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Can Dreams Kill?
NOTE This RP contains: Violence. Horror. Psychological fears. Demons come to life. Read if you like, but don't come crying to us if you get scared or offended. http://praxeology.net/foggy-town.PNG By Falconwing and Tachigami It's been said dreams can kill you. If you feel they're real enough. What if they are...? Your Name: Danny Renton Your Age: Thirty-five years Your Appearance: Here's a photo. Your Personality: Generally, happy and friendly. Always ready to help; maybe a little awkward, but isn't everyone sometimes? Recently, lethargic and jumpy. Dozing off now and then against better judgement. Your place of residence: A townhouse. It's a simple, quiet little area with two bedrooms and a finished basement. Your familial bonds: None. They were cut several years ago when things turned sour. Friendships: Few, but close-knit. Sexual preferences and Relationships: None, and none. Never had a relationship, and never intend to. A Short Bio: Danny moved away from home when his family looked down upon his writing dream and said he'd never amount to anything. Now he's got two published books and is working on a third one, squeezing in a side job as a paper delivery boy and oftentimes volunteering at any nearby charities. He's got few friends, but they're as close as his family should have been to him. |
Name- Ty Erickson
Age- 23 Appearance- Ty has an athletic build and is approximately 5' 7". He has blonde hair and surprisingly golden colored eyes. Ty has a slender and lanky figure. He has pale skin that tends to burn easily and has his left ear pierced. The piercing is a thick silver loop. Personality- Ty is a cocky guy who will never say no to a challenge. He is competitive by nature and hates losing to the point where he will almost do anything to win. Because of his nature, Ty is can become frustrated easily and tends to become very stressed when he is under pressure. He has very little patience and is easily annoyed. Deep down, despite snide remarks, Ty has a tender heart and is a very caring person. He loves being outside and loves anything that gives him a rush. Residence- The apartment above his family's bookstore. Family- He has a mother who lives a town over and tries to visit her once a week. Friends- He has a few friends. Sexual Preference- Bisexual. Bio- Ty the star of his college basket ball team already had a quite a few national league teams scouting him out his junior year despite having a mild asthma disorder. After a severe case of pneumonia, Ty developed an acute case of asthma. After being sent to the hospital in the middle of the first quarter due to acute asthma attack, he was forced to undergo a physical and was deemed unable to play. After watching his entire future disappear before his eyes, he gave up and decided to get into the family business. |
The curtains were closed to the light of morning, which managed to shine through both the townhouses across the street and the heavyset oaks that had been planted to shade the narrow road and give more ambiance to the whole area. There were advantages to not living in the heart of town, and the shady, broad-branched oaks was one of them. While Danny Renton would have taken this blue-skied morning to relish living in a nice area, in general anonymity, working as a paper-delivery boy to hide the fact that he'd made the state's Bestselling list twice in a row, he didn't feel very lucky. In fact, he felt very, very unlucky. It had been a little over a day and a half since he managed to get to sleep. Every time he did, the same horrifying dream racked his unconscious mind, and woke him so violently he felt he'd surely have a heart attack. Each night for the past two weeks he'd gone to sleep hoping it wouldn't happen again, and each night, it did, repeating various graphic scenes, but never showing his face. Only the face of a close friend. One he'd known long enough to call a friend, even. Each scene played out in startling reality; bringing each of his fears, from the most trivial to the most irrational and crazy, to life, and ruined his spirit. Lying sprawled over the pale blue bedsheets, Danny's gaze wasn't focused at all. He stared in a drifting haze at the fan blades as they carved a path through the air, slowly, but still fast enough to puff a light breeze onto his face. He'd recently tried sleeping during the day, to see if the presence of sunlight and blue sky and activity all around would at least put him at ease. It didn't. In fact, the dreams came at him with even greater intensity. Today was Sunday. No paper delivery today. Danny huffed a sigh and forced himself to sit up; were he to rest too long, he ran the risk of falling asleep again. It reminded him of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The original, not the remake. The original was much better. Across from the bed stood the floor mirror not quite as tall as him, being six and a half feet in height. His pale hair looked almost as if it had given up before him, limp and lackluster though he'd washed it just several hours before, while the