Sleep was not a pleasant experience recently. Ravela rolled from one side of the bed to the other asleep but silently struggling.
On the other side of this struggle, Ravela’s nightmare was vivid and ferocious.
It started, like her entire journey in this new body started.
The nightmare of her first moments in her current body haunted her.
Ravela ran through a bog. It reeked, and was wet and there were skulls and bones in slimy plants wherever she turned. A nameless thing behind her was wheezing, moaning, slinging its tentacles at her legs.
And even though Ravela was aware that she was just dreaming, she felt the same urgency not to be caught by this thing she felt when she first ran from its drooling maw.
More and more horrors took note of her and with horrific screams gave chase. Soon the monsters behind her began to puncture each other with claws her predators changed quickly every time they realized a different prey was far easier to catch than herself.
Ravela didn’t know how long she had been running, hurdling, and jumping through this horrible swamp before she spotted a portal opening in the distance.
The moment she jumped through the portal, she woke up. Her eyes shot open and she was sitting upright already. She’d give a lot to get back her dreamless sleep from the first four months. Yesterday's exploration of her past life seemed to have opened the floodgates to a treasure trove of unpleasant memories.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. Ravela wanted a shower before going for her morning run. Today she wouldn’t see keeper Namon the homecoming called for his presence, which left her plenty of free time for the next two days.
Ravela wondered how she should spend her time. She didn’t want to study without keeper Namon by her side. He could put the historical information into context. Namon would also be able to give her a better understanding of the Unified States.
After her bath, Ravela left the house a bit later than usual. This day began with thick fog and damp air.
Ravela was impressed by how dense the fog lay upon the lake. It thoroughly covered the town. Ravela wondered if a person standing on the mountain could even tell that there were settlements on this lake, or even if there was a lake down there.
The wind felt harsh. Not ideal weather for such a joyous occasion as the return of the children of a town.
Ravela took her usual break on the opposite side of the lake. A flicker went through the sky followed by a rumble.
Ravela considered turning back around instead of running the full round, but her way was the same distance in either direction. Ravela looked up at the sky still clouded in dark clouds thick enough to mask the morning light.
Ravela kept running and just after she passed the third town on the lake the small drizzle and thunder turned into a downpour and a lightning storm. Ravela cursed her decision to run today. Lightning struck over and over into the lake. Ravela was glad that it struck the middle of the lake and not close to her.
The wind turned and now blew directly in her face. Ravela stopped running eventually opting to walk the rest of the distance. There was a small pause in the lightning and thunder cracking. And through it, Ravela heard screeching tires and honking. And a howling annoying screaming that so unpleasantly had ended yesterday’s school day. Ravela looked up.
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Laena loved thunderstorms, but on this occasion, it felt wrong. She looked out of the window from her spot right behind the bus driver.
She watched the usual lightning show happening in the sky.
“Earth to Laena?! Heeellooo, anyone home? I aaaam talking to youuu. Down’t ignore me! Hellooooo!”
Laena got pulled out of her daydreaming. Her co-captain and best friend once again wanted to talk about their plans for the holidays.
“Sorry, I was just so mesmerized by the light show. What did you just say, Safora?”
Safora made a pouting face. “You know for the captain of the cheerleader team you are way too much of a nerd bird. It’s just bad weather. Eyes ON ME, soldier! We got so much to do! First, we have to go watch the newest horror movies. We missed so many during school this year. It is a travesty. You can thank the heavens that you got a friend like me. My dad caved and made it a big event in the cinema. He’s calling it the horrorthon! We can’t miss that. Sweety, look me in the eyes while I am telling you to be there! Tell Ma she can teach you to be a good worker any other day of the holidays. That one is TAKEN. Do you get me? Because I am not putting up with it on this day. Laena Stone is gonna have a social life beyond school and if, and I quote, ‘It is the last thing I do.”
Laena laughed at her best friend’s perfect imitation of her grandmother. Her friend could talk a wall into giving way and for that she loved her.
