A Dreamless World

by SilverHoof1


Man In the walls

Selena did not like this situation one bit. At least Samuel had been somewhat nice, but now she was about to go talk to some spirit that had its own cult!? This didn't feel safe in the slightest and she did not want any part of it! If only she could actually speak that though since this whole thing had been her idea. She could have taken the offer out and not had to deal with any of this craziness - the out Biovera had offered...
She quickly shook off the haze that clouded her mind at the name, deciding to instead focus on not drawing attention to herself as she waited behind a corner for a group of robed townsfolk to walk past. The wall she pressed herself against was cold and moist, but if she didn't then she would be seen. If she was seen then she could get killed and then everyone would stay crazy then - wait, no calm down. Nothing's happened yet so there is no reason to panic. It's fine, everything is perfectly fine nothing bad is going to happen oh my god I really hope I'm not going to die today.
As soon as they were past the house she quickly darted to the front door, turning the handle while a thunderstorm ran rampant in her mind full of worry and worse case scenarios. Why couldn't Bio do this, she was the calm one! She knew why though, turning the nob to dart into the house as quickly as she could. She nearly slammed the door once she was in, before remembering she was trying to be sneaky. So instead of being an idiot, she slowly closed the door, cupping a hand over the knob to try and muffle the faint 'click' as it locked into place.
The house looked fairly normal on the inside, much to her surprise. Well, except for the blood-red candles - the bloody elk head pinned above a fireplace - the red liquid dripping from the second story floor... oh dear. "I really need to get out of here, the 'man in the wall' better talk to me..." Selena muttered darkly under her breath, hurrying towards the stairs. She was forced to stop though as she heard footsteps echo from the second story as well as gargled speech. Frantically she looked for a hiding spot, mind once again racing with worse case scenarios. Unable to find a better spot she slid under the table - just in time too, as she saw a black boot just peeking from the top of the stairs.
The footsteps and speech only got louder as another pair of shoes appeared, the two walking only a star apart. The newcomer seemed to be wearing foot wrappings that faintly resembled shoes, but Selena couldn't really focus on the implications of that. She was too busy panicking silently under the table. "So he does not wish to speak on such an important night?" she heard faintly from ahead, his words sounding as if he had to gargle water to simply speak.
"Hmm... no, indeed he is quite adamant, even his incessant tapping was quiet for once," another voice called, causing her to shiver. This voice wasn't hard to understand at all, instead, it was as if slimy seaweed were being stuffed into her eyes while it talked. "How unfortunate, we also had problems acquiring the sacrifices... such an important day..." the second voice bubbled up, now directly to her left. They were walking past the table, good riddance.
"I do hope we find those sacrifices, otherwise we may have to offer more children, and we're running short on our supply..." the door opened and closed a moment later, the slimy voice becoming muffled through the thick would, but it didn't matter. Selena was already coursing with rage, the very thought of using children - the future generation who still had yet to live - being used as a sacrifice making her forget her nervousness. The way he put it... their "supply", those poor kids weren't cared for at all. Selena bet they were just food for whatever horrific creature was in those cursed waters!
It only took her a second to unfold from under the table and begin stomping up the staircase, anger clouding her judgment and the whispering voice that told her to be silent. But while her own inner voices couldn't penetrate her haze, the voice that resonated from the hallway pierced her to her core. "Rap, tap, tap, who is this little mouse that scurries into the wolf's den?" a voiced mused, seeming to speak directly into her mind and bounce around in her skull.
"Wha-what the-!"
"Mmmmm, a loud one aren't we?" a laugh resounded through the staircase, which suddenly seemed a lot longer than before. She could see the room at the top of the staircase - the door was wide open and she could just see a bookcase in the back of the room - but it seemed like every step she took she got farther and farther away. "You should leave- run - this isn't safe for such a cute little mouse, the beartrap isn't too big to miss you," the voice warned, but it sounded more amused then if it was actually warning her.
"The bear trap or whatever can wait, I have to save this place!" she exclaimed, her voice bouncing off the stretching hallway. Then without warning, as if a rubber band had been stretched taut then released, she was flung into the room as matter and space collapsed and the stretched hallway snapped back into shape. The second she was fully in the room the door behind her snapped shut, and she looked up in horror.
The room was plain compared to the rest of the house, a bookcase sitting across from the door and a table sitting in the middle of the room, a single candle burning in the center. The room was silent for a second, even her own breathing seemed muffled. Then, slowly, a rhythm began to beat its way through the room. 'rap, tap, tap, rap, tap, tap'. It sounded like it was from the walls as if someone were tapping on them. High pitched laughter came from nowhere, and a shiver found its way easily down Selena's spine. It was as if someone from inside the wall were tapping.
There was a hissing noise like helium escaping from a balloon, drawing her attention back to the center table. Her mouth dropped open in equal parts shock and horror as something began to materialize in the chair, the tapping sound starting to echo from every wall in the room, the sound burrowing into her mind as time went on like an ice pick. The figure finished materializing, seeing a lazy smirk stretching her own mouth - wait a minute, it was her!
