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Waking Nightmare

A string of people found "frozen" in place, waking up as if from nightmares, are led to the office of Chief of Police, Urie Havoc, who can't seem to figure out what might be causing these strange occurrences as the people waking can't seem to recall events before or during their frozen states. Just as things seem to be at their worst, Urie's attention is brought to the behavior of "the affected."

By William HillsonPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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There was the most blank expression upon his face. Jaw slack but lips still closed, he stared off at a distant spot. Chief of Police, Urie Havoc, waved his hand in front of the male's face in an attempt to bring him around, but there was no response. Resting his hand back down to hook a finger into his belt, Urie glanced to the other cop in the doorway.

"How long has he been like this?" The voice that slipped from his was gruff, about as much as his two-day old jawline suggested it would be.

"We found him like this nearly an hour ago," the other cop, Nami Schroeder, tossed out gently. "Which number is he?" She was younger than Urie by nearly fifteen years so she was more uncomfortable about the whole situation than the Chief, at least outwardly so.

"He's nine," the chief remarked, informing her that the number of people found this way had risen in the last few days. "Mmm." Urie hummed to himself as he tried to figure out what the frozen man was looking at. Dark green eyes couldn't locate the source of the male's attention, though he doubted it was anything he could see anyway. Letting out a long, weary sigh, he turned back to Nami.

With a jerk, the woman stood up a fraction taller, hands wrapped around a notepad and pen dangling from between two fingers. She was so young and new but he couldn't recall if she was new this year or last. They all eventually blurred together.

"Get the doctor in here and see if there's anything that can be done. Let's check out the house, see if anything has come in aside from the wife in the last twenty four hou—" He was interrupted by a horrifying scream. Both cops snapped their attention to the male that had been standing still as a statue just a moment before.

The male's face was contorted in terror, mouth wide in a scream so loud it was worse than when Urie went to his last concert. With rapid, jerking movements, the man started to throw himself back and to the right, slamming into the edge of the desk in the room and tumbling to the floor. He cried out in a mix of pain and terror while he kept scrambling backwards until Urie grabbed the male by an arm. They were less than half a foot away from the guy slamming his head into the back wall.

"Hey! Hey, breathe! You're okay." Urie shouted in an attempt to be heard over the screams. Huge, blue eyes rolled and tried to focus on Urie for a few moments before they did. Mouth wide open, the screams slowly stopped until the male was breathing hard, chest heaving.

"W-wh-wha-" he tried, breathless.

"It's okay. You're fine now." The Chief released the male when he knew the guy wouldn't throw himself any farther away, holding out his hands in a manner than meant no harm.

"Fine?" The man echoed, brows twitching from straight to furrowed rapidly. The Chief nodded, shifting onto the back of a heel in his crouch to glance over at Nami, who had taken only half a step forward. She looked almost as startled as the guy was terrified.

"Get the peramedics ready to take him. I want him to have a full physical just like the others." He turned back to the male who was focused deeply on Urie's face. Urie smiled comfortingly, a bit stiff. "Hey, Hank. My name's Urie Havoc. Do you know who I am?"

Hank shifted, nodding, and raised a hand to rub at his own brow. He looked to the female officer as she left the room, backing out instead of turning. Blue eyes still wide in terror slid over to the Chief.

"Good. Are you feeling okay?" There was more nodding as the Chief attempted to distract from the horrors that had made Hank scream like that. "Good. You were screaming just now. Do you remember that? You remember why?"

"I remember screaming," Hank murmured, voice low and trembling just a bit. He shifted, moving to press his back against the wall. "I... I don't remember why." He looked around them, frowning so hard his face, younger than Urie's, showed creases that made him gain too many years. "I'm in my room?"

"Office, I think," Urie offered, shifting himself to turn sideways and look over the desk, slightly skewed from being ran into, and the fake plant next to it along with law books on the book shelf. "You a lawyer?"

"Yes. I've been practicing almost eight years now."

"That's good, really good. Your wife looks really healthy. You keep her happy?" Urie questioned, eyes turning back to Hank. The male seemed confused by the question, shoulders tensing as he pushed himself harder against the wall.

"I try my best. Is this about her? Is she okay?" Panic started to rise again and Urie rose a hand, holding it palm out.

"No, she's fine. Some of my cops are speaking with her. She called us when she came home and you didn't respond to her."

"Oh."

"Mhm. She's welcome to come visit you but we'll need to take you by yourself for today. Are you okay to stand?"

"O-okay." Hank nodded and Urie offered an arm. Both men struggled for a moment, Hank using the wall as well, before getting both to their feet. Hank was a fair bit wobbly for a moment or two but then he leveled out. With a nod, they let each other go and Urie motioned Hank forward.

Slowly, both men headed out of the room slowly and then even slower down the front three steps of the home. They passed some cops, his wife nowhere in sight, before two cop cars and an ambulance came into view in the street. Urie stayed behind the male through it all, ready to hold him up should he hint at falling or needing assistance.

Two people came back from the ambulance and Hank glanced to Urie who smiled and nodded.

"They'll take you from here. I'll be in to get a statement when you're cleared, if that's okay?" Hank nodded, swallowing hard as he turned to the two. He was ushered onto the gurney as per protocol and then hauled up into the back. His blue eyes followed Urie until they no longer could.

Nami appeared beside him, clutching her notepad once more, pen nowhere in sight.

"Am I going to search the whole house like the last one I did?" She murmured the question, shaken up. Urie looked to her and realized that this was her second one she had seen but he couldn't remember if she had been in the room for the time the person "woke up."

"If you would. Take your time. There has to be something here." He looked up back towards the house, frowning. "There can't be nine of the exact same instances that have no answer. So find me some." He yanked open his door and shot her a look, closing it before driving off. The paperwork for this was getting ridiculous.

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About the Creator

William Hillson

In my 20's, gay. I attempt to make my stories as enjoyable to read as they are to write. Sci-fi in various branches, slight macabre, and gore (at times) are my usual go-tos for topics and any romance topic will be LGTB related.

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