Of Dreams And Nightmares

[Akirapryde]

This is the edited and refined edition. Please read and enjoy this nightmare/dream.

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It was a new beginning for everyone. Mostly for Rebecca as she started to come to terms with Richard and Simon. Rebecca’s alarm went off just like any other day. Her sleep that night had not been restful as her mind had been filled with that strange bone tower. It all started with her joke about how she attracted death. ‘Was it true, did I really attract death?’ she thought to herself. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t accept this as fact. Rebecca laid in her bed for a few minutes as she pondered what it all meant. “Why?” she said softly as she set up in her bed. “I don’t want this,” she said softly as her eyes filled with tears. “I never wanted this” she added with tears. She slowly turned over and picked up her pillow and hugged it closely.

After a moment, Rebecca set the pillow back down with a heavy sigh. She slowly rolled out of her bed and fell to her knees next to her bed. Her heart was profoundly shaken and in pain. It was beyond her understanding and because of that, she turned to the one source of understanding she could depend on. She leaned on her elbows and pressed her hands together. Closing her eyes she lowered her head in silence. Just like any other morning, she offered her prayers up to her Lord. Like other times, she asked for understanding on topics that she didn’t. However, this time she also sought guidance in the two signs. First the crossbow, an instrument of death. And lately it was of that image of the tower of bones. Her whispered question echoed from her heart, “Please Lord answer me. Is my destiny to become a destroyer of life?”

Even after her Morning Prayer and shower, her heart was still heavy with the two signs. She walked out of Hallow trying to shake off the restless night and the images from the day before. She walked down off the porch and saw Simon getting ready for his morning worship of the coming sun. Rebecca turned to the northern sky, as she noted the deep gray skies beyond the Hallow. There was something in the air that told her that something dark was on the horizon. She could see the front of the storm and knew that it was going to be a large one. Her survival skills told her that the storm was fast moving. “Looks like we are in for a nasty storm, Simon,” Rebecca said softly then added. “I think I will cut my run short this morning. You might want to make sure everyone stays close to the Hallow.”

She turned and started to jog away from the Hallow. She needed to clear her mind and through this, she loved jogging. Her mind ran through all that she knew and all that she had seen. Despite all that she wanted to believe, she couldn’t avoid how those around her seemed to get hurt or die. Rebecca ran up her path as she tried to put the thoughts of yesterday behind her. Her eyes started to dry as the burn started to fill her lower legs. She ran up towards the cliff that over looked their Hallow. She slowed to a walk as she walked up to the edge of the cliff. Her eyes searched the surrounding area.

She frowned as she looked down at the lake far below. “I leaped from here in search of a Master to teach me more about magic. Instead, I found a monster that sought to consume me,” she said softly looking down. “That monster is dead now. Do I really attract death” she asked herself again.

Rebecca looked out over the Hallow once more and towards the coming storm. “It would appear the storm is moving faster than I suspected,” she said. Rebecca slowly turned to head back to the safety of the Hallow but paused for a moment. The storm was rolling in so much faster than her mind could understand. It was the most remarkable formation of clouds that Rebecca had ever seen. Then again, Rebecca felt as if she had seen this storm before. Deep at her core, Rebecca felt fear for the storm. The formation stood atop of a base of dark rain clouds. The center of the storm cloud rose above the rain clouds like a massive glowing pulsating mushroom of death. Across the clouds, bright white lightings streaked in different directions. The wrath of the storm was heading right towards her Hallow. Right towards her friends. Rebecca stepped back out of fear when she saw what was under the cloud.

Below the cloud, Rebecca saw the largest tornado that she had ever seen before. In that moment she knew what she was looking at. “No……” Rebecca said with disbelief and dread in her voice. “YOU!” she cried out in terror. The tornado moved around the area as the mushroom guided its destruction. Rebecca saw Simon down by the Hallow as the tornado bared down upon her home. “SIMON!” Rebecca screamed out over the increasing rush of the wind. She tried to summon up her magic to warn him to run but her magic failed her when she needed it the most. Instead she yelled out again, “Simon! RUN!” Her throat hurt as she yelled out with all of her voice. Rebecca was helpless to do anything as she watched the tornado consume the mighty guardian of their Hallow.

