Chapter 7
As Bellamy and Lincoln sleep, Roan makes his way outside where Murphy is looking at the stars. They stand there in silence for a bit before either of them says anything.
"They'll die if they go up against her."
"We'll all die if no one tries to stop her. The few for the many, right?"
"Please Roan, you don't believe that shit any more than I do. Some people are worth saving and some aren't while others were just meant to be forgotten."
"You're not forgotten Murphy and I doubt Bellamy could forget you if he tried. Give them something helpful, at least. He's strong, I can feel it and so is his magic. Help him unlock that part that's holding him back." Roan says as he lays a hand on Murphy's shoulder.
"Like you did with Mbege?" Murphy replies bitterly.
"That wasn't my doing. I showed him the part he was keeping hidden but he refused to except it."
"What was it? Why won't you tell me?" Murphy questions.
"Because it's not my place and just because he's dead doesn't make it okay to tell you. When the time is right for you to know, you'll know and until then it will remain a mystery."
"I hate it when you talk in fucking riddles. It makes my head hurt. I'm going to bed." Murphy says walking past Roan and into the cabin.
Roan follows shortly after and heads to the couch where he falls asleep a few minutes later.
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The days events had been draining and Murphy just wanted to sleep but knew his dreams wouldn't let him. As he'd done every night since Mbege's death he prepared himself for the nightmares to come and prayed the shadows didn't kill everyone in the house. His dreams started like they always did with happier times before they were morphed into the horrors that were his life. His father's execution, his mother's pushing and meddling in his dreams where she would distort the happy ones and make them sad or horrible in some other way.
Then Mbege's death would replay and his mother's sickeningly sweet voice would say "why didn't you help him? Why weren't you good enough to keep him alive. You're poison and death is the only thing you're good at." Her voice always ended with that same sentence as it changed to something much harsher. It was always the same pattern of events but tonight something changed. Something was there that shouldn't have been. No not something, someone. A dream walker but not a familiar one or perhaps a familiar one that he wished would go away. He followed the feeling and when he saw them, he lost control.
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Shadows engulfed the house, encasing it in a cocoon of blackness that began sucking the air from everything inside. Roan stumbled to Murphy's room and tried to wake him up but the shadows knocked him back and cut off any other attempts to reach Murphy. Lincoln tried waking Bellamy with much the same result only without being thrown by shadows. When their attempts to leave the cabin left them face to face with a wall of darkness Roan spoke.
"Only Bellamy can save us now because if he can't we're dead."
Roan sat cross legged on the grass and began to meditate. Lincoln followed his lead knowing that saving their energy and reducing their breathing would keep them alive long enough for Bellamy to hopefully get through to Murphy.
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In his dream Murphy is arguing with the dream walker, trying to force him out but he can't. The dream walker simply laughs at him and says "foolish shadow warrior only another dream walker can push me out." Murphy lunges at him but instead of hitting him, he hits Mbege who pleads "why did you let me die? Why are you so worthless and pathetic? I let myself die because it was the only way to be rid of you."
"Stop it! You're not real. Mbege would never say that. He loved me."
"Yes he did but did you ever truly love him? Did you?"
Murphy falls to his knees, holding his head as he rocks back and forth whispering "leave me alone. You're not real" over and over as the voices grow louder and louder until suddenly there's nothing. He's surrounded by silence but he doesn't dare look up for fear it might be a trick.
There's a sudden gentle touch on his shoulder and the shock of it has him recoiling in fear until he hears a deep soothing voice.
"Murphy, look up. He's gone. It's just me and you, I promise. Please John, look at me."
The touch on his hand is light and tentative as Murphy slowly raises his head to see Bellamy looking at him with concern.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm good. You?"
"I'm fine. I think. This isn't gonna follow me when I wake up, is it?" Bellamy asks pointing to his busted lip and bruised cheek.
"Unfortunately it is. It's a danger of being a dream walker. A kind of reminder of what happened."
"Well that sucks. Who was that?"
"No one, just another corrupt dream walker. How did you know I was in trouble?" Murphy asks avoiding the subject of the rogue dream walker.
"I'm not sure. There was this feeling of dread and then I was hit with this overwhelming wave of fear and suddenly I saw you curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth like a scared child with this huge person leaning over you. The things he was saying I knew they were lies and that if I didn't stop him you'd be lost forever, so I kick him out. He got a couple hits on me obviously but I was stronger."
"Thanks."
"It's what dream walkers do, right? Now let's see if we can find something happy to help you sleep better, shall we?" Bellamy says with a slight smile, offering Murphy his hand which he takes.
In the cabin the shadows begin to fade as air rushes back in. Lincoln and Roan breathe a deep sigh of relief when they feel the breeze on their faces and open their eyes to find a sky full of stars staring back at them. They breathe in the air for a bit before heading back in the house where Murphy seems to have a smile on his face which is a rare but welcomed sight. Once everything is checked out, Roan goes back to the couch to get a few more hours sleep while Lincoln sits by Bellamy's bed. Just in case something else happened because he didn't like the bruise on his cheek or the busted lip Bellamy was suddenly sporting.