A Labyrinth Away (Monroe)

[Adaryn Breslin]

The library. Adaryn's safe haven in Hammel. Honestly, even in her dorm, which had yet to be filled, was less appealing. At least here, Addie was surrounded by books. At the dorms, half the girls seemed to always be on their period, which could definitely get a bit overwhelming for her. The library tended to be quieter, so this is where she came to whenever she just needed to get away.

Books surrounded her, and she took a deep breath, enjoying the smell. Now-a-days everyone had a kindle, or a computer, but Adaryn preffered the touch and feel of real pages. It gave her comfort in her times of distress, such as now. Nightmares were occurring almost every night now, bringing to the surface everything Adaryn was attempting to hide from. So she decided to maybe get her mind off of it by reading a good book.

Though, it didn't seem to work in her favor much, because about 1/3 into the book, she seemed to have dozed off. It didn't seem like long before she opened her eyes, and she was met with complete darkness.

*Buzzzzz-shhhhhh*

The sound of static erupted within the darkness, and Adaryn instantly covered her ears, hoping to muffle the screeching. But when she felt that her body could not handle it, it stopped. And the lights slowly began to peek through the darkness. She saw a single path, and took it, unsure of where it would lead her. Hopefully it would be home, but Adaryn had suspiscions that that was not the case.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe was in the library...again. It seemed he was always there. It was really the only place he could stand to go--but then again, the peaceful atmosphere almost always made him realize how tired he really was.

He had a cup of coffee beside him on the table and music blasting in his ears from his headphones, but he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open and they kept drifting shut. It wasn't easy, and the more he strained himself to stay awake, the more susceptible to sleep he became.

It wasn't long before he was knocked out, head on the table in front of him. His mind was filled with darkness--a strange black haze that made it seem as if he wasn't dreaming at all, but of course he was wrong...

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn half stumbled, half ran towards the exit, only find to a long path ahead of her that broke into three directions. Her mouth opened wide as she looked in all directions, her blue orbs went wide while observing the large, seemingly endless gray walls that surrounded her. How she managed to dream this up, she had no clue. She clutched her chest as her heart rate picked up, feeling claustrophobic. She blinked, trying to hold back the oncoming panic attack.

Addie, find me[/i]

Adaryn jumped to her feet, the voice loud and clear. Her mind started running, her near panic attack entirely gone. Because she recognized that voice, and she hadn't heard it since she was 14.

Addie, Where are you?

"Louise!" She cried out as the loudspeaker seemed to play her sister's voice over and over. She started running, but the voice seemed to come from every direction. "Louise!" She tried again. The loudspeaker came on again, this time not as clear as it was before, with static playing within and between every word.

A...daryn...wh..y...did...y..ou...do this....t..o...me?[/b]

Louise voice was filled with pain and she shook her head "I didn't! I didn't mean to!" Adaryn really didn't mean to do that to her sister, it was all an accident. She didn't realize what she was doing! She was only 14! Addie clutched her head tightly and screamed, not realizing that she had another person, a living person, in her dream, only a few walls away.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe wasn't sure if it was because he had his eyes closed or not, but suddenly there was light and a long hallway in front of him. Everything was a blinding white that was so headache inducing, he started moving just to get away from it. He wasn't sure who would be dreaming of something like this? A maze? Blank white walls? "Hello...?" he said, his voice not very loud.

It was then, that he started to hear voices. They melted together like a radio transmission that was so fuzzy you could hardly tell what was being said. One of them was screaming and it sounded urgent. He thought he heard a name, starting with an L? Was the owner of the feminine voice searching for somebody in this maze?

The screaming continued, the maddening voice demanding answers from the female and Monroe began to think that she wasn't just dreaming of this, but she was actually a part of the dream and so he began to make his way through the labyrinth...is that what this was? He made quick turns, trying to find his way to the girl and broke into a run when he heard her scream.

His breath quickened as he made another sharp turn and he began to question what he was really doing--he forgot when he was in dreams sometimes all too quickly. "Where are you?" he shouted. Her scream seemed nearer, but he'd hit a dead end and wasn't sure where to go.

[Adaryn Breslin]

The images played through her mind, relentless in their endeavors to ruin her. This was a definite nightmare, and one that she thought may not have a good end result with her. The only option she could think of was to wake up, but she couldn't. Adaryn tried everything, from biting the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood, or pinching her inner elbow. Nothing was bringing her back to the real world.

Adaryn...You did this...to me...

The speaker choked out, the static becoming overwhelming once again. She stood up, and nearly tripped over the hem of her skirt. Wait. Skirt? Adaryn looked down, and found she was wearing a white, sleeved, dress, dirty at the ends from the floor, but the rest was spotless. One could even describe it as beautiful, even. But her throat felt like it was closing. The floral stitching... The tattered skirt... This was the outfit she wore the night Louise...

"Where are you?" A male voice called out, very faint to her ears, which meant that he was not on the loudspeaker. He had to be in the maze. But it was her dream... why was there a man here. Maybe it was dad?!

