Back To You

Chapter 2

Aidan was dreaming. It happened fairly often, and he knew it wasn't real, but that didn't lessen the fear that often gripped him when the dreams played out. Even after all these years, he'd never gotten used to the strangeness of it all.

There seemed to be a theme to the dreams, that theme being mystical weirdness. Sometimes, he dreamt of a strange alien world, its unfamiliar land overcast with endless clouds.

Just how did he know it was an alien world? Well, the existence of twin moons peeking through the clouds under a violet sky was a dead giveaway.

At other times, the dreams were of him talking to people, their faces blurred, the conversations muted as if he was wrapped in layers of bubble wrap whilst trying to interact with them.

One of the most annoying things was that the dream content randomly varied between new ones or repeats of a previous dream sequence, almost as if the mythical sandman had magically come to life only to periodically hit the replay button on some fancy dream remote.

The one thing all his dreams seemed to have in common was the frustrating fact that Aidan was nothing more than an observer, unable to change the actions and outcomes no matter how much he tried. It was akin to being a puppet, with control handed over to an unseen puppeteer pulling at the strings.

Tonight, the content of his dreams was, by far, his least favourite. Aidan recognised his surroundings in a heartbeat, having experienced it dozens of times or more. Essentially, he was going to be chased by large and creepy dog-like creatures, their sizing falling into the gigantic category.

Like countless times before, Aidan trudged along in the dream world. He was in a forest, but not an alien one. It was lush and green, with a moist earthiness hanging in the air, the odour the very kind that lingers after a passing rain cloud.

The ground was soft and slippery, but somehow dream-Aidan was exceedingly sure-footed. He was effortlessly running up a slippery slope when he heard the distinctive rustle of the undergrowth behind him. Without turning, he sped up, but it was futile. Familiar howls broke out in surround sound, signalling that he was closed-in on all sides.

The first doglike thing burst forth from some bushes right ahead and charged maniacally towards him. Even on all fours, the top of its head reached high above his waist. The creature was muscular, more muscular than any canid Aidan could think of, with long legs that made it look like it was towering off the ground.

Its upper body was broad and brawny, but then it tapered off sharply towards the creature's hindquarters. The closest comparison that his mind could conjure was a mutated, over-exercised greyhound on steroids.

A hulky-hound.

Aidan had seen this dream sequence enough times to recognise the shaggy grey fur and the cold, humanoid eyes that revealed its intelligence and calculating wit.

A half-second later, other creatures of similar build leapt forward from the undergrowth, joining the first to cage him in a tight circle. Dream-Aidan crouched low to the ground before leaping up with superhuman strength to grab one of the higher branches on the nearest tree.

Just as his fingers closed tightly on the rough tree bark, he heard more than felt the unmistakable crack of bone breaking as the grey-coloured creature sank its razor fangs into his dangling right ankle.

Aidan awoke, thrashing under the heavy quilt, his sweat-slicked hair pressed flat over his forehead and the beginnings of a scream forming in his throat. He gulped down hard, forcefully ending the scream before it could escape.

Rubbing a hand over the spot in his chest where his heart played on to a thundering beat, Aidan angrily shoved aside the thick covers with shaky hands and stumbled over to the kitchen sink. Several colourful expletives were on silent repeat in his head as he filled a glass with water from the tap.