Love and
Migraines
by Trisha
Ridinger McKee
He was yelling again.
For the love of God,
Charlie was screaming about his damn video game. Viv
tried to sit up, but her migraine made her feel as if
she were spinning at high speed while a jackhammer was
pounding into her skull.
She could not even
groan as Charlie stomped into her room. “Did you mess
with my game? When I saved it last night, I was past
level 4 and-”
“Charlie,” Viv
whispered, her arm slung over her eyes. “I’m sick.”
“Just answer my
question - did-”
“No.”
“Because it isn’t -”
“I can’t deal with
this. Okay? I need you to go. Go home.”
“Huh?”
Viv sat up and
squinted, fighting a wave of nausea. “Leave. I can
barely move. This… you… You’re yelling about a game.
Can’t you see I have a migraine?”
His large frame was still for a moment, and Viv believed he was
finally emerging from his own self-absorbed haze. Then
he shook his head. “Yeah, well, you’ve been using that
excuse for a few days now. I want to know what happened
to the game.”
“Out. Just… just go.”
She stumbled out of bed and tried to straighten, to
confront Charlie, to do what she should have done months
ago. But when Viv straightened, her head spun, spots
impeding her vision, and before she could return to the
safety of her bed, she fainted, smacking her head on the
edge of the dresser on her way down.
***
Her head ached. That was Viv’s first thought as she slowly
struggled to regain consciousness. Her second thought
was that something was different. The air felt heavier,
a smoky, slightly sulfurous smell invading her nostrils
and nudging her closer to opening her eyes.
“Hey,
I think she’s waking up.”
It was a deep voice,
one she did not recognize, and that finally propelled
her up, her eyes opening to see two strange guys
squatting in front of her, their eyes narrowed in
concern. She scrambled to her feet and drew back, her
hands out in front of her. They stepped forward and then
stopped, almost in unison.
“Viv? Hey… What…? You
okay? Careful, you hit your head pretty hard.” The guy
with the gorgeous cheekbones and puppy-dog eyes reached
out, and she jumped farther back.
“Who are you?” she
demanded, bending forward as if ready to run through
them. “Where am I?” She noticed it was dark, the sky an
odd orange and gray mix. The trees were bare of leaves,
but it was warm out, stifling, actually.
“Who am I?”
The taller guy with
the black hair and ridiculously long eyelashes elbowed
the first guy. “I think she has amnesia.” He held out
his hands. “Viv. It’s us. Nix and Treye. You… you had
one of those brain pressures and fainted.”
“Brain pressures?
Wha- where am I? Why isn’t there any grass or plants?
What am I doing out here at night?”
“Night? It’s one in
the afternoon.”
Viv told herself it
was a dream, and that usually caused her to wake up, but
she blinked, and it was all there. The dismal sky, the
guys staring at her, the barren land… She wanted to cry,
but her head was still thumping, and tears would only
make it worse. Pointing to the kinder looking of the
guys, she asked, “You. What’s your name?”
“Nix. I’m Nix, Viv.
We’ve known each other since we were five.”
She pointed to the
other guy. “You’re Treye?”
He nodded, managing
to grab her elbow. “Yes, Viv. Your boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” She eyed
him skeptically. Nothing about him was familiar, but
everything about him was hot and not her type. All
muscles and smoldering eyes. “No. Charlie’s my
boyfriend.”
Treye frowned. “Who
the hell is Charlie?”
“Treye, she has
amnesia. She probably has a concussion.” Nix turned away
and paused for a moment. “You hear that?”
“Shit!” Treye and Nix
ran over to a few large canvas bags and brought out
large, shiny swords. Viv glanced around for the hidden
cameras. This had to be a joke. Some cruel prank
orchestrated by Charlie.
“Viv!” Nix approached
her, his gaze intense, not allowing her to look away or
back up. “Listen, the Leftuls are on their way. We have
two minutes, if that.”
“Leftuls?”
Treye spun in a
circle, cursing and rubbing his face, but Nix continued
to focus on her with a calmness that touched her. That
spread through her. “Yes. Leftuls. That rumbling you
hear… They are coming, and we have to stab them before
they stomp us.” He thrust a sword into her hand and
started to turn away.
“Wait! I’ve never… I
don’t know how to use this.”
