A Waking Nightmare

Chapter Twenty-Four | A Waking Nightmare

Parker couldn't believe how awesome this new place was. There were so many big spaces and new areas to explore. No longer was the kitchen connected to the living room which was connected to the dining room. The bedrooms were upstairs instead of on the same floor as all the others.

There was a separate spot for Parker's mom to have an office instead of her having to use part of the living room or her office. There were carpeted parts of the house as well as tile and hard wood. There were two whole bathrooms and even a balcony that overlooked a back yard.

All of this was new and amazing for Parker.

Sure, he still had his space that he would be staying in, but Parker was already making plans to make some transportation structures for easy access from his room to the kitchen and bathroom.

One of those things included an elevator that he would get put into the wall. It would be a simple cut out from the floor to part of the wall in the kitchen. The actual mechanism would be inside of the wall.

Parker knew his mom was probably going to have some objections to it overall just because she probably didn't want holes cut into their new home and Parker would be designing the pulley system himself. Still, he was confident that he could persuade her if he pointed out he would be climbing the stairs manually.

She didn't like when he climbed too high.

It was an open and shut case.

So, as Parker helped unload all of the various cables and started setting up his area, he began scouting the floorboards and the rooms for the best place for him to put some of the contraptions he wanted to include in the home.

As he did, there was an odd feeling in the air that he couldn't quite place. It was like the same sensation he got right before his mom entered the room or the sensation that overwhelmed his mind when he woke up from his reoccurring nightmare, which was happening more frequently recently.

It was the same dream every time, though some of the details changed from time to time.

The dark clouds. Some kind of boat. Someone calling to him as he was suddenly dragged under the waves. Not being able to breathe. Fear. Cold. Darkness.

Just the thought petrified the young teen.

Parker had to remind himself it was just a dream. He had actually posted about the dream a few times on his blog and a few people suggested it might be more of a memory than a nightmare, but Parker couldn't remember anything like that in his lifetime. He did have to acknowledge the fact that some studies he read up on about dreams said that dreams couldn't pull from information a person didn't already have.

It was weird, and the more he thought about it the more it made Parker's head hurt. Putting the dream aside, there was something about this house that set Parker's senses on edge. It almost felt alive. Every time he approached the walls while hooking up his cables, Parker felt like a magnet drawn to steel.

Perhaps it was just his adventures that one night into the walls that compelled him to venture into the walls again. Perhaps it was just natural curiosity that drew him to explore what was unknown. Or, as another crazy thought, perhaps Parker wanted to compare the walls of his old home to his new home to see what differences there were.

He remembered the interior walls next to the drywall being unusually tidy and the little sketch mark still had no official translation. Were there marks like that in this house too?

Parker kind of wanted to know.

But did he really?

Conflicted, Parker continued hooking up all of his wires until, finally, his space was fully operational. Other than the water, which his mom hooked up after he informed her everything else was in place, all Parker had to do was help organize the drawers and chat with his mom.

They talked about everything while they worked. School. Future study plans now that midterms were over, and Parker would have to start thinking about what he wanted to study in the spring semester. They also talked about Lyn and how she was doing.

It made Parker just the slightest bit uncomfortable that they were talking about her simply because his body started doing funny things when he thought about his female classmate. Sure, she was a couple years older than him, their group of friends celebrating her sixteenth birthday just last week, but there was something about her that made Parker feel warm and tingly, excited and nervous, confident and seen.

It wasn't until the movers came with all of the other furniture that Parker noticed his mom act a little strangely. She quickly ushered him up to his room and told him that she didn't want him to get hurt.

"I'll be okay, mom," ensured Parker. "I'll be on the counters and on the windowsill. They won't hurt me. They're not kids."

"Parker, I would rather you not be out and about while they're bringing everything in. There's going to be so much movement and things swinging around and possibly falling. I would just feel better if you just took a break and relaxed in your room. Don't worry. You'll be able to help put everything when you want it when they're done," countered his mom.

Parker wanted to continue the discussion but ended up complying with his mom and retreating back to his room. There was something in her tone that sounded panicked and uneasy. It was like she didn't want him to be seen and didn't want him to talk to the movers.

That's weird. I know she's protective, but I thought it would be different now. I'm older. I'm almost fifteen. I can look after myself. I'm careful.

Parker huffed a huge sigh and flopped down on his bed where he found himself daydreaming about meeting Lyn for the first time. He thought about what she would say about his height, which he already had some lines for, or so he thought. He imagined what it would be like to hug her. He even dared to think about what it would be like to kiss her.

