For Now | Dreaming Trilogy | Book 1 (HEAVY CONSTRUCTION)

Phoenix | A Little Brother

"Don't..." While my voice wasn't very intimidating when it had no force behind it, Jake's smile vanished.

"They're waking up. Let's go." Shane said, noticing the trees starting to move in towards us.

Jake nodded. "Yeah. We should get going. Where is Shyanne?"

"I told her to keep running." I explained half heartedly, wanting to pass out. I what catching on to what happened when you fell asleep in the Dream Void, though. You went back to reality. Reality was a nightmare from here. It was almost worse than my normal nightmares.

"She'll be fine if she got out of the woods. This place is just crawling with monsters." Jake's tone told me I should have known this.

"We need to get to her." Shane concluded.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." I grumbled. For some odd reason, seeing the half smile/half scowl hybrid that appeared on Shane's face energized me, if only slightly.

A shriek rang through the woods. I knew it was Shyanne. I felt it inside of me. I could feel it resonating through my bones. "SHY!" I shouted without thinking. "MOVE IT, JAKE!" I screamed, now feeling wide awake.

On cue, Shane and Jake bolted into action. They ran towards the scream, dodging trees and roots expertly. A few times, I was sure Jake was going to hurl me into the wide, menacing trunks of trees. Luckily, Jake wasn't so twitchy when he ran.

The trees started to thin, and suddenly we burst forth into a wide clearing. Shyanne was in the middle, her bow and arrows drawn. She was crouched down in the long, waving, golden grass. Her hair whipped around her tan face, no doubt stinging her focused green eyes. There was one question lingering in my head: What was she shooting? I couldn't see anything...

Just as this thought crossed my mind, Shyanne was thrown across the field, screaming. Amazingly, as she fell, she managed to notch an arrow and shoot it into the seemingly thin air. Possibly more amazing, I watched as the arrow locked itself into the air, flailing around. It was lodged in something.

Something horrible happened; the arrow was ripped out of the air, and it rippled. I saw what it had hit. It was large, the size of half the White House. The back half of its body was covered in dark green scales, its long, red tail swishing back and forth. It held itself on long legs, all black with claws digging into the earth. It's face was like Grumpy Cat meets an angry pug. Black hairs sprung out over its back, collecting at its head. Black spikes shot out from its spine, and vines seemed to be growing out of every crevice of the creature. Beady black eyes stared at Shyanne, it's large nostrils flaring. Just as it had appeared, I was glad to see it shimmer back to its former state.

"A... A..." Jake's eyes were glued to the thing, wide and terrified.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Shane yelped, his eyes glazed over in fear.

"It's... A-A..." Jake's words stumbled out from his lips, and he gulped. "A beale."

"Where did it come from?" I asked, determined to keep Shyanne safe.

"They're summoned, only by dark forest spirits, to attack whomever they choose." Jake shook his head. "I-I can't... The forest has turned to the Nightmare." He said, his voice emulating his fear.

It all hit me at once. The tree swallowing me up, burning the forest, the trees revolting. I started to shake, holding back my arm from punching myself. "It was me. It was my fault. The forest wants me."

"What? Don't talk like that." Shane scolded, turning his polychromatic eyes towards me.

"No, no..." Jake looked at me, his eyes shimmering the color of the forest itself. "It was you... You burned them." He quickly shook his head. "But it's not really your fault. Not this, at least."