“Sure you do,” Treye
assured her, buttoning up his jacket. “You’re great at
it. Better than me and Nix combined.”
“But I can’t
remember….”
“Instinct. It’ll come
to you. Trust me.”
They had no more time
to argue because suddenly there were these large
creatures that resembled bulls on steroids charging on
two feet toward them. And Viv held the sword like she
had seen in the movies, trembling as the ground shook
and the sky roared. She heard the grunts of the guys as
they plunged swords into these beasts and then ripped
them out, and she turned toward Nix. Suddenly she felt
an arm curl around her waist, and she was lifted up and
swung to the side. It all happened so fast that by the
time she was on her feet, she saw Treye stabbing one of
those rabid, bull-like creatures. He threw down the
sword and bent over, placing his hands on his knees.
Trying to catch his breath, he glanced up and stated,
“They attack from the left.”
For a moment, she was
frozen. This dream was going too far. She just wanted to
wake up and focus on trivial things, such as arguing
with Charlie or getting enough sleep to function at her
job the next day. But fighting wicked beasts on a
darkened day with two men that she would otherwise be
swooning over… this was not in the plans.
The guys were already
gathering up parts of the camp. “Others are going to
smell the blood. We have to get moving.”
“Others?” she
mumbled, but she moved with them, stuffing items into
bags, mimicking their actions.
Treye helped move the
canvas bag over her shoulder, adjusting it to fit.
“How’s your head? Your balance? Think you can hike with
this bag? If not, I can carry mine and yours.”
Viv realized that her
head was clear, and she actually felt lighter, filled
with more energy than she had in awhile. She guessed
battling dream creatures would do that for a
person.
As they walked along
a dirt path, Viv tried to get some information. “Doesn’t
the sun exist?”
“Still no memory?”
Treye grumbled, kicking at a stone.
Nix shot him a dark
look and then answered, “Sometimes. Maybe once a month
the sun peeks through for a good part of the day. Those
are always your favorite days. We try to find a field
and just bask in the light. It gets almost unbearably
hot when the sun is out, but you… you love it. It makes
sense you would ask about it.” He gave her a comforting
grin, but she noticed it did not reach his eyes.
“Hey, there’s a
building over there. Lamp’s on.” Treye stopped and
pointed toward the thickest part of the forest to their
right. Viv squinted and did see a golden light
shimmering through the bare branches. “Let’s go.”
“So…” She stopped and
gave a small jump, adjusting the strap of her bag up
farther on her shoulder, and then smiled as Nix took it
off her shoulder and slung it over his. “There are other
people?” It had occurred to her that she had seen no
cars, no other humans on their hike.
“Yeah,” Treye paused,
waiting for them to catch up, and Viv caught him give
Nix an annoyed look when he saw him carrying her bag.
“There are other people. Just not as many as … there
was.”
“And we can just stop
in?”
“We’re going to find
out.”
The building was a
large, wooden structure, painted in a checkered red and
white design, with candles burning in many of the
windows. They used the knocker on the wooden, rounded
door, and Viv tried to ignore the icy fingers going up
and down her spine. It was a weird sensation, but this
was a weird dream.
The door swung open,
and an older man with a large gray beard smiled.
“Seekers?”
“Yes, sir,” Nix
responded. “We were hoping for a night’s shelter.”
“Of course! Come
in.”
The group moved in
sync behind their host as he led them through a series
of rooms, all designed in a unique way. There were
stripes, colorful blocked painting, and even spirals
adorning the walls. The guys did not seem to notice the
oddities, so Viv simply followed and tried not to appear
too overwhelmed.
Finally they were
seated at a large, oak table in a room that could be
described as a child’s craft room. The walls were
splashed with bright colors of yellow and blue and red,
and various pieces of crafts decorated the walls. A milk
jug watering can, paper mache turtles, and several
popsicle flowers cluttered the table.
The main eye-catching
display was a chain of paper bunny faces strewn across
the room. The bunnies had closed eyes, and the man who
introduced himself as Joshyua, caught Viv looking. He
caught her eye and whispered, “Try to be quiet. They’re
sleeping.” With a wink, he left the room.
