Sweet Nightmares: A Monstrous Beginning

Caramel: Cream Cakes [Chapter Eleven]

   Cocoa refused to release the fur of the leader dire. Even as the others were already in the sky and waiting, barking to each other in their super cute dog language. I wonder what they were talking about; maybe they were teasing their leader for having such a tiny boy clinging to him like a puppy.

 "Please do-don't leave!" The hybrid boy begged, tugging on the thick locks. The dire snort before leading down and running his massive tongue up Cocoa's face. Super gross! 

 The dog slobber dripped down his chin like sludge as he blinked in surprise and released his grip. Quickly, the dire spread his wings and rose into the air with an opportunity to now leave, accidentally knocking Cocoa off his feet as it did. 

The wolves shared a collective howl that echoed across the sky before they vanished into the bleak light. For evil flying wolves, they weren't so bad!

Cocoa wiped his face and flicked the slobber off his hand before smiling and pulling himself back up. It looked like he was slowly getting better, even able to stand without support now, but he was still pretty weak, maybe this expert could help.

A sudden touch to my shoulder nearly made me jump until I saw it was Mint, giving me a strange face. He'd been acting really odd since I woke up, what was bothering him? He wouldn't tell me, even though it was pretty obvious.  

 "Are you okay?" He asked once more, even though he had questioned me a bunch already. He would only get the same answer again; I was fine!

 I know I fell asleep suddenly but that's all, I was totally good. He was such an over-worrier.

 I gave him a grin and a hug. I felt him tense up when I did though. Right, I forgot about being made of slime and all. I hope it wouldn't bother him too much. 

 "We can wait on the maze if you want, you know. Are you feeling cold at all?" He pushed me back and looked over my face with his usual concerned expression. 

 "A little chilly, but that's all," I answered honestly. When I tilt my head, my hair moved over my eye a bit more than it usually did. I tried not to react to seeing his stained shirt but then again, we were all super dirty, it barely made a difference. "Why are you so worried anyway? Let's just go in!"

He narrowed his three eyes before sighing. "What's the last thing you remember before waking up?"

 Hm, what an odd question. But if I had to guess... "I think I fell asleep riding on the dire, then woke up here. Why do you ask?" Which was true, I got kinda cold so I nuzzled up in the dire fur and fell asleep. I didn't remember anything after that until I woke up by the fire last night. 

  Mint looked like he was going to say something with the way his lips parted but instead decided against it and turned his head away. "Nothing. Just me over worrying again, you know?" What was he going to say?

When he released my shoulders, I couldn't help feeling a little sad. What happened while I was asleep? What made him so concerned?

From behind us, I heard Alice clear her throat and watched as she approached the labyrinth entrance with an intense look.

 She narrowed her eyes while trying to peer through the hedge, looking for something unknown. 

It would be way too easy to just pass through it, huh? Maybe she was inspecting it for any dangers!

"Alright, It's decided." She suddenly turned back to face us all. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Cocoa moving closer. 

"We're going to split up," Alice announced without warning. I wasn't sure what to think about it, why do we have to go into the maze alone?!

 I didn't have the chance to argue, Mint beat me to it. 

  "What do you mean 'split up'?" He proclaimed, stepping forward. "I'm not going in there by myself! And no way Caramel and Cocoa are in condition for that either. What if we get attacked?"

 The killer exhaled before digging her claws into the thick bushes and moving them aside, revealing a fork in the path. "Split into two teams." She finished. "I'll go with Caramel, you go with Cocoa."

  Me with Alice? It actually sounded kinda exciting! When I looked to Mint, he still looked unsure about it though. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his hand, well appendage. "Don't worry, it may be fun!" I tried to reassure him but without responding to me, he stared straight ahead at Alice. 

 As though I didn't even exist, he didn't notice me at all. "Why? What if we're attacked?"

 A pause fell between them before the girl chuckled. "From what I've seen, you're more than capable of fighting."

 The two shared a look I couldn't really explain. Mint fighting? I couldn't even imagine that. What was going on between them? What happened while I was asleep?

 I felt like I was being cut out of something important, and my chest was hurting because of it. I didn't want to say anything though; if they weren't telling me, maybe I shouldn't know, right?

 Mint turned his eyes away from Alice and kept his gaze on the ground, still looking unsure about the decision. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Cocoa approaching from behind before setting his hand oh my friend's shoulder. "It's only for a little while." He frowned shortly, a small fang only barely poking out of his upper lip. "I might... Need some time to think anyway." What was this weird feeling in the air?

