Saturday, December Twenty Second, 10:24 P.M….

Someone woke me up eventually. I had fallen into and out of sleep through the day. It had been a while since I had actually gotten a decent time to sleep and dream. The boys had finally put shirts on, and Zack was gently shaking my shoulder.

“Rory, you need to go to sleep in a bed.” He chuckled. I grumbled and sat up. He took my hand, helping me up.

“I was comfortable sleeping on a couch.” I offered. He shook his head, not allowing me to be still. I blearily followed him to the bunks. He showed me to the empty one.

“This’ll be yours. Sorry if it’s uncomfortable. Jack tried to straighten it up but it’s, well…it’s Jack.” Zack chuckled. I smiled, hugging him quickly. He sighed.

“Thank you, Zack.” I smiled. He nodded and crawled into the bunk above mine. He poked his head out as I yawned.

“Goodnight, beautiful.” He smiled. I melted into my bunk, grinning from the compliment.

“Goodnight yourself, gorgeous.” Rian mumbled.

“That wasn’t for you, Ry.” Zack groaned. I laughed and passed out on my bunk.

But the dreams were awful. And even awful was an understatement.

They were chasing me. Through dark corridors, through the desert, over hills and around the buses, they never ceased to chase me. I tripped, tossing in turning as they descended upon me. I couldn’t speak, all I could do was whimper and try to yell. It was like they were a pack of wolves and I was an injured fawn.

“Rory!” Someone called. I threw a punch in Chris’ direction, warding him off. Ryan tried to claw at my shirt, like he had done before. The dream versions of the people were twice as scary as the actual humans.

“RORY!” Someone hissed. I was jolted from a dark bus room and into my own bunk. Someone’s face appeared out of the darkness. I gasped and shrunk back against my pillow. I was on top of the covers, looking like I had been attacked by a bear.

“It’s me, Zack.” His soft voice soothed me. I took deep breaths to calm myself as Zack came into my bunk, sitting with me. I hugged my knees to my chest. He reached up to touch my shoulder. I flinched from the sudden touch in the dark space.

“Sorry, sir. I just, I was just having a dream.” I stuttered out, still not fully aware. Zack sighed, and slowly took my hand in his own. I closed my eyes, as if I could escape an eternal darkness.

“Are you okay now?”

“Not really.” I muttered sadly. He pulled me into his chest, holding me tight. I felt his hand rub small circles into my back, his arms keeping me safe. I leaned into his chest, trying to keep my heart at a normal rate and failing.

“Do you want me to stay with you for a little, until you fall asleep?” He asked me softly. I nodded into his shoulder. He let me go so that we could be lay back down. Once we got comfortable, he pulled the sheets around us so that I was barely visible. He stroked my hair, running his fingers lightly over my spine until I felt a new weariness wrap around me.

“Goodnight, baby girl.” He cooed. I sighed into his neck and started to slip out of reality. He kissed my forehead right before I collided with dreams.

And this one….an oblivion of pain.

Ryan. Only Ryan. A dark room and a bed. A recipe for disaster.

I struggled, oh how I struggled. I ran but didn’t move. I screamed but didn’t utter a sound. Once Ryan’s arms grabbed me, I was dead in the water. I was paralyzed, I couldn’t move. I felt all the trauma, all the fear, all the torture sink back into me.

“STOP! STOP! PLEASE, STOP HURTING ME!” I found my voice again, but it was the only thing I had. Ryan growled, slapping me and I felt his hands all over my body.

“Just stop! I can’t take it anymore! Don’t hurt me, please stop hurting me!” I whimpered once my lungs couldn’t take any more noise.

He slammed me back on the bed, tearing off my shirt and shorts. I knew what was coming and tried to fight him. I punched and screamed and kicked and kept on fighting like I had the first time, but I couldn’t do it. When I realized it was hopeless, I just gave up. I felt each thrust and ache fill my bones and I collapsed, feeling exhausted and dirty all over again.

I felt like I was back to being a slave. All fight, any fight, any possible thoughts of fighting, were rent asunder and I was a limp doll.

And so, the blackness consumed me again.



Zack’s POV

I woke up not even an hour later to someone wiggling and writhing in my arms. Rory’s face was twisted, as if she was in physical pain. I heard her gasp loudly, like she was out of breath or someone was kicking her in the chest repeatedly. I propped myself up on one elbow, touching her shoulder. She jumped away, hitting the back wall. I was afraid that she was going to hurt herself. She whimpered and gasped.

“Rory, are you okay?” I asked her. She didn’t respond. She was probably having another nightmare. Her hands grasped at the sheets in a desperate attempt to free herself. Was she dreaming over the Motionless in White boys hurting her?

“Rory, please wake up!” I begged, not caring who could hear me.

“What’s up, Zack?” Alex asked as he poked his head out from the bunk across from us. He reached up, turning on the hall light.

“Rory is acting weirdly…” I trailed off. He swung his legs over the edge, leaning out of his bunk. I rolled over in Rory’s bunk, touching her arm again.

“STOP!” She yelled, her eyes flashing open. Tears were glistening, falling like a glass waterfall down her cheeks. I jerked my hand back. Her eyes were wide, frightened, but not…not awake. She wasn’t awake yet.