sky was still dark. Normally, his icy eyes were bright and cheery behind their wire-rimmed glasses, but since he'd been losing sleep, they'd dimmed. He took his glasses off; perhaps he'd look better without them. Much better! Of course he had to squint to even make out the reflection in front of him outside a hazy cloud of pale yellow for hair and a mixture of white and light brown for clothes. Regardless, he did look much better. Shaking his head, he returned his glasses to his face and stood, taking a moment while the room steadied itself, and wandered through the bedroom, into the hall, and down the stairs. He'd not allowed himself to slip in keeping his house generally clean; it was a good distraction, after all, to clean up the clothes, dishes, mop, sweep, vacuum, dust, and obsess over the way the pictures on the walls hung half a degree off. Meandering through the living room, Danny found himself in the kitchen without much knowledge on how he got to be there. With a yawn, he got around to making toast and an egg, making sure to first set up coffee to brew. He wouldn't be going without it today. |
He was running, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He couldn't remember what he was running from even though he has just looked several seconds ago. All he knew was that it was catching up. He needed to go faster. Faster. Faster! FASTER! It was suddenly like someone turned of the lights. He couldn't see. It had caught up with him, whatever it was it was right behind him. Ty turned around in the blackness and stretched his arms out still unable to see. Nothing? Ty took a step forward with his hand still out only for his hand to run into something, something firm but soft on the very surface. Ty cried out only to have a bright light in his face. Ty sputtered and blinked rapidly trying to get used to the light only to hear Danny laughing. Ty let out a sigh of relief.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Ty commented out of breath, his entire body shaking in adrenaline and fear. He couldn't see Danny, he could only see the small beam of light that was pointed directly at him. Suddenly the light fell hitting the ground soundlessly, a second later blood splattered on the surface of the flashlight, coating everything in red. Just as quickly as the light fell, the light turned out leaving Ty in the darkness again. Ty started to shake and carefully stuck his hand out again only to feel a wall. That was strange, it felt like the wall was moving. It was moving, he could feel his arm bending as the wall neared him. Ty took a step back only to back into a wall behind him. Frowning, Ty reached up and realized the the roof above him was moving to. To give himself more time, Ty kneeled and pushed against the wall infront of him. Despite how hard he pushed, the wall kept moving, he could now feel the ceiling pressing against his head slowly forcing him down. Ty started breathing faster and frantically started to feel around to an escape, anything. He needed to get out. He needed to get out. GET OUT!!! Ty shoot up in bed and blindly felt along the nightstand next to his bed for the pull string to turn his lamp on. For once in his life, he dreaded buying the curtains that kept light from entering his room. Feeling a beaded string, Ty quickly pulled it lighting up the room infront of him. Ty let out a sigh of relief and fell back into the bed, leaning his head back on the sweat soaked pillow. It was just a dream. Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out. Breath IN-! Ty jumped in the bed as the alarm went of next to him. Ty started to panic, his breathing quickening and didn't fully realize what it was at first. It was only when he turned that he realized it was the alarm. Ty coughed and reached over and hit the alarm but it kept ringing? Why wouldn't it go off?! Ty let out a soft whimper as he felt his throat tightening causing him to panic more. No. Not again! Ty reached out and banged down on the alarm beside him silencing it immediately and closed his eyes focusing on his breathing only. He could do this. Just breathe. Ty took small shallow breaths and reached in the drawer of his nightstand pulling out his inhaler. Ty puffed the mediation into his lungs as he took a deep breath only to hold it for a second before releasing it. Still with his eyes closed, Ty focused on his breathing and slowly felt his airways opening up again. When he was finally able to breathe properly, Ty opened his eyes and let out a sigh. Now to get ready for the day. |
