Pandemonium

Dream analysis.

After walking Oliver back home, Mars heads back to the old bridge to speak with Julius. The early morning breeze is cool and crisp as Mars walks through the empty streets. The occasional car passing by their tires creating a soft rumble against the asphalt. Although Mars' feet are leading him to the bridge, his mind is wandering elsewhere. His thoughts run through the day's events: from walking Oliver home, to skateboarding with him, the restless sleep, all the way back to the beginning. Back to the daydream, if that's even what you could call it. This was no ordinary daydream. It wasn't mindless pondering of what food Mars wanted for lunch, or some childish crush, in fact, it wasn't even voluntary. Not in the slightest. 

This 'daydream', per say, was a vision. Clear as day, covering all that he could see. A vivid scene of the undead. A large mass, crowding the city, as far as the eye could see. The air was filled with their noises. The unnerving sounds of growling, snarling, the snapping of teeth. Their cold bodies mindlessly following the smell of any living thing. It was all consuming. The view of the crowd, the sounds, the smells, all flooded his senses. 

That is until Oliver finally awoke Mars from his waking nightmare. What felt like hours to Mars was nothing more than a few moments in which he was completely spaced out, unaware of the world around him, stuck in his brain, somewhere else entirely.

Before long, Mars found himself back at the old bridge. Although his mind was all but focused on the walk, his body had made that same trip time and time again. His muscle memory leading him to exactly where he needed to be. 

"Yo, Julius! You still here?" Mars calls out as walks into the concrete basin beneath the bridge. 

"You know it." Julius grumbles in response, still sitting in same spot on the curb. The Four Loko from before replaced by a cigarette, the empty can in the grass beside him. "What took you so long? Did your little boyfriend slow you down?" Julius teases.

"Oh, shut it, Jules. He's got a busted knee, you know that." Mars replies, giving Julius' arm a small punch.

"Ah, I'm just fucking with ya." Julius says before taking a drag. "So. What brings you out so late, on a school night, no less." He asks, exhaling a bit of smoke. 

"When has that stopped me before?" Mars asks with a soft chuckle.

"Nightmares again?" Julius asks. As much as Mars tries to hide what's truly on his mind, Julius can see right through him, as if he was nothing more than a pane of glass. 

"Not really." Mars replies with a heavy sigh.

"Then what is it? Don't bullshit me, kid." The old man replies, his tone serious, his words sincere.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like nightmares, but during the day." Mars replies quietly, his voice uncertain as he stares down at his shoes.

"Like daydreams?" Julius asks.

"I wouldn't call it that, but I'm not sure what else to call it. It's not like something I'm thinking of, like I'm getting lost in thought, it's more like... like visions I suppose. Like I was completely transported somewhere else. It felt so real, just like my dreams. I could hear them, and see them, hell, I could even smell them. The most disgusting smell of rotting flesh, worse than anything you could possibly imagine. In the middle of class. It couldn't have been more than a minute or two, but it felt like I was stuck there for hours. Just watching them all around me." Mars explains, his voice timid and quiet as he speaks. 

"How'd you snap out of it?" Julius asks, his face deep in thought.

"Oliver. He was trying to get my attention. I just, I don't understand, am I hallucinating or something?" He asks softly.