Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Afriad of the Light ❯ Sweet Dreams ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

Ozuma felt the comfort of his mattress beneath him before he realized he was in his bedroom. How did I get in here? His eyes remain closed. Never mind that, when did I fall asleep? This time his eyes open, the out of focus blur began to clear up and with a quick glance around the room, his emerald orbs confirmed that he was alone inside his bedroom, and for the most part safe.

Ozuma's head hurt though, as if he may have popped it against something unknowingly. Did my parents put me in here? A hand came up to his forehead. The thought of yelling for the two crossed his mind, but just when he started to open his mouth he heard someone speaking.

"I wish those damned movers didn't just decide to leave the couch in the middle of the room like this." It's his mother.

That must mean they had brought him inside and put him to bed. But that still didn't explain when he had gone to sleep. Was it outside, or a little after? ....God, why couldn't he remember what's happened? I must have gone outside for some reason but why? He wondered. In hopes to dull his headache, Ozuma sat upright on the mattress. Noticing by the weight of his elevation that the mattress rest on the floor.

"We'll move it in the morning, Tsu'." Came his father. "Don't worry about it."

In the morning? Ozuma thought. With an unsounded grunt, he pushed himself up to his feet, wobbling a bit, until he could regain his control. He held out a hand to airspace searching for something to help him keep a balance, but soon gave up feeling his mind clearing a bit more. It can't still be dark outside....

Parting the blinds between his fingers, Ozuma peered out the window jumping back as his gaze came into contact with the reflection of his own eyes. "Hu!" He lost his footing coming down to the floor on his butt with a thud, wincing from the mild pain that rushed through his tail bone.

"Did you hear that?" Himani asked.

"Yeah," He heard foot steps in the distance. "Ozumaaa!? Are you alright?!"

At first, because he was still so startled by what had just happened, he thought he wasn't able to speak. Clearing his dry throat a second, he tried to answer. "Y-.." it cracked and he spoke again. "Yes! I'm ok!" He nursed his butt a moment with his palm giving it a quick rub.

"I'm sorry we had to borrow the night lights in your room," His mother went on. "You were asleep and we were going to give them back in the mor-..."

Ozuma hadn't heard the rest of what his mother was saying. He hadn't noticed before but, the room was pitch black! "Nooo...." He covered his head, panic racing through his entire body. Somehow his legs began to scoot him backward against the wall for self protection and he screamed as though he were on fire. "Moommmy!! Mommy! Mommy!" Over and over.

Foot steps tore up the stairs followed by another set that could only be his fathers. He seemed to run past his wife as he appeared in the room first, ready to stop anyone who dared make his son afraid. Looking around, he saw no offender, just his frightened son in the corner of his bedroom. Relaxing his posture, Himani walked over to him.

Ozuma flinched away from the mans touch as though he were whatever monster or horrible image that ran through his head when thoughts of what lurked in the dark gripped him.

"Ozuma?" Tsugani pulled her son into her arms. "Ssshhh, hush 'zuma, mommies here now, nothing is gonna get you."

A low click sounded beside the boy, and he opened his eyes to see that his father had turned on a flash light. His hand extended as he gave it to his son. "Is that better?" He asked, petting his hair in a comforting way.

"I'm sorry," explained their son. "I got scared... It was dark.... a-aand when you left before, I heard this voice inside the house."

"A voice?" Tsugani wondered.

His father shrugged. "It might have been one of the movers." He offered, no sign of doubt in his voice. How was he to know if the men left or remained somewhere around the house. A few things were moved around downstairs, they just figured Ozuma had done it. "I'll get those damn people if they tried to steal from us."

Tsugani shook her head. Never mind the damn items when their son is so obviously freaked out. "Is that why you were outside, you heard someone in the house?" She asked. Rising to her feet intending to leave the room, her grip never waning around her sons shoulders.

Ozuma nodded, clinging to the flash light tighter than his mother, as he was led downstairs with them.

His mother made a pained sound for her son, rubbing his arm fondly. "Well everything is fine now. We're here and nobody can get you."

Once downstairs and in the well lit living room, Ozuma felt that he could relax. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sounds of his parents putting items from the boxes in their correct places. Sounds of his mother and father shuffling up and down the stairs, filled the quiet home with sound.