Danny opened his eyes. The smell of egg on buttered toast and fresh coffee had vanished, though he could see them on the table in front of him. He sniffed, then breathed deeply. Still nothing. How strange... What was that...? His eyes darted up to the counters, lined along the back wall. He had the distinct memory of opening the window on the right wall, but now it was closed. And dark. Mist pressed against the window and seeped through the panes. The kitchen was an odd mix of black and white, like an old movie. Danny stood up and shook his head. Not again! He tried to shout, but only a ringing silence met him as he opened his mouth. The drawers beneath the counters shot open, nearly shaking themselves from their tracks, and massive, hairy spiders began pouring out, filling the silence with a strange hiss, a combination of snake and sandpaper rubbing a piece of rough wood. Danny gasped, throwing himself backward but tripping on the leg of the chair he'd forgotten to push out of the way. Stumbling on his clumsy feet, he fell hard. The spiders spilled toward him in a wave, enveloping his feet, dragging their clawed legs over his skin and ripping it away. No! Danny yelled, waking himself from the micronap. lifting his head from his arm, the scent of breakfast filled his conscious and he shook the dream away. "Nope." He muttered, finishing the bite of egg he had left and walking briskly through the kitchen, pouring black coffee into a travel mug and pouring what might as well have been half a bag of sugar into it. "Nope. Nope." He continued muttering as he slid his shoes on, tapping the toes on the wall to situate them. "Nope nope nope nope..." He grabbed his keys, locked the door to his house, and began his trek down the road. A visit to Ty would calm him. It had to. His parents' bookstore, which Ty lived above, was right down the street. A couple blocks. Even if an open sign didn't hang in the window. But one did. That was strange. Had their schedule changed...? Danny shifted his cup from one hand to the other as he arrived at the door. It was a heavy wood one, like most little family bookstores tended to have, and a window at general eye level. The sign read plainly: OPEN Testing the door, Danny found it was unlocked. Stepping in, the smell of old books hit him, possibly one of the best smells in the world. "Hey, kid?" He called out, if a little shaky. The boy wasn't technically a kid, but anyone at least ten years Danny's junior was called 'Kid'. "Ty, you here?" He slipped inside, closing the door behind him. |
Ty looked in the mirror and shook his head, his glassy bloodshot eyes staring back at him. He was a mess. His normally ruffled bangs stuck to his forehead damp with sweat, his eyes surrounded by dark bruising circles. He needed sleep and he needed it bad. Ty brought his hands to his cheeks and lightly slapped his cheeks a few times to wake him up. Feeling somewhat alive, Ty walked over to the shower and turned it on.
Ty let out a sigh and put his hand under the water and smiled softly at the temperature before stepping into the shower. Ty groaned softly as he felt the warm water run over his tense muscles and soothed them slightly. Grabbing the shampoo, Ty thought how rare it was becoming for him to actually have a good dream. Ty couldn't even remember the last time he had a good dream. All he knew was going to his mother's house didn't help. In fact it made them even worse, Ty shivered at the thought as he grabbed the bar of soap. His mother always tried to take control of everything. She was convinced that he wouldn't be able to make it as a star athlete so she wanted him to be a model. He modeled for a few things for money on the side but he absolutely hated it. Ty frowned as he stepped into the spray of the shower and the water was all the soap off his body. No, if she had had her way, they would have sold the shop years ago. Ty grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his torso and began to pat himself dry. The last thing he wanted to do today was sit inside his apartment all by himself which was normally what he did most Sundays because the shop was closed that day but he couldn't stand the thought of doing it today. Not after that dream. Ty shook his head as he went into his closet and grabbed a black tee and a pair of gray jeans. No, after that dream he definitely wanted, no needed, human interaction. He didn't care if the shop was supposed to be closed or not. He was opening it today. Ty threw on his clothes and put on some socks and shoes before grabbing a packet of poptarts and heading for the door. Ty ran down the flights of stairs and sighed when he opened the door to the book store below. Locking the door behind him, Ty turned on the lights and moved behind the check out desk with his pack of poptarts. Ty pulled on out before hopping over the desk and turning the sign on the door making the shop officially open. Ty licked the crumbs off his fingers and pulled out the other poptart before toss the packet into the trashcan behind the desk. It was then that he heard the door open. Ty smiled as he heard Danny's voice and was about to stand back up only to hit his head on the front desk. "****," he swore softly and held his head for a second before standing back up, coming into Danny's view. "Hey," he answered giving a small wave with his poptart as he rubbed his head with his other hand. |
