The Nightmare - Part 1
October 27, 2017
The thunder could be heard from the confined space. It wasn't long before he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He held his breath as best he could to help hide the fact that, internally, he was screaming.
Three Hours Earlier...
"You're absolutely sure you don't want to go?"
"Positive," the frei's voice rang in an obviously annoyed tone. He had heard that question all day. Wasn't answering it once enough?
"Okay...well, we'll only be gone a few hours." The guardian reassured his charge as he fixed his collar in the mirror.
"Great. Enjoy."
"Okay, it's seriously your last chance to-" Reuben began, only to be interrupted.
"Leave the kid alone, Reu! God, I've only been here twenty minutes and you haven't shut up. He doesn't want to go. It's settled. Now come on before we're late." Calista said, anger bubbling up in her voice. The only thing heard in response was a heavy sigh.
The frei laid outstretched on the living room couch reading a new horror manga he found on the iBooks store. Scrolling through the pages on his phone, he didn't even look up once.
With a heavy heart, the guardian laid down a few rules for the raevan. "Don't leave the house; it's going to be nasty out there in an hour. And text me if you need anything," Reuben said, slowly being ushered out the front door by Calista.
"Bye," Ryder stated coldly, swiping his finger to reveal the next page.
As Reuben had said, within the hour, a storm had rolled in. The faint sounds of rain pattering on the roof could be heard from the couch. Lightning struck, illuminating the dim room for a brief moment, only to be followed by a soft roar from the heavens. It was nights like this that were too few and far between for the frei's liking. He absolutely loved the rain.
Ryder was still quite invested in his new manga. His brain swirled with different ideas of whodunit. The mystery behind the pages intrigued the young frei. And the pictures only proved to help his fading imagination out. The frei swiped page after page, unable to look away.
"Positive," the frei's voice rang in an obviously annoyed tone. He had heard that question all day. Wasn't answering it once enough?
"Okay...well, we'll only be gone a few hours." The guardian reassured his charge as he fixed his collar in the mirror.
"Great. Enjoy."
"Okay, it's seriously your last chance to-" Reuben began, only to be interrupted.
"Leave the kid alone, Reu! God, I've only been here twenty minutes and you haven't shut up. He doesn't want to go. It's settled. Now come on before we're late." Calista said, anger bubbling up in her voice. The only thing heard in response was a heavy sigh.
The frei laid outstretched on the living room couch reading a new horror manga he found on the iBooks store. Scrolling through the pages on his phone, he didn't even look up once.
With a heavy heart, the guardian laid down a few rules for the raevan. "Don't leave the house; it's going to be nasty out there in an hour. And text me if you need anything," Reuben said, slowly being ushered out the front door by Calista.
"Bye," Ryder stated coldly, swiping his finger to reveal the next page.
As Reuben had said, within the hour, a storm had rolled in. The faint sounds of rain pattering on the roof could be heard from the couch. Lightning struck, illuminating the dim room for a brief moment, only to be followed by a soft roar from the heavens. It was nights like this that were too few and far between for the frei's liking. He absolutely loved the rain.
Ryder was still quite invested in his new manga. His brain swirled with different ideas of whodunit. The mystery behind the pages intrigued the young frei. And the pictures only proved to help his fading imagination out. The frei swiped page after page, unable to look away.
Ryder awoke in his bed, enveloped in complete darkness. Disoriented, he sat up, feeling a heavy sense of dread settle over him. His eyes landed on his bedroom mirror, where two glowing red orbs seemed to be glaring back at him. The frei’s heartbeat quickened, and he floated cautiously toward the mirror, watching in growing fear as the red orbs followed his every movement like unblinking eyes.
As he stared into the mirror, the orbs settled where his eyes were in his reflection. Suddenly, they pulsed, glowing brighter and more intense with each second. Ryder’s chest tightened, his breathing shallow, as an inexplicable pressure began to build. Panic clawed at him, and he tried to break his gaze, but it felt impossible.
Suddenly, Ryder felt a force on his chest, as if an unseen hand was holding him down. He gasped, his eyes snapping open, only to find a shadowy figure looming over him, its hand pressing against his chest. A strangled yelp escaped Ryder’s lips, and with that, his power surged uncontrollably.
From every freckle on Ryder’s body, a rainbow-colored smoke erupted, forming a swirling cloud around him. The air thickened with the multi-colored haze, and Ryder, driven by instinct, fled the room in a blind panic. He flew through the living room, accidentally dropping his cell phone on the floor. Behind him, he heard the figure coughing and wheezing, trying to clear the smoke.
