BLEAK

Dreaming of You

Chapter Twenty-Two

When I awoke I found myself sleeping under a weeping willow tree. The wind swayed with a soothing rhythm. I knew then I was dreaming as I sat up to see just how peaceful the large open field was before me. The tall pasture moved like waves in the ocean, I finally stood and stretched out my rested limbs. At a distance I could see something moving, something tall; almost blending with the tall pasture before me.

For some reason I didn't panic as I watched Gunner approach me. His hair shimmered in the sunlight and his eyes glimmered with peace and happiness. He waved me over and I obeyed as my feet moved forward. It was then that I realized I was barefooted. I dressed in a white dress, my blond hair now reaching my shoulders swayed with the wind.

"I keep trying to find an answer as to why you keep coming back here." He said.

"This is my dream, you are the one haunting it." I replied.

He shook his head and smiled as he reached over to place a hand on my shoulder. "This is the Great Beyond. You're not supposed to be here." He explained.

"But that would mean that I'm...dead." I replied, confused.

"Exactly. And you're not, because you keep disappearing. That only means you are dreaming, somehow your soul is being transferred here."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but why don't we make the best of it while we are here. I see no harm in taking a long stroll until you wake." He said.

I fell into a steady pace next to him as his fingers touched the pasture splitting before us. My eyes stayed glued to his face, unable to pull them away.

"Have you heard any news of my family?" He asked.

"I haven't been in contact with them since you took me off duty. I've only just spoken to Jeremiah yesterday. He stopped by to make sure that I had...found myself. As you had requested." I explained.

He chuckled as he turned to look at me, the blue in his eyes shifting from crystal clear to electric.

"I never requested it, he promised he would. He figured it might be something I wanted. I could hear him you know, when I was in a coma, at times I still can for some reason. And he promised he would make certain that you had found peace and yourself. I can see he upheld his promise." He said.

"I've had my ups and downs...I'm not fully there but I will be eventually."

"Good, you need to find someone who can love you. Every lycan needs to be paired, it is what gives us strength and most of all life. We live through one another."

"You would have survived if I hadn't been so stubborn." I muttered.

Gunner stopped walking and took hold of my shoulder. "Mindy, that's not true. As much as I wanted to mend what I had once broken, I knew I didn't stand a chance. It wouldn't have worked between us. We were just too broken and tired." He whispered.

I felt a tear slip from my eye as I looked at him and felt my heart hammer out of control. He smiled and that alone made me want to crumple into pieces on the ground. In a sudden heart wrenching moment I leaped into his arms and held him close. I felt the warmth radiating from his body as his arms wrapped tenderly around my shoulders.

"I am so sorry, I know we had our differences but it didn't mean you had to die. I should have done something." I wept. Gunner pulled me away and held me at arm's length.

"I shouldn't be saying this...but I forgive you. I hope that brings you closure and peace, Mindy." He said.

"It does, it really does." I said, feeling my emotions roll over me. I kept crying and Gunner took me into a tight hug and held me close.