Eyes...claws...blood...and a scream.
He jolted awake, sweat crowning his forehead. His teacher was standing over him with a concerned frown. "Miko, are you alright? You enter my classroom late then you sleep through half the lesson and are unresponsive to any attempts of rousing. Are you ill?" The boy didn't answer, still disoriented by what he had experienced. Another dream? Absolutely. Of a victim? Precisely. Were they already dead? Probably...
"MIKO!" "Sorry sir," he mumbled. "Miko, do you need to go home?" He shook his head furiously. "I'm okay. Just tired." The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Up playing games again?" He couldn't tell his teacher he had another one of his dreams, (or as everyone likes to call them, "psychotic hallucinations"), so he just nodded with a fake, sheepish grin. The teacher smiled, clearly amused. "You should lay off the Xbox for a while, okay son?" Miko nodded in understanding. "Good. Now stay awake." He walked back to the white board and resumed teaching.
He tried to focus but a funny feeling had settled in his stomach and it only got worse.
"One day, I'm gonna kill Andrew," Mya growled as they commenced their journey back home. Miko stayed silent, the dream was still on his mind. "Hey! Don't you agree with me?!" she shook her brother roughly. "Murder will land you in juvie," his warning was hollow. "Are you okay? You seem out of it..." She looked at him in worry. "I'm-" he stopped in his tracks. Then he pulled away from his sister. "Miko?" she asked warily. He seemed to be listening to something. His eyes widened and the next he was running down the street. "MIKO!" she cried out but he didn't stop.
He breathed heavily as he neared the back of the school. A scream pierced his ears. His heart seized. His nose detected the smell of blood. "STOP!" he shouted.
A shadowy figure was standing over the fragile but alive form of a boy. It turned to see who dared interrupt him. Miko beheld its outspread antlers, bird beak, long clawed arms, arched back and its two white, glowing eyes. However he held his ground.
"Flesh bag wishes to die? That can be arranged..." the monster spoke. He lumbered towards the small boy, his clawed hand raised to strike him. It came down with lightning speed but he merely kicked it away. The creature was astonished. "Impudent dead weight! Your death will NOT be swift!" he bellowed. He advanced, swinging his long arms. Miko ducked as best he could. It screamed in fury. "HOW DO YOU EVADE ME!?" Miko stood tall. "I have a guardian angel. Now," he took a fighting stance, "Let that boy go or you'll be sorry."
It was a bluff but the creature believed him.
"Very well," then it turned and walked away. Miko was internally astonished. He'd encountered a Walker and lived, never mind that he had no fighting skills. A groan reminded him why he engaged the thing in the first place.
He kneeled down beside the injured kid. "Are you alright?" He had a look of shock on his face. "Miko! Did...did you just fight that thing?" Miko shrugged. "I don't...you're freakier than I previously thought." he whispered. "Can you stand?" he moved to touch him. "DON'T! I-I mean...what are you?" Miko looked into his eyes. "I don't know. Now do you want my help?" At last he grasped his hand.
"Andrew!" Mya was ready to conk the boy on the head. "Don't, Mya. He's hurt." She eyed him warily. "From what?" "A crazy homeless man." Instantly her expression softened. "For real?" they nodded. "Oh my gosh. Well let's get him to a hospital." She swung one of his arms around her neck and they both carried Andrew's injured self to the community hospital.