“Oh, Safora that was great. Why don’t you do that the next time you come over for dinner?”
“Like heck, I will. I want to keep getting invited after all.” Safora quipped back. “You said you’ve got it handled, right?”
Laena took on a severe expression.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Ma’am, yes, Ma’am.”
“Perfec-!!!”
Suddenly the bus driver cursed and honked. Safora was flung out of her seat. Tires squealed and Laena’s hand found the grip in front of her to avoid slamming on top of Safora.
There was an impact and Laena looked out the window down a rocky slope. All hell broke loose as screams filled the air.
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Ravela saw a bus break the crash barrier right over her up on the slope.
The underside of the bus hit the rock and Ravela could see through the fog that the bus was gaining speed.
Ravela watched in horror as the bus turned sideways after speeding down half the slope.
The bus lost touch with the ground. Ravela knew instantly that the passengers would all die if the bus started spinning. Without a second thought, Ravela tried to catch the bus mid-air.
It was a big mistake as she learned the second her mind made contact with the bus. Trying to catch it attempting to hold the bus upright.
The blue bus slowed down as her thoughts became a garbled mess. She physically tumbled. Vertigo and dizziness threatened to break her control.
The bus still glided at her undeterred. Far too fast. Far too heavy. She prevented the spin but that was not enough. Ravela needs to stop this giant metal projectile.
She forced herself, with all the discipline she could muster, to slow this colossus. Ravela slumped to her knees as she pressed on. her vision blurred, and her sense of up and down became uncertain.
She blacked out.
Ravela felt her face on the concrete path. Shivering, twitching, stumbling to her feet. She took a step forward.
*Thud!* Ravela walks face-first into the blue bus.
She groaned. Her blurry sight was focused enough to see the driver passed out over the steering wheel.
Ravela tried to keep her balance but the world was spinning and her sense of direction failed her. She found herself on all fours crawling away from the bus. Her head felt like it was broken open. All her thoughts were falling out.
Ravela winced, she felt tears rolling over her cheeks. For some reason, she had the taste of copper in her mouth.
She reached the edge of the tree line. Voices behind her swelled up. Crying, cursing, or cheering, Ravela couldn’t tell. The sound was dampened like her head was wrapped in a towel.
After stumbling and crawling for some time Ravela spotted the yard of Ma Stone’s hostel. Flashing blue and red lights came up the cycling path driving carefully. Big red trucks and smaller cars. She hid behind the bushes as they passed by. As she sat down her back to a tree she once again felt the drag of gravity.
Voices, many voices passing by in a rush. Ravela’s eyes shot open. She lay face-first on the forest floor. Ravela’s brain felt like the last pickle in a jar full of fluid. Somebody continuously was shaking that jar. And the pickle felt like it had to puke.
Ravela couldn’t hear any more voices. She struggled to her feet. She wasn’t sure if the rain, fog, or something else made her vision so blurry.
Once she reached the side door she knelt. Ravela struggled to get the key into the keyhole with both hands. She had to get to her room. She wanted to be out of the rain and somewhere safe. Like a wounded animal, she needs to get back to her burrow.
Ravela crawled up the stairs. She didn’t trust herself to walk anymore. Her extremities were revolting against their continued use.
Once she was inside her room she collapsed on the carpet.
She looked at the ceiling warping. Suffering in silence as she just tried to keep breathing. What was she thinking? This had never happened before. Well, she had never before used her powers like that.
“Ungh.” her jaw muscles clenched. Her entire body was cramped, then uncramped, and shivered then cramped again.
Ravela's world turned gray then bluish then gray again.
She couldn’t move and had no idea if she passed out again, or how much time had passed. All she knew right now was pain.
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Keeper Namon rushed to the scene of the accident like everybody else in town. The horrified faces of parents on the path of the lake dreading to arrive at the tragedy that just happened.
