Nightmares

Posted on Mon May 16th, 2022 @ 1:17am by Commander William Gerhard & Ensign 'John Smith'

Mission: Mission 6 - Memory
Location: Officer's Quarters - E Deck
Timeline: Day 298 - 1930 hrs
1290 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

William walked down the passageway towards his quarters as he read the PADD he held. Having come of watch, he had received a note from the captain inviting all senior officers for a dinner that evening. The message had stated that it was a casual dinner, and he was already stressing about the state of his few off duty cloths that hadn't really been worn in a while. As he neared the door to his quarters, he reached out and pressed the button to open the hatch. When he stepped in, there was something off about the room. It seemed darker than he recalled as he looked around. He cautiously entered as he scanned the area.

John had been thinking long and hard about who he was going to use as a boost that day. He was starving and the human food was just not doing it for him that day he needed something more, something fresher. It had to be William, he was more susceptible than the other strong ones onboard he had created a whole back story for them without much suggestion and he was currently angry at him. “Man you spoiled the surprise.” John said as he came stepped out the bathroom.

William looked up in surprise at the voice as he saw the familiar form step from his bathroom. He recognized it as John, the last person he wanted to see at that moment. "John, what the hell are you doing here," he demanded. As he said this, he felt the pain returning to his head, but it was not strong enough to cause him to wince.

John smirked at the wince. It would take a few moments for him to worm his way into the man’s mind and take what he wanted and leave what he needed. “I came to talk as you have been ignoring me.” He said looking annoyed.

"Sneaking into my quarters is not," William started to say before he trailed off. The pain was increasing in his head and he felt himself doubling over. He looked up and felt his vision starting to turn blurry. "What the....," he said before he felt himself getting weak. He dropped the PADD and reached out with one arm to steady himself against the bulkhead, but he couldn't hold himself. Before he knew it, he was falling towards the deck, his back sliding against the bulk head. The last thing he remembered seeing was the figure of John coming towards him, but there was something different about him. Before he could determine what it was that was wrong, he was enveloped in a black void that was filled with pain.

“You will not remember this at all William.” The man assured him as he watched him fall to the floor and did nothing to stop it or aid him in the slightest. It was interesting how each species reacted to his feeding. Some froze whilst other experienced pain as their minds tried to understand what it was.

Everything was in a haze as William tried to interpret what was happening to him. He tried to ascertain where he was, but couldn't figure it out. There was this profound sense of dread though as he felt his chest tightening. Whatever it was, he wanted to run. He stood there frozen as his breathing increased in pace. He looked around before seeing a figure standing a ways away. The figure was shrouded in darkness and it watched William's every move. He knew the figure was dangerous, but he remained frozen as the figure began to come towards him. It seemed to glide towards him, and for the first time, William was terrified.

“I am so hungry.” The voice from the figure demanded coming closer and closer by the second. It was only a matter of time until he was fed and satisfied again.

"Who are you," William called, finally finding his voice as he started backpedaling away from the figure. His voice conveyed the terror he felt as the figure drew ever closer. He suddenly felt very cold, but there was no wind that he could feel.

"No one you need to worry about." The voice answered back.

William increased his pace backing away. "Stay away from me," he called back, but his voice was not as firm as he wished. He reached down to his side looking for his phase pistol, but he only found nothing. His eyes grew wide as he looked back and took up a fighters stance. His head was screaming at him to run, but he couldn't force his feet to work.

"Just let it happen Willian and then you can return to your girl." The voice said as the figure got close enough and leaned out to touch him. He could see the fear in his eyes, it had been so long since he had, had someone so strong to feed him like this. He was going to be gluttonous.

William stepped back, hands coming up to block the figure from touching him. "Stay back," he shouted, voice firm but filled with fear. In a flash the figure had him enveloped. William struggled to move against him, screaming in terror as he felt the figure's grip increasing in strength. "Please," he said, voice devolving into a whimper as he began to feel weak. He felt something running down the front of his face and saw the bright red of blood and knew it must be a nosebleed. William had never felt so helpless and utterly terrified in his life. He knew this had to be a dream and he was screaming at himself to wake up. The figure continued to hold him, as if draining him of energy.

“Please… please… please.” The voice mocked sounding stronger with every syllable spoken. John pulled back as he finished finally feeling full and sated, the whole room returned to normal apart from William.

When the figure released him, William felt incredibly weak. He stared up as the figure began receding away, fading back into the dark void until William was left alone. He tried to call out for help, but words escaped him. He felt his eyes start to grow heavy, but he fought against closing them. He was afraid the figure would come back, but his fatigue was too powerful. Eyes falling shut, he felt himself growing cold.

William came to and found himself lying on his bed in his quarters. He sat up and rubbed his head which was throbbing in pain behind his eyes. He winced as he swung his feet over his bunk and leaned forward. He didn't recall laying on his bed, but he remembered there had been a reason he came back to his quarters. Snapping his fingers, he remembered the captain's invitation for the dinner part. He checked the clock on his desk as he stood. He had enough time for a quick shower before he changed into his civilian clothes. As he stood, he felt slightly unsteady on his feet. He stepped towards his restroom, stripping off his boots before unzipping and pulling off his uniform. As he stepped into the restroom, he turned on the lights and reached in to start the shower. As he turned to finish undressing, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and stopped. Stepping closer, he put his hand up under his nose which was covered in what appeared to be dried blood. The sound of the water running filled his ears as searched his memory for what could've caused his nose to bleed, but he could not remember. Pulling off his undershirt, he stepped into the shower letting the warm water run over him.