Bad Dreams | Newt x Reader

Chapter 109-Missing Memories (Again)

Weeks later

Pain throbbed through my temples, pulling me out of sleep. I groaned and forced open my heavy eyelids. I was alone in a car. Of course, I was covered in blood. Dry patches stained my skin and clothes a rusty red.

"No," I groaned again and leaned forward to cope with the nausea. My forehead hit the middle of the steering wheel, causing a honk.

"Get up," the Wraith hissed as I blindly felt for the bag containing the needles. "Seriously, again? It's making you ill and you know it."

Ignoring her, I gave myself another dose and prayed she would shut up for once.

Outside the car were a bunch of trees. The sun peaked down overhead, trickling through the leaves. It seemed safe enough so I opened the door and climbed out. Pain immediately burned through my side, and I gripped at the car door to avoid falling over. Weakly, I tugged the edge of my torn shirt to reveal the soaked, bloody bandage around my stomach.

"What happened to Remy?" I asked, his face flittering vaguely through my mind. 

"Dead," the Wraith answered nonchalantly.

The poor kid.

Slowly, I became aware of a distant repetitive crashing noise. I listened for a long few minutes, trying to decide if it was mind playing a trick on me or if the ocean was nearby. Deciding that the only way to know for sure was to check, I wrapped an arm around my stomach and began stumbling through the trees.

I passed Élliot once, twice, five times.

"Hello?" someone called out, making me freeze.

Hallucination? Reality?

"You imagined it," said another voice, male and very bored.

"I swear I heard something..." replied the first boy, his voice familiar. "Wait..."

After several seconds ticked by, I matched a name and face to the voice. "Felix?"

Silence answered me, only broken by the ocean and the light breeze through the leaves above. I stepped forward, peering between the trees and bushes.

"Felix?" I called again, slightly louder. "It's Y/n."

No response.

"I'm literally dying here," I crept forward, using the trees to hold me up. "Are you real?" I coughed, wincing as my side burned. I swore loudly, tears blurring my vision. "Felix?" I pleaded, my voice strained, "I know you're there. Don't make me walk more."

Alby glared at me. "Shank."

"Shuck you," I replied and pushed past a bush.

Felix paled, crouched down behind the bush.

"Howdy," I waved awkwardly. "Got any food? I'm literally starving. I will commit a massacre it contains radishes."

Using their fear against them, Felix and his friend agreed to escort us back to camp. He explained that most people were out performing a rescue mission. I stopped listening at some point, too caught up in keeping myself breathing. I faded in and out of consciousness for a while, waking to see a terrified girl trying to clean my wound. Her hands were over the deep scratch wounds in my side, shaking violently.

"Breathe," I whispered, trying to calm her down. "I'm the other one."

She squeaked, turning the colour of snow. 

The next time I woke up, Aaliyah was sitting by my chair. Her brown eyes widened as she watched me curiously. 

Something like adoration strangled my heart momentarily. I reached over to weakly ruffle her black hair. "Hello, little one."

The third time, I found myself building a snowman out of sand. His head wasn't a pumpkin or sand. It was James' head, tongue lolling and everything.

I shrieked, falling back painfully on the sand. "What is wrong with you?"

"Killjoy," muttered the Wraith.

I scrambled to my feet. "What the actual hell?"

I turned around, winding my hands into my hair.

Unfortunately, I was not alone.

Practically the entire Right Arm was staring at me. Including Aaliyah and Archie.

Immediately, I wrenched the head off the snowman—sandman?—and I teleported into the ocean to drown myself.

A Berg soared overhead, carrying a large metal container beneath it. Slowly, it was lowered to the ground, eliciting a cheer from the Right Arm who began to gather below.

From the top, Alex jumped and landed gracefully on the ground. He grinned, looking lighter than he had been in Denver. He was greeted with back thumping and cheers. Felix pushed through the crowd, whispering urgently.

Alex's eyes combed over the people and landed on me. A muscle ticked in his jaw and the joy died on his face. He tensed, waiting for his father to join him after climbing down the crate's ladder. Vince whipped his head to stare at me a second later.

I lifted a hand and waved awkwardly. The people parted, allowing me to pass through them easily.

"Howdy," I said, wincing as my side protested. 

"Wraith?" Alex finally asked, "What can we do for you?"

I sighed tiredly and offered the best smile I could muster. "It's still Y/n."

Alex rubbed at his face. He'd lost weight and a lot of it. His cheeks were hollow. Bruises marked the skin under his eyes, making him look sick and older. His usually bright green eyes were dull and without their usual spark.

"Murderer," Austin taunted.

"Shush," I told him. To the living, I said, "Be warned, I'm not doing well."

"Let's move on," Vince said, rubbing his son's shoulder. "Is there something you want, Wraith?"

"Y/n," I corrected. "Well, I'm bleeding to death so I supposed I could use some healing if Alex would be so kind. And food. Without radishes. Genocide is on my to-do list."

Alex frowned deeply and moved forward to help me. He brought the edge of my shirt up and removed the bandage. He paused, staring at the wound.

"Remy?" he asked, starting to heal it.

"Yep," I said and flinched as he poked it. "Ow!"

"Sorry," he said unapologetically.

During the several minutes it took Alex to pull my skin back together and heal it, the boys came over. At the sight of my wound, Newt paled slightly. My traitorous heart gave a lurch at the concerned expression displayed so clearly on his face.

"Thank you," I said after he finally finished. "Now, the next problem: food. Wait, where's Dog?"

"Alive," Newt promised me. "She's with the other chooks."

I smiled at them. 

"Klunk!" screeched Chuck, running through the group. My eyes darted after him. He seemed so solid. Exactly how I remembered him with his curly brown hair whirling in the wind.

"Y/n?" Alex asked, snapping his fingers in my face.

"Yeah?" I answered faintly, watching the kid disappear around the corner of the shed. I blinked, the spell broken. My throat tightened and I swallowed to ease it. "Do you need help opening that?"