The Dream Plague

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Saren

The Rogue Spectre
Original poster
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  2. One post per week
  3. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
Weekends
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Prestige
  3. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Fantasy (medieval or modern), sci-fi, steampunk, genres involving dragons
Long ago, a group of people were cursed by the last sorcerer alive. These people had wronged the magic users and punished them for practicing magic. The curse dictated that the group, and their eventual descendants, would be plagued by nightmares. If they could overcome the nightmares, they would be taken into the Dreamrealm and attempt to vanquish the spirit of the last sorcerer.

If they died while in the Dreamrealm, they died in real life, and their soul would be transported to the Dreamrealm and morphed into a nightmare creature to haunt someone else afflicted with the curse. Once death had overtaken them, the curse would pass on to their firstborn child, regardless of gender or age. Some made it into their old age, and some didn't live past 30. If they chose not to have a child, the curse would jump to someone else, even if they were not related to the carrier.

Should a Dreamer destroy the spirit of the last sorcerer, the curse on everyone would be lifted, but no one has ever made it. Maybe someday, someone can change that.

Senna%20Kovaks_zps95ivlajj.jpeg


Name:
Senna Kovaks
Age: 24
Bio: Senna was given the curse at the age of 10 after her father died failing to protect himself inside the Dreamrealm. Since then, she's been plagued by the nightmares and has never had a full night's sleep. She hasn't ventured out far from the Hub, and she barely makes a living on her own while awake. Only her mother knows about her curse, and she can't bring herself to tell anyone else.

~

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Name: Connor West
Age: 26
Bio: Connor was one of the few whose family had no connection to the cursed descendants. He lived a normal life as more of a man for adventure than anything else until one night he started to have grueling nightmares. To this day he truly doesn't know why because no one he knows has told him. But the nightmares... they seem so real. From a well to do family, Connor works as a scientist after successful completion of his biochem undergraduate and graduate degrees.​




“I don't know if I'm dreaming when I sleep or sleeping while I'm awake,
but I have reoccurring dreams my mind cannot take”


― Stanley Victor Paskavich, Stantasyland: Quips Quotes and Quandaries

~

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" her mother asked over the phone. Senna knew it was an arbitrary question, for they both knew she wasn't not alright. "Why don't you stop by and pick up some of these leftovers? I know you don't always have time to cook, and I'm certainly not going to eat all of this."

"No, Mom, it's fine. I'll just order a pizza or something. I don't really want to go out right now. Sorry. Maybe I'll come by tomorrow," she answered, trying to bite back the yawn threatening to escape from her lips. Exhaustion was always a part of her routine, and it never went away.

"Call me if you need anything, okay? Love you," her mother chimed, trying to be positive. The gesture, though sweet, was hollow. They both understood that her mother could do nothing to help Senna.

"Yeah. Night, Mom." Senna hung up, the cell phone lingering in her hand before she tossed it onto the couch. Somehow, the thought of dialing up the pizza joint and doing more talking was too tiring to imagine. Shuffling to her fridge, she yanked it open, finding a cold emptiness to greet her. A few apples were strewn about in one drawer, half a block of potentially molding cheese sat on a shelf, and half a gallon of milk went untouched. Senna didn't know why she even bothered looking. She knew she had nothing. Her mother helped her pay rent, took care of her groceries, even gassed her car sometimes. It was all in the name of trying to feel independent.

"Yeah," she scoffed to herself, "that's goin' real well, isn't it."

She sighed, closing the fridge, leaning one hand on the counter in both thought and hunger. One part of her conversation had been true: she didn't want to go back out for anything. She was already ready for bed, even though the thought of sleep had her clawing to stay awake. She tried to tell herself that sleep is for the weak, but she was already padding to her bedroom. Kicking the discarded clothes to the side, Senna flopped onto her bed, sliding her feet under the blankets and curling up into a tight ball.

Only a second passed before her eyes opened and she was looking around a bright mist overhead. The Hub always looked normal, but the second anyone stepped outside, the landscape turned hellish with the nightmare creatures lurking around. Standing up, Senna looked around, but as always, there was no one around to greet her. Once before, she met someone, but they were quick to leave in a panic. She never saw that person again, and she never dwelt on the reasons why that was the case.

With a sigh, Senna sat down on the soft ground, knowing it implied safety and comfort. It was unfortunate that the feeling didn't carry over the second anyone left. The Dreamrealm's inhabitants were only limited by their imaginations, but how can anyone imagine anything when surrounded by what they fear most?