They were given beef
stew, and Vic realized how hungry she was. The stew was
delicious and hot, served in wooden bowls with wooden
spoons, and as they sat and ate, Viv glanced up and saw
one of the paper bunnies watching her. When it realized
Viv was looking directly at it, the paper bunny shut its
eyes.
With a heavy sigh,
Viv remarked, “This is weird, guys. Something’s off.”
Without another word,
they set down their spoons and stood, grabbing their
bags.
“Wait… What are you
doing?”
Nix glanced up at
her. “You always have an uncanny knack for spotting
traps. Let’s go.”
“But… I don’t
remember any of this. It’s all off to me.”
“Yeah but if this is
off enough for you to comment, we can’t chance it,”
Treye explained, grabbing her hand and pulling her
toward the door. He tried the handle. “Locked.”
Suddenly there was
whispering overpowering the room. Viv pointed. “The
bunnies. They’re … they’re talking!” The paper bunnies
had their eyes open, their gazes sliding back and forth,
their mouths moving.
“They’re probably
Spyrows,” Nix threw out absently, his back turned as he
searched for a way out.
“They’re what? Never
mind.” As the sound of the bunnies got louder and
louder, she spun around and tried to block it out. “Hey,
guys.” And because she knew there was no time to explain
her plan, she grabbed a chair and threw it against the
window. Treye pulled her back and took the chair,
managing to bust through the glass on the first
try.
By the time they were
all on the ground running, the bunnies were screaming,
“Escaping! They’re escaping!”
The group ran through
the thickest part of the forest, the dark night giving
little relief as they darted around trees and tripped
over rocks. Before long, Viv realized she was leading
the guys, and she wanted to stop and explain she did not
know where to go. But something was leading her, an
instinct she could not describe. She glanced over her
shoulder to see a green haze surrounding the building
they had just escaped, and she swung forward, not
wanting to see more.
She heard Nix call to
her, ask if she was okay, if she knew. But she kept
running, and they kept following. After twenty minutes,
just as she was running out of breath and about to drop,
she saw a clear wall, a sky-high boundary of wavy air.
She hesitated for just a moment before jumping through
it.
The point of contact
sent jolts through her, and Viv fell to the ground on
the other side, rolling, but otherwise fine. She got up
just as the guys made it through.
“Damn, Viv. Still got
that runner’s advantage,” Treye grumbled, brushing the
dirt off his knees. “But I knew that instinct would kick
in. Holy shit, we found it a lot quicker than I thought
we would.”
Viv tilted her head
and looked around. The sky was still an ominous
orange-gray, clouds closer than before. The trees were
still bare, and the air was still stifling. “Where are
we? Did we just go through another dimension?”
To her embarrassment,
the guys laughed. Seeing her expression, Nix stifled his
chuckles. “I’m sorry, Viv. Just… your dreams can really
be outrageous. No, it was a short cut of sorts. Instead
of running through the entire forest and probably
getting more lost, you found the Woodrunner’s Path.”
He shook his head, “I’ll explain it all later. But you
did good, Viv. Now we have to set up camp. We’re far
enough to not worry about Leftuls or that bunny dude
finding us.”
Viv focused on
helping to set up the tent and get a fire started. She
was amazed at how much she actually did now. This was an
empowering dream. She was kicking ass in all the areas
she normally would have no skill set in.
They sat around the
fire eating canned corn and a substance much like hot
dogs in her awake world. Treye sat beside her, giving
her little space as he and Nix explained a few things to
her.
“Spyrows are
messengers that take information they get and send it
back to their keepers, their makers. Those paper bunnies
- Spyrows. You’ve always been good at spotting things
like that,” Treye explained, pausing between sentences
to press his lips against her head. “The green haze was
the telltale sign that the guy was a sorcerer and
probably wanted us there to complete some spell or even
to have us obtain information for him, whether we wanted
to or not.”
“I know the term sorcerer.
So this life has always been… the darkness and the bare
forest… it’s normal?”
“Not normal,” Nix
corrected softly, and Viv noticed he avoided glancing
over at Treye and her as they cuddled close on the log.
“Two years normal. Two years ago there was a change. No
one is sure if it was nuclear or something falling from
space. A lot of … 75 percent of the population was wiped
out. But those of us that were in lower levels or far
enough in woods, we seemed to have survived. Me, you,
and Treye were in your basement.”