Ryder fumbled his way to his bedroom and then into the closet, closing the door behind him with trembling hands. The thunder could be heard from the confined space. It wasn't long before he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He held his breath as best he could to help hide the fact that, internally, he was screaming. Outside, he could hear the heavy footsteps of the shadowy figure approaching, their thudding reverberating through the house. The closer the footsteps came, the closer the walls of the closet seemed to become in tandem.
Huddled among his clothes, Ryder grabbed a few items to cover himself, hoping to dim the glow of his rune and keep from being seen. His eyes were glued to the threshold, watching as with each strike of lightning, a flash passed underneath the door. He felt utterly trapped, powerless to confront whatever lurked outside. He fumbled around for his phone, only to realize he didn’t have it with him. Pulse quickening and anxiety high, he took a few deep, silent breaths to calm himself.
Then, the sliver of light visible from the door’s threshold vanished, replaced by a solid mass of darkness. Chills raced down Ryder’s spine as the closet door was flung open, revealing the looming figure standing before him.
“What the hell, Ryder!?”
The voice was unmistakable. Ryder’s fear quickly turned to anger as he recognized it. “What do you mean!? Why would you scare me like that?” he demanded, floating up and out of the closet with his arms crossed, indignation masking his lingering terror.
Reuben let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head before chuckling softly. But something about his laugh felt off, almost hollow, and Ryder’s frustration simmered beneath the surface.
Before Ryder could press him further, the remnants of the colorful smoke that had followed the pair into the room began to darken and curl around them, and the room seemed to shift. The hallway beyond the bedroom darkened unnaturally, and the temperature dropped. Reuben’s expression changed — his smile fading as confusion and unease settled in. “Wait… what’s happening?”
Ryder felt it too — a strange pull, like something was tugging at the edges of reality. The remnants of the smoke seemed to thicken and take shape, and Ryder suddenly realized what was happening. They were both caught in the hallucination now, and whatever fear Ryder had unleashed was coming for them both.
“Reuben…it’s just a hallucination,” Ryder said, his voice trembling. He knew they had to get out of this shared illusion quickly, before panic truly set in.
The shadowy figure reappeared in the bedroom’s doorway, its form barely discernible but its glowing red eyes unmistakable. Ryder’s heart hammered in his chest, but he forced himself to stand his ground. He reached out, grabbing Reuben’s arm, no mind the trying to ground them both in reality.
“It’s not real,” Ryder whispered, more to himself than to Reuben. “It’s just in our heads.”
Reuben nodded, though his eyes were still wide with fear, looking as though they were peering through Ryder altogether, “Then… why does it feel so real?”
The figure moved closer, its eyes locking onto them with an intensity that made Ryder’s skin crawl. He felt the weight of his own fears bearing down on them, the eyes glaring into what seemed to be his very soul.
Taking a deep breath, Ryder closed his eyes and focused on the connection between him and his guardian. He reached for the remnants of the smoke, trying to draw it back into himself and dispel the hallucination. It was like wrestling with his own shadow — difficult, and every bit of doubt seemed to strengthen the illusion.
“C-come on, Ryder,” Reuben muttered, voice tight with fear. “W-whatever you did last time, d-do it again…please!”
Ryder took another breath, pushing past the panic, and focused all his energy on pulling the illusion apart. Slowly, the edges of the darkness began to fray, and the figure’s form wavered like a mirage. The red eyes blinked out, and the room slowly returned to its normal state.
Reuben let out a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes. “That was… definitely worse than the last time.”
Ryder sank to the floor, exhausted. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, the guilt heavy in his voice. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Hey,” Reuben interrupted, his tone still tense but softer now. “We both didn’t mean to scare each other to death, I get it. But…how about we try working on getting that power under control, yeah?”
Ryder managed a weak laugh, the tension easing slightly. But even as the hallway light flickered back on, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of his struggle to control his powers.
As he stared into the mirror, the orbs settled where his eyes were in his reflection. Suddenly, they pulsed, glowing brighter and more intense with each second. Ryder’s chest tightened, his breathing shallow, as an inexplicable pressure began to build. Panic clawed at him, and he tried to break his gaze, but it felt impossible.