This brought about a whole range of emotions that made Parker squirm uncomfortably. He wasn't sure where that thought came from, but he quickly shook himself out of his fantasy and turned his attention to his books and finishing setting up his room.

It was hours later when the sound of thumping and talking voices finally subsided. There were a few times when the voices sounded close to Parker's door, but no one entered his room. In fact, Parker felt his hair stand on end and he actually retreated further into his space when he heard the voices.

It was another weird sensation of wanting to talk to new people and meet them but also wanting to retreat and hide away.

It made his head hurt, but he didn't spend time dwelling on it. Too much time had already been dedicated to it in the past, and Parker didn't find any use thinking about stuff he couldn't solve. There were too many other books and subjects for him to learn about anyway.

Parker eventually emerged from his room, actually soldier crawling under the door to get out of his bedroom and climbed down the stairs. He wasn't sure where the idea came from, but he snagged a few thumb tacks and taped them to his shoes and the used the carpet fibers as solid handholds as he climbed down each individual step.

The young teen was rather pleased with himself by the time he made it down to the bottom step and carefully took off his shoes before walking into the kitchen where he saw his mom unpacking plates and bowls.

"Hey mom," Parker called. She stopped moving immediately and scanned the floor for Parker, smiling when she found him.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Were you calling for me? I'm sorry. I just thought I'd put these things away really quick before coming up to see what you wanted to eat for dinner," said his mom as she knelt and extended her hand.

"No worries. I just got down here," said Parker. Amanda glanced down at her child as she lifted him onto the counter.

"How did you get down here?" the thought that entered her mind changed Amanda's expression to one of worry and disbelief. "You didn't climb down them, did you?"

Parker sat quietly and averted his gaze bashfully. There was no denying what he had done, so he decided now was as good of a time as any to bring up his idea about the elevator.

"Um… well… I did have to climb, but I was really careful!" Parker insisted. His mom gave him another worried look and shook her head. "No! I really was! I used some thumb tacks on my shoes and made sure I had a tight grip on the carpet before coming down. Which! I actually had an idea for. Since I'm on the top floor and my room is across from the kitchen, I could implement my elevator idea."

"Parker…"

"I know you're worried about the idea, so I decided to draw up the plans and try it out on the desk. All I need to do is build it and then you'll have a chance to see that it's a solid design," insisted Parker. Amanda sighed heavily as she set her hand onto the counter. Parker could see his mom would need far more convincing. The reluctance was tangible.

So instead of pressing the issue, he decided to start dragging away the paper and stuffing that was in between the dishes while he listened to yet another safety spiel his mom had rehearsed. It was a conversation he had dozens of times before, especially when it came to him climbing and experimentally inventing contraptions. She was usually very supportive of everything else except for the two specific topics of certain climbing inventions and visiting friends in person.

Honestly, he tuned out most of what his mom had to say simply because he had heard it so many times before. Parker instead diligently worked and nodded, agreeing mindlessly. He would have continued to do so except something caught his attention that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

Just for a moment, the teenage boy could have sworn that he saw the electrical cover on the other side of the counter move on its own. It didn't shift down as if falling. It shifted up – as if being shifted back into place.

He shook his head as his heart skipped a few beats. He felt like he was on pins and needles. Everything felt electrified in his body. His head swirled uncomfortably as if he was about to pass out, which Parker had never done before.

"Parker? Parker?" His mom's voice shook him out of his temporary stupor. "Is everything okay? You look a bit pale."

Parker looked over at his mom and then back to the electrical cover.

"I… sorry. I thought I saw the electric cover move," Parker said in a daze. There was immediately a look of concern on her face as she looked over at the island behind her. Before Parker could say anything, his mom walked over and jiggled the cover. Sure enough, it was a bit loose and actually came off.

"Well, that's not good," she muttered. "I'll have to screw that in tighter." There was something about seeing that electrical cover open that drew Parker to it once more. Though the island was a place he definitely couldn't reach, Parker suddenly found himself on the edge of the counter looking down at the sheer drop beneath him. The sensation was thrilling and terrifying as he looked down at the vertigo inducing distance.

"Anyway, what do you want to have for dinner? You get to pick," said his mom as she snapped the cover back into place and turned to face him.

"Um… Chinese? It's been a while since we've had it," suggested Parker.