Terror filled her eyes as she watched Simon getting lifted up like a leaf blown across a winter field. “SIMON!” Rebecca called out. With all her heart she tried to summon up her magic to help her friend but nothing happened. To her horror, Rebecca saw Kira and Richard running for their lives from the back of the Hallow. “NO! GET BACK IN SIDE” Rebecca yelled but it was too late as the tornado picked them up and consumed them just like it had done with Simon. Rebecca tried to watch for her friends but it was too late. They were gone and her tears started to flow once more. She hated the storm that took her friends. But she hated herself more for being helpless to do anything about it.

She stood in shock as she watched as the Hallow slowly broke apart under the punishment of the massive storm. Deep down in to the earth, nothing was left remaining as the storm consumed all that it touched. Not even the darkest of the evil monsters who were imprisoned there were spared the wrath of the storm. No amount of light or darkness could stop the storm as it raged on. Rebecca reached out with all of her might but nothing happened. Like all that around her, she was completely at the mercy of the storm as it turned to face her. Rebecca stepped back slightly as her mouth fell open. She saw two large red orbs start to glow if its eyes were slowly opening. These bright red orbs looked right at her as if they were piercing her very soul.

Uncontrolled terror gripped Rebecca as she turned and ran as fast her legs could carry her. All she could think was to get away from the storm. Behind her, Rebecca heard the storm raging after her. Its thunderous winds filled her ears with the sounds of tens of thousands of boots marching in prefect unison. She could hear the cheers of the blind and foolish far beyond the storm begging for its destruction. Rebecca ran as she saw the fog of war building up around her. With each new step, it became so hard for her to see where she was going. But she knew she had to get away from the storm behind her. With all of her speed and dexterity, she whipped through the forest.

As she ran, the fog of war continued to swirl and spin around her. It blocked her vision and filled her mind with images of hate and anger. Through the fog she saw a face filled with pain trying to push through the fog as it attempted to call out. The fog was acting like a barrier cutting off all sound from the face but she could see the face trying to push towards her through the fog. Her heart pounded in her chest as she pushed her body to its limits. Just beyond the fog, she saw signums moving through the fog of war around her. She could barely make out the black and red signums through the fog. She could see crossed staffs upon a black disk encircled by a red ring.

Before her the trees started to twist around as they changed in to large snakes that were growing out of the ground. The wind whirled around her as anything that was not anchored to the ground was tossed about. Through the winds, she could hear her father’s voice, “Maybe you are over your head, Rebecca. I think you should come home.” Bushes grew thicker with razor sharp spikes started to extend from them. The bushes grew in such a way to cut Rebecca’s flight off. She leaped over one line of bushes just as it reached out for her. Its spikes cut deep in to Rebecca’s flesh causing her to lose control of her tumble. She hit the ground hard and rolled. As she rose up to her knees she put her hand on her side to inspect the bloody cut. It was deep but she knew she had to keep running or else the storm would catch her.

Rebecca leaped back up to her feet and continued to sprint from the storm. The trees started to take notice of her as they made ever attempt to kill her. She did her best to avoid being attacked but there were just so many of them. Snakes that were great and small, all lashed at her. Some bit at each other while others focused on just her. Small bushes threatened to cut off her escape from this nightmare place. Rebecca’s eyes became blurred as her tears built up. She could feel the pain of those around her. She could hear their heartbeats in her ears. Their cries carried upon the wind. Rebecca pushed harder as she tried to get away from all those things.

