It's five thirty-five am as I lay in bed. My heart is racing as I stare at the glowing numbers of my clock in the dark room. In an hour, I'll have to get up and prepare for my trip. Right now though, there is not much I can do. I can only lie here, paralyzed with fear as I drift back into the dream that has haunted me every night since my return from the hospital. I don't recall the accident. Yet, every night since has become a nightmare for me. Something in my subconscious wants me to recall. It's something that I have forgotten. Or something I'm just too afraid to remember. As I am slipping back into my vivid nightmare, I hear my bedroom door creak open but it's too late. I can't open my eyes. I'm drifting in a dark place between awake and asleep. I'm forced to listen to the creature's careful footsteps across the carpet as it approaches my bed. Then just before I'm dragged into the landscape of my nightmare, I feel it lean on the bed beside my arm. It's body heat causing the hairs on my arm to rise. It leans in and I feel its breath near my shoulder when it whispers to me in a distant distorted voice. "Jack, you've got to wake up. It's time... to remember."

In my nightmare, I'm walking fast down a long dark road. I'm stepping over the thick snow carefully trying not to disturb the surrounding silence, but it crunches with every step. My warm breath puffs before my face as I hug my jacket tighter around myself. I don't recall it being this cold in Ireland. I don't recall why I'm even here. A twig snaps to my right and I stop to listen. The forest that surrounds me is so dark I can only see through a few rows with the help of the bright moonlight above me. As the echo of the snapped branches fade, I am left with only eerie silence. My mind tells me it is a sign that everything should be asleep at this hour. However, my gut is telling me that something is there. The hairs on the back of my neck rise as my primal instinct tells me that I'm not alone. Something is hunting me. Stalking me just out of my sight. When faced with this growing overwhelming fear, I quickly allow myself to rationalize it in order to make it not so horrible. It was a branch breaking under the weight of the snow. Swallowing my childish fears, I continue walking.

My cabin is not too far away. In a few minutes, I will be there. There are no big predators in this part of Ireland. At best it is a stray dog. My fear dies down, but I'm tempted to talk to myself or sing. Something to fill the chilly silent air. Just as I begin to consider it, my throat closes up on me. I'm suddenly choked by a fear that the sound of my own voice will drown out other sounds. Sounds of a barely heard threat looming within the dark reaches of the trees. Barely breathing, I pick up my pace a little and pray that I don't hear footsteps behind me. I'm listening intently now. The crunching of snow almost deafening my ears in this otherwise silent forest. The blistering cold fills my lungs and forces me to slow down to a stop. Cupping my hands over my mouth, I blow into them to keep my fingers from freezing. Allowing myself a moment to get my wild emotions under control. Something about all this feels so familiar, but I brush it to the back of my mind. I know where I'm going. I know where I am. Of course, it is familiar.

Feeling better, I continue down the little narrow road. The farther I go, the more I see an opening starting to form between the trees. Until I see it. My old cabin. Nestled in the middle of a small clearing. My heart leaps at the sight of it. How long has it been? The sight of it filling me with nostalgia from a simpler time. Oh, how I've missed it. Walking briskly across the clearing, I feel like I'm going home. I can't wait to get the fireplace started. My crunching steps turn into heavy thuds as I walk up the steps of the small wooden porch. Fumbling to pull the key from my pants, I unlock the wooden door with a satisfying click. I have to shove the door with my shoulder to break the seal of ice around the frame, but I quickly scurry inside where it is slightly warmer. Out of habit, I lock the door behind me and turn to face the dark living room before me. Even the pinewood smell of the place fills me with a refreshing calmness. Carefully navigating the furniture in the room, I reach the far window. I need light to see the fireplace and the moonlight will do the trick.