Selena frantically looked at herself, then back up to see an exact copy of herself sitting in the chair, but their expressions were very different. One was horrified, backing towards the door that had been locked behind her mind too confused to realize the knob wasn't turning. The other her was still giving the other a lazy smirk, one leg crossed casually over the other as she balanced on the back legs of her chair, arms crossed over her chest. "Hey there kiddo, what brings you to my lovely and spacious abode?" it drawled in her own voice, waving her arm at the space around them - her - she wasn't sure anymore.
It felt like she couldn't properly focus, the incessant tapping like coils on her brain, Selena slowly sinking to the ground with both hands clasped over her ears with her eyes shut tight. The tapping continued though, no longer from the walls of the room. It was in her brain, and unable to control herself she began to cry. "It's just a dream, just a dream please let this all just be -"
"Oh kiddo it is all a dream! but not in the way your hopping, no second dream for you," she - it, cackled, and she could feel its eyes on her.
"S-second dream?"
"Oh, I think I said too much, hmhm... I suppose if I want an interesting conversation I have to leave you sane, what a bother..." it sighed dramatically, and suddenly the tapping sound in her mind was gone. She sat there for a second, taking a second to recollect her thoughts. "W-who are you?" she finally managed to croak, opening her eyes to look up at... herself.
"Oh, that isn't obvious? I mean you came here looking for one thing in particular, yet when it greets you you cant tell? How ironic," it smirked, chuckling under its breath.
"s-so, you're the man in the wall?"
"mmm, so that's what I'm called?" it mused, leaning forward in its chair, propping its head up with its arm. "Man doesn't seem accurate at the moment, but yes I suppose you could call me that, but for time's sake it would be best if you found something else to call me,"
"Uhhh... I'm not sure..." Selena said doubtfully, and it smirked. "Yes you do, go on... say my name,"
"How about... Gemini?" she asked, slowly beginning to stand up.
"Oh-ho! Now, that's a good one, and a lot less 'ooooh I'm a spooky ghost that haunts your walls, fear me' style, I like it," Gemini crowed, smirking wider than ever.
"No offense meant, but isn't that what you're doing?" Selena questioned, the shock of the situation - but not the creepiness- beginning to fade as she made her way to the table.
"Oh no, the only reason I'm here is because that no good 'priest' -" she did finger quotes at the word 'priest' "- tried to summon me, so I decided I'd come here than just be silent and let him grovel, it was pretty hilarious honestly,"
"I see... u-uh, well you see, I was actually hoping to ask you for help - "
"oh right right right - you're trying to fix all the crazies in this town right?" Gemini asked, rolling her eyes into her head while circling her finger next to her head. "Well, you came to the right place kiddo, although I will admit I promise nothing about you staying sane after this conversation," Gemini purred, eyes seeming to flash yellow with excitement. Selena, temper flaring scowled at herself - at Gemini. "I will be leaving this house sane and staying that way for the rest of my life, thank you very much!"
"Ohhh, do I hear a challenge?" she smirked, and the tapping started in her mind again. Instead of trying to fight it like last time though, Selena simply began to murmur the sound. As she did it was as if water were being drained from her brain in the forms of insanity, leaving her mind pure. Gemini watched this in fascination, eyes wide and - strangely, excited - as she slowly stopped murmuring and simply repeated it in her mind over and over.
"rap tap tap, rap tap tap..." she cut off, smiling confidently. There was no longer tapping coming from her brain, but instead, it was in her brain, following what she did instead of its own rhythm. "My my, you truly are interesting with your coping ability - although, its more long term than sudden surprises, intriguing..." Gemini praised, a somewhat genuine smiling stretching her face. "Alright, I can't let someone like you slip from my fingers so easily - so how about we make an agreement?"
"An agreement?" Selena questioned cautiously, cocking an eyebrow. Gemini seemed to be unique in nature - reminded her a fair amount of Fobus, except more sinister - and she trusted her about as far as she could throw her.
"That's right kiddo, here's the deal - I tell you what you want to know and continue to help you, but you let me live in your head," Gemini said simply, smirking expectantly. Selena jerked back as if struck but didn't say anything, already thinking the offer over. She didn't trust Gemini in her mind one bit - the tapping was enough, even if she had control over it. If Gemini got in there who knows what she could do, she could maybe even control what Selena did which could be a disaster.
On the other hand though, if she didn't let Gemini in they would never be able to save this town, and if she had wanted that to happen she should have just left when they could have. When she thought about it that way, then there was only one answer. The worst part was, she knew Gemini could tell what she was thinking, she knew her offer was too good to refuse no matter the later consequences.
"Fine... but you have to make this tapping go away, I have a feeling you'll be obnoxious enough without the constant noise..." Selena grumbled, putting out her hand.
"I personally find it calming, but whatever floats your boat kiddo," Gemini shrugged, taking her hand. The second their hands made contact it was as if Selena had been hit by lightning, her entire body jerking as magic cracked through the room like a whip. Then only a second later the pressure was gone, leaving a tingly feeling that coursed through her. Then, from the back of her mind, Gemini began to cackle.