he sobbed into Ben's shirt. I hope you're rotting in hell for what you've done.

"Shhh….it's okay, I've got you. You're safe…"

It took a while for Riley to calm down. Ben lost count to how long he sat there, his friend shaking in terror in his arms, but eventually Riley fell asleep. Ben looked up when Abigail walked in, her eyes wide in concern.

"Did he have a nightmare?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." Ben shook his head. "A really bad one."

Abigail took a seat next to Ben as they listened to Riley's breathing. "Help me get him back into bed," Ben whispered. Abigail straightened the covers and Ben placed his friend back on the pillow. Abigail smiled sadly and tucked the covers around Riley. She stood up and brushed back his hair from his sweaty forehead.

"Riley," she sighed. "Why won't you talk to us?"


In the morning, the three of them were in the kitchen. Riley tried to ignore Ben and Abigail's sidelong looks of concern as he stabbed into his scrambled egg. He wasn't hungry at all, but he was eating mostly for show. The last thing he needed was Abigail fussing over him because he wasn't eating anything. The whole situation was embarrassing for him.

"Riley, have you called a psychologist?"

Riley rolled his eyes and took a sip of orange juice. "Wow, way to be blunt about it Abigail."

Abigail scowled and crossed her arms, and Ben peered at them over his cup of coffee. "Don't kid yourself Riley. We all know need to go see one. After everything that happened."

Riley put down his fork and glared at Abigail. "Are you saying I can't handle things myself?"

"Yes! That is exactly what I'm saying Riley!" Abigail retorted throwing her hands up in the air.

"I don't need to go to one, I'm okay!"

"I'm inclined to disagree," Abigail snapped. "After last night, you're anything but okay! I don't understand why you're so resistant to this idea, a lot of people who don't even have traumatic events happen to them go to therapy."

Ben sighed and set his mug down on the table. He had been listening silently to the squabble and thought it best to say something now. "She's right Riley. You need some sort of outlet. It'd be crazy not to talk to someone about what happened."

Riley suddenly felt angry. He knew he shouldn't be, because he knew they were right. But the anger took hold of him, unwarranted. "What are you guys, my parents?" he shouted, springing to his feet. "You've been doing nothing but telling me what to do, and going through my stuff!"

"Riley-"

"And what do you know about?!" Riley felt his voice rising, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. "You don't know what it's like to have constant reminders of what happened carved into your skin! Every time I close my eyes I see him! I always feel him, and I can't get away! Not even when I sleep!" Riley's voice had reached a fever pitch and he stopped short. Then he stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Ben and Abigail speechless.


A little later Ben knocked on Riley's door. There was a dull "come in". Ben entered the room and saw the kid was staring despondently at his laptop screen, but he wasn't even typing anything. Ben sat down on the edge of Riley's bed.

"I'm sorry it seemed like me and Abigail ganged up on you… but you really should go see a doctor."

Riley sighed, running a bandaged hand over his eyes. "I-I know. I'm sorry. I just… I don't want to think about any of this anymore."

"Riley, you have to deal with it."

Riley lowered his hands and stared at them, blinking.

"I know it's difficult, but it would be for the best," Ben said gently. Riley didn't say anything but nodded. Ben gently patted Riley on the back and stood up. "Okay… we'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Riley remained silent, his eyes fixated on his hands. Ben sighed sadly and left the room, the door shutting behind him.


There was darkness… he couldn't move, couldn't do anything, as the pain stabbed into him, with no sign of stopping. The dark shape hovered above him cackling….

Riley jumped out of bed, his eyes wide. His breath came out ragged and broken, and his hands clasped relentlessly on the blanket. He struggled to keep his breath in control, and so he shut his eyes and breathed deeply.

Mistake. He didn't see the comforting darkness that came with closing his eyes; instead he saw the remnants of his dream with disturbing clarity.

It was no nightmare; he knew it was fragments of a memory.

Riley shook himself, and let out a breath he didn't realize he held. It's over, Riley, it's over, he told himself got out of bed and limped toward the bathroom. He turned the faucets and started a shower, making sure the water was hot. The power of the water stream was probably not good for his bandages and cuts but he didn't care. The water helped wash away the feelings he had in the dream, and he stood there for a long while, letting the hot water rain down on him.

A feeling of unease suddenly shivered through him. He suddenly did not want to be standing in the shower, vulnerable like this. He turned off the tap and stepped out, wincing as he hurriedly pulled his clothes on over his marred body.