It was that depressing thought that locked her away inside the Hub. Perhaps she could have stayed there for the rest of her days, never trying to do the one thing everyone else has. It didn't seem like a terrible thought, but she was already been thinking this for a very long time. The nightmares couldn't get in, but she couldn't bring herself to go out.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Senna pulled her legs up, resting her chin on her knee. She didn't hear anything outside the shining walls of the Hub, but that didn't mean nothing isn't there, waiting to prey on some poor soul with many a hidden fear.
 
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"I'll see you tomorrow, Angie," Connor said, and took off his lab coat and put it on a hanger to place in the closet next to all the other blue coats. He closed the door, he turned around to the black lab table where his partner was still leaning over her notes and scribbling away. "Angie?" He asked when she didn't respond. She only pushed her red hair out of her eyes and mumbled something before flipping through more pages in her notebook to fact check.

"Angie?" He stepped closer, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. She shook beneath him and immediately snapped her head up in shock. With a short gasp, she blinked and collected her thoughts.

"Yeah, hey, yeah." She said, unconvincingly.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Connor added as he laughed to himself, patting her again as she rubbed her eyes. She shook her head.

"I can take you home if you would like, Angie. I know your car is still in the shop. You've been late all this week because of it and have been staying well past your time. Come on," he started to help her put away her papers as she nodded her head, "I'll take you home."

She seemed grateful enough when he dropped her home. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said when she exited his dark blue car, "and uh, thanks for the ride. It's nice to have a guy like you on the team." Connor only nodded and smiled to her before she shut the door and went into her apartment complex.

Connor drove home but when he reached his front door, a hunter green with the number 75 in brass numbers, he sighed. He wanted to sleep somewhere else tonight for the past two months have been all but pleasant dreams. He opened up his apartment door and his cat, Mace, came bounding towards him. He figured that more of a dog's behavior but he reached down and scooped the already purring animal up into his arms like a baby. Dinner for both of them was left over chicken then there was nothing to do but watch some TV, write a bit, and go to bed.

Mace curled up on Connor's lap as he finished his tea. Chamomile was something he was told to drink for it would put him to sleep and make his dreams more pleasant. "Well," he sighed to mace who was happily kneading his thighs and roaring like a motorboat, "it's time to get to bed, huh?" And with that he lay back and closed his eyes and kept petting the gray tabby until he fell asleep.

He was running again before he knew why, trees and branches whipping past him, even trying to grab him with gnarled fingers, as he pushed through the obstacles in front of him. Keep running! Keep running! He yelled to himself internally, not quite knowing what was chasing him but only knowing that he had to keep moving. It was a wolf or bear or something. He was in the woods so that would make sense. Run, run, run! and that he did. Out of the trees he came, not even bothering to look at what was chasing him for fear he might trip. But he saw through the red mist he saw a Hub. He may have not known what they are but he ran to it, thinking it safe.

He leaped inside the shining walls, feeling as though he passed into another dimension. The shadows that were following him ate around it but didn't penetrate the safe bubble. Connor panted as he lay on the ground, soft grass compared to the cracking earth he had been running on since falling asleep. He felt dirty, drenched with sweat as his chest rose and fell. "Thank you," he said to the shining walls that reflected only the greatness of the Hub. "Oh sweet lord, thank you." He let his head rest on the grass, his shaking body relax before he opened his eyes again.
 
She didn't really know how long she had been sitting there for, but the monotony was starting to get to her. She didn't want to leave, but she couldn't wake up and go about her waking life. All she could do was wait. It wasn't like she hadn't already done this for several years.

The ground beneath her shook with an approaching creature, but Senna just wrapped her arms around her head to block out the sound. She could hear the growls and snaps of something wild, and she reminded herself that the Hub was impenetrable by the nightmares. It wasn't the most reassuring of thoughts, given that one of the creatures was sniffing around, but she tried to think about it anyway.

However, a different noise caught her attention. It was a voice, a real human voice, not like the taunting and haunting voices of the nightmare creatures. Looking up, Senna saw a prone form resting on the ground a few yards away. He hadn't seemed to notice her, which she could understand. No one in here was expecting to run into anyone else. Pushing herself off the ground, Senna replaced her arms around her stomach, hugging herself as she stepped forward.

