Chapter 14:

*EDDIE'S POV:

As the glass shattered against my bedroom wall, my vision cleared and my mind sharpened. Did I just throw my glass at the wall?

"Yes, you did, dumbass."

"SHUT UP! STOP TALKING! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I screamed, clutching my hair. This voice has been torturing me for the past week. I can't take it anymore. It's slowly taking every piece of sanity I have and crumbling them into nothing.

"I can't leave yet."

"STOP!"

"I don't want to. You have something that I want."

"What do you want? What could you possibly want?!"

"What do I want? I want every last bit of your sanity. I want to watch you suffer and quiver under my fingers. What else do I want? Well, you'll find that out very soon."

"You are driving me mad! I can't take it any longer! Get the hell out of my head!" I yelled once more. The voice stopped, and I slowed my breathing. Finally, maybe it's gone.

As I was about to sit on my bed, a sharp, screechy noise blasted through my head. I dropped to my knees and clawed at my head, praying for it to stop. I screamed at the top of my lungs as it only became louder. "STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" I heard the faint noise of my bedroom door open, but I was in too much pain to look.

I could hear my aunt's voice as she gripped at my arms and tried to pull me from my current position. "Eddie, what's wrong?"

"Make it stop! Make it stop!"

"Make what stop, Eddie? Make what stop?"

"THE SCREAMING! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"What noise? There is no noise!" she yelled.

My uncle rushed in in a matter of minutes and kneeled down next to me. He tried to pull my left arm away from my head, but I refused to move, believing that crushing my head in between my hands would die down the pain. The mumbled words of my frantic aunt and uncle laced the outside of the noise. I heard questions and suggestions, but everything came to a blur. I felt my throat dry and my voice was hoarse from screaming. My head was pounding from the clatter that echoed in my eardrums. When everything became quiet, I sat up slowly and looked at my aunt and uncle. Worry was plastered on their faces and coated their voices.

"What is going on?" Uncle Wayne asked loudly.

"You didn't hear it?" I asked, looking back and forth at them.

"Hear what, baby? The only noise we heard was you screaming. We heard you all the way from outside." Aunt Susan answered. "I think you need to lie down. I'm getting you some ice and water."

I sat on my bed and my uncle sat down next to me, rubbing my back. Soon she came back with a cup of water and an ice pack. I gulped down the water and placed the ice pack on my forehead. It was relieving. When my aunt and uncle left my room, I fell back on my pillow and was out like a light.

***

A single candle was alone in the middle of the darkness, illuminating it's light. I grabbed the wax stick and held it up to see if anything would happen to catch the glow. Seeing absolutely nothing, I turned around, only to have someone standing right in front of me. He quickly blew out the candle flame and rammed me into an appearing wall. I didn't bother to fight back. I didn't want to.

"You're getting weaker. . ."

"Yeah, I am." I sighed and shrugged, "So what?"

"Mm, nothing of your concern. . .right now."

I let out a small laugh. This was ridiculous. Why am I so afraid? These are stupid dreams. This guy is nothing but a speck of my imagination. He isn't real, the dreams aren't real, nothing is real. Sure, I was having outbursts and getting sick, but it's because I'm getting so damn worked up about it. I'm letting it ruin me. They're my dreams. Shouldn't I be able to control them? I know you can't always, but since I know they're dreams, I should be able to. I tried thinking of anything to do, but nothing was changing. I tried removing myself from this guy's grasp, and even just flinging him across the room, but I had no control. 

"I know what you're thinking. That's not going to work. I control your dreams now."

"Since when?" I laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"You,"

He didn't say anything else, which made me smirk. I finally out-talked this freak. He dropped me to the ground where I just sat.

"Have you ever. . .found an answer to my riddle?"

"What riddle is that?" I asked, supporting my head with my folded hands.

"Cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind the stars and beneath the hills. It ends life and kills laughter. What is it?"

"Don't know, don't care." I shrugged. "Hey, if you control my dreams, can you make this one end? I'm bored and I just want to sleep." 

This man was obviously getting frustrated by my attitude. His foot collided with my side and he grabbed at my shirt, yanking the material towards himself. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ha! Goodnight, princess." I cooed, drifting out of the dream.

***

When he said, "I'll see you tomorrow," I had my own interpretation of it. Apparently he did, too. I thought it meant another slumber full of dark twists and threats, but that wasn't the case. When I woke up the next morning, I looked around my average room with blurred vision. Everything looked the exact same─from the guitar leaning against the wall, to the various jackets hanging on the back of my door─except for the addition of one thing.

In the corner of my room, by my desk, sat the man that's been harassing me for so long. I gasped and jumped back.

Oh god, I could see him now. I actually see him. He was real. I knew he was real. This wasn't a dream. I just knew it wasn't.

As my vision cleared, I got a better look at the man. He wasn't. . .developed. He was a dark blur. I could make out limbs, like arms and legs, but they weren't detailed. It's as if he wasn't a person, but a thing. Hell, he is a thing! "You're. . .real?" I whispered.

