The Lovers (Shadowpeach)

Nightmares

TW: Gore and Character death

Lady Bone Demon had been defeated, erasing her from this world, but not from Macaque's memories. The Samadhi fire had free him from her icy grasp physically, however he was still mentally tied to her.

Sleep wasn't an option, not anymore. Everytime he'd closed his eyes he could see her, feel her. Meditation only made it worse, it allowed his mind to wander, to relive the past events. But it wasn't until he started having paralysis that he decided to seak help.

Macaque was running on two hours of accidental sleep. It'd been two, no, three days since he last laid down for more than a few minutes and it wasn't doing well for his mind. But he wouldn't allow himself to fall back asleep, especially after that last dream. It truly shook him to the core, almost making him sick whenever he recalled it.

He was now pacing back and forth through his dojo, using the motor movement to distract himself, unfortunately it wasn't working. It was all he could think about, that and Wukong.

Macaque gagged and covered his mouth. He hadn't eaten anything so there wasn't anything to expel from his body and he really didn't enjoy the feeling of dry heaving.

His mind kept wondering despite his body's condition. The bloody staff, Mk's disfigured corpse limp in Wukong's grasp. The way he was just tossed to the side. Wukong's lifeless eyes as he turned to him. The pain he felt as his skull was bashed in. It looked and felt so real, like it really happened.

His stomach churned, finally giving up. He heaved and gagged as he held his stomach, falling to the floor. He hunched over, drool dripping out of his mouth as he continued to heave. An unpleasant experience that he still hadn't gotten used to. He cursed his weak stomach, his weak body, his weak mind.

When he had finally stopped convulsing, he laid down, stomach facing up as he breathed in shaky breaths. He was so tired. Tired of everything. He just wanted it all to go away, to be happy again. When would that happen? Would that ever happen? His thoughts slowly became hazy as his exhaustion caught up with him and his eyes slowly drifted shut.

Macaque sleepily opened his eyes. How long had it been? Did he even fall asleep, it didn't feel like it. The room was still dark.

His eye itched, but when he tried to rub it he realized he couldn't move his arm or the other one or any part of his body. He was stuck. His breathing quickened as the panic set in.

His eyes were the only thing capable of movement. They scanned the room, the walls, the ceiling, the windows. Nothing seemed off, except for him, but that didn't last long. A chill brushed along his body. It was a familiar chill, one he knew all too well.

He anticipated the worse, knowing what was to come. But then a thought came to him. Was this actually a dream? He was breathing and he could feel that, something he never noticed while dreaming. He stopped breathing then continued once he realized he could control that. He felt the cold and it made him shiver. This wasn't a dream. It couldn't be.

Light brought his attention to the windows. They were small and high up on the wall, barely big enough for him to squeeze through if he tried. There was a light blue glow outside each one that grew brighter, casting the room in an ominous blue hue. Mist slowly entered through the windows, settling on the ground.

A quiet chuckle filled his ears. His breath hitched, all of his fears being confirmed.

In front of him, at the end of the room, stood the Lady Bone Demon. Her white skin glowed brightly against the blue light.

She stared at him without expression before speaking. "Greetings, Six-Eared Macaque."

Her voice rang though his each of his ears as his body began to tremble.