"Hello?" she called, her own voice tentative. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Who... Who are you?" Well, it wasn't exactly the smartest of questions, but there it was. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself, watching the man revel in the grass.
 
"I'm safe, I'm safe..." he repeated, chest still rising and falling until he eventually got his breathing under control. The creatures no longer could chase him inside here. That, at least, he knew for sure. He stumbled upon one of these things before and was astonished how quickly the world changed. At least this wasn't the first time or else he might have acted more distant to whoever was there.

Then a voice, reserved, comes to his ears and he immediately twists his body around so that he could see her properly. "Who are you?" rings in his ears and he eagerly stands up, smiling as if nothing had happened. "My name is Connor," he added, offering his hand to her for a shake. He was standing now, his weight sure below him. He wouldn't wobble or fall like he did last time he was in one of these magical bubbles.

"You found one of these little safe haven things too, huh?" His hands place themselves on his hips as he looked around. "These things fascinate me, you know. Their size, strength, molecular st..." he noticed how strange that might sound so he only trails off and smiles at Senna. "And you are?" He tries to gauge her attitude towards him, noticing both her body language and the way she spoke.

Looking down to himself, he noticed that he had on a pair of dark gray jeans and a simple green t-shirt. There was nothing fancy in his attire and he figured that his dreaming self would put him in simple clothes. This was a no tie occasion. He missed those previous dreams before these nightmares started to plague him, it was true, but he kept those thoughts to himself. "How long have you been here?"
 
Senna glanced between his hand and his smiling face. He was cute, as if that mattered. It was likely that one of them would walk out of there and never return. But he was trying to be inviting, a surface level gesture. A nice one, to be sure, but it wouldn't go far. Still, she reached out, shaking his hand. He had launched into how interesting the Hub was to him, which was the first time she'd ever heard that. Anyone like her had to be keen on getting out, not admiring the scenery.

"Senna," she answered, though she was quick to retract her hand and replace it around her abdomen. Her attire was unassuming, just like his. The Dreamrealm never cared about what its inhabitants wore. She could have tried to imagine herself wearing something else, but the sweat pants and loose hoodie were comfortable. She was vaguely aware that she'd fallen asleep in her jeans, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd done that.

"You mean like now or in general?" she asked, though she regretted the question. He must not have endured what she had if he was still able to smile within the Hub. Then again, he had run from the creatures outside, so he knew the nightmare terrors like she did. "Just a few hours probably... It's hard to tell in here."
 
"Wow, Senna," he added once she said her name aloud and his smile widened. "That's a very pretty name. Its not one that I have heard before either. Do you know where it originates from?" Well, one thing was for certain at this point: he didn't really care about being in the Dreamrealm or really have any sense what it was. Perhaps to him this is just another wicked dream where he can coast along and just live it. Perhaps it was his sense of adventure and extrovertedness slipping through.

He noticed her attire but said nothing upon the subject. She was, in his mind, allowed to wear whatever she would like. But wasn't this his dream? Could he have her stark naked if he so desired? Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, Connor passes it off as flipping his loose hair. He ran a hand through it quickly. "Yeah," he added, unsure of what else to say to this woman, "I don't know, just trying to make a bit of conversation. I suppose how long have you been here now and in general. Why not know both, hm?" He smiled again and turned around to look at the wall of the Hub.

"A few hours, nice." He seemed not to be phased by the outside world although the creatures did have him shaking in his boots so to say. "And do you know exactly what these things are? I just know them as that safe area I stumbled upon when I first started getting these nightmares." His voice lowers and he looked down to his hands, "They feel so... real?" He questioned to himself, flexing his hands before looking back up to her with a smile. Perhaps that was his way of getting through all of this... having to place a smile on his face as to not worry anyone else around him. "But if this is your circle or something, I can just go," he took a step to the wall and motioned towards it, "I don't want to trespass or anything of that sort."
 
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Of all the things he could have said, he had to say that. She couldn't help the blush that reddened her face and she shook her head. "Uh, thanks. And no, I don't." It was almost remarkable how flippant he was about the entire situation. It was like he didn't know how serious the problem was. Maybe he didn't... She envied that. There was an innocence in the way he talked, moved, and took everything in. She'd been like that the first time she'd shown up here, but the magic of dreaming was lost on her now.

When he asked if she knew what was happening, she wanted to nod and shake her head at the same time. Maybe if she'd been brave enough to leave the Hub for longer than two minutes, she might have a better idea, but as it stood, she was too much of a coward. Hazel eyes observed his movements, watching him smile in spite of his lack of knowledge. His enthusiasm, if Senna could call it that, was almost infectious. If the situation wasn't so dire, she might have found herself smiling too.