Alice released a quiet hum. "About the dires?" She didn't bother to look at him as she asked, instead focusing on the overgrown entrance. 

The hybrid shrugged before bringing his hands to his chest in a shy pose. I wonder what he was thinking. 

 The air felt heavy though, I wanted to just go already!

  "Let's do it!" Once I spoke up, I realized everyone was looking at me. It was the obvious choice, but they still looked all surprised. "There's an exit somewhere, how hard can it be?"

Mint sighed beside me and suddenly pulled his arm from my hold. "This is a labyrinth." He ushered as his three eyes locked onto me. "Who knows how big it is? There's an exit somewhere, and one team won't get there if we split down two different paths."

When was Mint so pessimistic? There's hope if you just look closer. "You don't know that!" I rose my voice a little louder than I meant to but that was really bothering me. I want to help Cocoa, not give up halfway because something looks hard. Had Mint always been that way? No, not him. Something must have happened. 

 I couldn't think too much on it though, at least not right now. I didn't wait for him to argue back. Moving away from his side, I hurried to Alice and smiled. Alice was nice, yeah. I felt safe with her protecting me. Even if my friend said she could be dangerous, I don't think that at all. Everyone has the opportunity to be dangerous, right? I guess it depends on who acts on it, and Alice hasn't! At least not with us, she even saved our lives a bunch already. I don't know if we would have gotten this far without her. 

 The killer smiled back to me before her eyes motioned back to the boys. "Good luck. I don't know what will be in here but I think you can handle it, right?

 My friend narrowed his eyes before he exhaled heavily. Without saying another word, he gripped Cocoa's hand and approached us at the entrance before giving us both an odd, annoyed look and starting down the left path. I hope he wasn't too mad, Mint didn't seem happy about splitting up at all. After they vanished into the hedge, I grabbed Alice's hand too. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it was because I was scared. 

Her skin was cold as if she were dead, which would kinda make sense since she didn't have blood, but in the back of my mind, I was kind of hoping it would be warm. For a moment, I felt one of her claws but she moved it, even though it didn't hurt. I was made of slime, so that kind of thing wouldn't hurt at all. 

The killer seemed focused on the overgrowth though, not even noticing what she was doing. Suddenly she flinched and cleared her throat as though she had been brought out of a dream. "No time to waste then. Let's go." She took the lead, pulling me along to catch up. To even walk at her side, I had to jog. 

 The first turn in the hedge came up and we made our way along the path, the only sound being our footsteps on the dirt. 

 The ground was strangely clear and tidy, which was a little strange in a place full of plant life. 

 You'd think some leaves would fall, right? I wonder if someone was taking good care of the maze. The labyrinth was made up of really tall and perfectly shaped bushes to resemble walls. Not even Alice could see over them if she tried, and she was really tall! Suddenly she slowed down to a relaxed walking pace, and I followed with. 

 "Say, Alice, why did you want us to split up?" It was nagging me, so why not ask? 

  A small smile peaked upon her face, but she didn't look at me when she answered. "They have some things to work out."

 The answer only made me even more confused. What did that mean? I questioned it, but her eyebrows furrowed in thought. 

 "You've noticed they're closer than regular friends, don't you? Something like that needs privacy to be worked out. Plus, splitting up gives us more opportunity to cover the labyrinth and find the exit."

 Closer than... Regular friends? I was about to ask if she was saying what I thought she was, but a sharp turn cut me off before I could speak. 

More turns, it was like a neverending path. With multiple options of where to go and no map to do it, it truly felt like we were lost for the first time. Even when we first arrived here, we still had some vague idea of where to go. Now it was just... "Walk until something happens".

 Alice decided on a path quickly, splitting away from the first path once it hit a dead end. It was short though, the turn immediately hitting another dead end. 

 I heard Alice release a hiss of annoyance and turn around, pulling on my arm again to follow. It hurt a little bit I didn't want to say anything and annoy her even more. Returning to the previous path, she led us down a different one. It seemed darker the further we edged on. 

 The fresh green hedges were darker, and the dirt was more turned up, as though someone had been walking on it. The killer stopped in front of me, nearly making me run into her.

 "What is it?" I couldn't help asking aloud, examining her face for any sort of emotion to give away her thoughts. I couldn't read her stern expression though. She licked her lips slowly before looking up at the sky. "You noticed too, didn't you?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I think he's added some guards since I was last here."

