Waking Nightmares Ch. 01

Hey guys,

This is my second story on here and I've tried something a little different so I hope it's readable. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

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"Ryan! Get down here, your dad is calling you!" his mom shouted from downstairs.

Ryan paused the movie he was watching and sighed. Couldn't they just leave him alone for a while? He got one day off from work and even that they couldn't let him have in peace. Sunday was supposed to be his day. Maybe that was the price of living with your parents. Putting the laptop away he shuffled downstairs to see what new emergency had come up that could not be solved without his explicit presence.

His dad was sealing up a small packet and his mom looked up as he entered the room.

"You have to deliver this to the Greene's." his mom stated flatly, pointing at the packet.

"No," replied Ryan, equally flat.

"Ryan stop being difficult, you just have to hand it over to them, nothing else."

"No."

His mother's voice started rising, just as he knew it would. "I'm not asking you to go for dinner or move in with them, it's just a delivery Ryan. For god's sake, you're twenty eight, stop behaving like a frightened six year old."

"No."

Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath in preparation for her tirade when his dad wisely cut in,

"Ryan, just go and drop it off son. I need to head to the airport to pick up Uncle Joey or I would have done it myself," he said in a calm voice.

Ryan didn't have the heart to refuse his dad, he hardly ever asked him for much as it was. He just picked up the packet and left the room hearing his mom behind him asking his dad why he never listened to her. Maybe because she nagged him about every little thing she could find. He loved his mom but in the end she was his mom and if he took everything she said seriously he'd go mad. Half the time even she didn't know what she wanted.

He cursed as he put on his shoes, looking at the snow outside, thinking of every possible way to make the visit as short as possible. It wasn't that he didn't like the Greene's, in fact he hardly knew them, it was just that he didn't like dealing with people. More specifically, people he didn't know. Since he was young he had always been labeled as shy. He would never initiate conversation with anyone and had very few friends, always preferring to keep to himself if given the choice. He had his fun but in small doses, too much exposure caused sensory overload. People just thought he was weird.

Driving over he went through what he knew about the Greene's, which was essentially nothing, except where they lived. He had driven his dad there a couple times and they were his clients. The packet contained something they must have ordered.

Must be a ring,he thought to himself.

His dad crafted jewelry in his spare time, a kind of hobby because he liked doing things with his hands. There was a whole workshop in their garage where he practiced his passion, sometimes late into the night. Rings were his specialty, although he also made necklaces, bangles, earrings and various other ornaments on order. They were a middle class working family and all the extra income helped.

The uneasiness in his stomach grew the closer he got to the Greene's house. He always hated this part. The awkward hellos, the uneasy smiles and the uncomfortable silences. He would just have to keep his mind blank and get it over with, much like holding your breath and swallowing your unpleasant medicine. He wished he didn't have to react like this every time he met someone new but he couldn't help it. It never got easier.

Pulling into the driveway of the rather expensive looking snow covered house, he pulled the handbrake and cut the engine. He took a deep breath as he collected himself and went through the various scenarios in his head, reciting his lines and preparing for any situation he might be placed in. He knew it was not practical as there was no way he could prepare for every eventuality but it helped him calm down and centre himself, and that was what mattered.

It took all his strength to get to the front door. He hoped he didn't have to shake hands with anyone, his palms were sweating like crazy. Wiping them on his jeans he reached up and rang the doorbell then stepped back and waited, his breath fogging up in front of him every time he exhaled. He resisted the urge to bolt. Every second seemed like an hour. Couldn't they just hurry up and take the damn thing. He heard footsteps approaching and prepared himself for the encounter.

The door swung open and a very nice looking lady stood before him, impeccably dressed in a black skirt that went to just below her knees and a white blouse underneath a black cardigan. She had an air of confidence and all round pleasant aura. He guessed this was Mrs. Greene.

"Hello," she said warily as one would a door to door salesman.

"Uhmm.... Hi...... I'm Mr. Harlow's son...." He fished in his pocket to give her the parcel.

"Oh, Of course, your dad called," she said relaxing and a smile appearing on her face, "Please, come in." She held open the door and stepped aside waving him in.

