The Nightmare Club: Part 2 (2016)
Wakened dream
Opened eyes
Past unseen
Darkness lies
Darkness covered everything and dripped through the air in a palpable haze as Jason opened his eyes. Three figures stood over him. He did not recognize them but he felt like they were protecting him because they stood around him facing outward, as if anticipating something. His mind felt hazy like he just awoke from a dream. He tried to stand but quickly realized his body was not responding to his thoughts. He was paralyzed. His eyes darted between the figures as panic gripped him. He screamed for help.
“Calm yourself,” the red-haired woman said gently as she crouched by Jason’s side and softly brushed his hair with her hand. Her voice sounded tender, almost motherly. “You are experiencing sleep paralysis. The sensation will soon pass.”
“Who are you?” Jason asked, finding the ability to speak.
“Your memory will return shortly. Your spirit is not accustomed to this reality. I promise these waking symptoms will weaken with time.”
“Incoming, Bri!” the yellow-haired woman shouted.
“You are always most vulnerable while your mind is in Twilight Sleep. Stay here! They sense your presence.”
Jason did not know who “they” were but he knew he could trust the three figures. He watched as they formed a triangle around him and braced themselves for an enemy he could not see but one that he could feel. A chill ran up his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He knew the sensation well from his night terrors. Suddenly hundreds of pairs of red eyes appeared in the dark haze. They darted through the air in a swarm, encircling them. Jason’s memory slowly returned, even though he could still not move, and he watched as Bri, Tess, and David readied themselves for an attack. They each pressed their palms together in a prayer position and whispered words under their breath that sounded like a poem similar to the one they uttered before the black vortex opened beneath them. This time, however, they each began to glow. Bri’s eyes filled with fire and her body seemed to be consumed with a red light, Tess’s eyes filled with electricity and she glowed with an intense yellow light, and David’s eyes were filled with the calm and terror of the ocean’s waves as his body seemed to wrap itself in a blue glow.
Bri moved first as she jumped into the air and spun around in a kicking motion. Jason was not sure if he could trust his eyes but it appeared as if Bri’s foot was engulfed in flame as she kicked through the swarms of eyes. His suspicions were confirmed as Tess let out a battle cry that pierced the air and slammed her fists together sending sparks and bolts of lightning in every direction. David, in opposition to the other two, jumped gracefully into the air and in a smooth arc landed a sweeping kick across the unseen enemy in the form of a wave of water.
Jason could not believe his eyes but he watched as his three protectors pushed back the enemy with a three-pronged attack, each utilizing a different element. This must have been what Bri meant when she told Jason he needed to “discover his power”. Finally regaining some use of his limbs, Jason pushed himself to his feet but he became dizzy and collapsed back to the ground. His spirit had not fully adjusted to this new world yet. The air felt thin and moist in the darkness like the depths of a cave. As he looked around Jason realized the world was not just empty, smog-covered darkness. He could see buildings begin to appear through the haze. Everything looked exactly like the city where he lived but covered in a thick darkness. Everything also appeared dilapidated and on the verge of collapse but somehow still standing. Buildings leaned at impossible angles and windows appeared cracked, emitting strange-colored light. A car horn pierced the night air and Jason looked up to see the vehicle speeding toward him. He did not have time to move. He braced himself for the impact but the car sped through him and dispersed into a mist. Confusion took hold as he looked around for the car. He now found himself standing in the middle of the city street where the police were looking for him before he fell into this nightmare but the car was gone. He caught a glimpse of Bri smiling before she launched into a cluster of shadow creatures with a flaming punch. He did not know the meaning of the smile but maybe these strange visions were tied to his power.
The glowing eyes had forms that Jason could see now that he had adjusted to the Nightmare Realm. Their bodies were pure darkness, blacker than the night that surrounded them, and their eyes glowed blood red. Their forms were constantly shifting like water or fire, taking whatever form most suited their wave of terror on the guardians. The battle raged around Jason in spectacular crashes of lightning, fire, and water. Tess was the most aggressive of the three, throwing violent, strong attacks at the shadows like a boxer as she filled the darkness with bursts of crackling electricity and enveloping herself in a thunderstorm. David was more intentional with his movements, striking with purpose where a wave or pulse of water would do the most damage. He worked in tandem with the other two perfectly. At one point he summoned a jet of water and Tess filled it with an electrical surge that collided with the shadows that both blinded them and sent them spinning as they disappeared in the resulting cascade of light.
Bri was obviously the most practiced of the three. She moved with the ferocity and precision of a seasoned warrior, cutting through the darkness with her fire but also assisting the other two. She would launch herself into the air, send a pillar of flame through the center of one of David’s water jets and create a cloud of steam she would then use to confuse her enemy as she moved through and engulfed the shadows in a ring of fire that surrounded her.