Danny raised a couple fingers in a salute of acknowledgement as he rubbed his head. That crack had sounded like it hurt... It certainly felt like it. He was about to speak until he actually studied his friend a bit closer. He looked about as bad as Danny felt. Maybe Ty was having issues sleeping too... He shook his head slightly and stepped away from the door, into the carpeted store that made things quiet and relaxing while shoppers looked for books (of which there would be few shoppers, especially on a Sunday). He wouldn't ask. If Ty's dreams were anything like Danny's, the kid may not want to talk about them. Danny didn't want to even think back on his most recent one... The floor, as was common in little bookstores like Ty's parents', contained plenty of comfortable places to sit or lounge and read (only after buying the book or books, though). Danny found his favored seat, a taller brown-leather armchair that didn't let him feel as though he were a giant in a dwarf's glade, and sat---after checking the seat for unwanted crawlers. Clutching the mug of coffee between his knees, Danny reached into his pants pocket for a small tablet. They were anti-anxiety, prescribed a week ago, after going to his doctor with the nightmares and racing heart. They didn't seem to be working, but Danny gulped it down anyway, then glanced toward Ty. "Didn't expect the store to be open today." He said. "Thought I'd come on by anyway, know...? See what you were up to, an' all..." Should he ask? Danny swept his hair back and studied Ty for a moment, and concern overruled doubt: "You doing okay? You look pretty tired." |
"Yeah, well I didn't exactly expect to be open either," Ty remarked sounding rather incredulous himself. Ty moved from behind the desk and moved to one of the leather chairs in front of Danny.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm okay," Ty replied nodding his head. There was no way he was okay. He had been more clumsy lately. He had been making stupid mistakes. He would space out at random moments. He wasn't sleeping well at all. When he woke up he felt like he had been working out, every muscle in his body tight and tense from the stress of his dreams. Ty leaned over and put his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands, his fingers rubbing over his eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Danny. I haven't been sleeping well at all. I can't make it through the night without waking up at least three times," he admitted as he looked up at the fluorescent lighting and frowned. He hadn't noticed it before but the lighting in the store made him look paler either that or he was becoming paler and looking more like a porcelain doll with alabaster hair. "I just keep having these dreams and they are really getting to me," he finally admitted looking forward at Danny. He was so tired, he wanted to sleep but he was almost scared to at this point. He was beginning to wonder if it was a sign that maybe something bad was going to happen or maybe one day he wouldn't wake up. Ty paled a little more at thought and shook his head, his bangs swaying around his face. "I don't know what's wrong with me...." Ty leaned back in the chair, and let out a sigh, his normally golden glowing eyes were dim and almost lifeless. Ty felt almost lifeless. "Dude, I don't suppose you walked past a Starbucks on the way here?" he asked hopeful, maybe he just needed caffeine or a sugar rush despite the fact that he knew that he would come crashing down later but that wasn't the point. |
Danny felt his lips purse on their own accord as Ty spoke. Just as he suspected. However, he shook his head and offered his mug. "You know I don't go to those overrated shops." He said. "But I've been making mine twice as strong lately." He sighed, leaning forward and nodding. "You're not the only one with bad dreams lately." He said at last. "For about a month, every time I fall asleep, I'm just ravaged with these horrifying scenes, not even like dreams at all. I'm here, or at home, or somewhere familiar, and things are gray, like what you'd see in an old movie. Or they're washed out as if you're colorblind, and there's usually fog all over, like it's hiding things from you. And all my fears just come to life." He paused, glancing at his hands. They were shaking. He usually had such sturdy hands, but now... it was as if he were thrice his age, battling weakening bones, dementia, and arthritis. And he was pale. Much more than usual; it was a little hard to tell, since he would usually avoid the sun when he could. But he wasn't who he used to be. "Most of the time, I see you there too." He admitted suddenly. "But it's never good. It's... The worst. Every time, you're always right out of my reach while some... thing... rips you to pieces. I can't stand seeing it. And I see it almost every time I sleep. So I stopped." He almost laughed. How ridiculous he must sound. "It's been about two days." He'd rather die of exhaustion than go through those dreams again... He couldn't quite get himself to say that, though. |
Ty leaned forward and was about to take the mug but suddenly looked inside it instead. Ty made a face and shook his head, "No, man, I can't. I can't stand my coffee black. I need it to be half milk and half coffee or a quarter cream and three quarters coffee. So thanks but no thanks," he remarked shaking his head as he made the face again. Just the thought of it. Bleh.
