"The wrongness you feel will only worsen. Now go, my puzzle. Try to find your missing piece. I guarantee that you will not find it."
Ingrid's eyes shot open at a sudden crash. She felt her whole body jolt with shock as she sat up suddenly. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was; her awakening had been so abrupt that her mind was still foggy with sleep. The bedroom was completely dark around her except for the dim blue light of the bedside clock. She turned her head to it, blinking in confusion. It read "03:06 am".
"Connor, what-"
Her eyes settled on the empty space in the bed next to her. The covers were pulled back, so he must've been there at some point. She guessed that he had gotten up and gone to write, as he so often did, and fallen asleep at his desk. Perhaps the crash had been something falling from his desk, like a pen tin or something. But as she thought about this, she realised there was no light coming from the next room. You couldn't write in the dark. Something was wrong...
Slowly she placed her hand down on the mattress where Connor should be laying. It was still warm, like it had been slept in only a few minutes ago. She grasped the covers that lay over her, ready to pull them back and get up, when her eyes locked onto something else. In the already shadowy room, there was a dark shape stood beside the bed. It was too dark to see who, or what it was. They were stood rigid and unmoving, seemingly staring at her. For a moment Ingrid was too scared to speak. But then her mouth fell open and she screamed.
There was a shout of surprise from the dark figure, and suddenly they became animated. Their hands moved blindly around in the darkness until they settled on the wall. They slid across them, finally finding the light switch. There was a click as the room was illuminated with light. Ingrid stopped screaming, taken aback by what she saw. The dark figure that had been standing beside the bed had been Connor.
"What... how...?" stammered Ingrid, confusion and fear making her voice shaky.
Connor looked almost as confused as her. His hair was messy and he wore a vest and a pair of baggy trousers. He looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. His eyes were wide and he looked around him, his mouth slightly open in shock. His eyes drifted downwards towards his feet, and he looked even more confused.
"I-I'm... standing?" he muttered, holding his hands up in disbelief.
He looked to Ingrid hopefully, but she had no explanation to what was going on. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched the covers to her chest. Her whole body shook as she struggled to comprehend what was happening.
As Connor stared at her, he seemed to realise her expression. He climbed clumsily onto the bed and sat cross-legged beside her, placing his hand round her shoulders and pulling her towards him. She leaned against him, feeling her mind beginning to clear. She looked up at Connor, hoping to see some kind of reassurance. But he looked utterly lost. She sat up again, looking at him seriously. She had so many questions.
"What were you doing?" was the first one that made it's way out.
The question didn't seem to fully get through to Connor. He shook his head slowly, his hands moving around each other awkwardly.
"I don't... I... what?"
His eyes prickled with tears and he buried his head in his hands. Ingrid didn't really know what to do, and she simply sat there watching him. Under normal circumstances she would probably comfort him, but nothing about this was normal.
"I'm so confused... I-I was standing!" he finally said.
Ingrid placed her hand on his head and stroked his hair from his face. Now that the shock had passed and she could think clearly again, the answer was coming to her.
"You were standing next to the bed," she replied, wanting him to figure it out himself.
Connor raised his head and looked at her. His eyes were wet and rimmed with red. He looked distraught.
"I was?" was all he could manage.
"You don't remember how you got there?"
He shook his head. He was so upset and confused that the realisation still hadn't hit him. Ingrid smiled sadly.
"Have you ever slept walked before?" she asked.
Connor straightened and he stared at her. The fear was gone from his face, but he still looked clueless.
"What? No."
"I think you might have been sleep walking, Connor."
There was no reply. Connor's eyes fixed on something Ingrid couldn't see as he took in the information.
"Really?" he asked after a while.
He sounded distant, like he didn't fully believe it. Ingrid nodded, moving her head so that she was in his line of vision.
"Sometimes stress can do that. Is it to do with your shopping trip yesterday? Did something happen?"
Even as Ingrid spoke, she knew that the answer was yes. Of course something had happened. Connor had refused to tell her anything when he had got home the previous day. But she had seen in his face that something was wrong. He had been all shaky, his eyes darting around wildly as if he was checking that no one was watching. He had been silent the rest of the day, and had been tossing and turning as he tried to sleep.
As each day went by, Ingrid's worry grew. Something was wrong with Connor, and it was clear that whatever it was wasn't normal.
She couldn't help but wonder if Carrie's machine was still doing it's work on him. Whatever it was, it was getting progressively worse.
YOU ARE READING
The Memory Machine 2
Horror*Sequel to The Memory Machine***** It has been months since Connor regained his memory, and it seems like Carrie's threats were nothing but a bluff. But as the days go by, Connor can't help but notice that something isn't right. His friends act like...
