26 Foreboding Nightmare (1/2)
Laurel finds her self in the middle of an ocean. Waves smash over her head as she struggles to stay above the water. ”Mommy!” She cries spitting water from her mouth. Her head jerks around looking for aid. All around her, she could only see other versions of herself, in the same precarious situation.
Every version of Laurel was different. They are laughing, crying, and cursing. Some were struggling like her, others gave in sinking to the bottom. There were even a few who took the situation in stride, rising above the waves.
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At Laurel's bed, Mellisa desperately hugs her writhing daughter. Her daughter hadn't been doing well recently, spending more and more time in bed. Every so often the young girl would writhe in pain clutching her head as if to keep it from exploding. Blood had even begun to seep from her ears and nose during these episodes. ”She's all I have please,” Mellisa cries hopelessly, as tears stream from her bloodshot eyes.
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Each wave smashes Laurel into another one of her selves. The scared girl is then flung into another reality. In the current reality, she's clutching a sword while desperately fighting some unknown man. ”Why must you stand in our way?” She asks the man as she deflects another blow. The dark, towering figure in front of her only scowls at her. Laurels muscles felt like they were on fire. The fatigue weighs her down, slowing her reaction. She saw the sword of the man growing large as it thrusts towards her throat.
Ding, ding, a small bell rings in her ears. Right before the sword struck home, Laurel feels her self bluntly shoved to the side. She quickly looks at who had saved her. Where she once stood, an older Franklin replaced her with a sword skewering his chest. ”Franklin!” She screams as she fades from this reality. The last thing she views is Franklin smiling at her.
Now back in the ocean, her tears join this horrible ocean. ”Let me go! I did nothing wrong.” She yells, trembling in fear. To the right, she hears her own voice scream ”Forgive me I didn't mean to.” To her left, she saw a slightly older version of her self-yell at the air in rage. ”Do you know who I am? When I get out of here, you'll be sorry.” All around, she hears herself say all different manner of things.
”What is going on? Is this real?” Laurel mumbles as she felt like she would soon break. Suddenly, she feels a pain in her shoulder. She looks over in that direction, to see her own face was there mirroring her surprise.
Reality once again shifts, this time she's playing with a baby girl, who seems to have only just been born. The world seems bright as they sit next to a bush on the hill. A bull sits sulking off to the side. She smiles at the funny scene, never had she thought that their guardian spirit could be so cute. ”It's good that you can still smile. I hope you can hang in there.” Laurel heard someone say in her mind as the reality once again shifts away from her.
In the ocean, this process of reality shifting seems to have no end. When would she wake up from this nightmare she shudders. Laurel's mind was now numb as the world swirls. ”Maybe it's better to just sink?” She whispers as her aching muscles gave out from the ever-shifting waves.