turned and walked a ways away, staring into the distance. “Like I’d believe some dumb animal could rule this place.”
Rayne blinked as he watched him, having trouble believing his eyes. From the waist down, he saw right through his new companion.
“Baines, you’re transparent!” he exclaimed. Gabriel looked down.
“Well, seems you’re right. I guess it’s time for me to wake up. I’m safe for another day.” Gabriel offered a half-smile as his visage grew fainter and fainter. “You’ll probably wake up soon yourself.”
Rayne looked down at himself but his form remained opaque. “I do hope so. I’d rather not be stuck here.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Gabriel’s voice faded now. “You’ll be back again. So will I. Night after night after night, until we go crazy.” Rayne saw him as a faint outline now, washed against the dim crimson of the horizon, below the shrieking creatures in the sky. “But since you’re just part of my dream, you’ll disappear when I’m gone. That would make you much luckier than me, wouldn’t it?”
“Wait! Please!” Rayne cried. But it was too late; Gabriel was gone.
He felt a hand on his shoulder just then, touching him in an almost reassuring way. He turned around, hoping to see another human being, but he only saw the pillar, mindless limbs reaching towards him. Their cold clammy hands made his skin crawl, hands covered in white flesh with scarred red patches that stretched over the skin like spiderwebs. These people didn’t react to him at all. Their eyes were void of substance, just black holes burned into their faces, and their jaws hung slackened. The waving limbs crackled, like their bones broke with every movement.
“I’m still here,” Rayne muttered. “So that makes him my dream. Not the other way around.”
A low, steady grunt rumbled behind him, and a heated breath brushed against his neck. Rayne turned, and found himself face to face with a mouth full of jagged teeth jutting from a lurking creature’s gut. Its dark, rancid breath smelled like a rat had crawled into its mouth and died. The rest of it didn’t smell so good either. It snapped at him, but he moved his head back, just as a massive chain flew right toward him. It struck him square in the chest, sending him flying into the column, where broken hands clutched at him. Every mouth shrieking, the monster reared up and swung again. Rayne couldn’t free himself from the clawing hands, but managed to duck as the chain smashed into the pillar, where it became caught. The monster screamed and pulled the chain to free it. Struggle as he might, Rayne couldn’t wrench himself loose, unable to run, and could only wait there for his foe to make its next attack.
He stood still, wishing, hoping for something to save him. He did his best to try to calm down, and sucked in a deep breath of cold, stagnant air, breathing it back out as a white smoke. He noticed more smoke all around him, like a heavy fog rolling in. It grew thicker and thicker until Rayne could barely see his own nose. He could hear the monster grunting, and the rattling chain it was still trying to pry loose, but he could no longer see it, and assumed it could no longer see him. Sure enough, the creature’s shrieking faded, as did the clanking metal. The moaning and cracking of the pillar behind him also quieted, and Rayne felt their grips on him loosen. He realized then, it wasn’t because they were letting go of him, but because he was fading, and their hands could no longer grasp him. A sense of relief rushed through him, and he felt a sick joy swelling in his chest, as laughter escaped his throat, a slight chuckle at first, and then a full rolling cackle, almost maniacal in tone, so overjoyed to be free of this world.
“Oi, you there, what’s so funny?”
Rayne opened his eyes to see Miranda standing over his hospital bed, a syringe in hand.
“Ah,” he stammered. “Sorry?”
“You’ve been having some dream there.
Rayne blinked as he watched him, having trouble believing his eyes. From the waist down, he saw right through his new companion.
“Baines, you’re transparent!” he exclaimed. Gabriel looked down.
“Well, seems you’re right. I guess it’s time for me to wake up. I’m safe for another day.” Gabriel offered a half-smile as his visage grew fainter and fainter. “You’ll probably wake up soon yourself.”
Rayne looked down at himself but his form remained opaque. “I do hope so. I’d rather not be stuck here.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Gabriel’s voice faded now. “You’ll be back again. So will I. Night after night after night, until we go crazy.” Rayne saw him as a faint outline now, washed against the dim crimson of the horizon, below the shrieking creatures in the sky. “But since you’re just part of my dream, you’ll disappear when I’m gone. That would make you much luckier than me, wouldn’t it?”
“Wait! Please!” Rayne cried. But it was too late; Gabriel was gone.
He felt a hand on his shoulder just then, touching him in an almost reassuring way. He turned around, hoping to see another human being, but he only saw the pillar, mindless limbs reaching towards him. Their cold clammy hands made his skin crawl, hands covered in white flesh with scarred red patches that stretched over the skin like spiderwebs. These people didn’t react to him at all. Their eyes were void of substance, just black holes burned into their faces, and their jaws hung slackened. The waving limbs crackled, like their bones broke with every movement.
“I’m still here,” Rayne muttered. “So that makes him my dream. Not the other way around.”
A low, steady grunt rumbled behind him, and a heated breath brushed against his neck. Rayne turned, and found himself face to face with a mouth full of jagged teeth jutting from a lurking creature’s gut. Its dark, rancid breath smelled like a rat had crawled into its mouth and died. The rest of it didn’t smell so good either. It snapped at him, but he moved his head back, just as a massive chain flew right toward him. It struck him square in the chest, sending him flying into the column, where broken hands clutched at him. Every mouth shrieking, the monster reared up and swung again. Rayne couldn’t free himself from the clawing hands, but managed to duck as the chain smashed into the pillar, where it became caught. The monster screamed and pulled the chain to free it. Struggle as he might, Rayne couldn’t wrench himself loose, unable to run, and could only wait there for his foe to make its next attack.
He stood still, wishing, hoping for something to save him. He did his best to try to calm down, and sucked in a deep breath of cold, stagnant air, breathing it back out as a white smoke. He noticed more smoke all around him, like a heavy fog rolling in. It grew thicker and thicker until Rayne could barely see his own nose. He could hear the monster grunting, and the rattling chain it was still trying to pry loose, but he could no longer see it, and assumed it could no longer see him. Sure enough, the creature’s shrieking faded, as did the clanking metal. The moaning and cracking of the pillar behind him also quieted, and Rayne felt their grips on him loosen. He realized then, it wasn’t because they were letting go of him, but because he was fading, and their hands could no longer grasp him. A sense of relief rushed through him, and he felt a sick joy swelling in his chest, as laughter escaped his throat, a slight chuckle at first, and then a full rolling cackle, almost maniacal in tone, so overjoyed to be free of this world.
“Oi, you there, what’s so funny?”
Rayne opened his eyes to see Miranda standing over his hospital bed, a syringe in hand.
“Ah,” he stammered. “Sorry?”
“You’ve been having some dream there.
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