"Crash!" Thunder resounded in the air as the electricity grew in intensity. The rain lashed out in anger as it hit Jamaal's dark skin.
He was standing in the cemetery, a distant, desolate place for a teenager his age. Whispers sounded in his mind as hysterical laughing covered the already abnormal atmosphere into a reinforced chamber of insanity.
"Boom!" Thunder resounded close to him inching closer every second and, like a patter of footsteps, it had already reached right by his ear.
"Death." A voice came instead of the crash of thunder, followed by hysterical laughing and a punch before Jamaal smashed into the tombstones one by one.
"Let's play shall we?" The voice resounded once more as a shrouded figure stood where Jamaal stood previously. The only thing you could see in the clothes of darkness was two red, savage eyes filled with an aura of death and an ever-watchful sense of murder. Yet, even so, Jamaal's face did not change, he stood up once more and continued to stare blankly into space.
The figure then disappeared, reappearing right in front of Jamaal. Murderous intent seeped out from within the cloak, yet Jamaal just carried on looking into the eyes of the man. No emotion nor feelings arose from doing so.
Then, after a long and thorough punching session, darkness covered his mind with complete and utter pain.
Jamaal got up from his bed gasping, his face covered in sweat as he let out a breath of relief.
It had been a few years since these nightmares had started and Jamaal had gotten used to the fear and pain resulted from them. He then got up from his bed and slowly walked towards the bathroom, his steps causing the floorboards to creak.
After stepping into the bathroom, he opened the tap and let out the gushing water. As it rushed through, Jamaal washed his face and brushed his teeth before drying his hands and turning off the tap.
He then looked at the mirror, staring into his unnaturally blue eyes and sharp cheekbones. As he stared distantly in thought, a knock came at the door as a voice sounded out.
"Jamaal, you ready yet? We're heading out."
Jamaal snapped out of his thoughts as he opened the door and once again entered his bedroom.
After getting ready, Jamaal went down the stairs; quickly grabbed toast and put on his jacket and shoes. Once the whole family stepped outside, the bright sun glared down on the Earth, warming up the surrounding area.
As the family entered the twenty-fifteen model Range Rover, the engine sounded in the air and the wheel slowly started to roll on the gravel.
Jamaal glanced through the window in silent thought as the vehicle moved through the gate.
"So where are we going?" Jamaal finally spoke.
"It's a surprise," Jamaal's mother answered while rolling her eyes.
Jamaal once again sank into his thoughts as he thought of the first time he had his first nightmare.
[5th June 2015]
The thunder crackled around in the depressive, deadly dark sky. Giving off an oppressive aura, sending shivers to its surroundings. The air was freezing and filled with sadness, hidden away behind the tombstones crying alone in their ways.
"W-where am I?"
Jamaal's voice sounded out, slightly dissipating the empty, lonely atmosphere before the sound of laughter appeared in the distance.
"You're in my territory boy, That's where you are." A figure slammed into the ground, their billowing cloak covered in blue and black lightning.
Jamaal froze as the chilling cold touched his skin, a feeling arose from within him, making him unconsciously take a step back.
"Wh-who are you?" Jamaal stuttered, his face turning pale as if the temperature around him decreased.
"I am fear, and fear is me, but the only thing you should know is that fear... Has revealed itself to you!"
The figure spread out his arms and chuckled as a murderous red light covered him like a cloak and the sky above roared with lightning and thunder.
"Bang!"
Swords and spears alike pierced the ground like a multitude of meteors crashing into the Earth. Jamaal cried out in pain as he got hit by the weapons and his blood spilt out like water from a leaking bottle.
Then, darkness shroud his eyes.
[Present Time.]
"Jamaal, Jamaal you awake?" Jamaal woke up in a fright. As he turned his head, he let out a breath of relief.
"Yeah, I'm awake." Jamaal forced himself to open the door before stepping outside, a single lone tear falling down his cheek.
He then rubbed his eyes and yawned before looking at his parents.
"So, where are we going?"
"The theme park!" Jamaal's dad said with a smile as he walked through the gates.
After getting three tickets and entering into the park, Jamaal feasted his eyes upon a rollercoaster, filled with seemingly dangerous and thrilling loops and dives.
Jamaal let out a rare smile as he settled into the day, going to food stalls and generally having a good time. But not for long. As Jamaal walked along the pathways, he froze. Out of the corner of his eyes, Jamaal had seen a billowing black cloak disappear into the crowds, a traumatic sight for him.
[5th June 2015]
Jamaal lay on the muddy ground, surrounded by tombstones and blood. As he blurrily looked through his blood-covered eyes, a cloaked man seemed to be stepping away from him, his back, shrouded in a dark, evil, murderous aura.
Jamaal coughed out more blood as a red blood pool formed around him.
"W-why, WHY!!??"
[Present Time]
Jamaal snapped back into reality as he started to slightly shiver as if his surroundings were to be a chilling, freezing glacier.
After a few minutes of taking deep breaths and high waves of fear, Jamaal relaxed his tense muscles, continuing forward to buy food from a stall.
As he arrived at the bench where his parents where Jamaal's dad questioned him lightly,
"What happened, son? You got lost?" his deep voice sounded.
"No, there was just a large queue, that's all." Jamaal lied. He put down the food and sat beside his parents as they began to eat. Once the family had finished their lunch, Jamaal deposited the tray back to the stand before they headed out of the theme park gates and into the Range Rover.
As Jamaal reached back home, he walked out of the car and tiredly went to take a shower.
As the hot water trickled down his body, Jamaal thought about the nightmares.
'Why are they here? And for so long...'
He let out a sigh and soon relaxed, his masculine figure resting on the side of the wall. Grabbing the pendant resting on his neck, he stared at the blue gem the chain had entrapped.
"Pain is good. It reminds you that you are human." He quoted as he tried to make light of the nightmare situation.
'But this, this is too real, too vivid to be a nightmare.'
Jamaal sighed as he dazed off into the distance, his eyes closed as the water rained down on him.
Jamaal went back into his room and sat on his bed, grabbing a book from his massive library and diving straight into it.
The cloaked man smashed through the door, the fragments of wood floating around the figure as they began to glow red and let out a chilling aura. Whispers came about as the wood splinters shot towards the girl. They began to rotate furiously as a portal opened with a blinding glow. Soon after, skeletons pouring out of it roaring silently in despair, a red, hot rageful fire burning in their eyes.
"Knock, knock!" Someone knocked on the door, pulling Jamaal out of his world.
"Come in," Jamaal called out as he put the book down onto the bedside table.
The door opened and Jamaal's mum Zaira, walked in.
"Your dinner is ready, come downstairs." After saying that, Jamaal's mother disappeared downstairs after closing the door.
Jamaal got up from the bed after letting out an exasperated sigh.
As he walked down the stairs, Jamaal yawned slightly.
When he finally sat down on the dinner table, his parents started eating, and the atmosphere around the table increased in positivity.
Jamaal soon dived in as well and started eating his full, eating a bit of everything. He then got up after eating; saying goodbye to his parents and going back upstairs to his room. He then crawled into his bed and fell asleep.