However, that thought faded as he suggested leaving. "No! No, don't leave," she said, stepping forward and nearly stretching a hand forth to catch him. Realizing the desperate tone in her voice, she sighed, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves. "Sorry. You just... You probably shouldn't leave. Those things will kill you. You know how people say if you die in your dream, you die for real? For us... that's true," she explained, flipping a hand between the both of them. "In here, you're safe from the nightmares, but if you leave, there's only so much you can do to protect yourself."
 
What caught him off guard was the fact that she was so set on having him stay. As he cautiously made sure he wasn't intruding, she immediately, out of some desperation, told him not to. His eyebrow raised but Connor said nothing right away even if such thoughts were clear in his mind. He Jana his hands into his pockets and starts to aimlessly pace from one side of Senna to the other. "So why do you care if I stay or go?" He shrugs, not really understanding her when she mentioned the real consequences of this dream world.

"A dream is just a dream," he added with a soft chuckle, "why would this place be different from any other dream I have ever been in? You die and you wake up in your bed. Your brain can't comprehend death so it naturally wakes you up." He knew this from both experience and his biology knowledge. It was a simple thing in his min and he smirked a bit at her as he talked. "Yeah?" Then something else hits him and he pauses for a moment. "So why did you say we? Us? People like us?" He raised an eyebrow but kept judgement from his eyes. She might indeed be crazy but he was not one to judge the workings of the mind. "I'm just curious." There was that smile again as he looked on past her to the rest of the hub.

"I just knew that something was chasing me, that's all. But you called them... Nightmares?" His curiousity was getting the better of him now. "From the nightmares?" He repeated as he looked back at the wall of the hub. "And where am I?" He raised a brow. "I am not quite sure what's going on. You might want to explain that to me, Senna. Actually, I would be really pleased if you could enlighten me on this. These..." He motions around, "dreams. One worse than the next. Why did they come about all at once? I never had a bad dream in my life and now I get them every night. Do you get them too?"
 
Now it seemed like he was finally understanding that this place wasn't like his normal dreams. Senna could hope for more, but if he believed her, maybe it was a start. As he paced, she watched him, her fingers wringing her sleeves. Connor was trying to comprehend, and it didn't seem like he was stupid. Good looking and smart, she told herself, but she kept that particular thought to herself. What was more important was his grasp on the idea of dying if he went out beyond the shimmering walls of the Hub.

"Yes. Every night," she answered with a nod. "I have been for a very long time, and... they aren't going to stop on their own. If you can imagine it, they'll only get worse from here. It... It's a lot to take in." The more Senna spoke, the more she realized how much she didn't know. Her father had known more, but as a child, she had never had it fully explained to her. Only up until his death did she really grasp the severity of what was happening.

"I know that these dreams aren't normal. If they were, we wouldn't be talking. We're both people outside of this, connected by this... this magic." She pinched the bridge of her nose and scoffed at herself. "I know you probably think it's crazy, but that's what it is. Science can't really explain this. Believe me, I've tried to figure out what to make of all this for years, and I can only go off of what I've been told. It's not as easily explained as you might like."
 
Connor tried to understand her reasoning. He attempted not to let his eyebrows dip down in the center but he was unable to stop them once they started. "What?" He whispered to himself as he looked from Senna to the walls of the Hub and beyond. "What do you mean by all of this?" He tried not to sound angry in his tone but he was confused. This was just a dream. A normal dream. Yes, he had been having nightmares for the past month or so, as far as he could remember, but there was nothing to it. Nightmares came and went and that's all they were. He blamed it on his new job more than anything.

"You have no control over your nightmares," he told her, shrugging it off as he stopped in front of her once again, his pacing done for the meantime. "Everyone knows that you just have to wake up and hope that when you fall back asleep, you wake up in a better place. The chemicals in your brain..." he stopped himself again from going on another science tangent. It was his passion, his hobby, and his job, but he noticed how many women simply rolled their eyes.

"Were both people?" he added, smirking. "I mean, you're probably someone who I have seen in passing. That's why you are here now. My brain registers you as..." and he trailed off again. "Well, you know how funky the brain can be. It can only recognize people its seen before. Its amazing but not invincible. So of course we're both people." Feeling a bit satisfied with himself, he placed his hands on his hips and nodded, seemingly having known the answer. "But what are you talking about?" he tried to understand. "What things are you talking about and why are they after me? Why aren't they allowed in this circle? I'm just looking for questions," he smiled again, "just so I can know what you're getting at."
 
