Luis

The sound of chirping birds perched outside the window is what greets him when he awakens from his restless sleep. All of the pain he had just felt momentarily has vanished, and this is only the second time he's died during the nightmares. At least this time, he was prepared for it. And he deserved it. Or that's justice in the twins' eyes, but not Dionte's. The young man tried to save him, despite the ugly truth he uncovered during the flashbacks: Gregory's sin and his.

He rolls over in bed, turning away from the rising sunlight coming through the blinds. Three more hours of rest are needed before he routinely starts his day; this will play out just the same. Luis fluffs his pillow before letting slumber envelop him once again.

It's an hour past schedule when he exits the bathroom after washing up. Never does he snooze right through his alarm clock, but the useless thing seemed to have just given up by the time he got up.

"I can't believe I overslept..." he grumbles, dragging his slippered feet to the kitchen to brew some coffee. Though a knock on the front door stops him before his feet reach the tile floor.

A peephole check isn't required to guess who it is, only that, unlike his other visits, Luis opens it.

"G'morning, Mr. Gonzalez. I didn't swing by too early, did I?"

"No, you caught me at a pretty convenient time. I don't like to be interrupted from my schedule. Do you want a cup of joe?"

The two men take a seat in the living room, but his television remains off instead of playing the morning news. He hands the young man a mug and sits back, taking a sip of his own.

"I hope you like yours black. I don't have visitors and can't stand the taste of those darn sugar cubes."

"Preferably not, but I can manage this once. I'm a bit of a coffee addict myself, so even unsweetened is enough to give me the energy boost I need."

"Between getting hyped up on caffeine and energy drinks, you youngsters are putting your immune systems through the ringer."

A constrained laugh is muffled by his fist, Dionte tightening the grip on his favorite beverage. "My parents often tell me this exact lecture, but I prefer caffeine to...worse replacements I used as coping measures."

There's a brief pause between them, though the guest clears his throat to go first.

"I wanted to start off by apologizing for my rude comments during the dream state. That wasn't very Christian of me."

The old man blinks, quite surprised that this is the opening to everything that transpired in that hospital.

"I've been in all four of the other nightmare sufferers' special dreams; now it includes yours too, but I've yet to face my own. To come to terms with the reason the twins hold a grudge against me..."

His leg shakes noticeably and the furrowed eyebrows are a similar response to when he saw Gregory's family photo. Was it something he put together when seeing the twins' appearance? Maybe he didn't recall meeting them before until that moment? Nevertheless, it's none of my business, though it very well could be. He has seen the biggest grievance in his life, but I'm not the one to go prying into other folks' affairs.

"The fact of the matter is, I have no right to judge anyone. There is only one who sits on that throne," he finishes, and the male seem sincere. Luis waves off his concern.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Everyone has their personal moral code of right and wrong. I'm sure for plenty, it would put me on the red side of the scale just as you did." The old man, in turn, gulps down the last drop of his coffee. "I...held it against Gregory because I could never forgive myself for what happened. I'm no fool; I realize I'm just as much at fault for not preparing him for the world better. Daniel was the type who really went along with the old saying: if your friends jump off a bridge, would you do it too? Only, they wouldn't really be true bonds, but fake ones to feel like he belonged. He got lonely easily, always desiring to become popular. I think it's because my wife's work made us move around a lot when he was little."

The three of them held a tight-knit bond back then. Even if they always made time for him, Daniel desired friends his own age, and he was finally rewarded with Gregory.

"He met Gregory back in middle school, and though he was two years older in high school, the two hit it off great. That's the neighborhood we finally settled down in, so he didn't have to lose him like all of the others. They did everything together and fought just as frequently. Gregory was an additional member of the family."

Reminiscing on those events would bring nothing but heartache because new ones can't ever replace the old. Dionte quietly listens, setting aside his own mug, and Luis fetches the cracked picture frame on the table beside him.

"That's why it hurt to learn Gregory sided with those frat idiots over my boy. I guess he was just as eager to fit in as Daniel, though my son paid the price for his careless actions. I... wish that I had taught him better than that when he stumbled as a kid. To be content with the friends he had rather than obsessing over popularity."

Then perhaps he'd still be there. Daniel would bring his grandkids to visit during the holidays, and Amelia wouldn't have left in the first place. No matter how much I wish, there's no changing it. His child is dead, and even after nearly two decades, he still can't come to terms with it.

"They say some die of a broken heart? I didn't really take news stories like that to be true, or I would've been gone already."

"I say you're still here for a reason, but if you keep lingering in the past, you'll never find it."

Dionte's words don't come out as judgment but soft, a noticeable moistness that's contained in his forest eyes.

"I'm a therapist, but grief counseling isn't the specialty my license is in; therefore, I don't have any special advice to give you. All I can say is that I earnestly pray you can take a step forward with your life someday. Our loved ones want us to be happy even when it's difficult, and I'm sure your son wouldn't want you mourning him any longer than you have already."