Treye kept his arm
around Viv but leaned forward, seeking Nix’s gaze. When
he had it, he asked softly, “This seems worse than any
other of her brain pressure episodes.”
She sat up straight.
“What?”
Nix shot Treye a dark
look before facing her. “You have a lot of brain
pressures. Painful, makes you forget a lot. Your dreams
get really out there. No big deal. The past two years
have been traumatic. On all of us. But we’re closer to
the west coast. There’s more people there. More places
to live, rebuild. That’s what we’ve heard, anyways.”
“So this change two
years ago… it created things like Leftuls and Spryows?”
Treye laughed, but it
was short and hard, and she sensed he was losing
patience with her. “No, Viv. We’ve always had Leftuls
and Spyrows.” He patted her shoulder and stood. “I’m
tired. You taking the first shift, Nix?”
“Yeah. You guys have
a good night.”
“I’m actually going
to stay out here for a little bit.” As Treye frowned,
she realized she said the wrong thing.
“C’mon, Viv. Don’t be
like that.”
“No, I’m honestly not
being like anything. I just won’t be able to sleep for
awhile.”
Treye shrugged and
stomped off to the tent. Viv and Nix sat in silence,
only exchanging smiles when Nix covered her with a
blanket before returning to his log to sit and poke at
the fire. Finally, still staring into the dancing
flames, he said, “His impatience… it’s really just
concern. You scared us with that fall today. Hitting
your head.”
She lifted her head
up and down slowly to indicate she heard him, but she
did not understand. None of this made sense to her. What
was she doing here, why couldn’t she wake up from this
intense dream? “Are we safe out here?”
“Yeah. Well, I mean,
if we listen for the Leftuls, but we’re far out. I don’t
think there’s anything to worry about.”
“What would happen if
I went back through that portal?”
Nix narrowed his
eyes. “Portal?”
“Yeah. That wall of
fog or whatever it was.”
He laughed. “Not a
portal, Viv. It was a shortcut. And you’d just go back
to where the bunny house was. That’s all. I know this
isn’t funny at all, but when you lose your memory, you
say the funniest things.”
“So then why do we
take shifts?”
“Just to be extra
safe.”
“In case snakes
slither in?” she teased.
He gave her a blank
look. “Snakes? What are snakes?”
At first she
suspected he was joking, but when he persisted in
knowing, she explained what a snake was. Nix drew back
with a horrified laugh. “That sounds absolutely
terrifying! No limbs and … it just slides around. And
bites? And Leftuls freak you out? Wow.”
Viv found herself
laughing for the first time since opening her eyes that
day. When she caught her breath, she looked up to see
him grinning at her and confided, “I don’t understand.
Treye’s my… the one I’m with but … you seem much more in
line with my personality. I’m sorry if that’s forward. I
just still feel like I’m dreaming, so I’m a bit more
bold.”
She noticed the
hesitation, the slight wobble of his smile, but Nix
quickly composed himself and shrugged his shoulders.
“Observant. You and I were a couple. For years. Until
six months ago.”
“When?”
He sighed and met her
gaze. “When you had a brain pressure, had a vivid dream,
and woke up insisting that you and Treye were soulmates.
He was more than happy to play that part.”
“Oh.” Viv felt shame
wash over her. “I’m sorry. That… And you’re still here?
Are you stuck with us?”
“No,” he was quick to
reassure her, and she felt even worse. She had broken
his heart, and this man still wanted to ensure she was
happy. “I mean, it’s best to be in a group of three, so
that played a part in it. But … sometimes Treye… he
cares about you, no doubt, but you have these episodes,
and I wanted to be sure… .“
Viv could not hold
back. She moved to sit beside him, inching forward, and
Nix was meeting her halfway, their lips meeting in an
explosion of familiar passion. For the first time, Viv
wondered if this was her life. Because this... Nix...
felt like everything she knew and all that she wanted.
She never wanted this sensation to end, but he pulled
back, his hand cupping her cheek.
“Baby girl, you have
to figure things out.”
When she crawled into
the tent, Treye rolled to his side and hissed, “So I
guess that’s that.”
“Treye-”
“No. It’s fine. Let’s
just get this over with and make it to the coast and
then we can go our separate ways. I was getting sick of
your issues anyways.” That stung. Whether this was a
dream or not, she felt sad and embarrassed.