With tears blurring her vision, Rebecca cried out just as she saw a large snake bearing down on her. She leaped through the air and twisted as she dodged the attack. The massive fangs of the snake brushed up against her as it missed its mark. Instead of sinking deep in to her flesh, its fangs dug deep in to the earth causing it to bleed forth red blood. Landing with another tuck and roll, Rebecca slammed through razor shape bushes and exited the other side. She didn’t waste any time to check for wounds as she leaped back to her feet and continued to run. Her clothes dripping with blood as she continued to push her body beyond its limits.

Fleeing from what was behind her, Rebecca took just enough time to glance towards the storm. She saw the snake that had attacked her being ripped from its roots by the storm just behind her. The tornado whipped the large snake around the sky like it was nothing but a twig. The other snakes that had once been trees tried to flee in face of the storm but they were still stuck to the ground. Rebecca let out a scream as she ran up the back of one snake while another snake attempted to bite her. She leaped from the top of the snake as she heard her brother speaking from somewhere in the wind whipped fog of war, “I know how much you love her, Father. But, we need a strong Obrimos. I am sorry but it isn't her. We cannot waste any more time on Rebecca.”

She landed using a tuck and roll method of limited her damage from the fall. She hit the ground hard and found it to be pavement of a street instead of the soft soil of a forest. Around her she saw the signs of civilization. She had somehow landed in the suburbs of a larger city. Was she in Colorado Springs, she wondered as she glanced around. While there were Christmas lights and decorations everywhere the black skies warned of the dangers hidden in the dark. It didn’t take long for Rebecca to make out the sounds of the air raid sirens through the wailing winds around her. On this night of joy, Rebecca felt death around her. “WHY!?” she cried out against the winds, “WHY!?”

A sign whipped passed her that read Rebel’s Meadow, Tennessee. Through the thunderous wailing winds of the tornados, Rebecca could hear the air raid sirens. The sirens were warning all those that could hear of the coming destruction. She saw a family calming crossing the street and was concerned for their safety. The family was made up of a man, a pregnant woman and their son. She rushed towards them, “GO! RUN!” she yelled out to them. “IT’S NOT SAFE! RUN TO A SHELTER!” Rebecca cried out over the winds.

The family turned towards her and terror filled their eyes as the woman pointed right at Rebecca. They were saying something but the winds obscured their voices. Before Rebecca realized it, the storm consumed them. She ran as fast as could in to the heart of the storm but it was too late. The man was already gone. But the woman and her son were holding on to a sign. Rebecca rushed towards them as they looked at her with terror in their eyes. Just as Rebecca reached them, the woman let go of the sign to protect her son from Rebecca. Both were taken by the winds as Rebecca heard the woman scream out, “leave my child be Monster!”

Through the wailing winds Rebecca heard her name being called in a deep hollow male voice. But this wasn’t a name she was used to hearing. She heard, ‘Alexandrina’ over and over from the winds calling her. Rebecca stumbled back as she tripped over a body of a man. He laid dead at her feet. She knew nothing of the man as if he was nothing more than a stranger. But his eyes were fixed on her. There was blood pouring from his nose, ears and eyes. He wore the camouflaged uniform of a marine. The name on his chest was James. She pushed herself away from the body but no matter how she moved, his eyes followed her. “WHO ARE YOU!” she screamed over the winds to the lifeless body.

Once more she couldn’t help but scream as she heard that name again on the winds. She rose back to her feet. In the distance, she saw that Bone Tower and knew that the voices were coming from there. She turned and ran down the road as fast as she could. Around her she saw so many tornados that it seemed that they were all coming for her alone. Hunting her down, seeking her, wanting her. Her eyes couldn’t stop tearing in the wind as she ran. She just wanted to get away from whatever it was that was behind her. She had to get away from that storm. She couldn’t return to that horrible tower.

