Rebuilding: Prologue
Sunday, August 5, 1984
3:38 am
“Nooooooooo! Let go of me! Stop it!”
The shout, followed by a moan and thrashing noise, brought Thomas Maypenny to his feet for the third time in two hours. Moving swiftly, he grabbed Dan by the shoulders, whispering, “Shhh, Daniel. It’s just a dream. You’re safe.”
Dan’s eyes opened, but were unfocused. Jerking away, he gazed at a demon only he could see, and cried out, “No! Don’t you touch her!”
Maypenny tried again, his voice calm and low. “It’s all right, Daniel. Calm down, son. Tessa is fine. You are fine. You’re both safe now.”
“He’s coming back. I can’t let him get us. I won’t disappear.” Dan muttered. “I won’t!”
“No, son,” Thomas reassured him. “You won’t disappear. He won’t get you. I promise.” His voice broke. “I promise.”
Dan relaxed, his sub-conscious recognizing the voice of someone he trusted, and his eyes closed. Thomas lowered him back onto the bed, and considered his options. Daniel had had nightmares in the past. Regularly for the first few weeks after moving into the cabin, and then again after being held prisoner by his old gang the summer before. This was different; louder for one thing, and much more frequent. It was almost as if the boy were watching a looped video tape of past events, reliving the same part over and over. As Maypenny watched, Dan’s face began to twitch again, gearing up to fight his invisible foe.
Rising, Thomas walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards. Putting on his reading glasses, he searched through the box of medications they had brought back from Washington. Finding what he was looking for, Maypenny shook out two tablets, poured a glass of water, and headed back to Dan’s bedroom. Rousing Dan slightly, he managed to force the pills into the boy. Settling himself on the desk chair, Maypenny watched until the sedative took effect, and finally, Dan slept in peace.
