Convergence: Eclipse Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Hope’s Dream

Read chapter 9 of Convergence: Eclipse by J.L.Hollingwell on NovelPedia.

“Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time.” ― Ransom Riggs, Hollow City Laurie dreamed he was in a bright forest. He could see people moving amongst the trees, but when he tried to look at them more closely, they shifted behind the trees, out of sight. He tried to give chase, but every time he reached the place where they had been, there was no one there. He tried again and again, but the people were evasive, shifting, always one step ahead. Ahead of him, the black hole of a cave loomed. Flickers of movement - people, disappearing into the thickening gloom. He felt a sudden lurch of fear, but, as so often happens in dreams, found himself moving forward without reason or desire, stumbling and falling into the yawning gape of the cave’s mouth, shadows wrapping around him, muffling his shout of panic and pain as he tripped, hitting the floor. Without moving, he was standing again, now near the underground lake, the little rowboat, waves lapping nonsensically at the gravelled shore. In front of him was the silhouette of a person, with their back to him. He tried calling out but found he could make no sound. He stumbled forward - it was essential he reached them, he knew, and reached for their shoulder. His fingertips brushed empty space; the silhouette span to face him, and Laure recoiled in horror. No face looked back at him - it had no eyes, no nose, no mouth, but he could feel its rage all the same, pure hatred in the void of its features. He staggered back, found himself turning. A second apparition was behind him. He fell to the ground, and there, above him, was a third, and even without a face he recognised their scrawny shape, their awkward, flapping robes, and he knew that it was the young spellcaster, the one he had killed - The next thing Laurie knew, he was thrashing in the tall grass as if trying to push people off him. After a few moments he realised he was awake and stopped himself, laying back, one arm over his eyes, taking deep, shaky breaths. It was just a dream. Just a dream. It wasn’t real. Laurie blinked the tears from his eyes, but it was several long minutes before he moved his arm and opened them. It was late at night; he had fallen asleep whilst watching the settlement and his subconscious had pounced on him. Shivering, he sat up and scanned the grass for signs of movement. Belatedly, he realised he should maybe move somewhere else - what if he had been screaming whilst he dreamed? Laurie scrambled up slunk away through the grass. Once he felt he had moved far enough, he sat, huddled with his knees pulled up to his chest. He did not go back to sleep. He waited until morning, idling the time away by finishing his water, and his roasted spider meat. He had decided he would approach the settlement, making his presence known, but with his face hidden by Shade’s Mask. If he needed to, he would run back into the tall grass and lose any followers in its cover, but he knew he had to approach. He felt a desperate need to know that these people were thriving - that not all people were like Pyro, or himself. He pulled his hood as far forward as it would go and focused on the glyph for Shade’s Mask, shadows congealing over his face. It took a long moment to convince himself to step forward out of the safety of the grass, but he managed it, darting out quickly and holding his breath as though expecting an alarm to sound the moment his foot touched the dirt. None did, of course, and he sighed and shook his head at his own foolishness, before squaring his shoulders and walking resolutely towards the settlement, turning the corner to put himself in sight of the two guards. They perked up at the sight of him, hefting their weapons - a spear on the right, and a pair of small hammers on the left. They weren’t the same pair he had seen the day before. The one with the spear was young and slim, and the one with hammers was a wide set man with bright red hair and a large, wi