Rebecca pushed herself as fast as she could. Her body burning like never before as she ran. Her mind filled with the thought, ‘if I could trying to get away from the storm that pursues me.’ In her vision, she saw that horrible nightmare tower that reached up towards to the unknown darkness beyond the sky. Rebecca came to a stop as she gazed at the tower with horror in her eyes. She knew that she was running away from it, but there it stood in her path once more. She heard it calling out to her, calling her by name. Thousands of voices calling her, with their voices carried on the winds. Even though it was so far away, she could see the names scribed upon the bones.

Rebecca saw the names starting to glow brightly. Before she realized it, she noticed that her own flesh was reacting to those glowing names. She was once more she was glowing with those strange glyphs across her body. Or had she been glowing this whole time. She didn’t know anymore. She didn’t know if there was a connection what glowed on her body or not, but she knew she was connected to that tower of death. “WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!?” She screamed out at the tower.

Her heart cried as she didn’t want any of this. In Rebecca’s soul, she knew each and every name that glowed in those bones. “WHY ME!?” she cried out with all of her might. Anger filled her voice as the loudest thunder clapped around her. She could see their faces in the whirling dust filled winds around her again. Just like before, they were calling to her. But she was unable to hear them due to the fog that kept them apart. On the wind, Rebecca heard the sounds of a hospital room and a crying baby. There was a man’s voice speaking just as if he was standing next to her. As she spun around, she couldn’t see anything but the fog around her. The baby’s cry was so clear, as were the other voices of that hospital room. “It’s a girl, Mrs. James. What will you call her?”

A woman’s labored voiced echoed in Rebecca’s ears as she could just make out the ghostly images through the fog. The voice was one that Rebecca didn’t know but she had heard it before. The woman said in a heavy sad voice, “Alexandrina, Her name has always been, Alexandrina.”

Then there was a strange steady tone that echoed in Rebecca’s ears. It was that medical tone of death. And Rebecca knew this tone well as she backed up from the ghostly images in the fog. The man spoke again, “She is gone” the man said then paused. “Nurse go tell him that it’s done. Tell him that his child is ready.”

Rebecca felt the pain of the loss gripping her heart as she grabbed the sides of her head. She pulled her hair as hard as she could while she cried out in pain. No longer able to remain standing, she fell to her knees crying out against the noise of the storm. Tears blurred her vision as she cried out again in pain. She didn’t know why she was crying but she felt the sadness of the baby who cried with her. “WHO ARE YOU!” she demanded as her own wails filled the sky along with the winds.

“NO!” Rebecca yelled out with all her heart as she rose back to her feet. The pain was over bearing for her. Her anger rose up once more as she felt hatred gripping her heart. Somewhere in the winds Rebecca heard the sounds of crackling as if electricity were touching its self. Snapping and pooping the sounds grew louder in Rebecca’s ears as she spun around allowing her hands to trail behind her. She unleashed the fires of her rage in to the fog burning away the ghostly images. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” Rebecca yelled out louder than ever before. Again the thunder clashed overhead as lighting filled the sky at the very same time.

She turned from the tower and what remained of the ghostly images and ran another direction. A car flung by the winds passed by over her head as power lines whipped around her. Rebecca didn’t care about the danger, she just knew that she had to get away from that tower, from those voices, from those images. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes as she pushed herself harder to run faster. She could hear her bones groaning under the strain. Around her the dust and debris continuing to spin making any vision impossible. She could hear the tornado closing in on her as she felt the rage of her heart pushing her harder. She knew she had to get away from the tower. Through the chaos and destruction she heard a child’s voice, “mommy.”

Rebecca came to a stop once more as hate and anger were quickly and completely replaced by fear. “RYAN!” She cried out as she turned to see where the voice was coming from. She no longer cared about the tower or the tornado bearing down upon her. All she could think of was that voice, and its source. In vine, she searched through the fog. All of her visions were blocked completely by the fog. She had to find the source of the voice. Rebecca moved around the street in hopes of getting a clue on the source. She spun around, “RYAN!?” she called out again.