Their collective sigh of relief, when they saw most of the kids sitting on the slope. Some parents collapsed at the feet of their children. There were many sobbing hugs. It was a miracle that nobody died. A broken leg, many concussions one boy broke his arm. But that was it. Many rescue workers who began their work with grim faces loosened up over time.
He could feel his own heart unclench with every passing minute.
He looked up at the slope where police cruisers parked the clouds broke and the entire slope was covered in bright light.
Keeper Namon looked at the single policeman looking down that breached barrier. The chief’s fury without a doubt knew no bounds.
As quickly as Sheriff Thorn appeared he vanished. Namon had the sneaking suspicion he knew exactly who he had to find. The Kordo brothers just passed through that road before the accident he had a hunch that being arrested was much healthier than being outside in the next few days.
Ma Stone was hugging Laena sobbing inconsolably not letting go of her grandchild for even a second. Keeper Namon talked to her for a long time making sure she calmed down a bit for her granddaughter's sake.
Laena looked badly shaken she had never seen Ma Stone so emotional. She usually was a very controlled matron. Namon was however surprised when the girl shed not a single tear herself. He chalked that off to the state of the girl. Moving on Keeper Namon talked to other parents and teenagers.
Instead of the reception in a traditional manner, the town came to their children's rescue. Namon would call it a ruined return, but alas, they were all alive. Something to be thankful for.
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Sheriff Thorn had ordered all but three deputies to keep assisting at the crash site.
Two cruisers were thundering down the road to the Hauldem Bar. Today he was praying that these two morons would dare resist arrest. He had told them to get their useless asses back to their motor club way down in nowhere but they had remained in town.
Deputy Homs in the passenger seat was silent. He was a seasoned deputy, one of his best. He knew how lucky these kids were to be alive. Thorn listened to the chapter on the radio keeping them updated.
That everybody survived was pure luck. They could have been all dead just as easily. He pulled into the parking lot of the Hauldem Bar.
Deputy Brie and his partner Deputy Nangh pulled up behind them.
They gathered behind the cars that they parked parallel to the bar.
Thorn gave them their instructions.
“Alright, the bus driver said the two motorcyclists came up his lane and threw bottles at his windshield leading to him swerving off the road. Those two assholes mistook my advice as an invitation to cause trouble and nearly killed a bus full of children. We’re arresting them for this. Load your shotguns, we’re not taking ANY resistance from them. I want clean arrests. IF they resist I want them alive. ALIVE doesn’t mean without holes in em. If they try to run you are under order to shoot these sons of their mothers but DON’T shoot em dead. I want them to serve all the life sentences they’ll get for this shitshow.”
He looked sternly into the circle around him.
“I assume you know why you are here now, right? But just in case, anyone hasn’t realized yet, you three had no children on that bus. ONLY you three. Now I want you to go strictly by my order as I explained them to you, do you understand?”
He got nods from all around.
“Then get your shotguns, and let’s get them. Before the other fathers in town get any ideas.”
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*Meanwhile, six hours later, at rock bottom*
Ravela was impressed with the ways her brain saw fit to express its outrage. From rainbow colors to visions from her past lives coupled with burning sensations throughout her body, occasionally even the mercy of passing out to briefly do away with nausea, throbbing brain, and acidic feeling in her throat.
She couldn’t move a muscle. Her only two regrets right now were being born with the ability to experience pain and the fact that she lay on her back instead of on her side. Choking on her puke was not the way she wished to leave this world. Ravela once again thought about getting into a stable lateral position and once again her brain rewarded her by changing the flickering color pattern that was her vision. It had been hours maybe days since she saw the ceiling or the lamp that hung from it.
The total helplessness she was subjugated to was just too much for her. Some new sensation decided to make itself known.
Instead of a muffled thudding, a high-pitched whistling decided to make a home in her ears. She would have laughed but it took all her effort to keep breathing.
Ravela’s last thought before she once again passed out was:
‘Where did the lights go?’