Ty nodded and leaned back into the chair. "I know what you mean. Most of mine is in black and white but if there is blood, everything goes red," he commented as a shiver ran up his spine. "I don't know. I just... If I don't die because of these dreams, I'm going to die because of hyperventilating when I wake up. I haven't been having them for a month but it's been at least a good two weeks," he stated rubbing his temples. "You know, going without sleep is really bad for you. You'll go crazy before you die of sleep deprivation, you know that, right?" he asked curiously before nodding slowly. "Yeah, you are in mine too. You are really easy to kill off in the nightmares," he responded as he sank further into the cushion. Gosh he felt like he losing it. He just wanted to dream peacefully. Maybe floating in the middle of the ocean in a shallow area letting the waves rock him slowly. [[Sorry it is a bit shorter]] |
((It's okay, they're expected now!)) Danny rolled his eyes and sat back again. Coffee wouldn't do much good if it were watered down with other things. Caffeine on top of sugar kept you awake, if a little jittery if you weren't quite used to it. But he didn't dwell on it. He thought about it. The dreams were so real, and so similar between them. In each dream, things were washed out and monochromatic, but when some horrible thing happened to Ty and Danny couldn't do anything about it, the bloodshed was red, like it wanted to emphasize what had happened. And every time Danny himself was ripped apart or crushed or slaughtered like an animal, he could almost feel every cut, claw, scratch. If he himself woke with difficulty breathing, Ty had to have a worse time of it given the asthma that trapped him here, above a bookstore. A response wasn't generated until Ty pointed out an obvious fact. Danny sat forward again and passed his hand over his face, opening his eyes a little wider. "Maybe if I go crazy I'll have a little more peace." He muttered, more to himself, then looked up to Ty. "The only thing I can say I'm thankful for is never being the one to kill you in these nightmares. But it makes me feel useless when I'm forced to watch some weird thing rip you up. Then blame me for it." He shook his head, and felt like laughing and crying at the same time. He just wanted a dream he could handle, damn it! "I can't sleep alone anymore." He said suddenly. "I have to find some public place. Then I doze. And it's always the same, but when I wake up around people, I guess it feels less real." His doctor had been useless in detailing the dream origins. Perhaps from stress, he'd said. But Danny hadn't been stressed for... years. Not much, anyway. And certainly not as badly as when he lived at home. |
Ty nodded as he felt tears well up in his eyes but refused to let them fall, "I know what you mean. I wouldn't be able to do it. Even if you were the one responsible... trying to kill me in the dream... I know I wouldn't be able to do it," Ty admitted softly as he felt a lump in his throat. Ty took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Hell, last night after I closed up shop, I got really drunk and went straight to bed. I still had nightmares. How... how does that happen?" he asked shaking his head.
Ty ran his hand through his alabaster hair and took a deep breath. "You are lucky you can at least sleep in public. I can't do that. I don't have time to do it, not with this job," Ty muttered as he motioned to the shelves around him. "Hell, if this keeps up I might hire some to help me around the shop.... Who knows, it might even be a lady," Ty suggests wiggling his eyebrows in an attempt to lighten the mood. [[I know it is short but I want to see how your character reacts]] |
Danny furrowed his brows. He'd not tried anything outside his prescribed anti-anxiety medication to try to get rid of the dreams. But he'd never heard of dreams, and nightmares, persisting through such events. But really, would it help? It seemed Ty had already tried and failed. He had to chuckle as he looked at his friend. Sometimes the way he acted was odd, though Danny knew what he was trying to do. It didn't do much as he glanced around at the bookshelves. He'd even seen one of his listed among the titles and shelves. Others thought it was so easy to write... So easy to just conjure ideas out of thin air and roll with it as though it were simply second nature. But one needed an outlet. Something they see, something they feel, something they can manipulate in any way, some way, to give that thing enough momentum, enough energy, to hold a reader's attention. There were days Danny stayed up all night, typing, shredding, and retrying, looking for that one good opening line, or that one ending sentence that didn't sound cliche or predictable, something... New. And that was difficult. He'd been focusing on a new book before these nightmares... Now he couldn't even hold a thought for more than a few minutes. "You can hire whomever you like, Ty." Danny said, shaking his head. The quiet, still air of the bookstore was oppressive, weighing on his ability to stay awake. He could feel his eyelids dropping whenever he didn't put his attention on either Ty, or what he was going to say. The prospect of 'a lady' so Ty put it didn't appeal to Danny. Romance in general didn't, and that was a hard truth for his mother to swallow. It may have been more of a reason why she berated him. He turned his tired eyes to his friend. "Ty. Do you think these dreams will eventually kill us?" Blunt. But he wanted to know. He was so tired. So tired. He wanted to sleep. But he feared it. |
Ty sighed and the grin slid off his face. So much for getting rid of the doom and gloom. Ty shook his head and looked down at the carpet. He couldn't help but wonder why he never took the time to look at it... to really look at. All the different shades of brown and cream that made it up into looking like one solid color. Ty rubbed his eyes. What was wrong with him? He was so exhausted that he wasn't even really living anymore, he was just in a constant state of day dreaming, that was until Danny's voice snapped him out of it.
