Who: Ciel Phantomhive What: Nightmares, oops. Where: His host's home When: Evening, 10/15 Warnings | Status: Brief mentions of death, violence | Narrative | Complete
The fever induced the dream, but it was always the same one even without the sickness. The only difference was that tonight Ciel was actually burning this time.
The heat of the flames surrounded him, pressing in on all sides as he tore through the hallways of the mansion. He couldn't shout, his lungs refused to let him breathe properly, and the smell of burning smoke and flesh in the air was suffocating.
Mother! He shoved into the ballroom and stumbled several feet, unable to catch himself properly, before falling to his knees. He didn't want to look, but Ciel raised his eyes anyway and peered with utter horror at the sight before him. His parents, murdered, mutilated and sewn back together into a grotesque form were burning. No! Ciel sobbed as the flames engulfed the mansion.
The door to the bedroom creaked open, and a plump woman entered, flicking the light on as she passed the switch. Ciel thrashed weakly in his bed, face contorted in a grimace as his nightmares took him. It was a frequent event to find him this since he'd come, but the fever made his dreams worse over the last few days. The woman sighed, concern in her eyes as she touched her hand to his forehead and smoothed back his dark hair. He was burning up.
No! Ciel's eyes snapped open and he moved on instinct laced fear, reaching for the gun buried under his pillow. In that moment he almost brought it up to bear to press the end of the barrel into the woman's forehead. She was close enough that he could blow her brains across the wall if he pulled the trigger. The gun half drawn, Ciel stared into the terrified eyes of his host, her horror reflecting his own for a long pause. No one moved. Ciel struggled to catch his breath, but dropped the gun and slumped back onto his pillows.
"I'm sorry," he said and touched his hands to his head, as if the motion might make the memories go away. The woman squeaked a sound and retreated toward the door as soon as it was safe to do so. She breathed hard and watched Ciel, torn between sudden terror and pity for the boy.
"I can hear them screaming, it never stops. I keep thinking if I throw it away it'll make them stop. How foolish." Ciel opened his eye, the vulnerability fading from his expression and turning into hatred and anger. "Get out."
She fled. Tomorrow she'd call, she couldn't keep him here with her.