26 Foreboding Nightmare

  Laurel finds herself in the middle of an ocean. Waves smash over her head as she struggles to stay above the water. "Mommy!" She cries, spitting water from her mouth. Her head jerks around, looking for aid. All around her, she can only see other versions of herself in the same precarious situation.

  Every version of Laurel is different. They are laughing, crying, and cursing. Some are struggling like her. Others give in, sinking to the bottom. There are even a few who take the situation in stride, rising above the waves.

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  At Laurel's bed, Mellisa desperately hugs her writhing daughter. Her daughter hasn't been doing well recently, spending more and more time in bed. Every so often, the young girl will writhe in pain, clutching her head as if to keep it from exploding. Blood has even begun to seep from her ears and nose during these episodes. "She's all I have, please," Mellisa cries hopelessly as tears stream from her bloodshot eyes.

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  Each wave smashes Laurel into another one of her selves. The scared girl is flung into another reality. In the current reality, she's clutching a sword while desperately fighting some unknown man. "Why must you stand in our way?" she asks the man as she deflects a blow the dark towering figure in front of her only scowls at her. Laurel's muscles feel like they are on fire. The fatigue weighs her down, slowing her reaction. She sees the sword of the man growing large as it thrusts towards her throat.

  Ding, ding, a small bell rings in her ears. Right before the sword strikes home, Laurel feels bluntly shoved to the side. She quickly looks at who has saved her. Where she once stood, an older man that resembled Franklin replaced her with a sword skewering his chest. "Alfred!" She screams as she fades from this reality. The last thing she views is Alfred smiling at her.

  Now back in the ocean, Laurel's tears join this horrible ocean. "Let me go! I did nothing wrong," She yells, trembling in fear. To the right, she hears her own voice scream, "forgive me. I didn't mean to." To her left, she sees a slightly older version of her self-yell at the air in a rage, "do you know who I am? When I get out of here, you'll be sorry." All around, Laurel hears herself say all manner of things.

  "What is going on? Is this real?" Laurel mumbles as she feels like she will soon break. Suddenly, she feels a pain in her shoulder. She looks over in that direction to see her face is there, mirroring her surprise.

  Reality once again shifts. This time Laurel is playing with a baby girl who seems to have only just been born. The world seems bright as they sit next to a large tree on the hill. A deer sits, sulking off to the side. She smiles at the funny scene. 'So cute,' Laurel thinks. "It's good that you can still smile. I hope you can hang in there," Laurel hears someone say in her mind as the reality once again shifts away from her.

  In the ocean, this process of reality shifting seems to have no end. 'When will I wake up from this nightmare?' she shudders. Laurel's mind is now numb as the world swirls. "Maybe it's better just to sink?" Laurel whispers as her aching muscles give out from the ever-shifting waves.

  Without hope, Laurel fades away. The sunlight is playing on the oceans causing a shimmering beauty. All around, other hers also fade away, ceasing to exist.

  Deng, Ding, bing, bong! Thunderous bells ring, shaking the ocean into becoming even more turbulent. A whirlpool forms, sending Laurel, who no longer has the power or will to resist crashing into one more her. The world shimmers as she changes reality.

  Laurel looks at her hands. She's much older in this reality. In fact, she'd never been this old before. Every shift fills her with the feeling of the her there. Even though the her in the ocean was exhausted beyond belief, the her now is still full of vitality.

  All around Laurel are enemies. She is cut off from their forces due to a mistake. In the distance, Laurel glances with panic. Laurel is filled with the most recent thoughts and intent of the her she takes over. She is still a young girl. In reality, it is hard for her to stay calm in such circumstances.

  In the distance, she sees flags fluttering. They have a turtle with an emerald embedded in it. She knows her only hope is to reach those flags.

  With that resolve, Laurel begins to cut through the men and women before her. They curse and holler as she seems to flow like water in between them. They are powerful, but Laurel is always one step ahead. She doesn't know the moves she is utilizing, nor can her mind understand the powers she uses. It seems to become like smoke in her brain, instantly disappearing before she can grasp it.

  In the sky, it feels like a god is watching over her. When Laurel takes a chance to glance up, there is a large tree in the sky. This tree she feels is the same as the one on the hill. Now it is besieged by countless enemies. It pierces them with its roots and slashes them with its leaves. The enemies that surround the tree blast back at the bush with equal vigor. The branches crack, and bark scatters as the battle intensifies. Each hit makes her heart shutter with deep pain.

  No matter how fast or desperately Laurel fights, the flags only recede from her. "Just get out of my way!" Laurel screams in anguish, slashing a man in half. Soon even this body is exhausted as well. Her techniques grow sluggish, and she soon sustains injuries all over her body. Cuts and bruises now cover Laurel's pure white skin, the her in this reality has.

  In the sky, the tree also seems to be running out of steam. A loud crack can be heard across the battlefield. The tree slowly breaks apart, falling towards the ground.

  "NO, Hector!" Laurel screams with agony that seems to flow from deep within her. Tears stream down her face as snot ripples out of her nose. Her whole world shatters. Her legs will carry her no longer, and she falls to her knees.

  Chimes fill the world as if to summon gods and demons to this world. Out of the darkness, a woman appears clad in turquoise armor, slaughtering her way over. "Freya! Don't give in to the darkness." The woman in turquoise armor yells while scooping her up into her arms and fleeing towards the flags. "But Hector, he, he," Laurel mumbles while clutching this unknown woman. "You think that old bastard will go down that easily?" the brave woman laughs. She then pokes Laurel's nose. "Don't you think you've scared those back home enough? It's time to wake up."