She was amazed at how
fast she fell asleep, only to be shaken awake. She
peered up at Treye. “We need to get moving.”
He made no mention of
the night before, and while he remained distant, he was
not rude or angry. She helped pack up camp, musing over
a dream she had had while sleeping. A dream of Charlie
that haunted her even after waking up.
Suddenly a beam of
light shot out from her, and Charlie materialized
several feet away. He was faint, see-through, almost
like he was part of the air, but he was there, and he
stared at her and growled, “How could you?”
Then he was gone, the
beam of light vanishing as quickly as it had come. She
stared up at Nix and Treye who stared back at her. “Oh!
Did you see that?”
Nix nodded slowly,
stepping up to her. “Yes. Dream projection.”
“Huh?”
“You just projected
part of your dream. That’s all. It happens. You can
learn to control it, but-”
“That was Charlie!”
Treye laughed. “That
was Charlie? Damn, Viv. What the hell!” He stopped when
he caught Nix’s dark look, and he demanded, “What? You
were thinking the same thing!”
They hiked most of
the day, stopping to eat and rest against some rocks,
and Viv joked around with the guys, feeling more at
ease. But
again, Viv wished for sunlight. This constant darkness
was beginning to weigh on her. As they neared a
clearing, she saw a large, stone building. “There,”
she pointed. “That old mansion. We can stop there.”
The guys studied her
and then nodded, apparently still believing in her
instincts. And somehow, she was believing in them as
well.
As they continued on
the dirt path toward the building, a little old man
neared them, his back curved and gaze persistent.
Something about his gaze…
Viv started to call
out a greeting, but Treye gave her a slight push and
hissed, “Don’t make eye contact!”
She was disgusted.
“Why? Because he’s poor? Old? Dirty?”
“No,” Nix answered,
stepping between her and the old man. “Because he’s a
Parasitic Traveler.”
“Huh?”
The guys hurried her
along the path, and once they were well past the guy,
Viv had to admit, he was creepy. He continued to
blatantly stare, turning to watch them, his eyes seeking
theirs, and Nix had to nudge her and demand, “Don’t turn
around.”
Once out of earshot
and the creepy guy’s line of sight, Treye explained, “He
was a Parasitic Traveler. He locks eyes with you and
somehow connects to your soul and body and lives there
for a few hours, a few days, even a couple weeks. It
doesn’t kill you, but it’s not very pleasant.”
“How can you tell a
parasitic traveler?”
Nix shrugged.
“Usually old, worn-out body. Intense stare, doesn’t
talk. You learn quick, and then it is really easy to
tell.” He slowed his steps, motioning toward the iron
gate.
Viv jumped forward
and pushed the button, tilting her head up. Immediate
static met her ears, as if someone had been waiting to
respond and then a low, “Yes?”
“A night’s shelter?
Perhaps a meal?” she asked.
Within moments the
gates opened, creaking with each inch. The trio advanced
slowly, looking around. Trees and green grass and even a
garden surrounded them, shocking Viv while at the same
time, satisfying her senses.
“Sorcery,” Treye spit
out, glaring at the shockingly healthy surroundings.
“Let’s just check it
out,” Nix urged, but he pulled Viv behind him when the
double doors opened, and a young couple greeted them.
Something drove Viv
to step out and say, “You have Spyrows out front. Maybe
we shouldn’t….”
“We do,” the woman
admitted. “It’s to warn us of who… or what is coming.
But we have none inside. We can give you a hot meal and
soft beds. Where are you from?”
“East,” Nix answered,
watching Viv for any sign of discomfort. “We’re seekers.
We were stationary dwellers before the change rolled
in.”
The man smiled at
Viv. “And you?”
“She’s one of us,”
Treye answered irritably.
The man’s smile
widened. “She’s not. There’s a glow about her. She
travels farther.”
Viv was intrigued.
She wanted to know more. What did he mean? She nodded to
the guys that it seemed okay, and they followed the
couple inside.
The home was in
pristine condition, if not outdated with oil lamps and
antiques, velvet furniture and oriental rugs. People
were in every room, smiling and greeting them. The
couple introduced themselves as Avae and Codix and
explained as they gave the tour that they housed almost
thirty people, including five children. They had a
community going where everyone worked, everyone put in
energy to make this a functioning haven for those that
had already endured too much.
