[Mkguild] Life As We Know It II

[Jack Moore]

AN: Shorter section. I meant to post yesterday but I was so tired I was
asleep by 9:30.

March 31st, 707
'I’ve been here too often.'
I knew this place before I saw it. The same dream I had experienced so many
times over the last several months. I didn’t fall into that hallway. I just
appeared in it. It was for the most part black, except thin veins of white
light along the edges of the walls.
''This doesn’t have to be scary.' My legs started to shake. I could feel
myself sinking. I closed my eyes. 'I am in control. I am in control.'
Instantly the sinking stopped. Now I stood on solid ground. I let out a
deep breath.
'Why do I keep coming here?' The air blew over my scales and clung to them
as it touched me. It didn’t feel like wind, instead it was a thousand
grasping arms. I tried to brush them off but they clung to my scales. I
have to be here.
"Turn back Janelle. " A voice echoed from somewhere. I looked around, but I
don’t know why. I couldn’t see a speaker in that darkness.  "You don’t want
to open that door. "
"Yes I do. " In the distance, an eternity away, was a light. No the outline
of a light. A door. I pushed forward. In the real world, my body was
weighed down by my tail. Here I felt as light as paper, pushed back by
gusts of wind.
"You will regret your choice. Don’t do it. " I couldn’t identify the gender
of the speaker. The voice seemed unreal. It was and wasn’t human all at
once. It seemed to echo through the recesses of my mind.
"I have to keep going. I have to get to the center of this. " Where on
Earth did those words come from? I knew I was speaking but I didn’t feel my
lips move. My legs burned as the hands of wind pulled against me. The
bright light got a little closer, but the hallway seemed to stretch on just
as far.
"You can’t save everyone Janelle. " I shook my head.
"I don’t believe you. I can do this. " One leg forward.  "I can do
anything. " The next leg. One-two-one-two. My tail was floating somewhere
behind me. I knew it still existed but I couldn’t quite…feel it. My brain
and my body were disconnected, yet I felt pain. No exhaustion.
"You have failed Janelle. Accept this. You are a failure. " 'Never.' Now
the light seemed to draw farther away. I raised my hand.
"Don’t! " The hallway began pushing against me so I ran harder.  "Don’t!
Please come back! Don’t do this Sotto! " I pushed until my chest burned and
my eyes bled with pain. I ran though.  "I’m coming for you! "
I took a running leap at the light-
-And found myself sitting up in bed. My heart was racing and my pillow
completely dry. Because reptiles don’t sweat.
No matter how scared we get, you’ll never see us sweat.
I collapsed back on my side. The window in my and my son’s room showed a
pale moon outside. ‘Probably a few hours before work.’ I pulled my big tail
over my side and hugged against it. I could hear my son in his bed taking
his little breaths.
"Only a dream. Again the same dream but just a dream. " I stood up from my
bed, careful to avoid the one bare patch on the floor. Ice cold stone could
be bad for me.  "One dream… "
Holding my tail to avoid dragging noise, I padded over to my son. As my
eyes adjusted in the dim light, I could see his tiny body under the blanket
on his bed. His whiskers and ears twitched in rhythm. 'What are you
dreaming about Kaysar?' His tail thumped. 'It must be something wonderful.'
I reached out but didn’t touch him. Better to let him sleep.
Watching my son must have done the trick because soon I was able to sleep
again. This time no dreams overtook me.
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