Don't Leave Me | Analogical

4. Nightmare

POV: Logan

The scream made me jolt awake and made my heart rate jump instantly. I fumbled for my glasses and pushed them onto my face.

Virgil.

I practically fell out of the bed as I rushed to get to his room. What had happened? I had never heard him scream and that unsettled me. What if he got hurt?

I walked into his room without knocking, ready to take whatever action I deemed necessary in the situation. Virgil's bed was a mess of blankets but was empty. The boy in question was standing pressed into the far corner of the room, shivering and hyperventilating with his hand clasped over his mouth.

I rushed over to him and looked him over, looking for any signs of injury. When I found nothing, some of the tension inside me released but I knew there was still something wrong.

"Virgil, what happened?" I asked but his eyes were fixed on the bed. He was pale as a sheet and looked like he had just seen a ghost. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he choked back sobs. Another first. I had seen Virgil teary-eyed a few times before but he had never openly cried in front of me. This was a bad sign.

Before I could ask again, he wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. He shook violently and I heard a small whimper escape him. I momentarily froze, not knowing how to react to the sudden contact. Hugs were definitely not my forte, but after a moment I awkwardly put my arms around him and returned the affection. I slowly rubbed his back, something I knew always calmed him down.

It took well over fifteen minutes for Virgil to stop shaking. He was gripping onto me so tightly, I started to have trouble taking in deep breaths but I didn't say anything.

When he finally let his arms fall down to his sides, he wouldn't look up at me and my heart sank. Was he embarrassed?

"Virgil..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Sorry." He mumbled, wiping his tears and hugging himself. 

"There is nothing to apologies for." I reminded him. "Would you like to elaborate on what happened?"

"I... had a nightmare." He said sheepishly, still not looking up at me. "It's stupid, I know."

"Falsehood." I shook my head and put my hands on his shoulders. "Nightmares are not stupid. The majority of the population experiences them on a regular basis."

Virgil didn't reply. I decided to lead him to the bed and sat him down. I sat beside him and turned him to face me.

"Talking about it can help." I encouraged and he shrugged in response.

"I saw Dee..." Virgil fidgeted with the sleeves of his pyjama top. "He had me trapped... again."

My face fell at the words. Encountering the devious man must have caused a relapse in Virgil. I had helped him with this before, over a year ago when he was still with Dee, and had managed to give him enough courage to free himself from the clutches of that liar and from the persisting nightmares. Now it seemed we were back to square one.

"That was a year ago." I reassured him. "You're in a safe environment with me now. Dee can't harm you anymore, remember?"

"Yeah... I know." Vigil sighed and sniffed, rubbing his eyes. "It was just so... real." He winced at the memory.

"Dreams and nightmares can be very convincing." I agreed. "However, it's over now."

"What if they never stop?" Virgil finally looked me in the eyes and the panic in his eyes was enough to make my heart falter. "What if the nightmares never go away?"

"There's a very small chance of that happening." I told him confidently. "We got rid of them once before and we can do it again. And while they're here, I'll be here too, Virgil."

Virgil forced a small smile. "I never thought you cared so much about other people."

I sighed and adjusted my glasses. "I don't usually... but it's somehow different with you." I admitted. I myself wasn't sure why I had taken such a liking to him, but at some point something had just clicked and I felt the need to help him at all costs.

Virgil looked a bit surprised by my answer and I raised an eyebrow.

"Did I say something wrong?" I inquired and he quickly looked away.

"No! I just... nevermind." Virgil shook his head and changed the subject. "I should get back to bed, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep."

"Don't worry. Tomorrow is Saturday so if you can't get to sleep tonight, you have all day tomorrow to catch up." I reminded him and stood up. "You could perhaps do some drawing instead? To take your mind off everything."

Virgil's eyes lit up at the idea. "Yeah... I might do that."

"Good luck then." I smiled and headed out the door. "If you need anything, I'll be sleeping in my room."

"G'night." Virgil sat cross-legged on his bed and reached for his sketch pad which he kept in the drawer of his nightstand.

"Goodnight." I closed the door behind me and returned to my own bed.

To my surprise, it took me much longer than usual to fall asleep. My mind seemed to be holding a debate in my head about what Virgil had said. Why did I care so much? I couldn't afford to do that. Once Virgil was mentally stable again, he wouldn't need me anymore and he would most likely move on. There was no point getting too attached.

I sighed and rolled over in bed. That was a debate for another time. I had research to do tomorrow and I needed a full nights sleep.