Senna clenched her fists to keep her hands from trembling. A mixture of fear and anger swirled inside her. Connor had no idea what he was talking about, trying to use what worldly knowledge he had to explain the complete irrationality of what was happening. She had done it herself once, but after years of trying to figure out what this place was, she had finally accepted that she couldn't completely understand. And Connor, with all his fancy science talk, was trying to do what she could not.

"You don't get it, do you?" Senna snapped as he stopped in front of her. "This isn't a puzzle you can solve with science and numbers. Those nightmares out there," she thrust one balled hand at the wall of the Hub, "will kill you. If you don't believe me, if you really think they're just dreams, then go out there and see what happens. They're not after just you. They're after me too."

Senna took a deep breath, trying to release her anger. Connor was just doing what she had done, and she didn't have a right to be mad at him... mostly. "And I don't know you. We've probably never met or seen one another in passing, and we probably never will. Not outside of here, anyway." She paused again, bringing her arms back up to cross over her chest. "Just know that you're going to keep coming back here every time you go to sleep."
 
She snapped at Connor and he grew quiet, making sure that she blows off her steam before he interjects. "No, obviously I do not understand this," he said in a very rational tone, seemingly unable to get mad at the girl. He can get frustrated but perhaps not mad. Plus they only just met. But Connor simple smiled, not as strong as it was when he first opened his mouth but it was still there. "How do you know that it can't be solved? Nothing is impossible if you just put your mind to it."

He raised a brow at her comment that he would be back at this place night after night. "How do you know that I will be back here?" He raised a brow. "I don't have to stay here but since you're so kind to offer for me to stay... Well. How could I say no?" He rubbed his hands together. "Well since I don't understand what's going on in this dream... Why don't you explain it to me?"

((Sorry it's short - from my phone))
 
Was it impossible for him to stop smiling? Sure, the facial expression wasn't as strong as before, but he still wore it. He wanted to understand, and if he could keep quiet about any sort of science-y talk for two seconds, it was possible that she could explain it. He wanted to know how she knew everything, but even Senna herself didn't really know. She only knew from her father, and that information was spotty at best.

"Well... Sit down," she said, moving to plant herself on the grass, crossing her legs. She folded her hands in her lap, looking at the ground and taking a moment to breathe. "I know I can't tell you everything about this, but that's because I don't know it myself. I do know that you'll come back here every night because that's what happened to me. Before this, you were always running, right? Crazy things were chasing you, and you had to run. It was always the same thing, even if your surroundings weren't."

Senna twirled her index finger around the grass, tugging at the blades until they came free of the dirt. "How long ago did you start having nightmares? Couldn't have been more than a year, yeah? Did either of your parents die around the same time?" She pursed her lips as the question came out, and she broke eye contact, hazel orbs intently studying the mess she'd made in the grass. "Sorry. That's probably a little too forward of me. It matters, if you can believe that."
 
Her comment to sit down had him looking from the grass to her and the grass again. He had already planted himself down there by his own will but that was different. Now he was being invited to stay and listen to this woman. Trust this woman... So he tentatively sat in a position he could easily lift himself from and run if needed. He knelt by her, his hand in the grass before him. He stayed like that for a moment until the woman started to ask about his nightmares then he found himself finally sitting.

"Well I am sure that anything you tell me will have its value no matter if you think it significant or not. I'm just trying to understand all of this." He contemplated what he had been doing for the past two months and he nodded. "Yeah, I have been running but who is to say that I won't just keep doing that until I figure something out?" He didn't necessarily believe in his words. Rather, he wanted to just see how she would react. He doubted leaving such a calm place, looking past her to some makeshift lodgings and whatever else might be behind her. "I have no idea what was chasing me but all I knew is that they were back there and never got the chance to be close enough. I'd hide myself at night," he looked down to his dirty clothing, "and run when I returned here." He watched her tug out blade after blade but he said nothing.

"Are your parents gone?" He questioned as he shrugged. "Mine are both still alive and well. I just thought my new job was giving me some nightmares. Two months worth of dreadful things but I always just passed it off as simply my new job and the stress it has given me. Are you telling me that I was wrong to think that?"
 