It's counsel I'm quite aware of. It's not as if this kid is the first to say it. His therapist before he quit, his wife, lost friends, and ex-colleagues would all preach the same thing. But the method I chose was to throw myself into my work, to not truly acknowledge what impact it had on me. That was easier than facing my own guilt of failing to prepare my son when he needed me most.

The room falls quiet again, and this time, Luis is the one to break the silence. "I'm assuming an apology isn't the only reason you stopped by?"

Dionte nods, leaning forward with his head rested on his folded hands. "The main purpose I've been coming all along was to ask that you join us. We've formed a team that faces the daemons together, and the five of us gather at Chantel's house. She's another nightmare sufferer."

"I figured it was something like that..." He runs his wrinkly fingers through his thinning white hair with a sigh. "Look, I think I'm gonna have to pass on that. I manage just fine avoiding those d*mn monsters alone. I hide from every dream since I got no chance of running. Last night was only the second time I've 'died' by their claws. The previous time was near the beginning of this phenomenon when I attempted to dodge the dream by staying in a hotel. Instead, I woke up at the neighborhood's entrance and was unfortunate enough to stumble across unwanted company." 

"So that's why Jun heard you..." Dionte mumbles this, seeming to align something, and maybe he had a similar plan. "Honestly, I thought I saw you the very first dream state at the start of the month. But I don't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not..." 

"You didn't imagine it; you saw me." 

"You mean you heard me calling you?" 

"It was a little hard not to, even with my failing hearing, with how loud you were shouting. I spotted the daemon for the first time, but it didn't pick up on my presence. So, I hid right underneath my porch, and I wasn't coming out for your vocalness to draw attention." 

The young man gives a wry smile at the bluntness, but he's just not one to sugarcoat stuff. 

"Suppose I could've warned you, but I didn't know any of it was 'real' anyways." 

"Fair enough. Though you've been managing fine by yourself, there's another goal besides survival." Dionte lets out a shaky exhale with his nails digging deep into his umber-brown skin. "If this curse isn't broken before next year, then it'll become permanent. The nightmares will never cease until our actual bodies stop breathing." 

The cup would've shattered if he had still been holding it. Naturally, the possibility of these nightmares sticking around has crossed his mind. But he assumed it would play its course and one day be no more. 

"How did you deduce that?" 

"There's a lot we've found out about the curse the twins cast, and we need your help to finish this." Dionte takes a stand, his arm extending to him with camaraderie intentions. "Luis, will you join our group as the final member?" 

His hand shakes his own, but he's careful not to leave out his terms. 

"Alright, but on one condition." 

... 

It's late evening when the five strangers meet up at his home. Luis can't recall the last time he had so many people step foot under his roof. The blonde teen that wrecked his window is shockingly one of them, but he promises to forget her foolish actions if she works twice as hard. After introductions, the empty boxes are lugged upstairs as he directs them to Daniel's bedroom. 

"It was pure luck a mass delivery recently came in at my shop. Hopefully, these will suffice," Chantel comments, and he keeps his determined gaze ahead. 

"We don't have to take care of it all today. I just want to begin packing up to take the step I ought to have done years ago." 

He slowly opens the creaky door with everything in place as it's always remained. Another night won't arrive with this room intact, and it's rather fitting in a way. The torment from the twins is what cleaned my sight to the self-loathing I've been doing these past two decades. Now is the overdue moment to let go; he cannot dwell on his mistakes a second longer.

Luis insists on helping, but none of them allow the old man to lift a finger. He's given the role of instructing the workers, with his son's belongings split into three categories: charity, keepsakes, or garbage. It's a mixture of emotions while watching the team pack, doing the task he has lacked the strength to ever carry out himself. 

The moon has taken the sky by the hour as the brought boxes are filled, and at least half of the room is done. Luis notices the young boy examining some unique art tools; the yearning glint in his eyes matches the twinkle Daniel had with his first coloring book as a Christmas present. 

"Feel free to take them." 

"Huh, r-really?" The child reconfirms, unsure, and he gives his shoulder a pat. 

"Those art supplies are only gonna go into the charity pile. Regardless, you deserve it after your hard work today." 

Jun-Seo happily clenches his gift, exiting ahead with a green bag as the adults follow behind him downstairs. 

"I can drop these off somewhere since you don't have a vehicle. Give me a hand getting all of this in the trunk?" Chantel requests, Pravati nodding as she fetches a few boxes. 

"So, they'll be taking them to a charity, and the kids will be running out the trash. But what should I do with the ones you decided to hold on to?" 

Dionte's question brings him back to reality, and he didn't keep nearly as much as he was expecting. 

"You can just put them in the attic. I guess this'll become a guest room, not that I have anyone who will visit." 

"I'll be sure to swing by now and then so the room doesn't collect dust." 

"As long as I don't see your face too often, you're more than welcome to come over." 

Luis takes one last look at the practically empty room with so little left unpacked. A sight he was terrified to see previously now grants him a sense of peace. I will move forward and not be ensnared by my regret as these twenty years. 

A/N This is the epilogue of Luis's arc with only one remaining. The next chapter will be a short break of the heavy stuff.