She heard his voice once more through the storm, “mommy.”

Rebecca turned in the direction of the voice and saw that tower of bone before her once more. It was ahead of her and she realized that there was no avoiding it. Between her and the tower were tens of thousands of staffs moving as each pair were legs. Between the pairs of staffs were those signums again. The staffs were marching towards her as large colorful snakes slithered between. Their fangs were bright and dripping with venom. Rebecca saw the tornados moving between her and this nightmare army.

High above them were these demonic black birds that had been formed from large books soared. Written across the pages of these bird like books were words written in Atlantean. Each bird had large tendrils whipping in the winds as they soared over the army. Beyond the army were monstrous beings of untold horrors. Each of these beings were filled with so much anger and hatred. Over the winds, Rebecca heard her father’s voice once more, “Over your head, Rebecca? Maybe you should just come home.” She turned from the sight to run away but that child’s voice froze her in her tracks. Once more he called out, “mommy!”

Rebecca turned to face the horrors ahead of her again, “RYAN!” she screamed as she ran towards the army of nightmarish horrors. She pushed as hard as she could sprinting towards the large tower. As she ran towards the horrors, she felt the wrath of the storm behind her. As Rebecca pushed, she felt the storm pushing her, guiding her, pursuing her, condemning her. Rebecca had to save Ryan and this is all that filled her mind and heart. Tears filled her eyes once more as she knew she had to save him.

As she closed on the army, she saw a many rise up from the fog. He was dressed in some kind of ancient armor with glowing glyphs across it. His eyes were covered by an old worn cloth and he carried a staff made of woven stars and worlds. He smiled at her as he reached up and pulled the blindfold off. As Rebecca looked in to where his eyes were supposed to be, she saw only the darkest pits of the abyss looking back at her. She heard the man in her mind, “You belong to us now!”

Rebecca screamed out, “NO!” as she turned and leaped up on top of a car. With all the grace of a bird in midflight, she soared between two attacking demonic birds and a large snake. They would not stop her. She was ready to unleash her fires on this unholy army. However once she landed, she found herself facing a darker version of herself. She stepped back in horror as she saw where she had landed. She stood in that bone tower once more. Regardless of how hard she had tried to avoid this place, she found herself here once more. She screamed out, “how!” Her voice was that of half whimpered half sobbing. The darker version of herself said nothing, it just stood there looking at her.

The storm raged around the tower as it brought death and destruction to all that crossed its path. Even this tower rocked against the might of the storm around it. The wind consumed the tower as lighting flashed through the walls of bone. The Tower could not stand against the wrath of Mother Nature. Rebecca could hear the sounds of the marching army on the move towards the world. She knew that it was led by that blind warrior. There were cheers by the masses welcoming the darkness that the army brought. But in her heart, Rebecca knew that the masses knew not what they were welcoming. That they had been blinded by the warrior that led the army.

Rebecca heard Ryan’s voice once more, “mommy” calling out to her.

Rebecca summoned up her magic, “where is Ryan!” she demanded as fire grew from her hands and her body started to radiate the heat. This heat grew from the fires deep within Rebecca. She could feel it boiling over and her control over it was weakening. The darker version of herself summoned up fire from her hands as well. Rebecca was quicker to the attack as she unleashed the fire of her rage screaming, “Where’s Ryan!” The darker version of herself acted just as Rebecca did.

Rebecca’s fire burned bright reddish orange as her darker version’s fire burned a pure blue. The flames filled the chamber and exploded upward and downward throughout the tower. The entire tower shook with the sudden unleashing of pure magical and elemental power. Rebecca formed a shield made of fire on her left arm but not before her arm was licked by bluish flames. Her body burned, Rebecca poured more magic in to her own flames. She twisted as she dodged the incoming fire and unleashed a second round of fire at her darker self. Rebecca’s actions were filled with rage as she followed up on her latest attack. Her darker version dodged Rebecca’s attack the opposite direction and mirrored her own attack.

