Dead Host

Chapter 13: Nightmares

"Papa! Where are you, papa?" A young Haruhi yells through the house.

Her small feet pattered against the floor. As she looked inside every room in their small apartment. Yet to no avail, he wasn't there. A small sigh came out from the little girl's lips. As she struggled to pull a chair towards the living room's small window.

'Papa has to be outside talking to the neighbor again.'

As she pushed the chair against the wall. She started to climb upwards and slowly pull back the blinds. Yet what she saw wasn't what she had thought. The world outside of the house was on fire and a person stood outside the window.

"Papa! What's going on? Why are you just standing there!? Papa!?" She screams banging on the glass window. She could his red hair flowing in the wind as he seemed to not hear her.

The tears streamed down her face as she cried. Yelling her father's name over and over again. Yet her screams fell upon deaf ears. As he just stood there staring off into the distance. The fire outside only seemed to grow in size. Soon the smoke seemed to only engulf him. Making the young girl scream in fear. Covering her face as she curled up on the small chair.

When she finally looked up she wasn't in the small apartment she was so used to. She was in a long hallway with many doors. Each had a number and a letter.

'A school?'

*Howl*

There was a long howling in the air. Which sent shivers down her spine. She could hear something screaming at her to run. As growls and snarling echoed down the hall. Blood seemed to ooze out of the walls and covered the floor. It felt as though she was drowning. As a dog came out from behind the corner and stared her down. She was frozen she couldn't move.

'Papa?'

Her body seemed to switch back and forth between her younger and older self.

'Help.'

'What's going on?'

As the dog seemed to get closer and closer. She panicked and jumped forward.

'Noooooo!' She seemed to yell, yet nothing came out. She looked up and saw her friend's looking at her in shock. Sweat dripped down her face as she tried to catch her breath.

Ritsu had quickly run over to her. As he tried calming her down. Only for her to struggle and push him away from her. Yet he wouldn't have her run away. As he grabbed hold of her arm and pull her to his chest.

"Don't run away. Please just tell us what happened. We are here remember." He whispered as she started to cry. The others seemed to panic as the last time she did. They had almost lost her.

"I was young again and at home. He was outside the window. My father and the world were on fire. I screamed and screamed for him yet he didn't hear me and the smoke took him away. As I sat on the small chair crying. I looked up to be in the hallway of the school. The school filled with blood and I heard that dog again. It mocked me and had glared me down. I screamed at myself to run yet I was frozen to the ground. Switching from my younger and older self. When it almost got me I had woke up.

"Are you sure you're even awake?" He asks. Making her look up in fear only for him to be something else. There stood her father with a small smile on his face.

"Papa?" She whimpered. As his face started morphing. Skin fell off as he grabbed ahold of her.

"What's wrong Haruhi? Papa is right here. I'll protect you." He says as blood started dripping from his mouth. Splattering against her shoes and spitting in her face. She tried pulling away from him yet he had a strong grip.

"Why are you trying to run away from papa?" He growled out and snarled.

She started struggling as a scream came from down the hallway. The man before her started to fall apart and melt. Leaving only bones behind yet he still didn't let go.

"Let go of me!! Please let go!" She screamed as threw herself backward. Falling and hitting the floor with a loud thump. She looked upwards and there above her.

Was the dog.

Baring its teeth at her it seemed to smile as she flinched. Its saliva fell from its lips and hit her in the face. Blood flooding down the halls once again. A shiver went down her spine as it walked away from her. She watched as it turned a went down the hallway. A growl came from its lips as it finally left her. Yet she was still on edge as she laid there.

It was all silent for a second before she heard it. The sound of dozens of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Loud growling and snarling followed. Even screams here and there yet her body felt like lead. She quickly shut her eyes as she didn't want to see what was awaiting her. A small whimper escaped from her mouth as her body tensed up.

'Just like last time. What is happening to me?'

'This is a living nightmare. I wish I would just wake up right now.'

"Haruhi!" Someone yelled.

'What's that noise?'

"Haruhi!" Someone yelled once again.

'Whose calling my name?'

"Haruhi wake up!" Someone yelled again.

"Haru-chan? Are you okay? Please wake up!" Someone else yelled.

I slowly opened my eyes in fear that I dreaming. When I opened them I flinched as a bright light shined in my eyes. Slowly getting up I looked around. My friends were looking at me in worry. Yet I quickly backed away from them. Not knowing if I was in a nightmare still.

'Are these the real ones? Am I still dreaming? What's going o-'

"Ouch!" I flinched and grabbed a whole of my head. Pulling my hand away slowly I looked at it. There was blood?

"Why does my head hurt? Why is there blood? What happened?" She kept muttering and the others looked at her in worry.

"Are you okay Haru-chan?" Honey asks her in worry as held Usa-chan close to his chest.

"That was a really big hit to the head." Hikaru says as Kaoru held tears in his eyes.

"We thought you were dead. You weren't breathing for a little while." Kaoru said in fear as he shivered.

"That's a lot of blood. We need to patch that up." Renge says frantically. As Tamaki ran around in a circle flailing his arms before Kyoya grabbed him.

"Stop Tamaki." He says.

"Here." Mori says as he pulled her close. As she watched him carefully. Still not fully trusting if it was still a dream or not. Yet the pain was telling her otherwise.

"Ouch." She mutters as pain floods throughout her body. Ritsu stayed by her side as he looked at her in worry.

"Why are you so on edge? You look like you are seeing ghosts." Tetsuya says adding in a small laugh. She quietly laughs a little trying to stay calm.

"It's nothing." She says as Mori finished wrapping her wound.

"Anyways. What happened?" She asks only for everyone to look at Tamaki.

"It was an accident!" He yells waving his arms around.

"What was an accident?" She says looking at him.

"I thought I heard something and then you touched me. I think you were trying to see what was going on. Since I was kind of in a panic. Yet I didn't know it was you. So I kind of pushed you. Which was okay you were fine. Well until part of the ceiling fell and hit you in the head. There was so much blood! And you even stopped breathing which Tetsuya had saved you. Yet you kept fighting back against us. We didn't know what was going on!" He said frantically as I tried to catch onto what he was saying. Slowly processing it.

"Did you have a nightmare?"