Window Sills

Chapter Seventeen

Dick continued to have dreams of Wally beating him mercilessly until the music finally woke him up. He hated it, and it was getting harder to sleep. He only had to make it through a couple more days before he could go home, and yet he couldn't help but know that the dreams would follow him there. The last night was the worst night of all. Tim had gone home and no ones was there to comfort him. He felt alone, which was what probably made that night so terrible. He had listen to the entire "Once" soundtrack twice and yet he still was afraid to sleep. Finally, as he drifted off, he dreaded the night to come. His body felt completely empty except for his brain, which was completely awake even though he was fast asleep. He was back in his room, this time two hooded figures sat in the window sill.
"Well, it's about time, Grayson." A familiar voice echoed through his mind. No. It can't be. Not the both of them. I can't take that.
"Jason." His voice was steady but he was having a hard time keeping himself together. "W-Why are you here? I d-don't have anything to do with your death." But he was here for a similar reason. Dick could feel it.
"Well, were here because after that little incident with the bullet wound and the car accident, that wall you put up inside you mind, the one where you kept all your guilt and sadness? It tumbled down. Now, everything you've been dreaming about is what you think would probably happen if we were still alive. I've just tumbled out. There's others behind there too. Everyone you've ever seen die, or anyone who's made you feel weak or hurt you, they are just waiting for the right time." Jason hopped out of the windowsill and walked over to his big brother and put his arm around him. "I thought, and Wall-Man agreed, that instead of physically hurting you, we'd do something a bit worse." He smiled slyly as Wally opened the window. In flew dozens of shadows, all with a familiar shape. He saw every villain, hero, and civilian he ever came across. He saw Bruce and Tim, Alfred, Barbara, the entire team, and the Justice League. All of them shouted at him, it hurt. It shook his brain. Every word was a disgusting slur, he was disgraced. Jason laughed and Wally simply sneered at the sheer look of horror and sorrow on the ebony's face. Stop. Please. He tried to speak but the screams drowned his voice, and it felt as if the words were rolling down his throat. But the worst was yet to come. Two figures emerged from the shadows, the only two in white. They smiled as all of the shadows disappeared, including Jason and Wally. His parents.
"Mom?" He croaked out. His mother, she was truly beautiful. Long silky brown hair and blue eyes. She was dressed a long white dress, her skin so fair it almost matched the dress. She smiled a beautiful smile. His father, in the same shade of white but in a shirt and jeans, was a spinning image of Dick. His dark black hair and blue eyes were just like Dick's. His mother laid a hand on his cheek, and he placed his hand over her's. His father smiled and although he couldn't hear it, the man mouthed "We're proud of you." Then it turned horribly wrong. Dick watched in horror as his mother went from an angel to a demon, her white dress into black, her eyes red and hair knotted. Same for his father. She slapped him, and his father kicked his stomach, he gulped and lurched over.
"Worthless!"
"Disgusting!"
"A disgrace!"
"Why did you have to be born?"
"We could still be alive if it weren't for you!" They wouldn't stop. The kicked and punched and yelled, and while he knew somewhere that it wasn't true, it was all too awful to ignore. He sobbed in spite of himself, trying to plead with his parents. Everything changed that night. He would never be the same.

He shot up. It was only four in the morning. The hospital was silent. He breathed out hard. Worthless. We could still be alive. Disgraced.
Everything hurt. He heart, his soul, his mind. He stood up, but as soon as he did that he fell right to the floor. He felt too weak to do anything. He crawled back into the bed and for once fell into a peaceful dreamless sleep.