 I looked around, but I couldn't see anything but dirt and hedge. "Guards?" I finally asked after a moment of thinking. 

 Alice kicked at the dirt, upturning a small cloud of dust that settled quickly once more. 

 What was she looking for? I pulled at her arm to bring her back to focusing.

"We should keep going. If there are guards, they probably want us to leave as soon as possible."

 It seemed like the killer wanted to say something but merely continued walking

 She seemed to be walking faster and as the next turn came up, I ran to follow but as I looked down the maze, she had vanished. 

"Alice?"

 I was... Alone.

"Alice!" I called again but was met without an answer. 

 Suddenly something in my head began to pound like drums. I nearly doubled over clutching my head, but the pounding didn't stop. It felt like someone hit me in the back of the head with a hammer. 

 "You don't belong here." Something suddenly spat. It echoed as if the voice was coming from inside my own head. "A vile otherworlder." He kept going, the voice of a ghost. 

 I opened my mouth and tried to speak but my mouth felt dry, which was... A weird feeling when being made of a liquid substance. 

  I was forced to clamp my eyes shut, even seeing was making this pain worse. 

Was this the guards? What were they? 

 "Alice she calls, do you hear that?"

 After the voice, cackling followed, telling me there was more than one. "She wants Alice. She's scared."

 They laughed again, louder this time. I thought I was going to faint from the headache screaming at me. 

 What did they want from me? 

  I didn't want to be scared though, I didn't want to be weak. I opened my eyes again, only to find I was no longer standing where I was before. Actually, there was nothing here. Nothing but darkness, aside from strange figures circling around me. It was a struggle to focus on seeing when it felt like something was stabbing through my brain, but I could still make out the figures. This was... A place that didn't exist.

 The pain seemed to be calming down, but fear was replacing it just as fast. 

They looked like some sort of... Beasts. It was hard to describe. Everywhere I looked around me, they stood, grinning, some snickering. 

 "What... What are you?" I finally managed to get the words out but not without stuttering as I did. I thought I was going to throw up from terror, just by looking at them. 

 The monsters had a presence that said "I do not exist" even when I was looking right at them. 

 "They call us the monsters..." A hushed voice whispered from somewhere I couldn't pinpoint.

"The monsters in the closet." One followed after.

"The Boogeyman" They all spoke at once.

"Under the bed, in the closet, the monsters of children's nightmares."

 I could hear their voices, but not one of their mouths moved. Just their long snake tongues that twitched every so lightly. The tongues that were longer than their bodies that flickered like they were just chalk drawings against black paper. 

 I couldn't see their faces, or more like, they had none. No eyes to look into, no nose to smell with, just their uneven mouths and tendril tongues. 

 Their bodies flickered like a lightbulb soon to be going out when they spoke. "Why have you entered our labyrinth? What is within your heart?"

"My heart?" I found myself repeating, but I wasn't quite sure what they meant. "I entered so I could... Find this expert. My friend has been poisoned. I want to help him, and all the turned."

"The turned-" A whisper followed after without a moment's waste. "-The turned are fakes. Artificial. Your friend will never be strong again without the medicine. He will die within the week."

 No... That can't be! Cocoa dying? After he saved us, after we traveled together... All of this would be a waste if he died! They all saw him, didn't they? The entire town saw Cocoa as an inhuman danger before he was banished. But if we brought him back... We could prove to everyone that they were lied to. 

"Please..." I don't know why it was making my heart wrench just thinking about. I couldn't help the tears that threatened to fall and before I knew it, I was standing in front of them, crying in what seemed like it would never stop. "Please... He can't die. We need to see the expert, let us pass."

 Without warning, I felt a touch on my shoulder and turned back to see the empty face of one of the monsters leaning over me. His claws dug into my arm, but I couldn't feel it. It really was like they didn't exist. 

  "You want to see the warlock," The voice hushed so softly, I almost couldn't hear it. "A noble gesture for a friend. But why?"

"I just said-" I couldn't finish before it interrupted me once more.

 The monster snickered. "Not your outcome. Why are you doing it now? What in your heart is telling you to save the turned?"

In my heart? It was a hard thing to answer. I couldn't find my words for a minute, and when I didn't respond, the monster stepped away from me, rejoining the others in the circle that trapped me in the center. 

 "No answer."

 "Selfish or selfless?"

 "No answer."

 "Weak or strong?"

 The voices were becoming so muddled together, I couldn't understand them anymore. It was more like a buzzing beehive. What was happening? 