Their son remained on the couch resembling a shivering puppy that was left out in the rain for too long. Every now and then his eyes peeked open to assure himself that he remained alright. Rrrr... Stop worrying! My parents are back and everything is fine... He sighed tiredly. And it's just like dad said, it was one of the movers and nothing more. Hugging his arms around his body, he closed his eyes again giving way to sleep.

// The car sped down the street in hopes to get out of the rain. Ozuma sat in back looking out the window at the dark clouds looming over head. He was worried and a little scared, because storms meant anything could happen and even in the daytime light would be limited for him. Just please, don't be severe. He asked in silent prayer.

Tsugani looked past her son out the window, her gaze catching sight of something. "Look there," she points a finger. "That poor couple..."

Both Ozuma and his father turned their heads to look out the window. There standing on the side of the road were two people, what looked to be a male and a female. There heads were covered by thin jackets and their clothes seemed soaked to the bone, though there was no rain yet. How could they have gotten wet?

Both the man and woman's faces were covered in dirt, their bodies seemed soiled as well. Their posture appeared broken and slack as though they had run a great distance to get to the road. But something about them seemed off, more so than the dirt. Like maybe they weren't for real.

The woman held a sign in her hands, Ozuma squinted as he could barely make out the large words written on it.

"Run from dawn...." Himani read. "Wonder what that could mean?"

"Beats me... probably hippies."

Run from dawn... Ozuma ponders. His attention was called above him as he heard the sound of rain pounding down on top of the car. Lowering his back out the window, the young boys eyes widened in shock that the couple was gone. Where did they... go? He didn't think his attention was away from them that long. But then he saw them....

The couple had dropped their sign and started right out onto the freeway! "....Mom." Ozuma tried calling his parents attention. "Dad..." They seemed not to hear him at all, almost as though the back seat of the car no longer exists.

The cars on the road began to swerve in attempt to avoid the couple that darted and swaggered through them. Were they running towards the Balaji's car!? Some of the cars began to burst into flame at contact with another car. Some of them swiveled into the grass, banging into trees. Metal scraped as cars slid beside other ones being dragged a distance before giving out and exploding.

Some of them flipped over rolling two or three times before stopping and being hit by another. All this chaos going on and his parents seemed to see and hear nothing. The other cars apparently saw them, why else would they be flying out of the way?

Rain poured down from the sky drenching the massacre with its luke warm droplets. But nothing not even the roll of thunder or the crash of lightning stopped these peoples feet from moving. Water splashed about their ankles as the couple hurried toward the car the womans arms extend before her, reaching with her hands to grab any part of the car that would come within grasp.

Please... please drive faster.... The boy panicked. His bottom lip quivered as fear gripped him. It seemed that every chant for the car to speed up only caused the opposite effect as they slowed down. The couple couldn't have been any further than a short yard away from them. Why is the car slowing down!

As if on cue, the man made the first dive at the car. His hands stuck to the back window like they had the suction of an octopus attached to his palms. Ozuma jumped back at the mans impact to the window, his head bumped against the back of his fathers seat. The frightened boys chest heaved up and down almost as though it had a led weight resting upon it. His breathing felt forced, imaginary nails digging into each of the fleshy sacks making it almost impossible not to hyperventilate.

Up close, the young boy could see that this was no ordinary human being. The man's skin was a horrible grayish color, like his body had been drained of its blood and replaced with sewer sludge but the worst part of all was that....

"Uuuughhhh" A cold wind blew into the car.

Ozuma's head turned, a frightened yelp spat from his mouth. He was so hung up on the man that he had forgotten about his wife and in that instant she found her way into the car. Her face was just as dreadful as her husbands, dirty gray skin but with a tint less color than he possessed. And also like her husband the woman had no-....

"Aaaa!!!" Ozuma kicked at her nabbing hands with his feet. The woman’s upper body rest on the seat in the car and she already had a bony hand on Ozuma's foot as he couldn't react quickly enough to move out of the way. "Aah haa haa..." He cried out, tears running down his face. "Let gooo!!!"

Ozuma's head dropped down with no warning, he could have banged it up pretty bad on the bottom of the car had it landed there, instead it came into contact with something squishy and wet. It didn't take him long to realize the man was behind him, a strong arm wrapped around his waist , pulling at him.