"Aww, come on, you don't think a little bit of a feminine touch would do this place some good. Hell it might even bright the place up a bit. Plus everyone knows that it is difficult for me to run this place by myself. Besides, she could be a real hottie," he commented trying to lighten the mood one last time to see that Danny hardly reacted at all. Ty rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair shaking his head. When Danny finally broke the silence, Ty coughed choking on his spit, "Dude, where did that come from?" he asked as he hit his chest with his fist. Ty sighed when he realized that Danny was completely serious. "I don't know, man. It is possible to die of fright... but I can't imagine you or me dying of fright. You really aren't supposed to die in your dreams... I have never heard of that happening.... I have more of a chance dying from them than you do anyways," Ty remarked as he rubbed the area between his left shoulder and left breast. |
Danny gave Ty a quizzical stare; he hadn't really expected such a strong reaction. He figured both of them had at least considered the possibility. It was possible to die of fright, of course. And if a dream were frightening enough, it would probably kill you. Of course, he'd heard of it happening before. "I suppose you're right." He said. "It's more plausible for you to die, and for me to go mad first." He already felt half crazy. If he went a few more days with these thoughts on his mind... He shook his head and drained his coffee. "I had an idea..." Danny said suddenly. "Considering we both share these dreams... What if either of us fell asleep in the presence of the other person. Maybe something would be different. Or if both of us fell asleep at the same time, in the same place." He shielded his eyes from the room. "I mean, I don't really give in to those ideas---sound a bit like the supernatural if you ask me---but if anything could help, it's worth a try. I'd try anything, I swear." He didn't want to see the world. He didn't want to be awake, or asleep, or here or there. Or anywhere. Maybe he'd already lost it all. |
Ty smiled and nodded, "Sure that sounds like a plan. We can stay here. How will we fall asleep at the exact same time though?" he asked as he han his hands through his hair again in frustration.
Ty slumped in the chair and slowly slid down out of it until he was on the floor. "I'm such an emotion mess right now, Danny. I mean I had to open the shop on an off day just to lure people in so I wouldn't be alone all day. I'm always checking my back and looking over my shoulder. I'm beginning to feel like someone or something is out to get me. I spent all last week making every meal from scratch to make sure no one was putting anything in my food. Danny I haven't felt this bad since I was told I couldn't play anymore..." Ty trailed and leaned his head back against the seat of the chair feeling his eyes well up again. "I... I don't know if we can do this... I don't even know what sleeping in the same room will do," he added as he put his hands over his eyes and kept them there. "Danny... we aren't in control of our dreams... we can't control what we have with us... I might.... What if I need my inhaler?" he asked wincing as his voice became shaky. He was starting to get scared. Every time the dreams seemed to get worse and worse than the last. How long would it be before it would be too much for him to handle? |
Danny gave him an empathetic look. "I know." He sighed. "It's getting out of control. I've been so restless, but so tired. I can't think straight, I've been putting off my writing... I can't stay at home without feeling claustrophobic. That's why I came out today. Just to see if you were around. I mean, I've been losing hair because of it..." He ran both hands through his hair and looked at them. As he'd suspected, several long strands were twined around his fingers. He stared at the lights. The harsh glow when he looked right at them startled him awake a little more. "I have no idea what'd happen if we managed to fall asleep at the same time. Maybe something... Or it might just play out like it normally does for both of us. But at this point, I'd be willing to try anything regardless of the consequences..." It was too late to cut himself off. The words were already said. Danny looked back at Ty. "No---I won't ask you anything like that. It'd be stupid to drag you into some foolish idea like that." He was willing to let the dreams end his sanity, possibly his life if he got desperate enough. But he couldn't---and he wouldn't---say the same for Ty. |
Ty let out a dry laugh, "Actually I'm way ahead of you. I bought a whole bunch of sleeping pills yesterday. If they didn't end this weekend.... I... I was going to overdose," he stated just above a whisper as he felt the tears slowly run down his cheeks despite his hands being over his eyes. "Hell, I almost didn't want to use my inhaler this morning but I didn't want to suffocate. I was too scared to go out that way. ****.... I'm a coward..." he trailed off softly as he pulled his eyes away from his now puffy eyes and looked at the athletic wrist bands around his wrists.
