Just A Dream

The hot, sticky atmosphere caused Gabriel to take multiple rest breaks throughout his hike, leaning against the thick, sturdy tree trunks that engulfed him as he trudged farther. “Does anyone have any spare water?” he said jokingly to the weeds that were framing the trail. Gabriel Trainer was, contradictory to his name, not that athletic. He was a skinny, 16 year old boy who loved video games and eating. His jet-black hair was rarely brushed and always hung in front of his abnormally purple eyes. As Gabriel tramped through the forest, he smiled to himself and muttered “Toto, we’re not in Texas anymore!” under his breath. In fact, to him it didn’t even feel like 1997. It felt like he had been walking for hours, but when he went to check, he realized his trusty wristwatch, usually attached to his left arm for convenience, had vanished. Wiping sweat from his brow, he glanced behind him to see if maybe it had fallen off. It was just then that he saw a faint outline of someone far behind him. The stranger hadn’t made a noise, and Gabriel squinted at him in confusion. “Hey, you okay back there?” he shouted. The unusual person gave no response. He looked to be about Gabriel’s age, with tousled, chestnut hair and olive skin. His down-set, hazel eyes seemed to stare directly through Gabriel, even across the considerable length of distance between them. He looked almost...familiar? With a jolt, Gabriel realized it was him. It couldn’t be, Gabriel thought, I had made sure he wasn’t breathing before I buried him. 

His heart pounded in his ears and his palms became slick. Should I run, should I hide? he thought, frantic. Except the shock was so powerful it made him freeze on the spot, causing him to stand rigid in the narrow path. As the stranger limped closer, the tiny details of his figure started coming into focus. The stranger looked like he had once been athletic, but had been quite malnourished since then. His left leg had a bloody gash down the side, about 6 inches long, and his puffed-up eye had faded from a black to a purple-ish green. Gabriel cringed as the memories flooded back, playing like a silent movie in his head; the punch he had to deliver to knock him out, and the injury his friend had received when Gabriel accidentally scraped his calf along a sharp piece of scrap metal while he was dragging his unconscious body through the yard. Max.

Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the boy would disappear, like a mirage. Slowly, he slid his eyes open and to his horror, Max was only a few yards away. His eyes flashed dangerously, and his mouth was set in a venomous sneer. Gabriel wanted to run, get as far away from Max as he could, but Gabriel’s muscles stayed put as if his brain had lost control of the rest of him. He stood, petrified, while Max sluggishly closed the distance between them. Gabriel felt his breathing quicken when he saw the rusty knife in his old friend’s clenched fist. Max’s knuckles were white with fury, and his ragged breath seemed to come with difficulty. He stopped less than an arms length away, and Gabriel felt sweat from the humid atmosphere skim down his back. He took a deep breath, and finally looked up from the section of dirt he had pinned his eyes on. They immediately locked eyes with one another, and Max inched even closer. He slowly lifted his arm and held the blade back as he steadied his hand, readying to release the weapon. Gabriel was paralyzed with fear. Filled with dread, he gazed into Max’s dull eyes. 

“Please” he whimpered. 

For a second, he thought he saw Max’s arm slacken slightly, and his shoulders slumped with relief. All of sudden, Max’s eyes hardened again. He gritted his teeth and lunged towards Gabriel with inhuman strength. The knife was aimed, with deadly accuracy, towards his heart. As the blade met flesh, Gabriel closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. 

To his shock, his eyes slammed open on their own accord, and Gabriel woke up with a gasp. He frantically looked around, his eyes darting back and forth but every trace of the tropical forest was gone. He was alone in his room, surrounded by dull wallpaper and boxes packed with his belongings. He fell back against the bed and tried to get comfortable again. It was just a dream, he thought It doesn’t mean anything. He snuggled underneath his comforter with a content smile on his face. Just a dream, he thought as he felt his eyes get heavy again,  just...a...dream.... But as Gabriel drifted back to sleep, his back turned towards the window, he had failed to notice one thing. His window latch was unlocked, and outside the moonlight silhouetted a figure, hurriedly limping away from his house. Just before the unfamiliar man turned the corner, he glanced back once more in the direction of Gabriel’s house. In the flickering streetlights, you could see his eye, puffed-up and bruised, glaring directly at Gabriel’s window. He muttered a series of fragmented sentences, like a promise, then turned and disappeared around the corner. What was that promise, you say? Well, ask Gabriel, he heard it.

please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please pleaseplease pleaseplease please please please please please please pleaseplease please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please pleaseplease pleaseplease please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please accept this; I know it only has 892 words but hopefully this extra wording will help push it over the edge.