AN –
This chapter is one hell of a departure from what you're used to. Be prepared…
Also, those of you who do not know what a 'Buckeye' is, it's the mascot for the Ohio State University. You'll need to remember that when reading this chapter.
.
Darkness
No fear
No pain
No horror
Just…..darkness
He can see shapes now and then.
He can feel breezes from any direction.
He blinks.
He blinks again.
Turning around, he sees a variety of images that don't have any sequential order – a Rottweiler, the Roman Senate, an oak tree…..
A smile.
A toothy smile.
A toothy evil smile.
A toothy evil widening smile.
He shudders.
Now he's afraid.
.
He turns around, letting a breeze softly tousle a few loose strands of his blonde hair. He watches the Rottweiler come between him and the Senate building. The beautiful, protective dog looks at the building, then at him, and then back again.
He blinks.
He blinks again.
.
The oak tree bends over, offering a limb to him.
He sits on it.
Gracefully, the tree erects itself.
He is now high in the air. He doesn't know how high, but he has to be a significant distance from where he was. The Rottweiler becomes smaller….and smaller….and smaller…..
The Senate building too becomes smaller….and smaller….
He looks up.
.
Toothy grin.
Evil, oh so evil toothy grin.
Then, he feels horror.
Sheer, shattering horror.
.
The obvious sounds of a teenager having a bad dream came out of his mouth. He shifted in his bed, straining to understand and withstand the images his subconscious was presenting. Finally, he rolled over, pulling the blankets closer to his heart and then closer to his throat. Feeling the warm security blanket cover him, he hardly felt protected. It might be hot in his bed and bedroom but he didn't notice. His bedroom was dark and safe – safe from the world. Safe from whatever came his way. He then pulled the blankets closer still – closer, tighter to his throat…..
.
A sound.
A grinding sound.
He turns and looks down.
The grin is widening his mouth, cruelly laughing and laughing…..
He screams – the mouth is now roaring in his ears, smashing his eardrums. He puts his hands over his ears.
The mouth is about to consume him!
.
RUFF!
Ruff, ruff!
He looks to his right – the Rottweiler!
The Senate building!
The dog extends its paw.
He grabs it.
The dog's collar has a 'K' on it and nothing else.
Behind the dog, the Senate building has a 'S' on it.
He holds on for dear life…..
.
He's safe.
The Rottweiler – vanished.
The Senate building – nowhere.
He's…..nowhere. Nowhere...
Nowhere.
.
It's raining – he's getting wet.
He looks up at the rain.
Every single raindrop is a dollar sign.
Every. Single. One.
He screams.
The mouth returns, widening…widening….
Roaring…roaring…..
Dollar signs explode out of the mouth, ready to consume him.
He screams again!
He screams and screams and screams!
Rottweiler…Senate building…..
The all-consuming mouth, the all-protective guard dog, the all-just Senate building…..
HE SCREAMS!
.
He screamed. Bolting upright in bed, Sebastian was panting, sweating bullets, wide-eyed and terrified. He looked around, checking his surroundings. He was in his bed and he was safe. Quietly, Sebastian wondered if he woke anybody up with his nightmare.
But he didn't. Relieved, he collapsed back on the bed, thanking whatever gods were up there that he didn't wake anybody up. Especially Carolyn.
Suddenly, he reached for his cell phone and fired a text off to Dave –
Told Dad. Thrtened to cut me off. Told him 2 fuck off. Go Buckeyes!
Sebastian smrked at the message. He then closed his phone and drifted off to a very peaceful sleep.
.