The man and his wife under went a battle of tug-o-war with his small body, stretching him beyond the extension his skin would allow, causing pain in his mid section. "Mooom! Daaad!" He struggled against the mans hands. "Heeelp meee, pleeeaase!"

His parents heard and saw nothing. It was almost like they were dead to the world there in the front seat, no movement, no sign of life... just dead statues.

"Hello!" The woman spoke, her grizzle tone just as dirty as her appearance. "Hello! Hello!" She continues to chant.

"Hello!! Hello!! Ozumaaaa...."

The young boy cried as he struggled in the mans grip, moving his head from the closeness of the mans cold lips to his ear.

"Hello! Hello!!" He grumbles. //

If it weren't for the sharp sound of a bell ringing, Ozuma might have stayed in the dream forever. But luckily, his eyes snapped open, just in time for him to see the back of his mother walking down the hallway to the front door. The frightened boy breathed in and out, looking about the brightly lit room. It's morning, at last.

But the fear of the dream still gripped him, the feel of the mans arms around his body made Ozuma feel gritty with a need to shower and quickly. But first he had to calm himself before he could function properly for such a task. It was only a dream Ozuma, nothing is going to get you... Mom said so. He reminded his horrified state of mind with the rational, thank God it's daylight, train of thought.

"Ozumaaa!!" His mother called. "Someone's at the door for you!"

Shaking his head a second Ozuma began to stand. One foot than the other, simple. But when his other foot moved to stand there was resistance and something tugged on it a little too tightly for his liking. With a frightened yell he fought back the offender. A blanket that was wrapped around his ankle, tightly, almost like the grip of a humans hand. He didn't care as he tore the thing from his ankle, catching a little skin between his finger nail in the process.

"Whao, whao... what are you doing?" His mother touched his backside, causing her son to leap a mile away. "Ozuma?"

"I'm sorry.... I thought that..." He ran a hand through his two-toned hair. "Never mind... you said someone was here for me?"

"Tada!" Zeo popped out from behind Tsugani's back. "I came by to see if I could help you, and my mom wanted me to give you all this basket of muffins and things. Welcome to the town, that sorta thing."

"Isn't that sweet." She took the offered basket from the Japanese child. "You boys go on and play," She waved a hand looking at her son. "Your father and I can handle things here."

Ozuma looked skeptical. With the way he felt all he wanted was to be held a little and comforted. But if his mother insisted he go and with Zeo standing right there, he couldn't say no. "O-..kay, let me get dressed first." He said to Zeo.

"I'll wait," he answered. "We're gonna have a great day, I hope you brought your swim trunks...."

Zeo's loud tone followed Ozuma into the kitchen, and for the most part, up the stairs. The Indian boy was beginning to feel a bit better as reality began to sink in and console him on its own. He didn't realize just how glad he was to get out of the house, actually. Yanking the shirt over his head, Ozuma scanned the room for his clothes, glad to see that someone had took the time to complete his room a little bit more yesterday.

The box where he had his clothes was empty, same as his suit cases it looked like, so his clothes must be in the closet. Tugging the sliding door across, some of the dim light from the window shown in giving him a good view of the shirt and jeans he wanted to wear. Tossing yesterdays shirt in the corner he pulled a new one down from the hanger then slid it over his head.

Dropping his shorts to the floor then with a little jump, he took the pair of jeans that rest folded up on the shelf above his shirts, down and slipped them on. Now where... are my sneakers? Looking through the closet, he shoved a box over finding them. There they are. Reaching down his hand paused. Something was... funny about the way the shirt he had taken off landed. ...It... was sitting up. Almost like it were sitting over someone's head rather than just dropping to a crumpled pile on the floor.

"Is someone..." He reached for it.

"Are you ready to go?" Zeo sounded behind him at the door.

"....Yeah," Ozuma drew back his hand. Reaching instead for his sneakers like he had planned. "Come on."

He and Zeo hurried out of the room.

The shirt began to slip down from where it sat, a patch of black hair showing underneath it, until Ozuma rushed back into his bedroom closing the closet door, and the shirt dropped to the floor in a rumpled pile as if whatever were there, had suddenly vanished.