Senna kept quiet as he explained, and she was almost grateful to hear that both of his parents still lived. But it didn't make sense. Her father had never spoken of anyone who just... got the curse. He had inherited it from his mother, who got it from her mother... all the way back to when Senna could no longer count the 'grands' prefacing her ancestors. Without understanding how any of this worked, she was almost as much in the dark as Connor was. But she still knew more, and she had to take it upon herself to explain it.

"Like I said, you can leave, but you're taking your chances with those things out there. All I know is that I've been running and hiding from the nightmares for a long time. It's not stress that's doing this to you. If it was, I wouldn't be here, and you would have woken up by now. Everything that's happened to you is everything that happened to me too. It's not coincidence, and none of that science-y stuff you were spewing is going to help you explain this." She finally had it in her to look him in the eye, and her hazel gaze was full of sincerity. Oh how nice it would be if this were a cruel joke her brain was playing on her, but it wasn't. That much she could be sure of.

"My father is... not here anymore. He was affected by all this too, but those creatures out there... They killed him. He should have woken up when he died, just like everyone else in the world, but he didn't. The night after he died, I started having terrifying dreams of monsters chasing me." Senna paused, fingers wrapped around a long, stubborn blade of grass. She looked away from him to focus on uprooting the grass, but her words continued. "I don't know how it works, but it's like... magic or something. My father never did explain it to me. Said I was too young to worry about it yet."
 
She was right, she was right... he knew that she was right. Connor signed gently for he know that it was right. If this was a stress induced dream, his body would have woken him up. He would have been sweating when he opened his eyes had would have shot up from the bed in a fit of cold sweat. But no. He always woke up in the same exactly position he fell asleep in. That was the strangest part. He never tossed or turned but simply laid there and let his brain fire all these chases.

"But what if you leave with me?" he questioned as he shrugged and ran a hand along the blades of grass by his thigh. Connor may have not liked the way she ripped up the plant so nonchalantly but he supposed that it was a nervous thing of hers that she did when confronted by questions and perhaps new people. He, indeed, was new. Perhaps his foolishness would have gotten him killed by now if he weren't such a fast runner. Whatever made him feel better. Whatever worked to keep his mind firing after all these nightmares.

"I am sorry to hear about your father." Connor dipped his head down in a quick gesture of respect even though he did not know anything about her nor her family. "And are... are we the only ones here? You said 'we' a moment ago. Who are you referring to?" He looked across the way but found no other signs of life. "I don't understand it," he admitted, "but I have no ignorance to its existence. If you say its magic, it makes me want to laugh but... we are both stuck here and it seems to me that you know what you're talking about. Even if it's just a bit... you still have a better idea than I do. Either way, I can't stay in this circle my entire sleeping life. I may be running for my life out there but it makes the time pass quicker and what is a bit of fun without the fear of death."
 
"But what if you leave with me?"

The thought was terrifying, to say the least. The only thing Senna knew about Connor was that he knew next to nothing. Not like she knew more. Suddenly, the fact that her father hadn't explained anything to her younger self frustrated her, even though she knew he had only been protecting her. She let him work through everything she'd said, though her mind was still stuck on his suggestion. She had never left the Hub after getting here, and she wasn't keen on starting now. But... Connor had a point. They couldn't stay inside the Hub for the rest of their sleeping lives, though she wanted to.

"Here, right now, yeah, probably. Supposedly there are a few other people who are affected by this, but I've only ever seen one person. They didn't stay long, and I never saw them again." She shrugged one shoulder before she pulled her hands back into her lap and looked up again. "If we go out there, we have to find another Hub before we wake up. Getting stuck out there doesn't seem like a good idea, and I think it's hard to wake up when you're getting chased. My father seemed like he could wake up on time for the most part, which means that there are Hubs within running distance... Maybe."

Was it worth the risk to find out? Considering it was her life at stake, Senna couldn't really say for sure. She couldn't imagine the thought of leaving her mother all alone in the same way her father had, but coming here every night rather than getting restful sleep was wearing her down. She knew she would eventually leave, but now she had someone to go with. At least if she would die, someone would be around to witness it.

"We should wait until tomorrow night. Give ourselves as much time to run as we can." Senna tried to hide the fear in her voice, but there was just enough of a waver for her to curse herself for it.
 