"Wonderful. I'll go ahead and order it. And to watch after dinner?"

Parker decided he wanted to watch The Matrix. It was a bit of an adult movie, but he had been allowed to see it before while his mother censored some of the "naughty" bits. The concepts of defining what was and wasn't real while also delving into the technology that existed in the world was fascinating to him.

Parker thought it might be fun to get into computer programming simply because he wanted to be able to write code and maybe create mods for the games he enjoyed playing. Lyn evidently knew a little bit about programming and mod creation, and Parker was more than eager to pick her brain about it.

The thought of what made the electrical cover shift slowly faded in the teen's mind as his mother occupied him with other chores and preparing for dinner. The movie and the food were both phenomenal, but during both Parker couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Something kept drawing his eyes upward toward the trim at the ceiling or by the other electrical covers around the room.

There was something that felt alive about this house, and Parker didn't like it. When it came time for bed, Parker actually brought it up to his mom.

"Do… you feel weird in the house? Like… are you getting a weird feeling?" asked Parker as his mom came in to wish him a good night. Amanda had been getting a weird feeling, but it wasn't until Parker said something that she fully elected to acknowledge the sensations around her.

"Well, a little, but I think that's normal. This is a new house. Maybe we're just not used to it yet," suggested his mom. Parker sighed and nodded as he tugged at the hair on the back of his neck and rubbed just beneath his hairline. "Do you feel uncomfortable? Like you don't want to be alone?"

"Maybe," he muttered. Amanda, seeing her son's discomfort, had an idea.

"Here. One second." She went down to the living room and retrieved the old baby monitor that she and Parker used. It was something she hadn't used in years, but it certainly aided her when she couldn't be near Parker. When she brought it up, Parker recognized the contraption immediately.

"The baby monitor? Mom, I'm not a baby," grumbled Parker as his cheeks warmed with embarrassment.

"I know you're not, but the radio still works. If you need anything, you can just shout, and I'll hear it in the other room. Just for now until the feeling goes away. Sound good?" asked Amanda. Parker considered the electronic device for a minute before deciding to relent. It was a good idea, and it was more of a radio than anything else.

The teen agreed reluctantly, and Amanda quickly set it up in the hallway just outside of his room for relative privacy's sake. Then, with a kiss, Amanda wished her son the best dreams and went off to bed herself.

Parker curled up into bed and stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours before feeling an inkling of being tired. There was something about this place that made him uneasy. Perhaps it was just the relative unease of moving to a new home. It was the first time he had moved before after all.

It was these thoughts that Parker eventually fell asleep to.

Sadly, his dreams were not the best or the sweetest one he was asleep.

The nightmare appeared once again, but there was more to it than last time.

Parker could feel the chilling rain surrounding him. Someone's arms were wrapped around him and telling him that they were going to be okay. Walls of water surrounded him, and he clung to the person tightly. He couldn't describe it, but he trusted whoever it was that held him with all of his heart.

Another wall of water crashed over him. The darkness of the sky lit up just in time for him to look into the faceless features of the person who held onto him so tightly. All at once, he was dragged away, swallowed by the wave of water and spat out in the mud and leaves.

He turned in time to see the person being held back as they too were dragged under the waves of endless water surrounding him. Someone called out something to him that he couldn't hear.

Fear.

Primal terror.

Loneliness.

Parker clutched something to his chest as the dark shadows surrounded him. He whimpered and tried to get away, but one shadow emerged and grabbed him. He threw out his arms and tried to push it away, but immediately Parker knew something was off.

For one, he registered that his hands made contact with something. Times before in his dreams, there was never resistance.

Most unnervingly was the fact something – someone – said his name.

"Parker? Shush and wake up!"

Wake up? What on ea-…

Parker opened his eyes and, to his horror, spotted a shadowy figure looming over him. From the sound of the voice, it was a girl speaking to him. For a second, Parker thought this was still part of the dream.

Vision sharpening instantly and sleep banished from his eyes, Parker pulled his legs free from his blankets and kicked, launching the figure across the room. She grunted in pain and gasped for air with the wind knocked out of her. Parker was on his feet in an instant and practically threw himself at his touch lamp, smacking it unnecessarily hard as the room illuminated.

There, standing up with difficulty, was a teen about the same age as him, possibly younger. Her hair was dark brown, and her eyes were basically black. She had mismatch pieces of fabric for clothing as well as a collection of weird contraptions at her hips. Her hair was in a low ponytail, which only kept her hip length hair out of her face. She forced herself to her feet and gasped for air again as she glared at him.