YOU LIAR. MOM AND DAD ARE JUST TOO STUPID TO REALIZE IT[/b]

Louise's voice boomed. Adaryn cringed, and a sob escaped her. Now she knew what was happening. The loudspeaker was going to play the entire conversation up until Louise's death. But her someone was there, and she hoped it was her dad. She needed his arms around her. She began running in the direction where she heard his voice, but ran into a dead end. "I'm here! I'm here!" Adaryn screamed, trying to locate another route.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe was frazzled to say the least. He kept coming to dead ends in the giant maze and the blankness of the walls was giving hi ma headache. The voice continued to boom over the loud speaker and Monroe kept running, combat boots hitting the floor with each stride as he rounded another corner.

I'm here! I'm here!

Someone had yelled back to him and it was the same voice from the girl who had screamed and she wasn't too far away.

He knew what he could do. He could pull out of this nightmare and pretend it never happened, but that took a lot of energy and even if it was a dream, this girl seemed scared out of her mind and he couldn't bring himself to just leave her. A lot of times his presence helped because then people realized that what they were seeing wasn't actually real and they were indeed dreaming.

The voice was blaming this girl for something. Adaryn? He'd never heard that name before.

"Just follow my voice!" he yelled back to her. "You can do it!"

[Adaryn Breslin]

Just follow my voice!

It was louder, and most definitely not her father's. But it was a person, and maybe if she reached this person, she would wake up. The louderspeaker continued, Adaryn could have sworn she could even hear her voice playing back to her.

Just leave me alone, Louise! You're the crazy one![/b]

That was definitely her voice, and she wanted to scream again, beg someone to turn it off. Her secret was going to be blown, and even though this person was a figment of her cruel imagination, she didn't want him knowing what she did.

She looked around, only one way out of this dead end. But she had just gone that way, hadn't she? Was there any forks in the path? Adaryn couldn't remember. All she knew was she was trapped, and she didn't know how the hell to get herself out. "I'm stuck! I can't!" Adaryn turned around, and ran down the path, the white walls seeming to close in on her. She was going to have a panic attack if she didn't get out soon.

Crazy? You're just as crazy! Thinking you are 'special' when you are nothing but a piece of garbage. Just. Like. --[/b]

And it stopped. And her ears were filled with the sound of screaming. But it wasn't coming from the loud speaker. Oh no, it was coming from her.

"Shut. UP."

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

It seemed that a conversation was replaying over them as if someone had recorded it and popped the tape into a tape player and pressed play with the volume turned up high. It was two voices and one sounded eerily familiar to the girl he was yelling to.

I'm stuck! I can't!

"Yes, you can!" he shouted back to her. "This isn't real! You're in control! You can find me if you want to!" That was the key to lucid dreaming. You had to know you were dreaming in order to control it, once you did, the dream was truly your own to influence.

He continued running past the white walls, catching glimpse of dark hair amongst all the white, but when he ran to where he'd thought he saw her, a wall was only in the way.

Shut. UP! The loud scream made his ears ring.

[Adaryn Breslin]

The boy was speaking to her now, telling herself about how it was 'just a dream'. She realized this, but she tried everything to get out of it! How did he think he knew what was best for her?

For a moment after her screaming, she realized the speaker had stopped. The anger radiating off of the walls back at her. The red was frightening against the white walls, streaming down them as slick as blood. But at least blood would mean it was over. Adaryn knew that it was only beginning.

You.[/b]

It continued back up, but at a lower volume this time. Maybe.. Maybe this guy was right. Maybe she could pull herself out of it. Maybe she could--

How could you do this?[/b]

No. No. Please make it stop. Not her mother, too. Please, anybody but her mother! A sob escaped her lips. She couldn't do this. "Please! Make it stop! I- I can't take this anymore. Help!"

Adaryn fell to her knees, sobs causing her body to shake. But she forced herself up once again, trying to keep in mind what the boy had said. But the words were so--

You monster

--hurtful. She didn't know if she could go on. Not like this. It was too much. "Mommy." She sobbed.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

The screaming ended and Monroe's ears were still ringing for a moment as he ran down to the long white corridor only to skid to another dead end. "Damnit," he cursed, the blankness of the wall staring at him--taunting him.

He turned, upon hearing her voice again. Please! Make it stop!

She literally sounded like she was on the other side of the wall, but how had he missed the path to get to her? Monroe wasn't usually directionally challenged and she was right there! There was only one wall separating them. "Keep moving!" he yelled over to her, his hands pressed up against the wall. "Your dream doesn't control you--you control it! You can make a path to me-- a path out of here!"

He felt helpless over here, so close yet so far away. How could he really help her? He had no idea why he was having such a reaction to this dream, maybe it was because it was by far the scariest one he'd been in so far. And he couldn't handle hearing somebody in agony. He could hear his own heart pounding in his head.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Keep Moving!

His voice was so...clear. She picked her head up, and she looked around, her vision blurred from the tears. Where was she? What was going on? Her heart rate picked up once again, until she felt as if she was having a heart attack. She was closed in on /all/ sides. There was no exit this time. It had disappeared, leaving Adaryn with no way out of this place.

