"Okay! Okay, calm down, Jack!"

Stryker had to pry Jack off the railing and force him to sit on the wooden planks; with his hyperventilating there was a good chance he'd faint.

"This is the bridge, right?" Stryker guessed, moving in front of his friend so he couldn't see the water.

Jack nodded rapidly, or shook, he couldn't tell anymore.

"Okay, good, then we know where we are in the dream. Maybe since we didn't get flushed, it won't happen the same way-"

"It's going to happen the same!" Jack cried, grabbing the sides of his head. "It always happens the same!"

"You don't know that, Jack," Stryker said, pulling his hands away. "If you calm down we can figure this out-"

"There's nothing to figure out! It's a nightmare and it's going to keep being a nightmare until I wake up!"

"Then we'll just wake you up. There's always a reason for this stuff, Jack. Like how it's cold now? You probably threw the blanket off in your sleep and-"

Stryker's head snapped back and he fell onto the ground, clutching his cheek as he stared up at Jack in shock. The boy had tears in his eyes now, and his knuckles had busted open when he punched Stryker.

"Not everything's explainable Stryker!" he cried. "And I don't care if you're trying to help! You're not helping! You might as well start telling me that being scared about this is stupid and none of this really matters!"

Stryker was mute; Jack's words were being mixed with sobs now as the fear seemed to thicken within him.

"I...don't want...to watch my dad...die again..." he gasped as Stryker quickly stumbled to his feet. "I don't...want to...let him drown...again..."

He lost it when Stryker wrapped his arms around him, sobbing onto his friend's shoulder. Stryker squeezed his eyes shut and sniffled, absentmindedly blaming the cold for it. The weather around them started to mirror Jack's fear as quiet thunder sounded and little raindrops started to fall.

Jack gasped loudly and tore himself away from Stryker, looking up at the sky as if something was coming down to take him.

"What is it?" Stryker asked, trying to come closer as Jack stumbled away. "What's going on?"

"It's...happening again," Jack whimpered, flinching whenever rain hit him.

"What's happening? Jack."

Stryker grabbed Jack's shoulders and forced him to meet his eyes.

"What's happening?"

Jack started at him in disbelief.

"Don't you remember?" he asked. "I told you that this has been happening!"

"Told me what's been happening?" Stryker asked, completely at a loss. "Jack, you've never told me about rain in your dream."

The look his friend gave him clearly said that he had told someone. Stryker searched every nook and cranny of his memory, but he couldn't recall a single discussion pertaining to this.

"...You really don't remember?" Jack hissed.

Stryker squeezed his eyes shut tight, then shook his head hard and opened them again. Jack swallowed hard, then looked up at the sky again.

"It's the dragon-"

As if on cue a loud bam of thunder caused them to whip around to the river. In the distance a dark, huge cloud was weaving towards them, moving at incredible speeds. Jack's knees turned to jelly as two eyes, lightning blue opened up and stared at him. Stryker grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bridge exit. If that cloud wasn't friendly, he certainly didn't want to be hovering above water. Jack stumbled for a moment before regaining feeling in his legs and running ahead of Stryker. The billow seemed to pick up speed as well, Stryker caught a glimpse of it opening it's wide glowing jaws before they reached the end of the bridge.

They screeched to a halt at the sight of the basement.