7 Chapter 6

I haven't slept well in a little more than a week. The past three days I haven't slept at all. I'm starting to become delusional and antsy. Eclipse helped me sleep for two days but then Ryder was attacked. I awoke to glass shattering and Ryder screaming. Eclipse had attacked him when I was sleeping. Now I wake up to sounds of everyone else screaming. Being delusional stinks when you're used to being in your own head. Lately I've felt as if I'm just a spectator to my actions, a bird if you will, watching what I do from a distance.

Suggestion 38 gets voted on today, maybe that's why I haven't slept. I was so worried about it.

I slowly sat up and looked out the window beside the couch. The window looked out to a small fenced in pasture that was empty. This little pasture was where a horse sat in my vision so many months ago. The moon was out of sight but it was still dark out. It was close to midnight.

Eclipse was laying next to me on the couch, his yellow eyes were almost glowing in the dark. He was awake and looking right at me. If I didn't trust him then I'd be terrified at the glowing yellow eyes. He was territorial over me, he's shown that the past few days. He guarded me at night and then slept for the day.

Carter usually kept an eye on me while I was awake, he just said that he wanted to make sure I didn't pass out. I could see it in his eyes that he was worried about me. Everyone seemed to be.

I slowly moved my legs to lay back down. Once I got comfortable, Eclipse laid along me on the couch to be between me and whoever came through the door or down the stairs. Anxiety filled my bones at the thought of falling asleep, the nightmares had become too much for me to handle. No amount of praying for peace took them away. I tried to stay awake as long as I could, but everytime I blinked I saw a new atrocity, a new fear. I had portrayed myself as a fearless warrior, a strong leader.

But anyone could hide behind a mask.

I took a deep, fearful breath and closed my eyes. Darkness, a peaceful darkness overcame me, and I finally fell asleep.

--

"Carla," the menacing voice repeated, "Carla?"

His voice was drawn out and creepy. The kind of voice you shudder at when you hear it.

I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. That peaceful darkness wasn't so peaceful anymore. I couldn't see anything.

"One-"

"Two-"

"Better get your shoes."

"Three-"

"Four-"

"Better lock that door."

"Five-"

"Six-"

"You should use your tricks."

"Seven-"

"Eight-"

"You've been up late."

"Nine-"

"Ten-"

"You'll never sleep again."

The pauses between words put me on edge, it took me a few seconds more for me to piece the words together. The nightmare seemed so very real.

The sound of the light switch being flicked was accompanied with a bright light above me turning on. The walls were black. The floor was black. The ceiling was black. The door, the light switch, everything was back. My friends laid in bloody lumps on the floor.

None of them were breathing.

I looked down at my hands to see blood on them. I was soaked in blood, my whole body.

What kind of sick joke was this.

"Hello?" I shyly called out. My voice came out raspy as if I had a frog in my throat.

"Carla."

"Yes?" I asked. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't put my finger on whose it belonged to.

"Look what you did Carla."

"I didnt do this," I responded, shaky and crying.

"Its alright Carla, you were gone for awhile. You were good and showed a fake smile, but it's okay. You're back now. You've destroyed everything that made you disappear. Welcome back."

"I didnt do this."

"Yes-"

"No, no, I didnt do this."

I wept harder than I did when Carter died.

I didnt do this. No I love them. I didnt do this.

--

Screaming awoke me once more. Screams that weren't my own.

Eclipse was wrestling with a spindly guy on the ground. He was screaming erratically. Thumps came from upstairs and before I knew it Carter, Liam, and Hannah were down the stairs. They tried to pull Eclipse off the person. I couldn't hear anything, I could see that Carter was yelling something at me, but my ears seemed to have not worked.

Screams flooded my mind. His screams, the blood curdling screams.

"Eclipse," I slightly smiled as I whispered his name.

Carter looked at me with the most shocked facial expression I've ever seen. He was probably wondering why I hadn't called Eclipse off. I stood up slowly off the couch and straightened my white tank top.

The screams continued.

"Eclipse," I said louder than before, "Foos."

He jumped off the guy and sat between my legs. He looked up with a pleased smile.

The spindly guy got up and ran through a blue portal thing. Carter tried to run after but it closed before he could jump through too.

Carter punched the wall frustratedly, "We almost had him!"

"I'm sorry, the way you looked at me told me to call him off, so I did."

"I was screaming for you to take his powers!" Carter frustratedly yelled. I heard footsteps stirring upstairs which told me the ruckus woke up everyone else.

"I didn't hear you," I almost whispered.

"How could you not hear me?" Carter yelled, "We could've finished this!"

"Carter-" Liam started. His hand was outreached towards his friend's shoulder.

"How could you be so stupid as to not even use your own ears? You haven't slept in a week and it's all because of him! Do you not want to sleep ever again? How could you-" Carter screamed.

"Stop," Liam screamed louder. Carter looked over at him.

"Look what you're doing to her," Liam yelled, he had tucked on Carter's shirt to pull him out of his clouded anger. Liam had an arm gestured to me.

Carter's eyes softened when he saw I was crying uncontrollably.

"Carla I-"

I ran out the back door before he could finish.