Quitting basketball took a huge toll on his life. He started to struggle with depression and was even sent to the hospital a few times. His inner wrists were completely a mess. Yes there were cut lines but not the little thin ones. Basketball was his dream, his passion... when it was taken away, he felt like they might as well have taken away anything. He was serious and meant business. When he came back from the hospital, he had multiple stitches on the inside of his wrist to put the skin back together. But that had been a year ago, he was past that now. He was better. Wasn't he? He hadn't though about it in over 6 months. He didn't even carry his straight razor in his pocket anymore. He only used it for shaving now. Ty groaned and looked up at ceiling. |
Danny shook his head. "You're no coward." He growled. "A coward would've given up a hell of a long time ago." He was too far away to reach out physically, but he could on every other level. "I'd never be able to go out that way, though. I'd go crazy first. I guess it's that stubborn side of me. Never let me quit doing anything, even while everyone else said I'd fail." But he didn't fail. He never had, not when his family said otherwise. Now he was doing what he loved... Right? He was writing books, he was living a normal life in general anonymity, and while he didn't have a thousand friends, he had a few, and that was all he needed. This was just what he was dreaming for, and what his family said he'd never achieve... Wasn't it? Maybe he went along with it because so many others said he couldn't. And he wanted to prove them wrong. His imagination was a work of art among many, but dark and devoid of certain necessary emotions. His jaw set. While every fiber in his body screamed at him to just give up every hope he had to live normally again, he wouldn't do it. He stood. "I've never given up in my life." He said plainly. "I won't start now. Neither should you. Not before you've even tried to face this... thing, this demon or whatever it is." He stepped around the chair and looked around him. It was a calming atmosphere, despite the thrumming discomfort and fear between him and Ty. "Kid, you're a hell of a fighter. I don't want to see that just set aside. The best thing we can do right now, before we decide to give up, is go back. At the same time. We have to face these dreams somehow. How about it?" He offered a hand. "We don't have any options left, do we?" |
"Yeah, well some of us haven't had that luxury," Ty snapped but he was more angry at himself than anyone. Ty looked down at his terrycloth wristbands and gave a sad smile. When Danny had met him, it was a week after his last hospital stay. Ty had still had the white gauze bandages wrapped around his forearms but to Ty's surprise, Danny didn't ask about them which told Ty all he needed to know about Danny. They had hit it off since then but Danny still had no idea.
Ty's smile turned into a small frown as he slowly pulled the athletic wristbands off of his wrists, "I don't think you should put your life in my hands like that. ...You know what I just said about not having the luxury... some of us have had our dreams pulled out of our hands and torn to pieces before our very eyes leaving us with nothing to hold onto..." Ty paused, his fingers tracing over the scars that lined his inner wrist. "Without it... life seemed pretty trivial..." he trailed off and held his palms out infront of him, his inner wrists facing the ceiling giving Danny the perfect view of them. "I'm not strong.... I have tried to end it before. I thought I was better but... I guess not," Ty murmured as he looked up to Danny with tears in his eyes, his bottom lip trembling. "I wouldn't put all your trust in me," he added soundlessly, refusing to grab Danny's hand which dangled infront of him. |
Danny dropped his hand, but only for a moment; he almost didn't hear what Ty had said then, because it had been so quiet. This time he didn't ask, he bent down and gathered Ty's arms, lifting him up. "I put my life in the person I trust most." He said, steadfast gaze unblinking. "I don't care if you gave up one day, the fact that you're still here speaks more than any scar or any attempt to hide them." He took Ty's arm and turned it over. "I never really had to guess about the state your arms were in when I met you." He sighed. "I'd seen the bandages on my cousin's arms, all the way up to her inner elbows. She had dreams as large as yours; wanted to be a doctor. Saved up for med school, wanted to save lives. She could have, too. Then she'd been put into a bad marriage because 'that's what momma and daddy wanted'. Couldn't have chosen a worse man for her; the worst kind of abusive you could think of. Wouldn't let her go to college." Danny's grip shook loose from Ty, and he couldn't speak more than short sentences. Millie, his cousin, had been the only one in his family he could talk to, his first real friend. "She couldn't see any other way out. Couldn't divorce, she was too afraid. So she took her husband's pocket knife and sliced her arms, tried to make sure she'd bleed out quick. But they found her too fast. Told me she wasn't afraid of death. Told me, after she woke up, anyway, she was hoping she could get out. About a year later she overdosed on sleeping pills in the attic. Left a note that said, 'I wanted to save lives, but mine was taken away.'" Danny breathed out shakily. That was how his first book started, and what compelled the protagonist forward in his mission. Writing it had taken two days; Millie had been his closest friend, before he met Ty, at least. He paused, glaring the burn at the corners of his eyes away. "Ty, I don't care what happens now. Because I won't live through the death of another friend! I don't have much more to lose than you do." After Millie's death, Danny had almost lost his wish to write. But Millie's desire to be a doctor had made him feel guilty about giving up his own dream while she had hers forcibly taken away. |
Ty's entire body tensed and shook as Danny pulled him up but slowly his taunt muscles relaxed and until Danny turned his arms over, causing his body to go rigid again. Ty bit his lip and listened to what Danny was saying. He never knew that Danny was close to a member of his family. He never talked about his family but now he knew why. It was like why Ty didn't talk about his teammates or even watch basketball games on the television. It just hurt too much.
