New
Arrivals
Author-Suzie
Titles
Dire Reveries
by Suzie
Summary: Horrible dreams.
Disclaimer: Some of the characters in this story belong to the UPN Network and Pet Fly Productions as part of the television show The Sentinel. I do not claim these characters as my own. No money has changed hands.
Notes: Thank you, Jen! Without you I wouldn’t be able to watch my P’s and Q’s! <G>
Has it ever seemed just a little too real?
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Jim leaned over his sleeping Guide and gently placed a hand over his mouth.
Blair's eyes snapped open to stare into the darkness and he reached up to grasp the strong hand over his mouth.
"Shh," Jim whispered, barely audible into Blair's ear. "There's a bear outside the tent."
Blair was instantly still, holding his breath as he heard the heavy breathing and grunting just outside.
Jim mentally pictured their campsite and ran over the checklist they adhered to each night after dinner.
1) All trash bagged and thrown into trash receptacle. Check.
2) All food and food scraps wrapped, bagged, and suspended from a tree away from the campsite. Check.
3) Cooler locked inside the truck. Check.
4) No food inside the tent. Check.
5) No fishing equipment, including clothing worn, inside the tent. Check.
We should be fine, Jim thought. With Sentinel sight he watched the nylon material of the tent move as the big animal brushed and pushed against it. Jim listened to Blair's heartbeat speed up steadily with each sound the bear made. "If we stay quiet, he should be gone in a few minutes," he whispered softly into his friend's ear.
The snuffling and grunting outside continued for several minutes more, then slowly faded as the bear moved away from their campsite.
"It's okay now, Chief," Jim smiled at the bundle that had managed to scoot over next to him. "He's gone."
Blair breathed a sigh of relief. "Whoa, that was way close, man!" he said as his heart began to slow back to normal. "You always hear stories about bears and what they can do, but ..."
A sudden, deafening roar cut Blair off as the tent was shred around them. Jim wrapped his arms around Blair in an attempt to offer some protection. Blair's terror filled scream echoed in his sensitive ears.
"JIM!!" Blair cried.
Jim felt Blair pulled away from him and tried desperately to tighten his grip. He looked up to see the massive bear hovering over them, its teeth buried in his Guide's shoulder.
Blair was screaming hysterically and clinging to Jim as the animal pulled, relentlessly trying to separate the two men.
The smell and heat of the bear's breath burned in Jim's nostrils as he fought to hold on. Blair was slipping from his grip and he couldn't stop it!
"JIM!!" Blair cried as his fingers slid out of Jim's hands.
"BLAIR!!!" Jim called out, trying to scramble out of the tattered remains of their tent.
"JIM!!"
**********
Jim gasped and sat up. Sweat soaked his T-shirt as his lungs pulled in air and he looked around the darkness of the tent he and Blair were sharing. Pushing shaky hands over his face and head, Jim listened to the slow steady beat of his Guide's heart as he slept. Then he let his Sentinel hearing go out further into the night, beyond their campsite.
Bringing his head up at the sound he heard, Jim listened carefully. A grunt, a low growl, and snuffling sounds. A bear was in the area ... but it was at least two miles away. Listening intently, Jim held his breath until he was convinced that the animal was moving slowly *away* from them.
Blair mumbled and rolled over in his sleep, bringing Jim's attention back. Reaching out, Jim carefully grasped the sleeping bag Blair was zipped into and slowly pulled Blair over to rest against him.
"Jim?" Blair breathed as he shuffled closer to the warmth that was suddenly so available.
"Shh ... go back to sleep," Jim said quietly. "Everything's fine, Chief."
"'Kay," Blair mumbled as he drifted off again.
Jim gently pushed the loose tangled curls away from the sleeping face of his Guide. Jim listened as the bear meandered through the forest, he wouldn’t sleep again this night. The nightmare had been a little too real for the Sentinel to just dismiss. Being careful not to wake him, Jim pulled the sleeping form of his Guide up to rest against his chest and made himself comfortable for the remainder of the night ahead.
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end