Adam and the Ants: The Beginning
Copyright© 2014 by LastCallAgain
Chapter 10: The Dream
Longing is the animal inside you when you bleed
Suffering is critical in finding what you need
Deliverance is evidence there's more than what you see
Pain is there the moment that you wake up from your dreams
— Stone Temple Pilots, "Out of Time" (Used without permission)
Thursday, August 23, 2:12 AM
I was having a pleasant, if somewhat surreal dream that featured an ice cream truck driving the halls at school. The students were laughing and enjoying Rocket Pops and Push-ups as they roamed from class to class, but they all carried stacks of sticks and leaves instead of books. Gradually, though, the festive atmosphere dissipated. The hallway became uncomfortably warm, and the students' icy treats began melting in their hands. The ice cream truck's mirthful song turned dissonant and out of tune. One by one the students dropped their sweets as grins and giggles turned to wide-eyed masks of fear. Some began to run erratically up and down the halls, ducking in and out of classrooms.
A copper-haired girl in a blue and white cheerleader's uniform shuffled past me. I couldn't see her face, but I heard her mumbling to herself. As she came closer I heard what she was saying.
"Danger ... Save the babies ... Danger ... Save the babies..."
Others nearby took up the mantra, and soon every student was repeating in unison.
"Danger. Save the babies. Danger. Save the babies."
The ice cream truck careened slowly down the hall, bouncing off lockers and nudging students out of its way. It suddenly gained speed as it entered the lobby and plowed through the glass wall of the main office. Its discordant song faded to static and sparks began flying from the speaker. The yellow blinking light on the roof grew to the size of a beach ball, turning orange then red and glowing brighter. Smoke wafted from the shattered office window. For a moment, the entire crowd of students panicked, stampeding randomly through the halls. The cheerleader took up station outside the double doors leading to the gymnasium and shouted over the din.
"Danger. Save the babies! Danger! Save the babies!"
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