Sleepless Nightmare in Seattle
Written by: Mana Araxis



"W-where am I? Mana thought to himself. Fear ran through his body, causing him to tense up, not knowing where he was. The cold rain in the night poured heavily, soaking his clothes. He appeared to be in a parking lot on the side of a Church, remote from any metropolitan areas. 

"Drex!? Arx!? Kenta!?" yelled the panic stricken dragon. Outside an open door in the lit entry way, ragged and shady human men congregated together. Some laughing, using vulgar language and insults towards the young dragon. His friends were not be found. Never had he known such fear and lonliness as now. Soon, a dark skinned human walked out front with a clipboard in hand and approached Mana. 

"Hey, what's your name?" said the human with a thick accent.

"M-my name? It's Mana Araxis." stammered Mana, still unsure what was going on. "Where am I?" asked Mana. The other men continued to snicker at the confused dragon, which only made Mana feel even more anxious. It was like being at school again. 

"This is the Church of St. Columbia." replied what seemed to be the manager of this outfit. "Go to the trailer and get your mat, pillows and blankets." continued the manager, pointing at the trailer which had a LifePath logo printed on it's side. Mana did as he was told and entered the open trailer. The awful stench of damp wood and soiled fabrics filled the air. The young dragon quickly walked towards the back, grabbing a long green mat and a clear plastic bag containing a pillow and blankets. It soon became clear to him, this was a homeless shelter. He heard horror stories about them, but never expected to be in one. The manager pointed the cub towards inside after having him sign off the duty list on his clipboard.

Once inside, the dragon found a spot in the back corner and laid out his mat, keeping one eye on his surroundings. 

"You better not fucking snore, piece of shit lizard!" shouted a grizzly looking human. His clothes stained with dirt and his hair a curly, oily mess." Mana started to tense up, his heart started to palpitate. 

"Ugh!" exclaimed Mana, as another habitant shoved him to the ground. This time from a tall dark skinned human, dressed in traditional American gangster clothes. Tears started to well up in the dragon's eyes, the odious stench of the humans packing into the church's meeting room. 

"Okay everyone! It's ten o'clock now! Lights out!" yelled the shelter manager, before shutting off the light. Crying once more, Mana covered himself in the supplied blanket.

Hours passed when he was rudely awakened by the grizzly human in the pitch dark room.

"Fucking lizard! I told you to not fucking snore!" insulted the man which caused the others to wake up suddenly.

"Oh boy...the kid's gonna get it!" said the gangster dressed habitant. In the dim moonlight from outside shining into the sleeping area, Mana saw the hostile male jump him, pinning him to the mat. 

"You gonna cry you fuckin weenie!?" continued the grizzled bum, as he quickly withdrew a knife from his pants, holding it to Mana's neck. The cub froze up completely as everyone stared on, waiting for the man to slit the dragon's throat. 

"Ha ha ha, watch! The lizard is going freak out now!" teased the gangster.

"I told you to not snore! Now you'll pay for it now!" yelled Mana's attacker. The shelter manager was busy another area of the church, distracted from other habitants. No doubt keeping him away from the incident as an intentional setup. Mana feared for his life, he couldn't do anything. Everyone he knew was long aways as far as he was concerned. In his last moments, he saw the knife swiped across his throat. The stinging pain coursed through his neck, blood gushed out, running down his shirt. With his throat being cut open completely, the cub began to suffocate, striving for air. The human continued his onslaught, stabbing Mana through the chest repeatedly, taking out his anger and frustration on the poor dragon. Soon, life faded from Mana's sight.

The dragon then felt his body violently snap back, at least his spirit back into his body. Waking up to a shock, he was back in his bedroom. His lights were quickly turned by his parents. Drex stood by his brother's side.

"Big Brother?" Drex asked. "Are you okay? You must of been having a nightmare."

"I was. It seemed so real. At least I'm safe and alive." answered Mana.

"Why don't you go get something to eat Mana before going back to bed." suggested their mother.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Mana nodded in agreement. Slowly getting up, Mana and Drex went to have a midnight snack and discuss his nightmare. Their parents smiled at the pair before retreating to their room for the night. 

Have a Happy Halloween!