All quiet on Remnant

Chapter 15

Paul jolted awake. Clutching his chest, he breathed heavily as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and calmed down. After a minute, he began viewing the room he was in. Looking around, he saw Ruby, in the other bed, still deep in a coma. Paul stared at her, then laid back down on the bed. He passed his hands through his face, and then through his blonde hair, as he stared at the ceiling fan over him, in a lifeless manner. He closed his eyes in a futile attempt to resume his rest, even tho he knew it wouldn't happen.

He had been having nightmares ever since arriving in Remnant. Recently tho, they had begun getting worse and worse.

Before waking up, he was having a nightmare, where he was in a crater. As he loaded his rifle with another clip, he heard heavy footsteps approaching. He aimed at the stranger, a man he immediately recognized as Gerald Duval, a French printer turned soldier that Paul killed on that dreadful day. His French army uniform was torn open in multiple areas, but the one the most stuck out, was his chest, the exact area Paul had stabbed him in. In there, a big red spot was present, constantly leaking blood. Duval wasn't alone tho. With him was also the Beacon security guard he killed upon his arrival. Alongside them, more French soldiers appeared, followed by White Fang members. Their skin had lost all color, leaving only gray behind. Chains decorated their hands and feet, their bodies filled with cracks, and their eyes were nothing but a black void.

The sounds of artillery and machine gunfire had stopped. Paul stared in horror at his victims. He threw his rifle into the muddy water at the bottom of the crater, and got on his knees. He begged for forgiveness, as tears and mucus ran down his face. He looked at his hands, all covered in mud and blood, then, at Duval, who had started approaching Paul, alongside the others.

Paul tried to run away, but he soon found out he couldn't move. He could only stare at the soulless corpses of everyone he had killed in horror, as they approached. Paul closed his eyes, not wanting to see their faces any longer. Then, he felt a hand, then another one, and another one. They tore at his flesh, making him scream in agony. He begged and begged and begged for a death that would never come.

Even though everything in his dream was fake, the pain he felt was all too real.

Paul, looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to him. It read 4:47 AM. Not seeing a reason to remain in bed, he got up and headed for the bathroom. He took a long bath to clear off his mind. Once he was done, he got dressed, and headed for the kitchen where he found Taiyang, already awake and making breakfast.

"Good morning Paul" Greeted Tai "Why are you up so early?"

"You know vhy" Sighed Paul

"Another nightmare?" Guessed Tai, to which he got a nod from the German

"You know, some therapy could really help you out" Said Tai

"Oh, no zhat won't be necessary" Replied Paul while laughing nervously

"Are you sure?" Insisted Tai

"Yes, I am"

Tai could tell Paul was lying but not wanting to push the issue further, he shut his mouth.
He sighed before taking out 2 plates of eggs, bacon, and toast. He set them up on the table, one for him, and the other for the German. Whilst eating, Paul struck up a conversation about Tai. He thought Tai worried to much for him, when he should be focusing on his daughters. Tai sighed once again, and thought about Paul's words for a moment before arguing back.

"I disagree. If you're going to live under my roof, it is my duty to make sure you're alright, both physically and mentally" Explained Tai

"I am fine, you don't have to worry about me" Said Paul with a laugh