Dreamer's Purgatory

Chapter One

[Madotsuki's POV]

For some reason, entering my dreams today felt... Different. I had a purpose. A goal. I had collected all the effects; witnessed everything there was to see, both good and bad; and even met new, 'friends', in a way. But, something was nagging at me. I couldn't shake the feeling, no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps... Perhaps it was time for me to leave the dreamworld. Permanently. I knew I couldn't take my effects with me, so I began to arrange them neatly in the door filled room I came to call the 'Nexus'. When I dropped them, however, they turned into eggs. Little, fragile, shelled memories, that would break at the first sign of roughness. The longer and longer I lingered on each effect, the more and more I began to lament my departure. Waking up this time would feel like abandoning a child. My subconscious had built this place, all on its own, just for me. And now, I had to leave it behind. My heart ached as I gently placed my favorite effect, the Bicycle, at the heart of the Nexus. As I raised my hand to pinch my cheek, I uttered an almost silent 'goodbye'.

I awoke violently, kicking and shouting, unlike the usually smooth transition between consciousness and unconsciousness that I've had in the past. Something wasn't right. I tried to write in my diary, but I couldn't bring myself to flip the pages. I stumbled over to the balcony, hoping that the fresh air would clear my mind. To my surprise, there were a set of stairs there, placed as if they were greeting me. And then, it hit me, all at once. I gently pushed the stairs up against the railing of my balcony, and with slow, calculated steps, came to stand on the edge. I looked down at the cityscape, with its bright colours and flashing lights, and saw the world I had been isolating myself from.

'I'm coming home.' I whispered, as leaned forward into the welcoming arms of the cool breeze.

[Sabitsuki's POV]

When I first got sick, I felt hopeless. Alone. Afraid. They locked me in this room, with a single, boring game, and the computer as my only solace. The digital world was welcoming, and distracting, from what was really going on. But, now? It was corrupted. Filthy. Filled with images of death, and rust, and sickness, and most of all... Blood. That awful, foul, coppery-smelling liquid. I hated the look of it, I hated the feel of it, I hated everything about it. And of course, life decided to play a cruel joke, having it be not only included in a number of symptoms of my illness, but also a side affect of the treatment for it. After a while, I stopped bothering with that treatment. I guess you could say that I was ready to die. I ended up regretting it, though, as it made Her start to manifest. She says she's a part of me, but I find that hard to believe. She's violent, and gross, and all around pure evil. I chose not to acknowledge her with a name, so she gave herself one. Rust. It fits her. That's what she did to my digital haven. She rotted it from the inside out, making everything twisted and warped. I don't know how she got her grubby hands on it in the first place, but now that the damage is done, there's no point in knowing. I swung away from the computer, after finishing up a final trek through that disgusting world. I had had enough. Memories that I had been suppressing  for years on end had suddenly began surfacing, and I needed somewhere to escape to. I tried to open the door, for old times sake, and to my surprise, it creaked open, the hinges protesting against the weight of my body. I walked down the snow white hall with unsure footsteps, wincing at the sound of my shoes clicking on the tile. The utter silence made it resonate through the hall, turning the tiny steps into loud bangs. After ages of walking, I came to an elevator that had the word 'parade' scrawled across the top, in that accursed fluid. I ignored it as best as I could, and pressed the call button. The doors creaked open, and I warily stepped inside. The only place to go was up. The elevator shook and rumbled as it made its journey, and I was worried it was going to lose power halfway through. However, it ground to a halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a bright blue sky and let in a nice, cool breeze. I stepped out, holding my arm up to protect my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. I seemed to be on the roof of the building. I ambled to the railing, ready to see the world I had been locked out of for so long. All I got to see was a few rooftops before I heard footsteps behind me. I whipped around and saw one of the maids, donning their trademark gas mask, and carrying a chainsaw with them. I stepped forward, unafraid, and to my surprise, they stepped back, as if I were challenging them. I stepped forward once more, but this time, the maid unhesitatingly stepped forward as well, while revving up the chainsaw they had with them. I didn't care. I knew what they were there for, and I was ready. As they slowly inched forward, I inched forward to meet them. The last thing I remember was them swinging their chainsaw, and feeling the teeth claw into my legs like some ravenous beast.

[Urotsuki's POV]

My dreams were never really normal. Being a lucid dreamer did that to you. But... They weren't a bad kind of unnatural. Just weird. Lots of neon colours and nonsensical imagery. A mishmash of sensory overload. Almost as if the dreamworld had been stitched together by many different hands. A quilt, of sorts. I got tired of it extremely quickly. It was boring, seeing the same things over and over again, meeting the same 'people', experiencing the same phenomenons. I woke up, and decided to end it all. Going out onto the balcony, the cool night air calmed me, and stilled my racing mind. I ascended the stairs that were pushed up to the railing, and stood at the top. Staring down at the woods below, my vision began to slide in and out of focus. I had forgotten that I was deathly afraid of heights. I stepped back down hastily, before I got too nauseous. Re-entering my apartment, I realized that I hadn't been outside for a while. I unlocked the door, threw it open, and left, hoping I could find something worth my while in the outside world.