Sleepwalker

"Mustaine 3155-011, you're up." said an officer.

Dave sat up from his bunk. They put cuffs on his ankles and wrists before leading him to the phone. He had no calling card, so he had to make a collect call.

He was arrested for brutally killing his girlfriend, Janney. Stabbed to the heart, but he felt no remorse. Like he had a split personality or something. He picked up the phone and absent-mindedly dialed his home phone. Shit... Well, maybe someone is there. he thought bitterly.

One ring... Two rings...

Someone picked up, but all he could hear was heavy breathing. "Hello? Who is this?" asked Dave.

"Y--yo---you k--k-kil-killed m-me." said a voice that sounded eerily like his girlfriend, Janney. But it came through the phone like static, it was barely comprehensible.

"Janney?" asked Dave quietly. The phone began to bleed from the mouthpiece. "Holy fuck! What the shit?!" he asked as he still clutched the phone in his hand. A piercing scream came from the receiver as Dave let it go as it burned his hand. The scream continued as the lights began to flicker on and off. The scream died out as the glass exploded from the windows as Dave hit the deck.

"AGGHHH!" screamed Dave as he sat up in his bed. His breath was ragged and his body drenched with sweat.

The lights flipped on as his girlfriend turned around to look at him, "What's wrong Dave? Are you okay?" she asked as she smoothed down his wild reddish blond hair.

He shook his head, "It's alright. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

"Alright." she said as she kissed his cheek before shutting the light back off.

Dave sat there in the darkness, trying to erase the dark scene from his mind. An hour later he got up carefully to ensure he didn't disturb Janney. He walked down the stairs and rubbed his bare arms, he wore nothing more than pj pants. He opened his suitcase still in the living room and put on a shirt.

He walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. As he waited he stared out the window. The night was bright from the full moon. Dave turned away from the window when he thought that he saw shadows dashing about in the forest at the edge of his residence. "Stop it Dave, you're just tired. That's all." he said to himself with a forced chuckle.

While Janney was at work, Dave decided to try and get some writing done. He sat as his desk. He had a bottle of vodka sitting next to him. He had been writing for hours, and nothing seemed to come to his head. His eye lids felt heavy and his brain felt foggy. He leaned his head against the desk.

He was standing on a bridge. Janney looked at him with fear in her eyes. She had a cinder block cemented to her feet. She was wrapped in chains and had a sock stuffed in her mouth. He threw her over the bridge and watched her fall. "DAVE!" she screamed though it was muffled.

"Dave! Wake up, you're drooling all over your papers." said Janney as she shook him awake.

Dave shook his head, "Sorry honey. How was your day?" he asked as he hugged her.

Janney sighed, "I still hate my boss. He seriously expected me to lie so that way I could set some killer free. I told him that I wasn't going to do that, and then he took over the case!"

Dave kissed her forehead, "It's alright. Why don't we go to bed? We'll put in a movie or something." he said with a yawn. Thank goodness it was all a dream.

Janney nodded, "Alright. I'm going to make a sandwich. Do you want one?" she asked as she eyed the bottle.

Dave shook his head, "Nah. I'm fine. I'll just go put in a movie." he said before kissing her on the cheek. He then walked upstairs. He looked through the DVD case and settled on "The Godfather". He put in the disc and allowed the various trailers to play. He laid back on his bed and fell asleep.

Dave was in his bed and heard something thumping down stairs, but most of all, he felt something cold and sticky by his feet. He opened his eyes and seen a bulge at the foot of his bed. He threw the covers off and seen Janney's head lying there. She screamed as she looked up at him with cloudy eyes. Dave screamed at the sight and tried to get out of bed.

Dave fell with a thump. He seen that the room was dark once again. He looked up and seen that he had not disturbed Janney this time. He got up and walked down stairs. This is seriously getting out of hand. These dreams, there so real. he thought as he sat down on the couch.

He didn't know what to do. The guys were expecting some songs by next week and he hadn't written anything. So he sat down at his desk once more, only this time he got more done than he had earlier.

That morning he still didn't go back to sleep. He sat there reading through what he had written. Janney had gone grocery shopping, and advised for him to stay home because she said that he looked drained.

He was drained. He was flat out tired, but every time he closed his eyes, he went right back to some horrible nightmare. He tried keeping himself awake... without resorting to any street drug.

Dave could feel his eyes begging him for sleep. His body ached to lay on his plush bed and drift off to dreamland. But he must fight, he must if he doesn't want to see himself killing the only woman that he loves.

Dave threw himself on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. There were so many dots. He began counting them, after not knowing what to do. But as he counted them, he began to fall asleep. And soon he was once again, unconscious.

Dave entered the building where Janney worked. He walked right through the lobby and entered the office where her boss was located. He opened the door without knocking and walked right in.

Mr. Webster stood, "Oh, Mr. Mustaine. How nice it is to see you again. Have a seat." he said with a big fake smile from ear to ear.

Dave looked at him and paused. He hated how Mr. Webster always treated Janney. He hated Mr. Webster. From his Gucci suits to that horrid Gucci Colombian tie, right down to his Clark loafers. He pulled the tie from Mr. Webster's neck, and continued pulling.

Mr. Webster's eyes began to bulge out suddenly as he began to turn blue. Once he was dead.

Dave threw him to the ground and spit on his dead corpse. "No more lies coming from you." then he turned and left. He walked out of the office.

The difference this time was that he wasn't dreaming. He didn't even fight as the cops came to arrest him. He sat in the back of their cruiser and was quiet.

Janney seen him in the cruiser, "What the fuck? What are you doing with my fiancé?" she asked.

"We have him placed under arrest for the murder of John A. Webster." said an officer rudely before jumping into the cruiser.

Janney began crying, "What? He would never? He's a sleepwalker? Are you sure he's awake?" she asked as she was being restrained from going any farther.

"Sleepwalker or not, he's going to jail. A murder has been committed." answered another police officer.

Janney began to cry, "NOOOO!!! WHY DAVE? WHY? DAVE!!!"

"Dude... Dave. Dave!" said Shawn as he shook him awake.

Dave looked around. "What's going on? I'm not going to jail am I?" he asked thoroughly confused.

"Jail? No, we're at the recording studio. Get yourself together man. We've got a song to record. We've just got to finish 'Sleepwalker' and then this album is pretty much done. Are you okay?" asked Shawn as he looked his friend over closely.

Dave nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's record this baby." he said as he stood up. He entered the recording room and instantly felt his mind relax. It was only a dream.