"You kicked me!" she hissed accusatorily. "Whatever. Come on! We have to go! Now!"

Parker knew two things.

One, he was drenched from his nightmare.

Two.

There was no way this was a dream. The way his heart pounded and the sensation of landing not one but two solid blows on the girl. His entire body trembled violently, and nausea immediately punched him in the gut.

What was this?

What was going on?

Panicked at seeing this stranger, let alone one his size, standing right there in front of him triggered an instinctual response that Parker couldn't begin to understand.

He started to shout.

"M-mom! Mom! There's someone here! Someone's in the house!"

He wasn't sure why he started shouting. Perhaps it was the instinctual fear and the involuntary need to be saved, but his body acted on its own as he called out to his mom.

The girl's eyes widened, and she shied away immediately, retreating into the shadows of the next room.

"Dude! Shut up!" she hissed. "The human will hear you!"

"H-human? What?" Parker asked. His head swirled again and he staggered to the wall, leaning heavily against it. He gasped several times for air that left his lungs unsatisfied as his vision by the girl blurred.

"Are you coming or not!?" The girl didn't wait for more than two seconds before turning on her heel and running toward the stairs. The sound of her retreating footsteps summoned Parker's attention, and he chased after her.

"Wait! What? Where are you going?" Parker shouted. The girl stopped on the stairs and glared at him.

"Stop shouting, you moron!" she chastised as she continued running. Parker's mind was running wild, but he spotted the baby monitor and did the only thing he could think to do. His mom couldn't hear him here, but she could with the monitor.

He darted forward and threw his weight into the button and shouted as loud as he could.

"Mom! Mom! Come here! Quick! There's someone in the house!"

He heard the girl curse as she left his house. Parker barely made it to the window in time to see her give one more fateful glance upward toward him, briefly making eye-contact, before vanishing off of the side of the desk.

Moments later, Parker heard his mother's footsteps thundering through the hall and into his room.

"Parker? Parker!" she called as she rushed over to the desk, practically ripping the hinges as she threw the door open to look into Parker's space. Parker shakily staggered toward his mom, mindlessly pointing toward the backside of the desk.

"Mom! There… th-there… there was a girl! There was a girl here in my room! She… sh-she… she was… l-like me. She was little like me!" Parker ran his fingers through his hair as he staggered toward his mom's open hands. He was heaving in breath after breath, choking back the urge to vomit.

"Is there anyone else here, Parker?" asked his mom as she looked wildly around the room and back over her shoulder toward the stairs leading downstairs.

"W-what? No. I… I don't think so. B-but mom. Sh-she was my size. She…" Parker let himself fall into his mom's hands as he tried to calm his breathing. Everything hurt, especially his head.

Amanda, seeing Parker in such a state, looked at the state of his clothes and glanced around his space. Nothing looked disturbed or different. Parker was drenched from head to toe. She had to wonder if he actually saw someone or if it was just a bad dream.

"Parker, are you sure you saw someone? Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?" asked Amanda.

"No! Mom! Check by the desk legs! I know what I saw!" shouted Parker. Amanda did as he instructed and looked at the legs of the desk and the electrical covers nearby.

Nothing looked out of place.

Was it just a dream?

Could it have been a dream?

Honestly, what were the chances of there being a small girl living here in the house with them?

Then again, Parker existed, so couldn't someone else?

What were they doing here?

Were they here for Parker?

Why? Why would they be?

And, Heaven forbid, what if they tried to talk to Parker before she could?

She didn't want to distress Parker further and decided to compromise for the time being.

"Parker, I don't know how much searching we can do here in the dark. Come to my room and get some rest. We'll take a thorough look around in the morning," said Amanda. Parker, still visibly shaking, looked back at his space. Doubt began to fill his mind.

Did he see what he saw?

Was it a part of his imagination?

No… it couldn't have been….

And there was something else too…

There was something in his mom's tone that made Parker the slightest bit uneasy. Did she believe him? And, if she did, why wasn't she doing something about it now? Was she trying to dissuade him from looking? Was she trying to hide something from him? 

Head throbbing, Parker tentatively agreed to stay with his mom for the evening. He wanted to sleep without the threat of waking again; but he wouldn't forget this sensation.

He needed to do some of his own investigating tomorrow first thing when he got the chance.

Tomorrow… he would try and find his own answers.