Gripping the chilled fabric of the closed curtains, I throw them open. Moonlight pours into the cabin, and I smile. It is good to be home. I need this time to myself. My smile quickly fades though as I see a dark silhouette standing just within the wood line. At first, I think to myself that it is my mind seeing things. Until it moves. It glides over the snow without a sound. Moving with the grace and swiftness of a deer, but its form suggests it is human. My breath catches in my throat, but it is moving away into the shadows. Whatever it was, it was leaving. The thought brings me comfort, until I see the same dark silhouette rush by the window. My gaze goes to the next window. Where through the slightly parted curtains, I see it again. It is moving around the cabin. My heart beats against my ribs, but I feel like I'll be ok. I've locked the door. The creature tries the doorknob. The aggressive jiggling of it forcing me to clench my jaw. The jiggling stops. Replaced quickly with loud bangs.

My eyes drift toward the fireplace where an iron poker sits in its holder. I want to rush for it, when the door bursts open and slams against the wall. I scream and throw my hands up. After a heart pounding few seconds, I let out my breath. Nothing is there. The doorway is empty. The wind blowing in fresh snowflakes that dusted the wooden floor of the cabin. Lowering my arms, I curse and stomp over to the door. Slamming it shut, I take deep breaths as I rest my hands upon it. I feel both relieved and stupid. It was just the wind. A storm was coming. I focus my thoughts back on the fireplace, but my blood turns cold. Out of the corner of my eye just over my shoulder, I see an arm that isn't mine and it's holding a kitchen knife. The blade glints as the moonlight catches it. Behind me, a voice whispers unnervingly close to my ear. "I am here." Before a sound leaves me, the blade cuts up through the air toward my neck. I feel its icy bite as it slides across my warm skin.

I bite it little more than a pinch. A mere scratch. My breathing is suddenly followed by a gurgling wheeze. I don't understand what has happened. My mind can't fathom it. I drop to my knees. My hands shaking as they slide down the wooden door. The figure behind me crouches down with me. The rush of inaudibly whispers buzzes in my ears. Until the creature, staying just out of my sight, tells me in a distorted and aggressive guttural voice. "It's all your fault... It's time to DIE!" I drop to my ass on the floor, my hands dropping from the door as I turn to look into the eyes of the man that has killed me. His body is cloaked in shadows, but there is one thing that burns itself into my memory. His vibrant bright neon green eyes. Fear seeping into the depth of my soul as I stare into them. I'm feeling weak. Helpless. The creature laughs in distorted high pitches, before my body jerks. My hands absently clutching at the hand that is firmly set at my ribcage. I can barely make out that the hand is holding the handle of the knife. The blade completely missing as he holds it to my chest. My final thought is... he's stabbed me. He's killed me. Then I wake up with a start to the loud ringing of a blaring alarm clock.

Jerking upright in bed, Jack's hands quickly go to his throat and chest. Feeling nothing there, he swings his legs over the side of the bed and drops his face into his hands. Taking deep slow breaths, he ignores the alarm until his heartrate slows back down to normal. Only then does he reach out to hit the off button. Sliding his hand off the clock, his hand shakes as he reaches for his anxiety pill bottle. Struggling to twist the top off, he flinches as slender arms wrap around him. Resting her head on his shoulder, Evelien sleepily yawns out. "Another nightmare?" Unable to answer her, he just nods uneasily. Her hands slide off his arms to take the pill bottle from him. He lets her take it, watching her easily twist the top off. Shaking out two pills, she places them in his hand and twists the cap back on for him. Reaching out to grab his glass of water off the bedside table, he pops the pills into his mouth and chugs down the water. Putting his pills back by the clock, she sits up to rub his shoulders, cooing out to him. "It's the stress. Just breathe and walk around a bit. I'll make you some coffee."

A weak chuckle escapes him, before he weakly mumbles out. "You want to calm me down by wiring me up?" Kissing his neck and giving his arms a little squeeze, she softly replies. "You'll need it for your drive. Just finish packing and meet me downstairs." Reluctantly, he watched her slide out of bed before blurting out. "Maybe I shouldn't go on this trip..." Leaning out of the bathroom, she curtly shot back in a light voice. "No. Jack, we agreed. We both need this. I'm taking B.B. and going to visit my parents. While you're going to take some time for yourself. You've been working too hard. You need a change of scenery and a little time to yourself." Finishing up in bathroom, she walked out, adding sweetly. "You're burning out and these nightmares are becoming more frequent..." Turning his eyes to the floor between his bare feet, he droned out under his breath. "It's just one actually. It just keeps recurring." Moving around to stand in front of him, she casually lifted his chin until he was looking up at her.