This was what he had feared. His plan had been to complete the interaction as fast as possible, preferably on the doorstep so he would avoid the niceties that went along with going into someone's home. He hated being served something to eat or drink and it only prolonged his torture.

"No, really its ok, I have the-" he tried but was cut off.

"Nonsense, come on in, it's freezing outside," she beckoned and he knew he had no choice.

The door closing behind him sounded like a death sentence to him. His mouth was dry and his heart started palpitating. This was not good, he needed to get out fast.

The nice lady led him to what he guessed was the living room. Mr. Greene was just as impressive as the Mrs. and he got up as they entered, putting aside the newspaper he'd been reading. He was over six feet tall and dressed in casual jeans and a blue flannel shirt. Mrs. Greene made the introductions,

"Arthur this is.............." she paused, realizing she hadn't got his name.

"Ryan." He supplied.

"Ah yes, Ryan, Mr. Harlow's son,"

"H....Hello Mr. Greene," Ryan stuttered as the big man only nodded and shook his hand, staring at him intently. Thankfully he had wiped off his hands in advance. The big imposing bulk of Mr. Greene was the last thing he needed, he was never comfortable around intense people.

"I was supposed to give you this," Ryan pulled out the package and handed it to Mr. Greene, hoping they would release him quickly if they got what they wanted.

"Please have a seat," Mrs. Greene urged as her husband took the packet. "What would you like to have? Some juice, coffee, tea?"

Ryan shook his head, "No, thank you, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she persisted.

Ryan nodded and hoped she would drop it. He started fidgeting and peeling the skin off his lips with his teeth as Mr. Greene opened the packet and removed the contents to inspect them.

I knew it was a ring,thought Ryan as the little ornament fall into Mr. Greene's massive hand.

It was a little silver ring, styled for a female, with a tear-drop shaped blue sapphire set in the middle. Ryan had to admire his father's skill, he was really good at what he did, and the ring was exceptional. Mr. Greene inspected it from every angle, put it up against the light to see through the stone then, apparently satisfied, handed it to his wife.

"It's beautiful," murmured Mrs. Greene under her breath as she put it on her index finger and held out her hand to examine it.

Hearing their approval, Ryan started to get up, assuming the deal was done. Finally he could get back to safety.

"Wait," Mr. Greene said in a deep voice, the first time he had spoken since Ryan had arrived. "We need to see if it fits."

Ryan was confused. He looked at the ring on the Mrs. Greene's finger and wondered what he was talking about. The ring had fit, even a blind man could see that.

Mrs. Greene sensed his confusion, "It's for my daughter," she said with a small smile.

Of course it was, why couldn't things ever be simple?

"Go get her," Mr. Greene told his wife.

Mrs. Greene was startled. "Are you sure? She won't-"

She was cut off, "She needs to get out of her room. I've had enough of this nonsense. Bring her here, she's not a hermit to stay locked up in her room the whole day," Mr. Greene said sternly.

"Arthur please..." Mrs. Greene glanced at Ryan.

Ryan was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. He looked everywhere in the room except at his hosts, pretending he couldn't hear anything. His legs were twitching, he kept chewing the inside of his cheek and his eyes kept darting from one object to the next. He was praying for it to end.

"Call her here," Mr. Greene ordered in a voice not to be questioned.

Mrs. Greene sighed and gave a small nod. She got up and walked over to the base of a spiral staircase on one side of the room and called out,

"Allison!"

There was no response. It was pin drop silence in the room. Ryan could hear his own heart beating like a bass drum in his ears. She waited for about a minute before calling out again,

"Allison, honey, please come down here."

Just as Ryan was thinking no one was going to respond there was the sound of a door opening somewhere upstairs and after a minute, footsteps descending the stairs. He looked away, not sure he could handle three strangers at once. He cursed his condition like he did every day, wondering why he couldn't just be normal like everyone else.

"Allison, honey, remember that ring I was telling you about? It's here and I want you to try it on and see if it fits ok?" He heard Mrs. Greene say softly to who he assumed was Allison.

There was no response and he heard them approach. Ryan still refused to look at them, instead pretending to be very interested in a big green vase sitting in the corner of the room. He'd delay the inevitable as much as he could.