Suddenly, Ryder felt a force on his chest, as if an unseen hand was holding him down. He gasped, his eyes snapping open, only to find a shadowy figure looming over him, its hand pressing against his chest. A strangled yelp escaped Ryder’s lips, and with that, his power surged uncontrollably.
From every freckle on Ryder’s body, a rainbow-colored smoke erupted, forming a swirling cloud around him. The air thickened with the multi-colored haze, and Ryder, driven by instinct, fled the room in a blind panic. He flew through the living room, accidentally dropping his cell phone on the floor. Behind him, he heard the figure coughing and wheezing, trying to clear the smoke.
Ryder fumbled his way to his bedroom and then into the closet, closing the door behind him with trembling hands. The thunder could be heard from the confined space. It wasn't long before he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He held his breath as best he could to help hide the fact that, internally, he was screaming. Outside, he could hear the heavy footsteps of the shadowy figure approaching, their thudding reverberating through the house. The closer the footsteps came, the closer the walls of the closet seemed to become in tandem.
Huddled among his clothes, Ryder grabbed a few items to cover himself, hoping to dim the glow of his rune and keep from being seen. His eyes were glued to the threshold, watching as with each strike of lightning, a flash passed underneath the door. He felt utterly trapped, powerless to confront whatever lurked outside. He fumbled around for his phone, only to realize he didn’t have it with him. Pulse quickening and anxiety high, he took a few deep, silent breaths to calm himself.
Then, the sliver of light visible from the door’s threshold vanished, replaced by a solid mass of darkness. Chills raced down Ryder’s spine as the closet door was flung open, revealing the looming figure standing before him.
“What the hell, Ryder!?”
The voice was unmistakable. Ryder’s fear quickly turned to anger as he recognized it. “What do you mean!? Why would you scare me like that?” he demanded, floating up and out of the closet with his arms crossed, indignation masking his lingering terror.
Reuben let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head before chuckling softly. But something about his laugh felt off, almost hollow, and Ryder’s frustration simmered beneath the surface.
Before Ryder could press him further, the remnants of the colorful smoke that had followed the pair into the room began to darken and curl around them, and the room seemed to shift. The hallway beyond the bedroom darkened unnaturally, and the temperature dropped. Reuben’s expression changed — his smile fading as confusion and unease settled in. “Wait… what’s happening?”
Ryder felt it too — a strange pull, like something was tugging at the edges of reality. The remnants of the smoke seemed to thicken and take shape, and Ryder suddenly realized what was happening. They were both caught in the hallucination now, and whatever fear Ryder had unleashed was coming for them both.
“Reuben…it’s just a hallucination,” Ryder said, his voice trembling. He knew they had to get out of this shared illusion quickly, before panic truly set in.
The shadowy figure reappeared in the bedroom’s doorway, its form barely discernible but its glowing red eyes unmistakable. Ryder’s heart hammered in his chest, but he forced himself to stand his ground. He reached out, grabbing Reuben’s arm, no mind the trying to ground them both in reality.
“It’s not real,” Ryder whispered, more to himself than to Reuben. “It’s just in our heads.”
Reuben nodded, though his eyes were still wide with fear, looking as though they were peering through Ryder altogether, “Then… why does it feel so real?”
The figure moved closer, its eyes locking onto them with an intensity that made Ryder’s skin crawl. He felt the weight of his own fears bearing down on them, the eyes glaring into what seemed to be his very soul.
Taking a deep breath, Ryder closed his eyes and focused on the connection between him and his guardian. He reached for the remnants of the smoke, trying to draw it back into himself and dispel the hallucination. It was like wrestling with his own shadow — difficult, and every bit of doubt seemed to strengthen the illusion.
“C-come on, Ryder,” Reuben muttered, voice tight with fear. “W-whatever you did last time, d-do it again…please!”
Ryder took another breath, pushing past the panic, and focused all his energy on pulling the illusion apart. Slowly, the edges of the darkness began to fray, and the figure’s form wavered like a mirage. The red eyes blinked out, and the room slowly returned to its normal state.
Reuben let out a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes. “That was… definitely worse than the last time.”
Ryder sank to the floor, exhausted. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, the guilt heavy in his voice. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Hey,” Reuben interrupted, his tone still tense but softer now. “We both didn’t mean to scare each other to death, I get it. But…how about we try working on getting that power under control, yeah?”
Ryder managed a weak laugh, the tension easing slightly. But even as the hallway light flickered back on, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of his struggle to control his powers.