"I told you that I'd see you tomorrow." he spoke deeply, "Now the fun really begins." With that statement, he vanished.

I didn't even want to begin to question myself. I forced myself out of bed and trudged to the door. I opened it, and the dark blur of a man stood before me, quickly disappearing after. I stumbled backwards, startled at his reappearance. I regained my balance and walked down the to the bathroom. I looked at my reflection in the cabinet mirror. I looked ill and tired. I felt that way, too. I was letting this constant fear and worry eat me away. I splashed some cold water on my face and reached for my toothbrush. I opened the cabinet door to get my toothpaste, closing it afterwards. Halfway through brushing the little plaque that was on my teeth, I opened the cabinet once more to put the tube of toothpaste back. When I closed the door, the mirror on it not only showed my reflection, but showed the reflection of the same darkness standing directly behind me. I choked, causing the mixture of minty toothpaste and saliva to make its way down my throat. I tried to cough up any remaining substance, but I had swallowed most of it. Again, when I looked up at the mirror, it was only my face. I was alone.

I jumped in the shower to clear my head. Luckily, I had no strange encounters there. That would've been awkward. I walked back to my bedroom as I was drying my hair with a towel. I picked up my phone to see a text message from Audy:

Audy: I'm boreddddddd

-do you wanna do something?

Audy: come overrrrrrr

-are you drunk?

Audy: I'm drunk on youuu and hIGH ON SUMMERTIMEEEEE

-if you're going to sing country I am not coming over

Audy: OKAY ILL STOP. JUST COME OVER SOON BECAUSE IM BORED

-I'll be over in a few minutes!!!!!!!

I threw on some clothes and texted my parents that I was going over to Audy's house.

-

*LUNA'S POV:

I heard the front door open and walked into the living room. A smiling Eddie stood there, slipping off his shoes and tossing his car keys on the small table that had a bunch of miscellaneous items on it. "Hello," I said, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, babe," he replied, making his way to the center island.

"Want anything?" I asked, opening the fridge. He didn't answer. "Hmm? Want anything?" I asked again, closing the fridge door to look at him. He was looking in the corner of the kitchen as if something was there. When I took a look, nothing was. "Eddie," I said, snapping him out of his daze, "what are you looking at?"

"What? Oh, um-nothing. I just thought I saw a bug. Did you say something?"

"I asked if you wanted anything? Do you want a drink or a snack?"

"Yeah, I'll get some water." he answered, walking to the cabinet to snatch a glass. I handed him the water pitcher before grabbing a glass of apple juice. He gave me the pitcher and I put it back in the fridge.

"Wanna head upstairs or stay down here?" I asked, taking a sip.

"Doesn't matter," he said, also taking a sip.

"That doesn't exactly help."

"I gave you an answer."

"Don't get smart with me, mister."

"Don't ask difficult questions, missy." he said with a sly smile.

"You're being extra ornery today."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Just get upstairs." I groaned.

"Maybe I wanted to stay down here." Eddie said.

"I'm going to smack you."

"I love making you flustered." he laughed, poking my nose and walking up the stairs. I followed close behind. Almost at the top, I glanced back to see if Apollo was anywhere in sight. Seeing the tip of his tail peeking out from a corner, I whistled for him, but as I whistled, the sharp sound of glass shattering stung my ears. I whipped my head around and saw that Eddie had dropped his glass. Tiny shards were scattered along the hardwood floor, floating in the little water he had left in it.

"Shit, I'm so sorry." he apologized, rubbing his forehead.

"Psh, don't worry about it. You know how many times I've dropped one?" I laughed, stepping towards him.

"Be careful," he warned, grabbing my hips and pulling me away, "you almost stepped on that piece."

"Is everything alright?" MeMe's voice echoed as she appeared in the hallway. "Goodness, what happened?"

"I- uh- t-the glass slipped from my hand." Eddie sputtered, looking around. Maybe a bug was flying around.

". . .Okay," she hesitated, observing Eddie.

Eddie hesitantly looked at MeMe and me. "I'll go get something to clean─"

"No, Eddie, you help me gather all this up. Audy, you go get the rags. Be careful." MeMe said, carefully pulling Eddie towards her.

I trotted down the stairs and grabbed a few rags and a dustpan from the laundry room closet. Climbing the stairs once more, I handed the dustpan to her and a rag to Eddie. The two had already gathered most of the shards into a pile, so it was a quick clean up. MeMe took the glass downstairs as Eddie and I wiped up the remaining water. When she came back upstairs, she took the soaked rags that we handed to her.

"Thanks, MeMe." I said, checking the floor for any strays.

"Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." Eddie apologized.

"Oh, don't worry about it. You two go ahead to what you were you doing. I'll be out in the garden."

"Okay. Thanks again for helping clean up." I replied.

"No problem, sweetie." she said in a bland tone, not taking her cold eyes off of the boy next to me, who seemed to be fixated on one of the top corners of the house................................................A/N: Chapter 14 done! So what do you all think? Now Eddie can actually see this mysterious dark blur of a man. What do you think is going to happen next?

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