"Allison, this is Ryan," Mrs. Greene introduced.

"Ryan, my daughter, Allison."

Reluctantly Ryan dragged his gaze away from the vase to look at the new addition to his torment. He was taken aback. He couldn't stop staring. Allison looked around his age, maybe a few inches shorter than his 5'11" height and incredibly beautiful. Her brown hair fell just below her shoulders in waves and even dressed in her pajamas she seemed to cut a striking figure. She was standing demurely, her hands clasped in front of her, her head cast slightly downwards, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

All this though, Ryan noticed in his peripheral vision. He couldn't stop looking into her eyes. He knew those eyes. He had seen those eyes. He remembered those eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had lost the will to live. There was no spark there, no glint or any indication of life within, much like glass orbs. They were a window into the barren wasteland that had become her soul, where nothing existed except pain and suffering. An involuntary shiver ran through him. It was hitting too close to home.

She whisperedHithen broke eye contact, casting her gaze downwards to look at her feet. He watched as her mother handed her the ring and she tried it on, sliding it up her index finger where it was obvious it was a little too big. It slid off her second knuckle too easily.

"Too big," she mumbled to her mother then, handing it back, she turned and walked away, disappearing up the stairs. Ryan's eyes followed her until she disappeared then snapped back as he realized it may be considered rude.

Her mother was looking at him apologetically, "Sorry, she's a bit shy......" she trailed off, staring after her daughter.

She's not shy!He wanted to scream at her but mumbled out, "It's ok, no problem."

"The ring needs to be sized smaller," Mr. Greene spoke up, apparently indifferent to what had just transpired.

"Yes, of course, I'll let my dad know, he'll sort it out," Ryan replied as he got up and took the ring from Mrs. Greene, then started backing up to the main entrance.

"I'll just..... be on my way now," he said jerking his thumb towards the door.

Mr. Greene only nodded and went back to reading his newspaper as Mrs. Greene escorted him out.

"Thank you for coming, Ryan, I'll see you again soon? When you come back to give the ring?" she questioned at the door.

"Yeah, definitely," Ryan replied, "Bye," he said as he descended the steps to the driveway.

"Bye," Mrs. Greene replied as she shut the door.

Finally he was out. He was immensely relieved but now, something else was nagging at his mind. Allison. He kept thinking about those eyes all through the drive home. Damn it. He didn't need this right now.

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He kept twisting and turning that night, sleep eluding him completely. Those big brown eyes haunted him, appearing before him whenever he closed his own eyes, appealing, pleading, and begging to be rescued. He fell into a fitful sleep, visions of floating eyeballs drifting past him. A blindfolded girl with her mouth open in a scream, fists clenched, ankles bound with chains to the ground, but no sound coming out of her mouth. Then the same girl with her face hooded, standing on the edge of a ledge, the wind whipping her filthy gown around, tipping forward, letting go, falling into the abyss............

He shot up with a start, sweating profusely, his fists clenched so tight he was close to drawing blood from his nails digging into his palms. His breathing was erratic and he feared his heart would pop out of his chest at any time.

No,he thought,not again, not after so long, I will not allow it.

Forcing himself to calm down, he drew deep breaths and concentrated on prolonging his exhale. He relaxed his hands, slowly, methodically clearing his mind and bringing his emotions under control. He slumped back into his bed after about ten minutes, calm and relaxed.

I have to help her,he thought to himself.

I will help her,he told himself with more conviction, then started thinking about how he could go about it. No immediate way forward jumped out at him but he wasn't deterred. He would go with the flow and see what opportunities would present themselves, but one thing was clear, he was going to try. No matter what, he was going to try.

He fell asleep again but this time there were no more nightmares. He was content again.

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There was a sense of déjà vu as he rang the bell to the Greene home and stepped back, once again waiting for the owners. He was still nervous but there was an underlying determination that helped calm him down some. He was determined to find out more about Allison. His dad had been surprised when he had offered to deliver the ring. It was the first time he had ever volunteered to do anything of the sort and he smiled as he remembered his parents' reactions.

Mrs. Greene answered the door again looking charming as before in black pants and a white shirt under a black coat. It looked like she had just arrived from work. She smiled upon recognizing him and ushered him in.