"I can't," Her voice shook, and it seemed to be losing power. "I'm closed in! I'm closed in!" Adaryn wasn't really claustrophobic, but the red on the walls.. it seemed to be forming a being. A loud bang caused Adaryn to cover her ears, and when she opened her eyes, her sister stood in front of her. Her blue eyes were entirely black, and the red was swirling around her. Out of fear, Adaryn backed away, into the south side wall. Her voice was lifeless, terrifying.

"Who's the crazy one now?" Louise laughed.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe pounded his fist into the wall. She was letting her nightmare suck the energy out of her. She couldn't give her nightmares that power, otherwise her mind would continue to conjure them up and it would be a never ending cycle. Then again, he wasn't exactly sure where this dream was stemming from.

I'm closed in!

Monroe looked around, down the path that he was in. He'd already ran in both directions and he didn't know how to get to her. The only way seemed to be through the wall and he wasn't exactly sure how that would work out, even if this was a dream.

"You are not closed in! You just think you are!" He shouted back to her. He wished that he could also manipulate dreams. If he could, he could make a path for her, but he felt useless in that way. He couldn't influence the dream of another, other than by himself being there. She had to take control and make a way to him. That was her job and he couldn't do it for her. "This is your dream!"

He heard another voice along with manic laughter and Monroe wasn't sure what was going on, but he felt a sense of hysteria.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Faint knocking and the sound of the boy's voice kept her mind from entirely shutting itself down from the fear. The body of her sister stood in front of her, but Adaryn knew it wasn't her. Her sister had blue eys, and had human teeth. Not black eyes and the teeth of a shark. The 'thing' had a similar voice as well, but there were clear differences. She focused on that. Her sister was dead, all--

"Wait, let me finish that for you. Because. of. you " The thing cackled, high and hysterically. It was as if it thought her pain was the most amusing thing in the world. Adaryn choked on her words, trying to concentrate on the boy. He was trying to help her... He wanted to help her.

The 'thing' began pacing, still laughing. "You know, your mother wanted to kill you. She had the knife one night... It was a sure thing. But your father, well, he was an idiot to stop her. You deserved it after what you did to---" It turned slowly, head cocking to the side, a malevolent grin on it's face "Well, me."

At this point, Adaryn's eyes were tightly closed, but she could feel the anger trying to reach her. They almost felt like tentacles on her skin, prodding her. But for some reason or the other, they couldn't grasp her.

It's not real. She thought, holding back another sob. "It's not real." She said aloud this time, and the feeling of the tentacles was gone. Her eyes opened slowly, and she saw it. A bubble. A light. It was keeping the tentacles away.

Maybe... Maybe.. she could control this.

"Of course you can't, you idiot. This. is. real." Fake Louise cried out, and lunged. Addie screamed, not realizing that the boy could see the entire thing now through the transluscent wall.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

What was happening over there? Monroe felt helpless with a wall between them. He couldn't see her, he couldn't help her. And he could hear the other voice, threatening and taunting Adaryn. "God damnit," he said under his breath, suddenly wishing he could manipulate the dream. Things would be a lot easier.

"It's not real!" he shouted to her again. And then the wall he had his arms on became translucent and he finally caught sight of the small framed girl with her dark wispy hair-- and the creature lunging at her. The wall was still physically there, but he could see through it. What the hell was that thing?

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn instantly cowered, her arms moving to cover her head, hoping to prevent any significant damage. But as she heard the screeching, she realized the initial blow had never come. She was still untouched. Her eyes opened slowly, and she flinched at the sudden bright light that surrounded here. The walls were no longer white, but black. Except for the far east wall, which seemed to be translucent, but with the light surrounding her, she couldn't make out anything but shadows.

Turning toward the 'thing', Adaryn saw how it was no longer her sister, but rather, the 'thing'. Its body was now a swirling red mass, tentacles reaching out to try and grab ahold of her fragile body. But every time they neared the light, they flinched back, as it physically pained them to touch it. Good. Adaryn thought, the strength of her thoughts throwing her off a bit.

It's your dream

The boy's voice played in her head. Yes, it was her dream. She determined what would happen at this point. The thing cursed profanities, mainly going towards how she was 'useless' and 'should have died'. But she wasn't dead, was she? No. She wasn't. Adaryn was in control, and she was stronger than it. At least, that was what the boy had told her.

The mass started trying to fling itself at her, and cried out in a mixture of pain and fury every time the light dissolved one of it's tentacles. After each one deteriorated, she felt the anger slip away. Which meant that this mass was nothing but a giant ball of anger, and she could work with that.

"No." She said simply, and closed her eyes. Adaryn concentrated on the red, imagining herself picking apart the emotion, tearing off the limbs one by one, and causing it to deteriorate. The profanities continued this time, except they grew weaker by the second.

You'll never amount to anything! Your father will hate you in due time! You BITCH.[/b]

But after that, the voice was gone. Adaryn stood on her toes as the light faded from around her, and seemed to spread across the room. Illuminating the rest of the room. Suddenly feeling drained, Adaryn collapsed, a soft whimper passing her lips.