Somewhere between the beginning of the story and the end, Ty's body loosened up again and when Danny let go of him his body leaned forward, resting his head against Danny's chest. Ty didn't make a move to hug him, didn't move closer to closer the distance between them, he just stood leaning his head on his chest with his eyes closed, tears slowly siding down his cheeks. Ty had pocketed his sweatbands and was now pulling them up over the scars that ran deep into his wrist. "... If my mom didn't randomly come to visit me I wouldn't have made it either... but she did," he spoke suddenly breaking the silence as he reached up and wiped his eyes, his head still resting against Danny's chest. "What happens if we can't fix it? I... I don't think I can stand around and watch you go crazy," Ty admitted as he wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to comfort himself. "And... I don't know how much longer I can last...." he trailed off and closed his eyes again wincing as he waited for Danny's response. "I almost put my straight razor in my pocket this morning..." |
Danny tensed a bit as Ty leaned his head forward, but should have expected something to happen. He'd not been comforted in years, after all. However, he reached up, resting a hand on Ty's light hair, a bit of a faulty attempt to reassure. He certainly could have used a hand to hold onto when Millie had died. When he had found her during a routine visit to his cousin and friend. Her body had already become cold then, her eyes glassy. He'd been able to forget until recently, when he'd see those eyes in his dreams, from the corner of his gaze. He'd not even been allowed to go to her funeral. His parents had seen to that. After she'd been buried, he had visited her, and wondered who he had now. His only friend had been ruined in spirit, and finally had peace. The thought itself yanked the threatening tears out, and they fell without control. He gritted his teeth before deciding on the only reply the situation could call for. "We shouldn't think about what'll happen if we can't solve this problem." He managed at last. "There's nothing else we can do, is there? I mean... There's nothing either of us can do to bring back our life-dreams, but we can at least help each other get past it and learn to really enjoy life while we have it. You've been doing too well to go back to what you used to do to cope. No use in falling back into bad habits." Danny had known about the razor for a while. The conspicuous covering of the wrists had been rather obvious to his writer's perception. But he didn't even want to mention what he did to cover his own lingering pain. He just wanted to get rid of what plagued both him and Ty, now. |
Ty nodded and pulled his head away and wiped his eyes, "What is the strategy? How are we going to fall asleep at the exact same time?" he asked as he ran his hands through his light blonde hair. He really didn't want to slip into old habits but if they were going to take a stand they needed to do it now and fast because in a few days, Ty doubted that he would really care. In a few days he would probably try to end it all.
Ty rubbed his temples feeling a headache coming on, what were they going to do once they got there? All he could do in his dreams was run. Plus it was going to sleep together that bothered Ty slightly, they got hurt in each other's dreams. If they got hurt in the dream world, would they get hurt in reality? Ty shivered, it sounded like some kind of sick game. [[sorry it is short]] |
((No worries, it's meant to be at these times.)) Danny chewed the tip of his tongue, thinking about it. He only knew as much about these dreams as Ty did. But he felt he had to come up with something. If not for Ty, for himself. "It might not have to be at the precise same time." He said at last, studying his hands as if he'd never seen them before. "It may only have to be the same building, the same room, at least within the same frame of time." In all his time writing, Danny had never, ever created something so... odd. He liked to put his characters into uncomfortable or terrible situations, but he'd never conceived something of this variety. "I don't know how any of it works." He noted. "We might not appear in one another's dreams, or we may. If we don't, it might go about as it does normally. If one of us wakes before the other, it'd be best for them to wake the other. But if we were to share a dream, we'd be completely at the mercy of whatever's in there. We may be vulnerable to injury both inside, and out." Just like Nightmare on Elm Street. Danny's thoughts suggested. But he decided not to bring it up. |
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