They got settled in
and talked at length with Avae and Codix and somehow the
topic moved to Viv’s amnesia and the spells she
experienced.
“I thought so,” Codix
nodded. “I saw something about you. You’re a traveler.
Teleporter. Those are not just brain pressures. You’re
traveling, experiencing different dimensions.”
Treye snorted.
“Right. That exists. She just suffers from brain
pressures after all she’s been through. That’s it. And
the last one, she fell and hit her head. She did not go
anywhere.”
But Nix and Viv
exchanged looks, remembering her dream projection and
her insistence she lived a different life. Perhaps there
was something to it.
After a delicious,
filling meal, they talked long into the night, and
finally the couple stood. “Okay, we can talk more
tomorrow, but I think we would like to offer you three
an extended invitation. We can discuss the rules and
expectations if you decide to accept.”
Viv and Nix were
excited, but Treye shook his head. “No way. I’m leaving
tomorrow.”
“But this is what we
were going west for. This. We have it. We found it,” Nix
argued, his tone incredulous.
“No. I intended to go
west. Not to settle down in some creepy castle with
out-dated furniture. No. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I think we want to
stay,” Viv admitted. She did not know much about this
world, this life, but being in this community seemed
safer than venturing out among Leftuls and Parasitic
Travelers and Spryows.
“Then stay.”
“Treye. C’mon. You
know we can’t let you go off alone.”
“Then come with me.
Either way, I’m leaving tomorrow.” He got up and stormed
out of the room.
Nix studied Viv, and
when she swung her gaze to him, he smiled. “Let him blow
off some steam. He’ll come to his senses. Hey, how did
you know there were Spyrows out front?”
She grinned, bumping
his shoulder with her own. “I didn’t. Lucky guess.”
The next morning, Viv
awoke with a blinding migraine. As she writhed in pain,
Nix put a cool washcloth on her head and closed the
curtains to shut out any light.
“She’s got a brain
pressure,” he explained to Avae and Codix.
Viv could hear the
excitement in Codix’s voice as he said, “She’s getting
ready to travel! She’s getting ready!”
Then she heard Treye,
made out words about leaving and not wanting to deal
with other people’s issues anymore. She sensed he was
speaking out of hurt, and in her haste to stop him, she
stood too fast and promptly fell, her head hitting the
floor before darkness invaded.
***
“Hey, honey. You up?”
Viv woke, realizing
she was in an actual bed, a soft bed. She sat up and saw
Nix standing at the edge of the bed, smiling at her as
he slid into a T-shirt. “Oh. This… you…” She was unable
to verbalize her surprise, so she turned to see the
sunlight streaming through the window, a gentle breeze
softening the heat.
His grin widened.
“Another crazy dream? That’s like the third night in a
row. You’re safe. Home with your hubby.” And the
gorgeous man leaned over and kissed her. Then he drew
back. “You getting up soon? My friend’s coming
over.”
“Treye?”
He eyed her with
curiosity. “No. But who is this Treye that keeps coming
up in your dreams? I’m curious. You’ve asked about him
now three times after your dreams.”
“Hey, do you know
what snakes are?”
“Snakes? Yeah, why?
Did you see another one in the shed?”
“What about Leftuls?
“Huh?” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Hey
gorgeous, I’ll make breakfast. Come out when you’re
ready.”
Viv indulged in a
long, hot shower, trying to stop her thoughts from
racing. She just had to wake up, had to clear her head
and remember this life. The past experiences were
dreams. This was right. Nix was right.
As she dried off and
got dressed, she heard voices in the kitchen, so she
ventured into the hallway and rounded the corner only to
stop short.
Nix smiled, pushing a
plate of pancakes toward her. “There you are. You
remember my friend Charlie, right?”
And there was Charlie
smirking at her. “Oh, she remembers.”
Oblivious, Nix held
out a piece of paper. “Look. His daughter made you this.
Thought we could hang it up on the fridge.”
Stunned, her gaze
glued to Charlie, she reached out for the paper and then
finally glanced down. In her hand was a sleeping paper
bunny.
END
|