Behind The Mask

Alone In The Dark

     He was standing up.
He was surrounded by hot air and trees. The sun was glaring down at his face. A tree stump right in front of him and a rusty axe on the grass as well. 

The German Shepherd muttered, adjusting his eyes for the sudden brightness and glanced at his surroundings.

     He felt restlessness. A sense that there was something inside of him, something always moving, shifting. It was like a constant itch that he just couldn't scratch. A flee that just wouldn't budge. A nagging sensation that he just couldn't shake off. Nothing he could physically or mentally do to ease the unease.
      His body felt lighter and a familiar feeling of a certain fabric has been changed. Chase looked down to see that he was wearing a light blue hoodie. The only color that he is able to see.

     He was back here.
Memories of him chopping down those small logs came back. He was here again. But how? He was lying next to Skye, they were on the Air Patroller and they were heading back to the city. He was with all of them again.
     A dream. Was the first thought that came to his mind. Chases eyes winced. He never recalled hearing his own thoughts in his dream. The fact he was able to use his mind in a dream confused him even more. 

"What's going on?" He questioned, hearing a slight echo to his voice. 

CLANK!

     A single blink after the sound of wood clanking, he was staring at his younger self, using his mouth to hold the axe and chop the wood. Sweaty, beaten up, his fur was ruffed up, he was a total mess. Chases eyes softened a little and his shoulders dropped. 
     He watched his little self work his paws off. So innocent, so pure. Just a little pup, trying to make it through as best as he could. Just a pup, trying to survive in this world. Seeing this sight of him again after everything that had happened now felt strange. He wanted to say something to him, he had so much to say to himself. 
     He watched himself chop up a few more logs. How long has it been now? Twenty seconds? Thirty? A minute? This part in a dream was going on way too long. Was this some kind of time travel dream where he is looking at his memories from who and what he was then to who and what he is now? A time travel journey reflection?
     Chase noticed his younger-self movements got slower so suddenly. The axe got raised again but it stops mid air. The noise slowly began to fade out. Everything slowly came to a halt. There was a second of silence in the atmosphere.
     He then heard a familiar haunting voice say:

"When you and I truly become mother and son...I'll give you a special gift as my favorite."

     Chase suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure on his paws by the chains that were tied up to them. His fur stood up to the sudden cold breeze of his old stone room where he would shed blood and his tears for a woman that earned his trust. A woman that allowed him to call her a mother.
     The sounds of crowbars, pipes, splashing of liquid, he could hear it all. Worst of all, he could feel the pain again. He felt no contact of weapons or tools, just the pain. His head aching. His skin and fur being torn apart. It was more minor than how the torture actually felt, but the fact he felt pain in this dream...none of it made sense.
     He prayed for someone to release these chains. To remove the salt from his wounds. He wanted water. He begged for someone to make it all stop. To just end it. He hated that he couldn't break free. He desperately pulled his paws but the chains wouldn't budge. QUIT BEING WEAK! SAVE YOURSELF!

The noises suddenly stopped. No more splashing either. 

     The pain stopped as well. His prayers were heard. The pressure on his paws was released. The ringing in his ears eased. Everything went away in an instant.