The Beautiful Monster

"I wish we could enjoy it more," he told her. This was far from a vacation for them. They were essentially running for their lives, trying to buy themselves time to get stronger.

They blew past cities and sights that he would've loved to stop and explore with her. Maybe they could one day. They just had to make it out of this alive first.

"I'm just glad that we're together," Alyssa said, brushing her fingertips along the frame of his face as their eyes met.

That was the biggest silver lining out of this entire situation. He didn't know how he would handle all of this stress and uncertainty without her.

She kept him from falling apart at the seams, and he hoped that he was bringing her some form of comfort.

"How are you doing?" he asked her.

"I'm scared, but it's nice seeing you and Melina get along. That gives me hope," Alyssa said with a soft smile.

Elias nodded, knowing that everyone was relying on him and Melina to get along and bond so that they were stronger.

"We're different, but I can see how we're similar in some ways," he told Alyssa. He still had a lot to learn, but he was glad that Melina was easy to get along with.

He knew that he hadn't exactly been like that at the start, but he was warming up to her.

"A lot of siblings are different from each other. Doesn't make them any less related to each other," Alyssa pointed out. "She's been showing me some herbs and spells."

Elias chuckled, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Are you trying to be a witch or something?" he teased her. He liked that Melina and Alyssa were getting along too.

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Alyssa smirked and shook her head.

"I can't be a witch, but I wouldn't mind learning a few extra healing techniques. I'm technically a healer after all," Alyssa pointed out with a proud smile.

"Yeah, you are," Elias said before leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. He was happy that she got to learn more about healing while on the road. He knew that she missed helping people.

A yawn soon broke from Alyssa as she cuddled up close to his chest.

"I'm so tired," she murmured.

Elias put his arm around her, holding her close. His eyes had been feeling heavy for a while now. He rested his head against hers.

"Let's just take a quick nap," he told her, finally letting his eyes close.

********

A jolt of lightning broke through the sky above Elias' head. He jerked his head up, staring up at pitch black.

He couldn't see any stars or clouds. There was just darkness and the full moon, beaming down on the grassy field that he stood in.

Elias felt something drip down the side of his face. He lifted his hand, touching his fingertips to the trail that it left behind.

He brought his hand into view and felt his stomach lurch at the sight of blood. Panic thundered through him as he looked down at his clothes, seeing that they were tattered and covered with blood too.

With a gasp, Elias stepped back. The back of his foot struck something solid, making him stumble backwards and fall to the ground.

His back struck the ground, making a painful huff leave him as the breath was knocked from him. He slowly lifted his head, trying to see what he had tripped over.

At his feet, covered in blood, was Alyssa with her eyes staring up lifelessly at the full moon. Her face was paler than before, washed out by moonlight. He had never seen her so still before.

Elias' eyes burned as he got to his knees, crawling over to her. He gently put his hands on her, giving her a shake.

"Alyssa? Alyssa?" he said. His voice gradually turned into sobs. He pulled her limp body against his, brushing her hair back from her bloodstained face. "What happened? What happened?"

He couldn't stop muttering to himself, his mind racing. He didn't understand what was going on. He didn't even know where he was at.

He looked up from Alyssa and felt his heart drop into his stomach. Out in the field were the bodies of Melina, Tyler, and Scott. They were bloody. Mangled.

Elias' chest grew tight, so tight that he couldn't breathe. He gripped his chest, feeling himself panic even more than he already was.

The lack of air was starting to make him dizzy. As his head started to ache, he heard laughter boom from behind him.

He didn't even have to turn around to know who it came from. Before he could even turn his head to look, black dots filled his vision, and he collapsed onto the ground.

******

"Elias? Elias!" Alyssa's voice jolted Elias awake from his nightmare.

Elias sat up straight in bed, turning to see Alyssa, who peered at him in shock and worry.

Before he could say anything to her, Tyler's voice sounded from the other part of the RV beyond the bedroom door.

"Melina! Wake up!"

"What's going on?" Elias asked, feeling clammy all over. He pressed his hand against his forehead, realizing that he had broken out into a cold sweat. He felt hot and cold at the same time.

"You were having a nightmare. I think Melina is too," Alyssa said, her tone full of worry.

Elias stumbled out of bed, his knees threatening to give out, but he kept going. He threw open the bedroom door to see Melina gasping for breath on the edge of the pullout bed. Tears streaked her cheeks as Tyler rubbed her back, checking in on her.

"You saw what I did?" Elias asked as he stood in front of Melina.

Melina lifted her head to peer up at Elias. She held his gaze for a few moments before nodding.

"The field. The blood," she murmured.

"What the hell is going on back there?" Scott called from the driver's seat.

"What does it mean?" Elias asked Melina. He felt more than spooked right now that they had the same terrible nightmare.

He only heard Alaric's laughter, but he knew that Alaric killed everyone in his nightmare. He caused all of that blood and death.

Melina shook her head as she lowered her eyes.

"He wants us to lose hope, to feel isolated," she said. "I don't know how he managed to break into our dreams."

Elias frowned, feeling Alyssa come up to his side. He wished that they had some clue about what was going on.

He put his arm around Alyssa, letting her know that he was somewhat alright. He was just glad that he was out of that nightmare.

"Was that a look at the future or something?" he asked Melina.

"I hope not," Melina breathed out.

"What did you two see?" Alyssa asked, peering between the both of them.

"She said bodies when she woke up," Tyler said, giving Melina a worried look.

"Everyone but me was dead in some field. I heard Alaric's laughter," Elias replied. He would never forget that nightmare. It wasn't like he had never had bad dreams before, but that felt a little too real.

Melina nodded as she pushed her hand through her hair. The roots were damp from sweat.

"That's what happened with me too," she replied.

"That's it. I'm pulling into the next town," Scott called from the front.

Elias didn't even argue. Maybe that was for the best. He could certainly use some fresh air right about now.

He sat down in one of the lounge chairs, taking a moment to breathe and settle down. It was just a nightmare.

Alaric was toying with him. But if Alaric could mess with his dreams, what else could he do?

"Hey, it's okay," Alyssa said as she sat next to Elias. She took his hand, stroking his knuckles to calm him down.

Elias looked over at her, and all he could see was her laying in that field, gazing up at the moon with still eyes. It nearly made him nauseous.

She couldn't ever die. He wouldn't be able to survive that. For her sake, he smiled faintly and nodded.

"I know," he said, but no one believed his words. They didn't know what exactly loomed ahead, but they knew that it wasn't pretty.

There would be blood, and if they weren't careful enough, there would be plenty of bodies too.