Chapter 3: The Empty Bed

Tony looked around him. At first everything was a swirl of darkness, but he soon realised where he was. No, it couldn't be?? The stone street name a few metres to his left confirmed, he was back in Ness Drive, his street. Things were quiet, silent. For some reason all the street lights were now out, only the illumination of moonlight gave some vision. He stood motionless as droplets of rain continued to splash off his mullet like hair.

He had no desire for movement, but his desires didn't seem to matter any more, he felt his body being dragged forward, as he started to walk, slowly. For a brief second he heard something, like the purring of a cat, but that seemed unimportant; wherever he was going there was no stopping him.

He couldn't really tell where he was going, or even where in the street he was; although he could now see in his mind it was still a swirl. He felt sick, he wanted to get out, but, he couldn't move, except he was moving...

He came to an old, rusty, green gate that seemed so familiar. No, it couldn't be? And indeed no, it wasn't. As he looked up there was no open door, and whatever colour it was, it was not yellow. Looking around the garden he quickly discovered this was the house next door. He could see the edge of a well in the corner, and knew beneath it lay the neatly trimmed grass cared for almost motheringly by Mr and Mrs Murray. Why had he come- been taken- here?

Something glimmered in the corner of his eye. And with horror Tony discovered he was holding a knife, stained with blood. Dripping with blood. He advanced towards the front door. "NO, he thought, and tried the turn away, but he had no physical control.

Although he was physically powerless he could feel the knife in his hand, he could feel his movements, he could feel the pain in his heart as he knew what was happening.

The door swung open in front of him, but there was no figure behind it. He continued trying unsuccessfully to gain control of his movement. This seemed like a nightmare all too familiar as he approached the stairs, as he continued up the stairs, and he knew where he was heading. There was a light on upstairs which was providing vision, he prayed there was no one there, by whatever chance.

As he reached the top, the royal blue carpet he treaded on became stained with a maroon coloured liquid, he prayed no more would be shed, but didn't even want to think this, it, it wasn't really happening, it couldn't be. He wanted to cry, but couldn't, this killed him even more, he could almost feel his tears, his fears, building inside him.

He entered the bed room. There was a dull lamp lit in the corner, providing minimal light. As he approached the bed, knife held in front, he actually felt himself squeeze his brain tight, his skull, as he struggled to turn, to get out of this nightmare. The knife slashed the bed. And continued. The sheets became stained red. With dread he looked down.

The mattress was torn in two. But no body. He pulled away the covers. No body. The blood on the sheets had passed from the knife. There was no body.

He had little time to contemplate what had happened, or hadn't, as for a brief second he experienced almost joy. Something missing for what seemed like decades, millenniums, a feeling he thought no longer existed.

"Please let me wake" Tony thought repeatedly. This nightmare was over now, surely. The eternal darkness continued. He turned and left the bedroom, continuing down the stairs over the royal blue blood stained carpet. Whatever was controlling him now was certainly in no hurry, but he almost felt the anger in his movement.

He closed his eyes repeatadly, hoping he could just get out, he'd reawake back on the bus, or even better, back at camp. Maybe...maybe all this was just a dream, it was too...

As he walked through the front garden once more, his head became sore with the repeated ringing of a cat's scowl, then what almost seemed like laughing. In shock he felt his hand being lashed out once more, attacking, mutilating, whatever existed below. There was a definite stream of blood this time, but he had no idea from whom.

He felt his skull being crushed inwards, then his entire body as he swirled through darkness once more.