Chapter 4: Pleasant Dreams

David rolled over in his bed. A sweet smell filled his nose, and he opened his eyes, looking straight into a pair of brown eyes. “Hey, you," he said sleepily. He inhaled deeply taking in the woman's scent. “You smell nice."

Lori smiled back, eyes shining in the few rays of sun shining through the window. If she had just woken up, she didn't look it. Her eyes were bright and her hair didn't show any signs of being slept on. “Why, thank you. It's nice I still smell nice even with morning breath."

“Well, maybe I like morning breath," he responded slyly.

“In that case…" she pulled David closer to her and kissed him.

Suddenly the phone started ringing.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" David groaned as Lori pulled away from him.

“Don't worry about it. Just ignore it and let the machine get it," Lori said, leaning back in for another kiss.

David followed her lead and almost as if on cue, the phone stopped ringing.

“See? What did I tell you?" she said, a sly smile spreading across her face.

He couldn't help but smile in return. He knew all too well what that smile meat. They leaned in to pick up where they left off when the phone started ringing again.

Now it was Lori's turn to sigh. “Just ignore it, David, they'll give up eventually."

David turned away and reached for the phone anyway. “If I don't get it now, they'll keep calling back." He snatched the cordless phone from its cradle. “What?" he asked, making no attempt to keep his irritation from showing in his voice.

There was no response. Instead there was a soft click followed by silence. David stared at the phone as if he wanted to strangle it. It took every ounce of strength he had not to hurl it against a wall.

“Who was that?" Lori asked.

“Some jackass making prank calls," David answered, tossing the phone on the other side of the bed. He wrapped his arms around Lori's waist, pulling her in closer. “But I refuse to let that ruin—"

The phone started ringing again. This time it was Lori's cell.

David pulled away and looked at his girlfriend. She looked just as confused as him. He gave her a who-is-that look and she shrugged her shoulders. The two stared at each other, unmoving as the phone's deafening ring echoed throughout the room. He couldn't explain why, but he knew it was whoever called before, and they weren't looking for him. They wanted Lori, but she didn't seem the least bit interested in answering it.

The phone eventually stopped ringing, but before either of them could move, it started all over again.

“You gonna answer that?" David asked.

It was clear in her expression that she didn't want to, but she reached over David, throwing one leg on the other side of him so she could snatch her cell off the nightstand. She twisted her face as if she just ate something sour when she looked at the screen. Sliding off the bed, she tapped the screen to answer the call.

“Hello? No, you didn't wake me up. What's going on?" she said irritably as she left the room.

David snorted. Sometimes he believed that phone was designed to ring whenever he and Lori were busy. If it wasn't her phone getting in the way, it was his. He flipped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His stomach felt as if someone is squeezing it. He looked back at the bedroom door where he could hear the indistinct conversation Lori was having. He couldn't help but wonder what was so important that the call couldn't wait. But he made a mental note not to ask her about it when she came back. She was probably in just as bad of a mood as he was at having their morning interrupted, so making a big deal out of it would only lead to a big fight. It would be better he just dropped the issue.

Besides, depending on how the conversation went, they may just be able to salvage what was left of their morning.

He sat up in the bed and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. He took a deep breath, relishing in the silence that had fallen over the apartment.

The silent mornings were the best. That brief hour or two just before the sun rose over the top of the buildings and the rest of the world woke up felt like absolute heaven. It was one time in the day when he could relax and do things at his own pace. The only time he could be alone with his thoughts without interruption. Any other time he had to be at work and there was no time for daydreaming or getting his thoughts in order. When he was with Lori he preferred to dedicate his thoughts to her and refusal to do so usually earned him a sharp jab to the ribs. During the weekends, he took the time to sleep in. By time he got out of bed, he'd missed the golden moment and the world was awake and noisy, and focusing on anything while listening to traffic roaring past the apartment was a chore. It was only during rare moments like this that he managed to be awake during that one time in the day.

Although it was little solace for having his original plans go up in smoke, he sighed and tried to find some level of contentment before Lori came back. .

 His heart began to jog. He snatched his hands away from his face and faced the bedroom door.

The apartment was quiet.

“Lori?"

There was no response. Listening carefully, he couldn't hear any running water from the shower, the sound of her voice, or her footsteps. The apartment wasn't that big—if someone sneezed it could be heard from anywhere in this cramped apartment, so why wasn't she answering?

He leapt out of bed and ran into the hall. The hall was deserted. He strained his ears for even the slightest sign of movement, but the only thing he could hear was the sound of his rapid heartbeat. She wouldn't have left without saying anything. There was also the fact that she was in her pjs and left her purse with her wallet and keys in the bedroom. Even if she did leave, she couldn't go anywhere that wasn't within walking distance.

Images of Lori lying unconscious on the floor filled his mind. He shook the thoughts from his mind. It's important he kept a clear head and looked for her. Just as he took the first step into the short hallway, he noticed the bathroom door was closed.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, he approached the closed bathroom door. What is wrong with him? The door lead to the bathroom, he knew this. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.  

No matter how he looked at it, Lori needed his help. He turned the knob slowly and carefully as if handling a small bomb. The door soundlessly eased open, revealing a lone tree sitting in the middle of a field.

Lori was standing in front of the tree with her back to him.

David breathed a sigh of relief. “There you are. You scared the shit out of me," he said as he walks across the cool grass towards her. “Come on, let's get out of—"

He moved to grab her arm when she turned abruptly. A smooth layer of skin was where her face should be. Her entire body was grey and rotten, her hair had become tangled and stiff. The wind howled around them and David caught the foul stench of rotten flesh. He held his nose and backed away from the woman.