"Well, then we should start out with easy distances that we know can be made and returned to within a few minutes. Slowly that will progress to an hour then a few hours until we can spot another hub. I'm not saying that it will be easy..." he smiled, trying to reassure her for he sensed that she was tentative on the entire situation. "but at least there are two of us instead of just one. Believe me," he smirked due to his current 'on the run' situation, "it's a tough business to run away from these nightmares, as you call them, but its not impossible."

"I am still alive, aren't I? And after two months of doing this, I am sure that even if we get stuck out there without the Hub.. I can figure out a way to keep us safe." Perhaps he was lying or he was just lucky. But it seemed as if he knew what he was talking about. "In the real world," he shrugged, not knowing what else to call it by, "I'm a bit of an adventurer. Well, I'm a scientist, as you can figure out from my half said science-y statements as you called them, but perhaps on my weekends I like a bit of fun. Rock climbing and such.. camping. You know, the works."

He nodded to her statement of leaving tomorrow night. "And if I fall asleep here, we will both wake up right in these spots?" He already knew the answer but maybe reiterating the point wouldn't hurt at this time and place. "Well, I must admit that I am happy to have ran into this particular hub, Senna. It's good to see another face around these parts." Even if you claim to not be a part of my imagination. He thought to himself. Yet, he smiled. "What did your father do in the real world compared to this world? This..." he looked around briefly, "nightmare that we are in."
 
Senna did, in fact, believe him. She had run from the creatures herself a long time ago, but she never forgot what they looked like. She had to give credit where it was due; he was certainly trying to do everything he could to change their situation. She was almost ashamed that she hadn't tried, but who could blame her? She'd been young and afraid. Now she was just older and afraid. Little had changed in the years she'd been inside the Hub.

Connor explained what kind of person he was out in the real world, and she felt bad that she wasn't so forthcoming with the same information. She'd spent a long time not trusting people about her condition, as she'd heard her mother call it once. Years of not saying anything led to being unable to speak now. She was grateful that he was filling the silence with his own voice, and all she could do was nod. He seemed like a good guy inside and out of the Hub, which would make his death a lot harder if they got caught.

Despite the severity of their situation, she still managed a quirky smile at his admittance. "Yeah, me too." She reveled in that slight bit of happiness before she forced herself to move on. "Yeah, you'll be here. There's no guarantee that we'll be in here at the same time, but we'll just have to wait and see. And my dad? I don't know what he did in here, or how long he'd been doing this before I was born, but outside in the real world, he was a army veteran. Did a few tours overseas before I came along."
 
"Well, at least your dad had some proper training in how to survive a place like this. I hear the army really works you and you never forget what you were taught." Connor smiled again quickly before he continued. "Well, I suppose I should start reading up on some survival skills so I can save my neck out there." He pointed to the wall behind him and chuckled. "Just in the case we ... we might get into some trouble. 'The more you know' is what my dad always says." The rest of their night was filled with broken conversation, little gems while they explored the hub. Well, he explored the hub and she sat on the grass for she knew what lay behind her. Soon, they would both drift to sleep and wake up for another day in the real world.

"Mr. West," questioned his supervisor by the name of Nicholas Hicks, "may I have a word?" Connor was bent over some lab equipment, tuning them with a small screwdriver to make sure their internal scale was balanced. He looked up, goggles still strapped to his face and nodded. "You're not allowed to be in here without the proper equipment, sir." he recalled his lesson from the first day of working here. Nicholas peered down at him, not surprised that he said that and just sighed. "Mr. West..." he started but Connor was already taking off his gloves, setting the latex down on the table and moving to the closest door. He waited until Mr. Hicks was clear of it to step out into the hallway himself.

"Do you know why I have called you out here?" He asked and Connor shook his head. "Well, Mr. West, you're about to be assigned with a very important task. We have partners a few," he flicked his hand in the southern direction, "partners over that way and need to be assured that some computerized equipment we're creating for their offices work. We--"

Connor cuts him off. "Sir, I didn't know we specialized in anything else but cell--"

"Don't question me, Mr. West. There is a lot more to this company than your biochemistry. You are just one department and this task is from the more... mechanical side of things instead of your biological one. Now. I need you to accompany the men with the install because it has to do with finger print scanning technology."

"Sir, I'm a biochemist, not a technician."

"But your skills, you will see, will come in handy. You'll make your way over there in two weeks time once our men have finished their prototype, tested it, and well, ready it for marketable sale."

"Yes sir."

"Good, I'll contact you again in a week with more information."
 
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