 The monsters seemed to be melting together, making them look even more demonic and animated than before. Their bodies stretching together like some kind of... Clay model. 

 Their laughing grew louder until they were cackling. I suddenly found myself trapped in a spinning circle of laughter, moving faster and faster, like a tornado. What was happening!?

 I shielded my eyes and felt my hair flying in every direction. Suddenly everything froze, but I didn't feel safe looking again. I could feel the icy stare of a monster in front of me, and heavy breathing, which didn't make any sense but... I don't think I wanted to ask about the boogeyman's anatomy.         

 And then like a giant, the combined voice boomed as one entity. "The selfish shall perish!"

 It was strong enough to knock me off my feet.

 The moment I hit the ground, my whole body was in pain. And there before me, a massive giant with fangs as long as swords, claws large enough to sink a ship. 

Looking back at me was at least twenty eyes, maybe more, all glowing a sharp red.

"No... No way!" The words had barely left my mouth before it stomped forward and swiped where I lay. 

I didn't have much time to think, I did the only thing that came to mind and allowed my body to melt into a puddle, the claws just barely missing me.

 The nightmare world rumbled with an earthquake as it let out another roar. 

 I almost wanted to cry. Please, someone, help me! 

But in a place like this, I was all alone, wasn't I?

Alright... I decided, I have to fight!

Not just for myself, but for everyone I want to protect as well.

 I have to... I have to transform, don't I? 

 Like I did with the succubus! But stronger, bigger, what did Alice say before?

"Just think about what you want your body to do, it will follow. Slimes have a power no other monster does. You can become anything."

Right. Those words kept repeating in my mind. I can become anything. 

But what could possibly fight this thing!?

 A Goliath dog? No, probably not. They were big but... More of big sweethearts than anything. 

I can't pick something from my own world!

 Then an idea struck me. 

 As fast as I could, I pulled myself back to my original form. Keeping my idea in my mind, I inhaled as heavy as I could and grew my body. Bigger, and bigger. What do I need? Wings, a tail, teeth, a long neck, yeah, just like in the fairy-tales. 

 A dragon!

It was painful, even harder when I felt pressured like this, but I didn't have a choice. I needed to defend myself!

  I wasn't even given enough time to change before the monster was charging again. 

 It didn't seem to care about my transformation, it only looked more enraged. 

 Its jaws spread open, ready to take a bite out of me. Before it grabbed my neck like it was aiming for, I blocked myself with the dragon's tail, which it bit instead, cleanly breaking it off. It stung but I would be okay. Yeah, it forgets that it can't kill me.

 While the monster was still dazed, I took my chance to raise myself up and throw myself against the monster, causing us both to fall backwards, except I was now on top of it. The monster tried to writhe but... I have to kill it, right? I don't want to, but if I don't, it would kill me instead!

But... I still couldn't, even with that. 

  The monster grinned before speaking once more. "You refuse to kill me. You've shown you're stronger, so do it. Kill the Boogeyman. Erase me from existence!"

 "No, I won't!" Instead, I backed away from it and lowered my head, not able to look it in the face anymore. "I... I can't take a life. You'd never get it back. Just like... Just like my friend. If he dies, everything is lost. I just want to save him. I don't want to fight you... Please." 

 For a long, drawn-out moment, it didn't respond. I melted myself back to my regular form to stand before the monster, ready for anything it was going to throw at me. 

 But I suddenly felt... Relaxed. 

 A calm sense washed over me and as I exhaled, the world around me came into focus once more. 

 On both sides of me, a hedge. But the monster was nowhere to be seen. 

 It was as though... It was never here. But could that be possible? It was all so peaceful, how could that be?

Soft footsteps behind me nearly made me jump until I heard a familiar voice following. "Caramel, there you are!" I suddenly found myself being squeezed from behind, but I couldn't help but smile. 

"Alice!" I looked up to her sleepy face and grinned. "We're finally hugging! Where did you go? What happened?"

 She set me down once more and crossed her arms with a face that said: "Are you serious?"

  "You wandered away from me and I was attacked." She explained slowly. "Glad you're alright though."

 "Huh?" I tilt my head. Wait a minute... "You wandered away from me, then I was attacked!"

The killer narrowed her large eyes before she suddenly cleared her throat. "So... You're saying the same thing happened to both of us. Then... The boys..."

 Oh... If we're all seeing the same thing, we really, really need to find them quickly!