Chapter 14

Run. Run, it says. The voice says to run and never look back. I want to, more than anything else, but my legs won’t listen to me. I can’t move. It’s like I’m paralyzed, but standing up. I can hear heavy breathing everywhere; it’s loud and raspy, but not as loud as my heartbeat. If it beats any harder, I might have a heart attack.

I can hear eerie wailing and screaming in the distance, and—is someone crying? Looking around me, I only discover that the one who’s crying is me. My sobs are so much louder than all the others, but no one seems to hear them.

Then, I see it right in front of me through the darkness. I know all hope is gone. A blazing, yellow eye the size of my head opens right in front of me and the dark forest I had been in transforms into a battlefield. Dead bodies and blood cover the ground.

As I try to move, pain engulfs my leg. I’ve been wounded in the fight.

A long, loud roar in the distance reminds me I’m not alone. The hair on the back of my neck stands up as I look over at the hill across from me. A red, scaly dragon paws at the ground, breathing fire.

I look down at my wounded body and realize I’m pretty much helpless.

My breathing gets faster, and I frantically search ground for something to defend myself with. My eyes land on a bloodstained sword lying next to a dead body. I pick it up and clamp my hand over my mouth when I see that the body is Sandy. Her eyes are wide open and lifeless, staring at up at me.

Loud breathing and thundering footsteps can be heard around me, and I look up to see the dragon running at full speed toward me.

My knees threaten to give way, but I force myself to stay standing.

I lift up the sword and get ready to strike when I hear my name being called.

“Harry! Harry!”

I turn, meeting the frightened blue eyes of Bethany.

She’s tied to a chair, struggling to break free. I look back to the dragon, which is quickly gaining on me.

I run to Bethany, cutting the ropes that restrict her arms behind her off with the bloodied sword in my hand.

“Run!” I screamed at her. She shakes her head, face pale as she points a trembling finger behind me. I look to where she’s pointing and my jaw drops.

The dragon has reached us, paw raised to strike. His huge eyes are angry, and if looks could kill I swear I’d be dead a thousand times over.

I tentatively raise my sword, but it’s knocked from my hands with one swipe of its large paw.

The air is eerily quiet and filled with angst as we stare each other down.

Then suddenly, pain shoots through me. The sword that I had been holding is now lodged in my stomach. I gasp for air, falling backward. I’m bleeding out. I have minutes to live—

“Harry!”

I can barely breathe I’m—

“HARRY!”

I sit bolt upright, screaming at the top of my lungs and gasping for air. I open my eyes, realizing I’m gripping Bethany’s shoulders uncomfortably tight. I’m drenched in sweat, but I’m freezing cold.

I crumble, falling into her arms like a rag doll. I’m shaking and probably getting sweat on her pajamas, but she doesn’t seem to mind as she strokes my drenched hair.

I sob and wheeze out raspy words.

“Harry, you’re okay. It was just a nightmare,” she croons softly into my ear.

No, it was not just a nightmare.

I pull back, burying my face in my hands.

“Can you tell me about it?” she asks.

I shake my head, wiping a hand across my eyes.



“I . . .,” I swallow thickly. “I need some alcohol.” My voice is strained and quiet.

She nods, standing.

I try to calm my breath, but it’s impossible.

I had another one. I haven’t had on in weeks.

Bethany returns, holding a glass of brownish liquid in her hand.

I down it in two gulps, slowly relaxing as the alcohol burns the back of my throat pleasantly. I murmur a quiet thank you afterwards.

“Where’s . . . Whiskers?” I whisper, crossing my arms over my chest.

“She jumped up on my bed and woke me up, and then I heard you screaming,” she explains. “I’m not sure where she went after that.”

I nod. “She’s probably hiding somewhere. She always does after I have one,” I reply shakily.

Bethany’s eyebrows scrunch together. I notice her blue hair is slightly tangled from her sleep, but it doesn’t look bad.

“You always have those?”

I shrug, tracing my thumb over the rim of the glass I’m still holding.

She places her small hand on my arm. “Why, Harry?”

I shrug again. “Probably because I went through so much trauma when—,” I cut myself off, chewing my lip when I realize what I almost said.

“When what?” she whispers.

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

I still find it odd that Bethany was in this nightmare. I’ve never dreamed about her before.

She doesn’t push it, which I’m grateful for, because it hurts to talk about it. The last time I tried to talk about it, I ended up having a panic attack and passing out in my therapist’s office.

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” I whisper, feeling guilty.

She smiles reassuringly. “Its fine, Harry.”

I don’t want to go back to sleep. I don’t want to face the demons inside my head that torture me mostly every night. No, please. Anything but that.

I chew my lip. “Can I watch TV? You can go back to bed . . . I just need some noise.”

She smiles slightly. “Scoot over. I’ll watch it with you,” she replies.

I nod, moving over so she can sit beside me. She switches on the television, and we settle for a scary movie that I’ve seen way too many times, but it’s one of my favorites.

Whiskers ventures out of her hiding place hops onto my lap. I stroke her sleek black fur, and she falls asleep, purring loudly.






“Don’t come any closer.”

“I’ll do what I want.”

Bethany grips my shirt; eyes widening as she watches the movie unfold in front of her. I roll my eyes at her since I know what’s going to happen.

Ryan steps out of the shadows toward Lilly, his pocket knife visible in his hand. The fear on Lilly’s face multiplies by ten, and Ryan laughs dryly.

“I told you to never trust strangers, Love,” he whispers lowly.

Lilly doesn’t move, she’s petrified knowing what he’s about to do.

Ryan steps closer, slowly slitting her throat with his pocket knife and a sinister smile on his lips.

Bethany gasps, hiding her face in my chest.

The movie ends soon later, and I think Bethany might be scarred for life.

“And to think she loved that scumbag once,” she whispers, switching off the TV.

I shrug. “All people have something to hide,” I say, running a hand through my hair.

“You mean you actually don’t blame Ryan for killing Lilly?” Bethany asks, horrified.

I chuckle. “No. All I’m saying is that all people have some sort of secret or another, we should be careful who we fall for,” I explain.

Bethany cocks her head to one side. “Maybe it would be easier if we didn’t fall in love at all.”

The hurt that I’ve so desperately tried to keep away grips my heart, and I nod vaguely. Every time I talk about something like this I get this way. All the love I had at one time in my life disappeared.

Poof. Vanished.

I wish . . . No. I don’t even know what to wish for anymore. Wishing gets me nowhere.

“I think I’ll . . . Go back to bed,” I whisper, knowing she’s noticed my sudden change in mood.

She nods. “You gonna be okay?”

“Oh, yeah. That scary movie did the trick,” I say sarcastically, smirking. Whiskers curls up next to me and Bethany stands, laughing.

“Goodnight, Harry.”

Notes

Damn this is so long.