Tripod Beware

He was told that all the girls had died, but every night he had the same dream where he was locked in the cellar once again and the girls were there, alive, coming to get him.

He had gotten himself a girlfriend, Christine, and they were hoping to get married in a year or so, but that morning she had left to go stay with her mother for a few days, and so Yon had the house to himself. He was slightly thankful for this, because that meant he could mourn the loss of his friends in peace.

He spent the day going through their old stuff: notebooks full of songs they had written in all their different stages, souvenirs – just token items – from when they were touring, one of Scod's guitars. He hadn't had the nerve to read Gatesy's journals until today. The first one was basically just a travel log that he had obviously written in while they were touring – there wasn't anything very personal in it. It was towards the end of the second one that things got more serious. It was written while they were being held hostage. Yon was surprised at how much there was about him and how Gatesy was worried about him. He read about what he had been doing back then – it was strange seeing how it was from someone else's point of view. He hadn't realised Gatesy cared about him so much – he never knew, and now it was too late to thank him for his help, because without Gatesy there to talk to, he was sure he would have gone out of his mind. Gatesy had saved him from himself.

Yon went to bed that night emotionally drained from all the feelings that had resurfaced that day. He closed his eyes and waited for the recurring nightmare to arrive, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

He could see them, waiting in the dark shadows. Yon backed into the corner, silently begging them not to hurt him, but they continued moving slowly but surely in on him. The first thing he saw was the weapons; the glint in the darkness as the light hit the knife blade, the loud click splitting the air as the chrome butt of the gun emerged into the light. Next all three girls stepped totally into the light, their faces holding expressions of pure evil. Jade brought up her hand and aimed the gun at him.

Yon gasped and sat up, looking around frantically. He was breathing unsteadily and his body was covered in a sheen of cold sweat. He flicked on the light beside the bed and checked all the obvious places, but he didn't see anything out of place. He sighed in relief. That had been the most real version of the nightmare he'd ever had! He really had to stop allowing it to affect him so much.

He threw back the sheets and lay down on top of the covers, trying to think happy thoughts so he wouldn't freak himself out, but as usual it didn't work – he kept imagining them to be there, in the shadows where the small bedside light couldn't reach. He shook himself and picked up a book of Christine's from beside the bed – some crap romance novel – but hopefully it would take his mind off the nightmare.

He read for half and hour or so, and it did help, but he couldn't budge the feeling of unease that was clenched in a tight fist in his stomach. He placed the book back on the table, turned off the light and closed his eyes. He was just drifting off when he heard a soft laugh and the familiar click of the gun. He groaned. Not again, not already. He pulled himself out of his slumber and stared at the darkness until his eyes adjusted a bit. The few tiny shards of light on the walls shuddered slightly then stilled. He frowned. He was sure he heard the laugh again. He'd felt they were here before, but now the feeling was stronger than ever. He could feel the breeze they made as they paced the room. He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily. Then he heard a creak right beside him. 'Shit!' he thought, silently panicking. He didn't even have anything to protect himself. Why had he let Christine talk him into putting the baseball bat away in the wardrobe after she'd found it under the bed?

There was a click as the light illuminated the room once more and he found himself staring straight into Jade's leering face. He tried to scream but no sound would come.

"Hello Yonny, long time no see," she hissed "I bet you miss your friends, don't you? I'm here to help you to join them. Who knows? We might meet again one day!" A maniacal laugh filled the room as she pressed the cold butt of the gun against his temple.

"N-no…please…" Yon pleaded, finally finding his voice, but the sound that came from his mouth was almost non-existent.

"Goooodbyyyye!" she chimed in a singsong voice. A loud gunshot pierced the darkness. Then silence.

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(c) Helen Looymans, 2001