“Rory, it’s just me!” I cried out. She tore out of her bunk, nearly tripping over herself. She was off in such a flash, I didn’t even recognize it. Her survival instincts must be kicking in. She must be trying to survive whatever dream that was playing through her fragile mind.

By this time, Jack was yawning and looking out of his bunk and Rian was wide awake. Alex and I hopped out, watching as Rory scrambled back on a couch, clawing at a window but failing.

“Wake up, Orion! Wake up!” Rian saw what was going on and yelled. She turned around, sobbing for us to stop hurting her, but we didn’t touch her. She finally managed to get the window open and Alex leapt up, snagging her by the waist before she could jump out.

“STOP! STOP! PLEASE, STOP HURTING ME!” She screamed, sobbing really. Her hands didn’t fly towards Alex, but at some invisible monster at her hips.

Oh no….what was happening in her dream!?

By the time Alex dragged her away, he gently set her on the floor, letting her collapse onto the carpet. The screaming and yelling had gone out of her. She just…lay there, still as a rock.

“Just stop! I can’t take it anymore! Don’t hurt me, please stop hurting me!” She whimpered to us, her eyes still open and glazed over with that sleepwalking stare. Tears continued to fall until her eyes shut again, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

“What the hell just happened?” Jack asked. I tried to reach down, touch her shoulder, but she shook and shivered any time anyone touched her. We were all too afraid to move her from the floor. She might explode again.

“She had some dream, but I don’t know what it was about. I feel like it was about something that had happened on the bus, but I don’t know what.” I told them. Alex sat down on one couch with Jack. I sat on the other with Rian. Rory lay in between us, her head tucked under one arm.

“She was trying to swat at her hips. Did anyone else notice that?” Rian asked.

“Yeah I saw it. Do you think…maybe…it was connected to when Ryan raped her?” I asked quietly. The bus fell silent. No one could look at another person. To think that someone would do that to such a beautiful, innocent, sweet girl…it was monstrous.

“It had to be.” Alex sighed, putting his head in his hands. Jack got up, grabbing his laptop from the charger. Rory moved a little, sighing unhappily in her sleep. Her leg twitched before she fell back to stillness.

“Hey, I’m going to look up some stuff. I remember she was talking about how dealt with some pretty traumatic stuff and that she learned her family was breaking up. I might look up some stuff on trauma.” Jack said as the laptop glowed on. Alex leaned in, putting his head on the guitarist’s shoulder.

“That’s a good idea. Maybe she’s suffering some PTSD type stuff?” Rian suggested. I nodded, yawning. It was early in the morning, about four or so. Jack occasionally asked questions about what we remember Rory doing when she had her flighty attack, or what we remember from her story.

“So I found some stuff. Kind of terrible stuff, actually.” Jack sighed. We all turned to him. It had to be earlier, like five or six in the morning.

“What is it?”

“I may not be a doctor, but she definitely had PTSD. All signs lead to it. If she didn’t have it, I would be surprised. There’s also something called Rape Trauma Syndrome. Some of the symptoms of RTS is extreme nightmares, fear of crowds, being left alone, a distrust of strangers or new people, and other PTSD common symptoms.” Jack read. I bit my lip, looking down at Rory. Well, she certainly had the extreme nightmares part of it pegged…

“It doesn’t look like she had a lot of the other symptoms, besides the nightmares.” Alex noted. Jack scanned.

“Symptoms may appear days, weeks, or even a few months after encounter. They get stronger over time, although some victims will not show these. Some may experience extreme flashes before beginning the reconstruction stage, where they reconstruct their normal lives.” Jack responded. It could really go either way. She could be either or. Rian rubbed his hand through his hair.

“Wolf gave us her portfolio, right? I’ll go get it and right it down under notes and medical attention. We’ll tell them to keep an eye on the PTSD, look for certain symptoms. With the RTS, we’ll tell them to see if they progress. If either get too bad, we’ll have to take her to a doctor, or if she’s with another group, they’ll have to do it.” Rian said as he got up.

“Zack.” Jack looked up. Rian and Alex walked away to go get a pen and the portfolio. I walked over to his side. He pointed to a list of the effects.

“What is it?”

“I’m worried about her.” He said. I put my head in my hands, shaking my head.

“I am too.”

Notes

BOLD LETTERS HERE
Okay, now that I have your attention, I want you all to pay CLOSE ATTENTION to the next few chapters. This is a serious, serious thing. If you want to get the full effect, the full story, and actually understand what Rory is feeling and what is happening to her inside, you HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION!!! Seriously, take everything into mind. If you have to take a notebook and write this down, do it.

I cannot stress this enough. Pay attention!

I'll help you down here in the notes but you HAVE TO READ THE NOTES! Stop, don't even think of skipping over any sentences!

Here are some helpful things to pay attention to:
-Rory's PTSD and RTS, and how they effect her.
-How bad her symptoms are starting to grow. (For example, she's had the nightmares, will the other symptoms show up???)
-Pay CLOSE attention to little things, like the note, like what she's thinking, little action she's doing.

THESE CHAPTERS OFTEN RELY ON LITTLE THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT OTHERWISE NOT NOTICE IF YOU DON'T PAY ATTENTION!

Good luck reading, everyone. I'm always here to help you understand, just talk to me in the comments!