In Dreams: The Nightmare King

Jumping At Shadows

My attention snapped back to the cave. There was SOMETHING there. It had a vague shadowy outline, human-like, but also not. It looked like something that had stepped out of my nightmares. The shadows around it shifted and moved, running and dripping before racing back to form the humanoid shape. It stepped backwards, and the shadows behind it seemed to move to accommodate it.

My muscles tightened as the fear response kicked in. Something gripped my arm and I nearly squealed, jerking to the left, making my chair sink on that side. I jumped forward without thinking about it, becoming aware I had moved after I turned and saw Brie with her arm still outstretched, staring blankly at my now empty seat. I sighed, my heart still hammering away, and her attention shifted to my new position. She gave me a worried look as I rubbed my chest where the ache was forming again. Her eyes zeroed in on my hand.

"Are you ok?" She mouthed. I nodded at her. "I'm sorry!" she whispered. I shook my head and waved her off, frowning. I bent to tug my chair from the ground and ended up pulling too hard, nearly smacking myself in the face with it. Brie snorted, amusement and concern battling for prominence on her face. Someone in the row shushed at us, and I jerked with the chair in my arms, using it as a shield. Brie giggled and I stage whispered "Sorry!" towards the disapproving guest. I placed my chair on the ground, avoiding the old holes, and gingerly sat down. The new position didn't help, it immediately sank two inches into the ground. Brie reached out again, slowly this time, making sure I saw her hand coming, and gently rubbed my arm as if to comfort me. The feeling was extremely irritating with my anxiety on high alert, so I gently patted her hand to still her, and she leaned over to whisper "Are you ok?" at me. I nodded my head. More shushing from down the row, Brie waved at them dismissively with her handkerchief.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I saw you go rigid and when you started breathing hard, I thought you might be having a panic attack." Brie said quietly with a frown. This time several harsh words were said from the other guest. Brie smiled and waved at them with her middle finger this time. I suppressed another laugh, as I rubbed my chest a few more times, trying to calm down. Bries fingers moved to my wrist, checking my pulse. I swatted at her, and she moved her hand away with an apologetic shrug. Brie knew how I felt about her using me as a case study, but her inner scientist was curious. She once told that she went into the sciences because of me. I had rolled my eyes at her then, but she landed a cushy job as a lab tech in a fancy building down town. I wasn't entirely sure what she did there, but I know she analyzed samples or something. She'd even once asked me if she could get a little bit of my blood and tissue. I had glared at her and she asked "just the blood then?" I responded with a glower and she dropped it.

Brie looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but I shook my head, so she settled for trying to comfort me by holding my hand. My skin crawled with the contact, my nerves still on edge. It took everything in me to gently remove her hand and place it on her own lap. Brie looked hurt. 'Anxiety' I mouthed at her, and her expression mingled with understanding. I could tell she was still upset, but Brie knew I didn't like to be touched much, especially during an attack. I took several deep breaths, trying to calm the rage and fear coursing through me and mentally prepared myself to turn back to the thing that set me off....the cave.

Following my gaze, I could feel Brie stiffen beside me. She grabbed frantically for my arm again, and abruptly let go as if she had been burned. My gaze was riveted on the cave mouth, and I didn't dare look to see if she was ok.

More eyes had joined the first in the darkness, and I could see the shadows roiling angrily. One threatening glare locked me in place, like it knew who I was, and resented me for it. I couldn't blink or break the contact. My surroundings started to fade and every fiber of my being told me to hold still, don't look away, it would show intimidation, which would be dangerous. My anxiety swung my mood towards anger in an instant. I was suddenly ridiculously angry at this thing, and I let the anger boil through my system. My muscles tensed and I could feel the heat spreading outwards from my chest. My hands clenched and I gritted my teeth. The shadow averted its gaze and I felt myself smirking while I started to relax, the anxiety death grip on my body starting to fade.

Brie nudged me with her foot. My senses were still on high alert so I saw the movement coming in the way her body and dress shifted at the edge of my vision. I ignored her, still focused on the cave shadows, so she hesitantly reached out and touched my arm with her fingertips, briefly, then more confidently she grabbed my arm, pulling herself towards me.

"What's going on? What was that thing?" She hissed in my ear. "I tried to get your attention, but your skin was as hot as a stove-top! I thought I got burned! Is this new? I've not seen this symptom before, are you ok? WHAT are you still looking at?" Brie yanked on my arm. I was concentrating on the shadows, watching as they boiled and dripped lazily, waiting for my "friend" to reappear.