Stepping out of the steamy bathroom, he glanced at the door, his eyes not focusing properly. Riley grabbed his glasses and turned to open the door. He thought he would do well with some food and a nice mug of hot chocolate to calm his frayed nerves, especially after that dream.

He cautiously bounded down the steps, fingers trying to nurse a headache, undoubtedly caused by his listless sleep. Riley expected the familiar sounds of Abigail in the kitchen, making her morning mug of coffee, but curiously heard nothing. He decided to investigate, and walked into the room. He found no one. An irrational stab of fear hit him, and he steeled himself. They're probably just in another room. Calm down, Riley. He rushed to the library to check if Ben was there.

Again, empty room. Not even a light was lit. Riley's heart thudded faster. Fear coursed through him and shook him like a doll. His mind formed numerous conclusions, all of them screaming Devin's name, and he thought he could imagine heavy footfalls following him through the house. He sped into the next room, and the next room, and the next room.

There was absolutely nobody in the house, except for Riley.

And now he was alone with his imagination. And that scared him.

The footsteps were getting louder and heavier, and Riley thought he could distinctly hear evil laughter echo in the hall. He feared the worse.

Devin. Devin's back. Devin's back!

Riley ran for his room as fast as he could, stumbling along the way. He slipped around the corner, and crashed straight into a pile of dirty clothes. He grabbed the baseball bat under the bed and his cell phone, and pressed one.

"Ben? Ben!"


The theme from Star Wars rang through the air, and Ben immediately grabbed his cell phone before any of his students could notice. Of course, being the attentive students they were, small giggles erupted through the class, and Ben gave them a sheepish smile. He didn't even have to check who the caller was. It was definitely Riley, for he was the one who personally made sure the Star Wars theme was his caller ring tone and set it to Ben's phone.

"Riley?"

Heavy, panicked breathing came through the other line, and a shaky voice spoke. "Ben? Ben where are you?"

"I'm at work Riley – are you okay?" He stepped back from the podium, and raised his hand to his class. "Give me a second, please read the stuff on… wherever…." He trailed off. Ben turned around, whispering urgently into his phone. "Riley? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Ben…. where are you? I'm alone… oh my god I'm alone… Ben he's gonna come for me I know he is please come home…"

The last thing that his students saw was his coat trailing behind him, and the door closed with a bang.


Why did I even think that I could leave him alone? He's not in the right state of mind right now! Especially after that nightmare…

Thoughts ran through his mind, berating himself for his stupidity first and worrying about Riley next. He clipped the headset on to his ear, and jogged to his car. "Riley? You still there?"

"…I heard him, Ben. Devin's here, I know he's here in the house and I locked myself in my room and he's coming, Ben! He's coming please come home please…" Riley was still blabbering, almost to the point of incoherence. From what he was hearing, Ben knew that Riley was crying.

"Riley, calm down. Devin's dead – he fell into the fire, remember? You saw the body. He's dead. He's never going to come back Riley… do you hear me?" Ben reassured Riley to the best of his ability. He floored the gas, running a light. Cars beeped for his attention, but Ben didn't seem to hear them. He slowed down a little, though, knowing that it wouldn't do well to be pulled over when he was trying to hurry.

"…you don't understand he always finds me, he always catches me and he's going to hurt me Ben. I'm scared; I don't want him to hurt me please…"

Ben took a left into the right street, and tires squealed as he slammed on the brakes. He jumped out of the car, and was surprised to see Abigail hurrying up the driveway at the same time.

"Where were you? Riley's scared to death!"

"I ran out to refill his prescription… I left a note, I didn't realize…."

They both hurried into the house and bolted up the stairs until they were in front of his room. Ben jiggled the knob and knocked, banging his palm against the door. "Riley… Riley! Open the door!"

Ben couldn't wait any longer. He shouldered the door open.

He saw Riley curled up in one corner, his eyes wide with terror. Riley waved a baseball bat, and he raised it high above his head. "You can't hurt me anymore, I won't let you hurt me!" Riley cried.

Abigail hurried forward and fell to her knees in front of Riley, gently pushing his weapon to the side. "It's me, Riley. Calm down. It's me, I'm here. You're safe now… You're safe." The young man broke down once again, and cried into Abigail's shoulder. Ben knelt next to the two of them and put a hand on his shaking back. "It's going to be okay, Riley. We're here… You're safe…"

"He was coming… I knew he was, and- and-"

Ben patted Riley's back, whose cries gradually quieted to sobs. "You're not going to be alone, Riley. I promise. Not ever."


Jaeh- Oh Riley. :(

Lori- I know. Poor thing. Once again sorry it took so long. This chapter was just kind of a setup for the rest of the story.