Giving him a warm smile, she told him coolly. "Jack... The doctor told you not to push yourself. Since coming back home, that is all you have done. You need this time to relax and... think about yourself for a while. You work so hard to entertain others. Take a break. You're not a machine, Jack." Moving her hands away from his face nicely, he flatly retorted. "If I'm gone too long. I'll lose them. Without them, I don't have a job. We could lose the house and everything in it. Everything I've worked so hard for. Everyday. I get older and less relatable to them. I feel like... Like I'm fading away. I have to stay ahead of it." Running a hand through his hair, she calmly purred out to him in a low sincere voice. "Jack. Do you hear yourself?" He opened his mouth to refute it, but he heard it. Dropping his face back down into his hands, he ran his own fingers through his hair with a heavy sigh. Kneeling in front of him, she cupped his face and told him seriously. "This trip is your doctor's orders, Jack. You need to get away from the city. From all your fans. From me." Giving him a brief kiss to his lips, she told him lovingly. "I'm worried about you, Jack. Please... Go have a little fun. Be lazy. Just... stop worrying and live a little. Ok?"

Giving her a confident nod, she rubbed his cheek and added as she walked away. "Good. Get dressed." With one last sigh, Jack got up. Dressing himself and packing up the last-minute things he needed. They shared a quick breakfast together and then ventured out to the curb when her taxi arrived. Loading up the taxi and Jack's jalopy of a car, they hugged and kissed one last time. He didn't want her to go. Chuckling softly, she eased out of his embrace and told him in a cheery voice. "It's your first road trip. Enjoy it." Rolling his eyes, he told her in a strangled voice. "Have a safe flight. Text me when you get there." Kissing his cheek, she moved away from him, but he held her hand until he had to let go. Standing on the curb, he watched her drive away before getting into his car. His jet black Laika 601 wasn't the best car, but it was his first car, and he was fond of it. Since the car literally was as old as he was. The insurance was even so low that he couldn't pass it up either. It wouldn't win any races, but it was more reliable than half the newer cars were. With a sturdy frame and old-fashioned features from the nineties. He was happy with it.

Turning the key in the ignition, he lowered the handbrake lever between the seats and shifted the lever behind the wheel into drive. The engine clattered to life with the sounds of rattling metal, but to him it was the loveliest sound in the world. Switching on the knob for the radio, he turned up the volume and manually rolled down his driver side window to let some air in since the A.C. didn't work so well. Pulling slowly out onto the empty early morning road, Jack exhaled his worries away. He didn't like driving in crowded towns, but driving on the backroads were relaxing. The road stretched out into the vast country landscapes clearing his head with every kilometer. Softly singing with songs on the radio, he found himself thinking less about youtube and more about the drive ahead. He'd never driven for so long, but enjoyed it a lot more than he thought he would. There was just something so freeing about it. Even with the short stops to fill up on gas and stretch his legs. The drive from Brighton, England to Athlone, Ireland would take him close to ten hours. If the ferry wasn't delayed along the way.

To his great relief, he arrived just as they were opening the gate for the cars to board. Once on, he got out and leaned against his car to test Evelien and his mother on where he was at. His mother was thrilled that he was coming home and had the keys to his old cabin ready for him to pick up. She offered to let him to stay with her, but he turned her down once again. He told her that he missed the cabin and needed a place to get away for a while. Nothing made her happier than that. She had been against him moving to Brighton from the beginning. She had told him it was too crowded and that things in the city moved too fast. She had been right. Compared to sleepy little Athlone, Brighton was a whirlwind of chaos. As much as he loved it... it did make him miss home. Putting away his phone, he moved to the ferry railing and leaned on it to enjoy the crisp sea breeze and slosh of waves. When the island of Ireland started to come into view, Jack grinned warmly as if he was looking at an old friend. He had forgotten how much of a small town boy he was at heart.

