twenty-five

"I think you meant shit." She corrected me. More like insulted me, i pressed my lips together to stop myself from insylting her and told her bye brfore i hung up on her.

I got up from the table and went into the shower.

Something i forgot about our room, it was at the edge of the eastern block. which meant, it was one of the four in the block which had its own bathroom.

Ours its door was at the foot of my roommate's bed. And he was sandwitched between me and the bathroom. It was neat but maybe it was why he didnt like the room at all.

I walked out a few minutes later steaming hot and i groomed myself before i went to dinner.

She wasn't at dinner. Probably she was already eating in her room. I fed the cats and ate too before i went behind the laptop and read up on everything we learnt this week amd the week before.

But it was sooo boring. Five seconds into skimming, i was already done with and as sleepy as fuck.

Who knew i could get this sleepy? Oh right, I'm still human. My body can't get cosmic energy thanks to the spell.

"James," i told my body. "You are exhausted. How about a nap? It won't kill a thing.

I got up and laid on the bed with the laptop in front of me. I made myself even sleepier with the notes on screen.

"Lets try again jay, I seem to have been lost in translation." Nat's voice came over the laptop speakers as my screen transitioned to a video of Eun Tak eating ice cream with her grandmother. Korea is eight hours ahead. That meant...

Ice cream this early in the morning? Were they crazy! It's...

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that she has just lost her mother.

"Okay. Sorry, i need to rephase it seems. Sometimes i turn to dust. Now Ciao." I hung up again and closed the laptop lid.

"Hang up on me one more time, i dare you!" She shouted from the laptop as i turned away from it.

"Thoth."

"She threatened Eun, sir." It made sense.

"Okay, Nat, i am in a sabbatical, so... next week." I hung up again.

"Jay!" She didn't relent. "Are you seriously going to try to hang up again?" She asked as i turned the laptop over.

"Have you ever considered taking a vacation?"

"You are not going to derail me, i need answers, now!"

"I know, but i would suggest taking a vacation to Switzerland you know the engadine is very very nice this time of the year. The sleigh ride is to die for. Literally." I suggested momentarily before i took the battery out. And they say old laptops are a bad idea. If only this was a telephone. Slamming it would have sufficed better than removing the battery.

Where was i again? Oh right, the nap. I closed my eyes and before i knew it, I was...

I walked into a village with a sword drawn. I grew angry as i saw the ground littered with copses. Some were white skeletons. Others were covered in maggots chewing at the copses. Other's being chewed by huge rolls of worms. Some of those worms wriggling and as small as my fingers. Others as big as my limbs, some as small as my fingers.

"He's been here." Someone said next to me and i turned. The saint frowned as he saw someone stagger out of the wooden hut. He puked thick greenish mucus and fell to the ground. I tried to approach the dying man but the saint stopped me.

The man fell, like others around town.

More mucus flowed out of his mouth. As he struggled to breathe, all over his body the worms burst out and started chewing him.

Within a minute, he was burried in fast growing worms that ate at him like he was a days old copse.

"Its been less than a day since he broke free." The saint looked at me with concerned eyes. "But already half of a continent has fallen. At this rate, it won't be long before he kills everything."

"Can't we save them?" I asked and he gave me a crooked sad smile before looking away and ignitting his entire body. "No, the only thing we can do for them is to release their spirits back into the loom. Make their death less painful, I'll take care of the worms."

He directed and he burnt those closest to is.

I froze. I can't kill all of these people. I can't...

Aaah! Their screams of agony followed as the saint burnt them. I tried to cover my ears but i was a guardian. I heard everything.

I felt their pains. Pangs from their insides as the worms ate at their organs. Their stomachs. Bursting them open and letting the acid melt their insides. The worms eating their intestines.

I felt them chew. Their brains. Their veins, clogging them and...

Please make it stop!

The feel of fire added itself to the mix. Burning their skins. Burning...

Knock knock! Somebody knocked on somewhere and i shot up awake.

My heart drummed hard on my ears and i felt as if I've ran a milluon miles.

I felt tired and weak.

What the fuck was going on? Why the fuck was i dreaming of... the nameless. Was i so concerned about it that...what the heck was that dream?

"Knock! knock! Jaaames!" She called as she knocked once more.

I got off the bed and walked to the door. Before i could open it, i realized, my t-shirt was sticking to my skin. Drenched in sweat.

I took it off and as she knocked once more, replied, "coming."

But the words felt weak coming out of me. Like i overslept and now everything within me was tired.

I took another shirt out of my closet and put it on before i opened.

"Hey." I greeted her and she heyed me back.

"Your eyes look red, you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, i... I'm okay. I just had a nightmare. Wanna come in?" I asked openjng the door wider.

"Sure." She walked in. "Do you have milk?"

"It's in the fridge. I'll wash my face and change." I told her as she opened the fridge and took a carton of milk out. I took out a pair of trousers and headed to the bathroom with them.

"So what was it about?" She asked.

"Something crazy."

"Worms."

"You afraid of worms?" She asked.

"No, I'm not afraid of worms i hate them. Anyway," i washed my face as i added, "it was a thousand worms crawling all over killing people... i don't wanna creep you out."

"Sounds like a dream I'll have." She added. And i stopped washing my face.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm a nightmare specialist. Had those kind of dreams a lot. But mine its snakes."

Snakes? I thought of all things snakes symbolise. Wisdom, healing, transformation and spiritually ripe among others.

"What kind of snakes do you dream about?"

"You know the typical one. Being surrounded by snakes, some acting all kind, some trying to bite you." She sounded so casual. Like it didnt bother her or anything.

"Can you narrate one for me?"

When i was young i had this nightmare , i dreamt i was sleeping in my room and... well, a giant snake slithered in and watched me sleep. A cobra with a red glowing head."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, and it coiled around my bed."

I stopped buckling my belt and went to the bathroom door. "Did it bite you?" I asked looking out.

"No, i woke up before it could."

I buckled my belt and went to her side. I honestly didn't see how it was a nightmare. That was... men are naturally afraid of snakes. Genetic trauma. But why was it ringing bells in my head? Red head. Poisonous. But why was...

"Hmm, that is a nightmare. And to think i am scared of worms." I admited. Snake bites and mine was gross. But i couldn't help but think of the symbology in that dream. It was a bit odd. I first thought of Apep. But after the fall of the gods he was never seen. But there was also the midgard serpent.

But why chaos?

I should have went to that school. I should have learnt dream interpretation and symbology in atlantis. Or from the watchers but... lets leave butts alone. Before they poo on us.

"Yeah, it was. I had sleep paralysis that time. I think i thought it was about to eat me in real and i couldnt scream or run. Lucky granny was there." She smiled as she gave me a cup of warm milk. "Here."

"Whats this?"

"A glass of warm milk, it always soothed me after i had a nightmare." She smiled again and my heart just danced.

"Thanks. Guess this is your ice cream." I commented as i took the glass and took a gulp.

"Ice cream?"

"When I'm sad or going through something i can't deal with, i take a tub of ice cream and sink in it."

"Take a tub of ice cream and sink in it." she said it at the same time as me and my heart went under.

"You do that too?" I asked.

"No, I've seen you do it a couple of times last year."

"Last year?" I asked. I thought she was new to this school.