The shadows were obviously no match for the three warriors. Jason was grateful for their protection. The shadows would have killed him in seconds because of his sleep paralysis. He felt powerless as he watched the battle, though. He wanted to help. Spotting a lone shadow, Jason jumped to his feet and ran at the nightmare. It turned to face him and Jason distinctly heard it laugh with demonic pleasure. A claw appeared from the darkness and gripped Jason by the throat. It lifted him into the air and he felt all the warmth and happiness drip out of his body. Terror gripped him as the blood red eyes burned into him and his sleep paralysis slowly returned. His body felt like ice.
Bri turned to find Jason in the grip of the shadow and quickly jumped into action. Tess and David fell in line behind her and the three of them each released a precise jet of elemental power that swirled together and burst around Jason, killing the shadows that began to gather to feed on his spirit. Jason fell as the shadow holding him shrieked and vanished. Bri leapt forward and caught Jason before he hit the ground. He shivered in her arms.
“Why couldn’t I kill it?” Jason asked weakly.
“You’re not ready to face the darkness alone,” Bri whispered with a warm wisdom as she gently laid Jason on the ground.
The buildings disappeared once again and Jason found himself lost in the dark, dripping haze. His weakness was returning him to Twilight Sleep, paralyzing him between worlds. He could faintly hear the sound of sirens and the shouts of the police chief. They were sweeping the rooftops where he fell. He did not know how they tracked him so quickly but he knew they were closing in on his location. He hoped the orb really could protect their bodies while they were in this realm.
“What’s wrong with him?” Tess shouted.
“He’s in Twilight,” Bri said calmly, “his body is still stuck between realms, leaving him paralyzed in both.”
“Well, can’t you just pull him through?” Tess asked impatiently.
“If I force him through, it could cause permanent damage to his spirit. But I can hopefully help him find his way back.”
Bri lowered her hand onto Jason’s chest and it began to glow with an orange light. Jason felt the heat from her hand spread through his body. Power slowly returned to his limbs as blood began to pump through his body more quickly. He smiled as he looked into Bri’s warm eyes. Tess looked over her shoulder with a caring intensity and David stood at his side with a calm dignity that washed over him like a soothing embrace.
The moment was quickly interrupted by a loud, blood-curdling shriek. Jason’s blood ran cold as Bri lowered him back to the ground and the warriors turned to face their new foe. Jason possessed enough strength to roll over and lift his head to watch as Bri motioned for him to not move. He watched as a dark figure moved in the distance. He could not make out its form because it was constantly shifting and darting around erratically but he could sense its presence just like the previous shadows. This one felt different, though. A terror Jason felt only once before washed over his body like a flood and he felt powerless and hopeless in the face of the approaching darkness.
The warriors remained motionless in the face of their ever-shifting foe, steadying their resolve, until it suddenly leapt through the haze. Its form took the appearance of a darkness deeper than the night sky and its eyes even more pure and dark than that. Jason could not look away. He was transfixed by the pureness of this creature. It was a terrible beauty that filled Jason with dread but he felt hypnotized by it, lost in its depths.
The creature let out another shriek as a claw cut through the air like a knife. The guardians leapt into action, pelting the creature with every attack at their disposal. Lightning, rivers, fire, and steam filled the air until Jason could no longer see anything. This creature must be the shadow beast, the pet of Ahri and Nyx. If this creature was so terrible he shuddered at the thought of its masters.
Storm clouds filled the sky over the smoke and darkness that surrounded the battle. Crackles of electricity or bursts of flame would occasionally illuminate the battlefield but only for a few seconds and only enough for Jason to make out silhouettes of the combatants. The battle raged like this for what seemed like an eternity but Jason did not know how to gauge the passage of time in this world. Suddenly a white light burst from the battlefield and filled the entire realm. Jason shielded his eyes as he was sent reeling across the ground. He could feel himself waking up in the real world but he willed his mind to stay asleep. He needed to keep dreaming. He heard the police outside the room but he did not know if it was real or a trick of his mind. There was no way they could find them. The orb protected them. A small twinge of doubt danced in the back of Jason’s mind as he was ripped back into the Nightmare Realm.
Jason found himself standing in the middle of the Nightmare City. He was alone and everything was consumed in flames. He spun around in search of the guardians but they were nowhere to be seen. The world was set ablaze and Jason was alone. He crumpled to his knees and felt his heart sink. He felt paralyzed and gripped with terror in the face of this new nightmare as light and fire danced around him.