When the ferry began docking, Jack quickly slipped back into his car and started it up. Just as the gate opened for him, it started to snow, forcing Jack to roll his window up. The sight of falling snow and the snow-covered streets was soothing to his soul. It had been a long time since he had seen so much snow. England barely got a dusting of it compared to Athlone. Stopping in at his mom's house, he had a quick dinner with her and accepted the cabin keys. She warned him that she hadn't been up to the cabin in a few years, but he didn't care. Even at its worst, it would give him something to do to distract himself from boredom. Despite her trying to stop him from driving at night, he told her not to worry and set out in his trusty little jalopy. He drove slowly, his jalopy drifting a little on the icy roads but fortunately no one ever came out this far. His dad had bought up the land years ago and only ever used it for hunting. At least, until Jack moved into it for a few years as a way of getting out on his own. He had hated the cabin in his youth, but now in his early thirties, he appreciated its old-world charm.

The wind whistled around the car as little snowflakes pattered the windshield, forcing him to flick on his wipers. His high beams reflected off the thick layer of snow over the road but left the surrounding trees in a pitch-black wall of darkness. The longer he drove down the stretch of road, the more uneasy he got. His nightmare flaring back to the forefront of his mind. He shrugged it off to being tired and tried to keep the car from drifting too far to the sides of the road where the snow was deeper. He didn't recall the cabin being this far away, but it had been a few years since he'd driven there. Carefully reaching out to turn off the radio, he hesitated when the radio broadcaster announced. "We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a breaking news announcement. A man was found on the roadside after crashing his car into a snowbank on the outskirts of Athlone. The man is in critical condition. Listeners be warned. It's dangerous out there. Stay indoors. And if you can't avoid it, drive slowly. Keep those eyes on the road."

Jack raised an eyebrow, his attention jerking up from the radio to see a strange sign posted on a tree. There shouldn't have been anything posted this far out. In his attempt to read it, there was a sudden loud 'BANG' that vibrated the car and sent it skidding across the road. Quickly turning the wheel, Jack tried to fix the skid, but the car slammed into the snowbank and collided head long into a tree. The airbag went off, slamming him back firmly against the seat. As the airbag deflated, Jack moved slowly in a slight daze. Opening his glovebox, he retrieved his emergency flashlight and eased out of the car. The vehicle's emergency lights blinked rhythmically as he clicked the flashlight on and assessed the damage. The hood of the car was totaled and upon further inspection, he saw the reason for the noise. One of his rear tires had blown. Lightly kicking the blown tire, he snapped aloud. "Are you fucking serious right now?!" Feeling something warm run down from his nose, he touched it and pulled his fingers away with blood. The airbag had hit him so hard that his nose was bleeding.

Groaning, he wiped his hand on his jeans and fumbled to remove his phone. He needed to report the accident, but the call refused to go through. There was no signal. Cursing under his breath, he turned off his phone to save the battery and muttered out bitterly. "Oh, get away, they said. It will be less stressful, they said. Mother fucking bowlegged ape asses! UGH!" Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he exhaled all his frustration and stated calmly to himself. "Fine. It's not that much farther. I'll walk. Fuck it." Shutting off his car, he retrieved his backpack and started to head off down the long stretch of snowy road. Only to stop a short distance away as another posted sign caught his eye. The large sign reading in bold print. 'Warning. Restricted area. This area has been declared a restricted area by the authority of I.R.I.S. in accordance with the government. All persons and vehicles caught trespassing will be herein liable to containment and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. Entry is prohibited with specific authorization from the I.R.I.S. corporation. You have been warned.'

Staring blankly at the sign, Jack scoffed dismissively. "What the fuck is this shite?" Glaring at the sign, Jack shook his head and continued up the road. His mother still owned this land. No one should be up here. He had to check this shit out. To Be Continued...