4 Nightmare

I woke up sometime later in the hammock cot again, sore. I sat up slightly, looking around. "...Xan?" I notice my lapse and say with a little more confidence, "Xanthos?" Someone walks in.

"218-973 you're awake. I am your caretaker. Any pain or soreness?" I nod, feeling cautious of this new person I've never seen before. They walk over, something flashing in their coat and they suddenly turn dark red and get larger, a pair of dragon-esque wings unfurling from their shoulders and their hands turning to giant hands with thick claws. "Time to fix your pain!" It says, and it slashes the knife down, swinging it towards-

I suddenly wake up, Xanthos shaking me. "Adraxian! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" I blush slightly and calm down.

"It's okay, I'm up." I mumble, and he stops shaking me. He relaxes and smiles.

"You had me worried, I was shaking you for what felt like forever." I smile and blush deeper.

"I... I'm sorry I called you cute," I say, a stuttering blushing mess, "when I passed out the other day..." The twinkle in his eyes suddenly seems to disappear, the only light in them is that of the lantern.

"Oh. I... I see..." He says. I feel the urge to-... I pale and take a deep gulp of air, seeming to be unable to breathe. I start shaking and he looks at me. "Adraxian?" I look at him, focusing on all of his features almost all at once. His slight hint of stubble from a beard slowly growing in, his strong jaw and cheekbones, his bright curious eyes, and his fire red hair. I calm down almost instantly.

"I... I 'm okay. Just kinda tired." We hear a dull thud, like something hitting the ground, and then someone walks in and I move slightly.

"I see 218-973 is feeling better, or at least has some color in his face today." I suddenly realize it's the man from my dream and I pale.

"Y-you... stay a-away from me." I say, my voice as shaky as I am physically. Xanthos looks at the man, and realizes he's hiding a knife. He springs up and tackles him and injects him with something. He stands up and whistles, some sort of code for something because then some people rush over and pick the man up and drag him off.

"What was with him that bothered you?" Xanthos says, looking at me once the guys are gone.

"He was in my nightmare. He went from a doctor to a... Gragzul..." Xanthos nods.

"I think you're more use to us than we think... in a military sense." He says immediately after seeing my probably worried reaction. I smile slightly but am still worried. It seems almost like he's lying.

After a while I build the courage to ask him if he has ever liked someone, because we have talked about almost everything else other than personal stuff. Before I can say anything, the sky turns fire orange and a massive boom echoes through the sky. Xan looks up, and goes to the flap of the tent.. He looks outside.

"What the hell..." He says.

"What? What is it?" I say, sitting up slightly, using my elbows to prop myself up, having moved to the floor so I could see Xanthos better in the dimming tent. Suddenly another boom rings out and Xanthos closes the flaps.

"They're testing our new missiles apparently. They weren't scheduled to, but I guess they got a little eager." He comes and sits down, and I decide that I should ask him, the sound of the missiles being launched in the background.

I smile. "As if!" Xan smile.

"I'm serious! I never dated anyone in high school! I still haven't dated anyone!" I laugh and playfully shove him. He smiles and laughs. Someone walks into our tent.

"Sir they're attacking!" Xan stands up and runs out, I move to follow him but the guy stops me, putting a hand on my chest and pushing me back, "Not you kid, just General Black." I put my hands up and take a step back. Xan keeps running, and the man goes off after a moment, leaving me in the tent, alone. I sigh and sit down on the cot, and it suddenly breaks and goes out from under me, and I fall on the floor with a thump. "Ugh..." I grumble. I sit up and sigh. "Figures. Oh well. Guess I'll just be here... entertaining myself... bored out of my mind..."

After a couple hours I ponder going out there but then a resounding boom echoes through the sky and shakes the ground. I shoot up and look outside and I see a shadow, but before I can look at it, something hits my head and my vision blurs then goes black.