REM // Van McCann

42. Wrong Number

I had to do a double-take and make sure it wasn't my dream that we were under. It's unlike Bondy to do this without telling me and I highly doubt it because I checked his settings and don't remember seeing that we were going under my dream. Luckily there are several ways to check this.

If you're dreaming, the world revolves around you but I don't feel like the main character of this dream. You can manipulate your own dream but not other people's dreams so this was my second way of checking but I didn't want to do that just yet.

Florence hadn't moved an inch. She was standing with her back to me, the breeze blowing through her dirty blonde hair. She had her arms crossed and was standing, staring at the sunset. The fact that she didn't turn around worried me and I wasn't being the quietest either. From the corner of my eye, I could see Bondy in the distance. He waved, acknowledging my presence and watched as I continued making my way towards Florence.

"It's a gorgeous sunset, innit?" I asked, trying to get a response out of her.

Because this was still new to me, I wasn't sure if Florence was from Bondy's creation or if Larry added her. She finally turned around, watching me and then she noticed Bondy in the distance. It was hard to tell if she recognized us by the way she looked at us.

"Bondy, does anything feel off to you?" I questioned. I hoped he knew what I meant without me having to elaborate in front of Florence.

"No?" he answered.

I relaxed a little. This must mean she's part of his dream then. It makes sense because we talked about her right before we went under. I still found it odd this dream is more serious than his other ones. Florence turned her attention back to the sunset which was almost over. The sun was dipping below the horizon and it was getting dark.

"It's time," she stated and there was something ominous about her words.

"Time for what?" Bondy asked.

We were both on edge, wary that we were in a nightmare. That would explain the strange vibes I'm getting from this dream. Florence faced the forest, and Bondy and I followed suit. She was waiting for something or someone to emerge from the forest. After some time, we could make out a large figure in the shadows and then Left Shark emerged. I instantly broke out in laughter finding the whole situation funny. Here we were, expecting the worst and then Left Shark comes out. Now this is a classic Bondy dream!

"Okay, I see what you're getting at," Bondy replied, chuckling. "Summat is definitely off."

"What's off?" I asked, curious. "You mean you didn't dream about Left Shark?"

"No. Unfortunately that wasn't my idea if you can believe it but something's off. There's been a shift in my dream and Left Shark feels foreign to me. Larry definitely added Left Shark, that bastard."

There was no doubt he was analyzing the situation, taking everything in. In the meantime, Left Shark made his way towards us, clumsily kicking up sand in his wake. It was dark and we almost couldn't see him but the white of his costume glowed like the moon. I was brought back to the dream where Left Shark chased me for not paying the fare. The urge to flee was strong but I stayed put. Left Shark finally reached us. What unnerved me most was how Left Shark was looking right at me. He held out his fin as if wanting me to shake it. I reached for his fin.

"No," Left Shark stated, retracting his fin. "I don't want you to shake my fin. I want you to pay the fare." Bondy burst into laughter and bent over, holding his stomach.

"If this is Larry's doing, I'm gonna murder him," I said through gritted teeth, feeling my pocket for my wallet which for fuck's sake is never there! "Do yous have money on you?" I asked the others.