"Come on buddy, wake up," Art said, shaking Abel's unconscious body. Abel was healed his wounds had scarred over, but his mind was still recovering. Ari directed Hyde as they raced toward the city while Art attempted to wake him.
"Come on, Abel!" He shouted, shaking him some more. His voice echoed through Abel's head but it was muffled. He awoke standing motionless in a dark tunnel, looking around confused as Art's muffled voice faded out.
"Hello!" He shouted the only response he heard was his voice echoing back to him. The space he found himself in was cold and empty. The walls felt slim and the floor felt wet. The only source of light was his clothing glowing and illuminating the area around him. On the floor below him he saw his reflection, he knelt to get a better look. His eye was healed and his face was normal.
There were no scars and no claw marks. He realized he was dreaming. His mind was nurturing him and protecting him from the pain of the self-inflicted injury that rested on his face. He hesitantly walked forward, the dark water below him splashing loudly with each light step. He didn't know where he was going, if anywhere at all. Even though he was walking it felt like he was in the same place.
Everything was the same like a copy-and-paste image he was trapped inside. The small sounds of dripping water echoed randomly as he splashed down the narrow tunnel. It was so quiet he could hear the sound of his breathing as he pushed forward in what he hoped was the right direction.
"Hello!" He shouted again. Deep in the tunnel, a small burst of bright white light appeared. Its subtle glow pulsated and intensified as he got closer. He squinted his eyes and tried to make out a shape or anything he could notice. Then a small feminine hand burst out of the light. Her palm faced up invitingly beckoning him to grab it.
He thought back to his mother's voice that he had heard after the bear stole his eye and gashed his face. He remembered her voice whispering in his ear, telling him to survive. He wondered if this was her, calling him back to her. He wondered if he would reach her hand and she would pull him in for the warm hug he desperately wanted. His slow walk quickly became a fast-paced jog the closer he got. The fingers on the glowing white hand beckoned him toward it. The feeling of peace flooded his body as he got closer.
"Abel," A woman's voice sang.
"Mom?" He called back.
"Come to me my son," The voice echoed.
"I'm coming mom," He replied, jogging even faster. The dark abyss-like walls around him began to shrink slowly. He looked around nervously as he started running. The ground below his feet made splashing sounds like he was running through the storm drain he and Miles would play in when they were kids. He could hear his breath shortening the further he ran. His mom's glowing white hand still enchanted him, but the closer he got the further she seemed. The walls around him creaked and banged as they enclosed him slowly.
"Come home honey," His mom's angelic voice whispered.
"I'm almost there!!" He shouted. One foot after the other he was sprinting as fast as he could to reach her. As the walls got closer he could see glowing spots on them that resembled the night sky. As his focus diverted from his mother. His pace began to slow. He was enchanted by the wall of stars and stared upon its beauty intently.
"Keep moving!" The voice shouted, distorting from its previously inviting tone to a slightly deeper coarse one.
"M...Mom?" He said, shakily.
"Move!" A now deep menacing voice yelled angrily. The glowing white silhouette was gone, in its place, a glowing red figure much larger compared to the last. He froze as he gazed upon the evil-looking entity in shock. His body trembled and he began slowly walking backward. The figure opened its large deep black eyes and revealed its pointed yellow teeth. His confusion quickly turned to fear as he sprinted in the other direction.
The entity chased after him, running on what seemed to be all fours. Abel peeked behind his shoulder, screaming for help as the creature closed in. He tried as hard as he could to keep his speed but the wet ground below made it difficult. The further he ran away the wider the walls seemed to get. Again he diverted his attention for a moment, still attempting to keep his speed before he slipped and splashed in the shallow water below.
He spun around in an attempt to stand but it was too late. The creature was on top of him in a matter of moments with its claws around his throat.
"Food," The entity hissed, squeezing Abel's throat firmly.
"No, please no," Abel choked, attempting to pry the beast's claws from his neck. The creature smiled menacingly at him before lunging at his face with his mouth open, dripping with saliva. He screamed as his eyes opened. His fist struck the side of Art's face before he could react and his breath rapidly increased. His eye darted back and forth as he shuffled to Hyde's butt.
"What the fuck!" Art yelled, holding his fractured nose.
"Abel, it's okay it's us. We're here," Ari said, inching toward him slowly. Abel's breath slowed and his eyes focused. He was no longer in that dark tunnel, and he was not fighting a demon.
"I...I had a nightmare...I think," He said, trying to pace his breathing.
"You punched me in the face over a goddamned nightmare?" Art asked angrily, holding his bleeding face.
"I...I'm sorry. It... felt so real," He replied, his hands still trembling as he searched his mind for any answers that made sense.
"What kind of nightmare?" Ari asked, placing her hand on his leg.
"My...mom she was calling to me. I tried to reach her but I got distracted, and when I looked back she was gone...in her place was some sort of...demon. He chased me and he attacked me," He said, his breathing slowing slightly.
"You couldn't wake up?" She asked
"No, I...I tried," He said, quivering.
"Sleep paralysis," She whispered. Abel brought his hand to his head to run through his hair. When his fingers grazed the surface of his disfigured skin his eyes widened with confusion.
"Abel, you have to tell us what happened in the shelter," Art said, lowering his hand to reveal his now-crooked nose.
"I...I don't remember. I saw...Mom, I sat in front of the door and then I was in that dream," He said, his mind emptied of any recollection of the events that shortly followed the discovery of his mother's body. His mind continued to race as peace seemed to escape him entirely. The overgrown city around him felt more like a fever dream than a relief. His heart beat so loudly that he could feel it crashing into the protective cage around it.
His face was rough and deformed and all he could remember were small glimpses of events. He remembered leaning against a large tree while Hyde licked a past-like cream onto his face. He remembered the searing pain of heat shooting across his face as something heavy slammed against the ground. He remembered the smell of burnt hair pervading his nose. He could remember moments in small flashes but nothing significant.
"I don't remember," He said, a single tear flowing slowly down his charred face.
"I...I'm sorry about your mom," Ari said, not knowing what else to say.
"Me too," He replied, getting quiet remembering the light reflecting off of her nametag. His soul felt hollow as he sat and thought of her. All of his memories of her smiling and laughing were all but gone. Now, anytime she crossed his mind it was her husk standing there in front of him as he stepped in the sludge that encased her feet.
"Where are we going?" He asked, looking at the buildings surrounding them.
"We didn't know what to do, we were going to take you to a hospital and get some medication for your...injuries," Art said hesitantly.
"So we're back in Westbrooke?" He asked
"Unfortunately," Art said. Abel sighed softly as his breath was back to a normal pace. His glossed eye was sealed behind his eyelid as his fingers glided through Hyde's fur.