"How are you Ryan? Hope the weather didn't bother you too much getting here, I know the roads are treacherous right now." She greeted him.

"No Mrs. Greene, it was all right, and I'm fine thank you." replied Ryan. He found Mrs. Greene's pleasant demeanor made it easier for him to talk to her.

Ryan handed her the ring once they were seated in the living room. Mr. Greene didn't seem to be around and Ryan was glad. It would have been tougher if he had been present.

"I'll be back in a moment," Mrs. Greene said as she headed up the stairs, no doubt to check if fit on Allison's finger.

He waited patiently, looking around the room, noticing things he hadn't seen last time. There was a picture of the family on the mantle above the fireplace. Mr. and Mrs. Greene were standing with their arms on each other's waists. Their other arm rested on the shoulders of the two girls seated in front of them.

Ryan looked at the girls more carefully and was shocked as he realized one of them was Allison. The difference couldn't have been greater. She had a radiant smile on her face, she was genuinely happy and her eyes shimmered with joy. He blinked twice to make sure he his eyes were not deceiving him. Yes, it was definitely her. He looked at the other girl in the picture. She was a slightly younger version of Allison, just as beautiful and if possible, even happier in the picture. Looking at her stirred something in Ryan, he couldn't help be drawn to her.

He was about to get up and go to the picture when a noise at the stairs snapped him out of his musing and he turned to see Mrs. Greene walking back smiling.

"A perfect fit," she said holding both thumbs up.

"I'm glad," Ryan said getting up.

"Oh no, you're not leaving like that again," said Mrs. Greene waving a finger, "you have to have something this time."

A practiced excuse was already at Ryan's lips before he stopped himself. He wanted to find out about Allison, even more so after seeing her happy visage in the picture, and this might be the way. As uncomfortable as it was, he had to try.

He smiled what he hoped was a genuine smile, "If you insist Mrs. Greene."

"What will it be? Coffee, tea?"

He hesitated. Caffeine wasn't his thing, he avoided it at all costs. "Would you happen to have green tea?" he asked tentatively.

"As a matter of fact I do. It's all Allison drinks nowadays," she said as she led him to the kitchen.

It was a massive kitchen with all kinds of appliances, utensils all hanging round and a granite island in the middle. She directed Ryan to sit at the island while she prepared the tea. It hadn't escaped Ryan that Allison only drank green tea. It solidified his suspicions even further.

"So what do you do Ryan?" she asked opening cupboards and getting various crockery she would need.

"I'm an electrical engineer," replied Ryan, "I design the electrical schematics for buildings and such."

"You mean like the lights and sockets?" she asked with genuine interest.

"Yeah, but that's just part of it. I design where the power is going to come from, the distribution, the cabling, back-up, pretty much everything that involves electricity."

"Have you designed any building I might know?" she set a cup in front of him and sat on the opposite side with one for herself.

"Do you know the Triad Towers? On Morrison Avenue,"

"Oh my, really? They're like ninety floors high aren't they?" she asked, amazed.

"Ninety one actually. We were a team of three who designed that building. Took a year to complete it."

"It took only one year to build it?" she asked incredulously.

Ryan chuckled, "No no, it took a year to design it. It actually took three and a half years before it was fit for occupation."

"Ah, I see. Seems like interesting stuff."

"As long as no one gets shocked, we're happy." Ryan joked.

She laughed and offered him more tea. Figuring it was now or never, Ryan decided to go for it.

"Mrs. Greene?" he started.

"Oh please, call me Rachel," she said waving her hand.

"Ok Mrs. Greene, uhmm..... I know I may be overstepping my boundaries and uhmm..... I apologize if I am but...... I just wanted to ask if there's anything wrong with......... with Allison?"

He wanted to cringe as the smile dropped from her face and she looked at him with skepticism.

"Why do you ask?" she asked warily.

"Once again I apologize, I really mean no offense, but........ well she didn't seem all right, and-"

"What are you trying to imply, young man?" she cut him off, getting angry now.

This was what Ryan had been afraid of. He knew it was a completely normal response, strangers are not supposed to come into your home and question your loved ones. He knew he had to handle this carefully.