Both unleashed their fires with Rebecca leading the attack once more. And once more Rebecca and her darker version dodged their respected incoming attacks. It was clear that Rebecca had to push her abilities harder if she was to overcome this monster that stood before her. Rebecca leaped up and spun through as she executed a round house kick. Trailing behind her foot, she unleashed a wide arc of fire that surged outward towards the darker version of herself. The double attempted to mirror the attack but Rebecca was faster. As she landed, Rebecca spun on a single foot as she followed up her attack. Filled with anger, she unleashed two whirling attacks that sent a pair of large fire balls at her darker version.

While the darker version dodged those attacks easily, Rebecca screamed out her anger as she leaped up in to the air and bent backwards. As she started to come down, she leaned forward and drove both of her fists towards the ground. From her firsts, twin fire balls erupted in to the floor of this dark tower. Taking a lesson from the abyss, she reached upwards with her hands pulling her fire to follow her command. The floor around the mirror Rebecca erupted in to flames by Rebecca’s command. The large plume of fires were wide and reached in to the darkness of the tower.

Rebecca reached out with her hands and pulled them towards her. At her command the plume of fire grew smaller as Rebecca twisted her hands around as if she was rolling her hands over a ball. The plume of fire started to spin in a large ball shape as it constricted around the mirror. The tighter the ball grew around the mirror the brighter and hotter the flames grew. Rebecca continued to pour her magic in to the ball of fire around her mirror self, she felt the anger and rage becoming unleashed. She felt the beast pulling and thrashing against its bounds deep within her. It was a source of unbelievable power that scared the hell out of Rebecca. Just as she felt the beast reaching the edge of control, Rebecca pulled back with all of her will. She refused to allow the beast out.

The struggle against the beast deep within her, caused her to fell to her knees as Rebecca fought for control of her mind against the rage and anger deep inside. “N……O!” she yelled out pulling her magic back to help fight the beast back. She could hear its hunger for freedom. She could taste its rage and thirst for suffering. It was the same kind of darkness that lurked in everyone. But for her, the darkness was just that much closer to the surface. She fought against the beast for control. It took all of her will just to push the beast back. “NO YOU DON’T” she yelled slamming the beast back in to his place deep within her mind.

Despite her struggle, Rebecca felt her rage threating to consume her. She walked towards the burned body lying on the ground across the room from her. There were the sounds of crackling in the air as if some electrical sparks were colliding in midair. As Rebecca walked by a large basin of water her vision was drawn towards it. In the water, she saw her own reflection looking back at her. Rebecca paused in horror as she saw her own face. She was covered once more with those glowing green runes. Her face had become twisted by rage and her eyes sparked as if they were made of little balls of blue lighting. She turned to see herself laying died on the floor. There was no longer any hint of darkness in the body of who she was. All that Rebecca saw was herself lying dead by her own hands. Murdered by her own rage.

Rebecca screamed with horror filling her voice as she kicked her blanket up in to the air. She shot up in her bed with her eyes wide open as if she had been awake for hours. Her breath labored as her eyes were filled with tears. She moved from her bed and walked on weakened knees over to the dresser. Her heart pounded in her chest as she reached out for the support of the dresser. She looked at herself in the mirror praying that she wouldn’t see anything. There was no signs of the nightmarish vision on her body, but this didn’t give her any comfort.

Rebecca walked from her room and headed towards the bathroom only to pause at Richard’s room. She was able to peek in to his room and see him sleeping soundly. Rebecca moved across the hall and listened to Kira’s room. She didn’t hear anything but hoped her sister was sleeping soundly. Rebecca sighed as she continued to walk towards her bathroom. She paused once more at Simon’s room as she hoped that he was well also. With a heavy heart, Rebecca sighed, “I so need a long hot bath.” She walked in to her bathroom and closed the door behind her.