The woman didn't respond to David's reaction. Instead, she raised a rotted hand and pointed at the tree.

 He followed the woman's finger and saw a body hanging from one of the branches. Like the woman, the human's skin is grey and covered in sores His mouth dropped open as he recognized the person hanging from the tree like a macabre Christmas ornament.

“Oliver…" he whispered.

Oliver's eyes snapped open, causing David to jump back with a loud cry. He looked down at David with dull lifeless eyes. Incomprehensible sounds poured from his open mouth, thin streams of blood pouring from its corners. A single, rotting hand reached for him.

Several more nooses fell from the tree's branches, each one held a single body. Unlike Oliver, they remained perfectly still despite the fierce wind howling around them.

David recognized the bodies: Brent Caldwell, Alex Fields, Lori's mother Patricia, another human whose name he couldn't remember, and another he recognizes as Luther Creed. He scanned the remaining branches, hoping Lori was not among them. He breathed a sigh of relief after not finding her among the others.

As he stepped back from the grim scene, he felt something under his foot. He looked down and saw a revolver on the ground. The gun was completely black, reminding him of the plastic toy pistols kids played with. Strangely, it didn't feel out of place seeing it sitting in the dead grass. David lifted if off the ground with ease, yet it still felt heavy in his hands.

He'd never even so much as held a gun before, but this…just felt right. All of it, its weight, its smooth surface, the coolness of the metal, brought him a sense of calm.

Over the howling of the wind, he heard a voice in his ear. Or maybe the wind itself was the one talking. He didn't know or care. All he knew was the voice sounded exactly like Lori's.

“You must stop them…please," the voice pleaded.

David looked up at the bodies. Oliver continued to reach for him, mouthing words he couldn't understand. The others began to move and follow Oliver's example, reaching out for him and mouthing incomprehensible words. No, they weren't reaching for him. He turned around, coming face-to-face with the faceless woman.

They were reaching for her.

David faced his tormentors and screamed over the raging winds, “What do want with her? Why can't you leave us alone?"

The bodies hanging from the trees didn't acknowledge a word he said. They continued to reach and moan. The tree began to creak as it bent toward them. Even its empty branches appeared as little wooden hands reaching for them.

Even without a face, he could tell the faceless woman was terrified. The rotting skin, the tangled, straw hair, the fact that he couldn't even remember, none of it her name mattered. He was tired of letting others take whatever they wanted from him.

He pointed the revolver at Oliver who was the closest to them and fired. The gun shot was deafening even with the wind raging around him. Oliver's head snapped back. His entire body went limp and he no longer moved. The wind continued to rage around him, but the world was silent. A smile spread across David's muzzle.

The tree halted its advance, but the rest of the bodies didn't acknowledge what just happened. David pointed the revolver at each of them in turn and fired a single shot. With each shot, the wind quieted and the storm clouds began to break away. Each body jerked in its noose before falling limp like Oliver.

The last of the bodies stopped moving and the field became silent. Leaves began to sprout all over the tree's branches. Rays of sunlight started to pour through the leaves. There was even the sound of birds chirping in the distance.

David lowered his arm and turned to the woman behind him. A blank layer of skin still sat where her face should be but the skin was no longer rotting and grey, but was instead smooth and soft-looking. Her dry, mangled hair was now luscious and full of color.

“I knew you could do it, David," the woman said, stepping towards him.

David raised his arm and pointed the revolver at her.

The woman stopped and cocked her head in confusion. “What are you doing? We only promised to punish the traitors. It's me. Don't you recognize me?"

David stared at the woman. Her voice sounded familiar. Looking at her filled him with a sense of happiness he couldn't even begin to describe. Yet, for the life of him he couldn't remember her name or recall a single happy memory they had together. The only thing he knew about her was that she started it all.

“No, I don't," he said and squeezed the trigger.

****

David's eyes popped open, his ears still ringing from the gunshot in his dreams. He half expected to see the faceless woman standing over him, or a bunch of random bodies hanging from tree branches. But all he saw was his bedroom ceiling, barely visible in the darkness of the room. He was breathing hard, and his fur was slick with sweat. Remembering how his dream started, he rolled over on his side. No one was lying in bed next to him. He buried his nose into the sheets and inhaled. The only thing he smelled was his own musty scent from sweating half the night. Gritting his teeth, he smashed his face deeper into the bed.

This nightmare was unlike the others. The faceless woman standing in the field had haunted his dreams for months, but he never dreamt about the people responsible for his torment. But that didn't worry him. What was worrying was he dreamt about them dying, about him killing them.

Worse, he enjoyed it.

David rubbed his hands together. He could still feel the revolver in his hands.  He could almost recall the weight and how cool its surface felt when he first picked it up. He could almost hear the echoing boom of each shot fired, and the joy he felt watching them spasm and twist while hanging from the tree. Then he turned on the faceless woman. Despite the feelings he had for her, he still shot her anyway.

The conversation he had Rob a few days back entered his mind. Rob was worried about his mental health. That's why Rob talked him into going on that website, to try and even him out. It was still a poor substitute to seeing a psychiatrist, but since he knew he was being watched seeing a shrink was out of the question.

He flipped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. A heavy silence blanketed the entire apartment.

He thought back to what Eric wrote on the website. Ever since Eric's message, he hadn't gone back to Chatline. The violent reaction was unnerving. Sure he hated the people responsible for ruining his life, but wishing them dead was a bit much—wasn't it?