15 Hallucinations

I stroked Parker, creating a smooth pattern on his speckled hair. My thoughts were on the days I spent helping Raph in the office. My eyes remained fixed on my cat while they were actually in a distant place.

The couch that I was sitting on was the one that had sat in Raph's office. My breath came slower as I felt a weight pressed down on my chest. An overwhelming hollowness overcame me.

I got up and retreated away from that couch. Once I arrived in my room I sat on my bed, old memories haunting me.

The day passed slowly. James spent most of it in the office. He was going over some papers that Thomas had brought over in the afternoon. Duma had decided to spend the day with Nathan, and so I was left alone with the angry giant.

When it was dinner time I walked downstairs to find two things of chicken noodle soup sitting on the table. My eyes darted to where the bowl had been placed, the chair had its back to the doorway. Without a word I moved my bowl to the end of the table where the chair's back was to the wall.

James scoffed but I could hardly care.

I stirred my soup slowly. The hollowness hadn't left me and I still felt empty no matter what I ate or did. I unconsciously sighed as I raised the spoon to my lips.

"Do you not like the food?" I heard James ask.

I internally sighed, 'No. It's just that I have absolutely no appetite.'

I decided not to sit there any longer and just head to bed.

"So you're not going to eat?!" He yelled as I walked out of the dining room.

'Nope.' I answered.

As I brushed my teeth I avoided looking at my reflection. It wasn't that I thought I was hideous, who cared if I was? It was the fact that I was so completely changed, I was not the same person physically, and especially mentally, as I was when El-kor kidnapped me.

I sighed and rinsed my mouth, spitting out blood as usual into the sink.

With weariness I laid down on my bed, my thoughts on those first few days. Taking my sleeping pills I soon fell asleep, welcoming the darkness, but dreading the nightmares.

~~~~~~~~

"Brad? Brad!" I screamed as I ran down the stone corridors, "Bradley Neil!" I yelled getting upset with him ignoring me.

A familiar cold finger crawled up my spine and I shivered as a cold feeling enveloped me.

"Brad?" I whispered, my eyes rimming with tears from fear. I gasped when I heard a drip.

Another one, then another. I took slow steps backwards and soon felt something hit the back of my neck. My heart was pounding in my ears and I felt like I was drowning in fear. With terrified eyes I looked up, trailing the floor, the ceiling, then directly above me.

A shrill screeching sound left my lips as I beheld my brother, his body shredded and resting in wooden rafters above me. His eyes stared at me, dead.

Absolute hysteria gripped me as I bent over in pain, my voice whimpering frantically. I choked on my breath as I looked down and saw I was covered in blood, my hair was drenched in it.

Hearing a baby's cry I looked down the dark passage, a word almost coming to my lips. Rubbing the tears away, my eyes stung from the blood on my hands. I looked at them then back at my brother, I began to shake.

With faltering steps I moved down the corridor, with each step my surroundings grew darker. Panic seized me and I began gasping shrilly for breath.

"Brooke! Brooke!" A voice yelled in the dark and I answered in kind, "Raph! Raph!" My voice broke and I tried again.

"Come and save him." The high pitched nails-on-a-chalkboard voice of El-kor rang out around me.

A light turned on and I saw Raph on the ground, his throat slit and El-kor standing over him, a sickly, green ball of light in his hand.

"You know what you have to do…" He said slowly and he began to chant. Raph's gold eyes widened in horror and I saw his strength leave him.

I fell to my knees, "Stop it, you're killing him. Stop it." I begged.

But it wouldn't stop. It went on, and on, and on. Over and over, everyone I knew or loved died before my eyes. Their blood drenching my clothes, spraying over my face.

I woke up waving my arms, trying to swat away the wolves that tried to kill me and had already killed my family. My hands landed on either side of me, gripping the sheets for dear life. With quick breaths I surveyed the room, my eyes landing on Parker who was watching me curiously.

My lower lip formed a pout as I hugged my knees. I tried to comfort myself by saying that they were all alive… but they weren't. He was dead.

A feeling of cold descended upon me and I pulled the quilt around myself. Looking at the alarm clock I saw that the time was five-thirty. I puzzled over this, either my nightmare had started later than usual or… I hadn't been screaming.

I shook my thoughts away and threw on my robe. It was four sizes too large but it gave me a sense of comfort to be smaller than it.

With socked feet I walked out of my room and saw James's wolf lying on the carpet in the library, fast asleep. I noted how strange it was and moved on, padding down the stairs feeling a sense of exhaustion.

I ate a simple streusel muffin for breakfast and then walked downstairs to investigate what it contained. Parker was still in my room as he hadn't followed me and so I was alone walking in the dark.

I blinked and forced the memories from my mind, 'They were just hallucinations. Not real.'

I inhaled shakily when I reached the last step and saw a large, unlit area. I could make out vague shapes of what I assumed were couches or chairs. With fearful thoughts haunting me I ran my hand along the wall to try and find a light switch.

My palms grew sweaty when after what felt like five minutes I still hadn't found any. I absentmindedly bit the inside of my lip as I searched the room for a light source of any kind; a lamp or TV. Anything.

I turned to go back up the stairs, seeing that finding light was a fruitless cause, when I felt something crawl up my hand. I tensed and brought my wrist up to my face but saw nothing. A scream was stuck in my throat as I nearly twitched from feeling something crawl up my arm.

I swallowed and removed my robe, already hyperventilating. My head began to spin and I sat down on the steps, my vision blacking out.