CYOA Page 166
It's been ages. Surely the cat's gone by now.
You ease the door open painfully slowly, your neck throbbing in protest (you try to hold it still), and venture outside...
...and all is quiet. You pick up the pace, eager to get back to Joel. And it's a good thing the horses are parked outside your camp, because in the dark, these homes all look very similar.
You walk... and walk... and keep walking. You don't remember it being this far from where you were. Did you pass it? Did the cougar scare the horses into breaking free and taking off? Except it looks like you're in a hallway, sort of... with identical houses on either side of you, all lined up in a perfect row, stretching into infinity. Like a mirror trick... without the fucking mirror! That's right -- this is where I came from, you remember now...
And then you see them - the eyes! The glowing eyes, piercing the dark -- focused on you -- you fling yourself at the nearest door and tug on it, but it won't open, and the fucking cougar's right behind you -- it leaps at you! You're trapped! You scream as it digs its claws into your flesh and sinks a row of razors into--
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
--you're in bed, desperately trying to catch your breath.
... ...you're in bed, as in... lying there, safe... no cougar!
You're in Joel's bed. The whole thing was a dream? The whole trip! We haven't even LEFT yet! You're leaving this morning.
Joel stirs, but doesn't wake, so you're pretty sure you weren't screaming out loud. You should let him sleep since it's the last night you'll be Inside for a few days, and he probably won't sleep as well out there. But you really wish he was awake right now! You start rubbing his arm. "Joel... Joel, wake up!"
"...hmm?"
What a difference a year can make; a frantic plea isn't even enough to fully rouse him anymore. You suppose that's a good thing. "Are you awake?"
"What're you doin' here?" he murmurs, but he does turn toward you, making it easier for you to snuggle up to him.
You pull his arm around you -- and ignore the ridiculous question, because even though Joel keeps trying to insist you need to sleep in your own bed, you end up in his nearly every night now, for the past couple of months (and you didn't even bother returning to your bed tonight! Silly Joel). "I had the weirdest dream! It was so real -- like, I remember details of fighting infected and meeting this creepy little boy -- like, really creepy -- and I was doing guard duty cuz of the boy -- you wanted me to just come and sleep with you but I said I'd only do that if we had sex -- ha! -- okay so some of it was funny, not scary -- but oh my God, Joel -- the fucking cougar! I don't even really remember the fight with infected, actually... I just remember you asking if I was okay after, cuz I was a little weirded out or something I guess? -- but this part was way scarier -- this fucking cougar was chasing me -- twice! First I got away, into one of the mobile homes but not the one you were in cuz you were too far away, so I was stuck there, afraid to leave, and when I finally left it fucking chased me again only this time it caught me and started to eat me and then I woke up! ...Joel, are you even listening to me?!"
"Mm. Sounds scary."
"But you stopped listening."
"I heard you. Creepy kid, infected, cougar."
...Okay maybe he DID hear all that. He's definitely a bit more... succinct than you are. "It was so real. Like... I've never had a more vivid dream in my whole life. All my thoughts, my feelings... even the pain..." You rub your neck where you got slashed.... it feels sore!
"You havin' second thoughts about this trip?"
"What? No. Why?"
"Dunno... thought maybe that's why you're dreamin' about scary shit, if you're afraid of--"
"I'm not afraid! I still wanna do it. We're not even supposed to run into any infected between here and there, if the scouts are right."
"We don't have any real recent reports... an' you never know." He kisses your forehead. "I promise I won't let any cougars eat you. Go back to sleep now, yeah?"
"Okay," you answer dutifully, because you really should let Joel get back to sleep, but you know you're not going to get any more sleep tonight yourself.
...until you do. You finally nod off around dawn, leaving Joel to make all the final preparations for your trip by himself (he won't wake you up) and delaying your departure. That means you should have no problem taking first shift of guard duty if you do run into any creepy children who freak you out enough to warrant it.
If you'd like to start another adventure, return to page 1.