Flash Fic Sunday, October 25, 2020

Just an extra bit of fun from Starfleet Academy.

“Where are you going this time of night?”

Jim ran his hand through his hair and gave a little shrug. He had just pulled on his favorite leather jacket. “I can’t sleep. I thought maybe a walk—”

His best friend, Leonard “Bones” McCoy snorted. “You think it’s because we watched that slasher fic?”

“The guy who loaned it to me said it wasn’t scary.”

“He lied. You jumped a hundred times.”

“Yeah. Well.” Jim shoved Bones. “You jumped twice that.”

“Whatever. I’m gonna have some warm milk and I’ll be sawing Zs in no time.”

“Warm milk?” Jim made a face. “Yuck. I don’t even like it cold. I won’t be long. I’ve just got a lot of energy to burn. I need to walk it off.”

“Sure sure.” Bones patted his shoulder.

Jim opened the door.

“If you see Freddy Kruger…run.”

“Not funny,” Jim muttered.

He stepped outside into the thickest fog he remembered in a long time. And the further he got in it, the more he knew he should have turned back around and gone back to his dorm room.

It became so damp with thick fog, it wet his hair and face and he began to get disoriented in it.

Jim began to become a little afraid he was lost. He felt a little bit like one of the idiots in the movie he’d just watched.

And then he heard footsteps behind him.

It’s no one, Jim thought. Just someone else out in the fog.

But then for a moment the fog cleared, and Jim saw him.

Not Freddy but a headless horseman holding a Jack-o’-lantern in one hand. The figure raised it, cackling madly.

As Jim turned to run, his heart in his mouth, the beast strode closer and flung the Jack-o’-lantern directly at Jim. It thunked into the back of Jim’s head and Jim pitched face forward into the ground.

His head feeling fuzzy, his breath stolen, he turned onto his back. He moaned in pain as he felt a trickle of blood ooze down his forehead. His vision blurry, he stared up at someone lurking over him, ominous and malevolent.

“Headless,” he whispered, and then darkness overcame him.

“Wake up. Mister Kirk? Can you hear me? Wake up.”

He woke to someone shining a very bright light into his eyes. Jim swatted at them.

“There you are.” The bright light disappeared, and some old dude’s face replaced it. He wore a white coat. “How do you feel?”

“Like my head’s going to explode.”

“Common in a concussion. You hit your head pretty badly. Cracked it open. It’s no wonder. Traveling around in weather like this. tsk. I’m Doctor Bailey. I’m going to order you some more tests. You’ll be here for the night.”

And then he was gone.

“Wait. How did I get here? What?”

“Hello.”

Jim turned too fast and it made him wince. “But there standing beside his bed was a Vulcan. He looked familiar.

“Professor Spock?”

“Indeed. I found you lying on the ground, Mr. Kirk. And had you taken to Starfleet Medical. You are fortunate.”

“And the horseman?”

“Horseman?”

“He threw his head at me.”

Spock shook his head. “There was no one else. You are obviously suffering from delirium.”

“Uh.”

“It is all right. The doctor will return soon. I have also notified your roommate. He is on his way.”

Jim touched the bandage on his head. “Okay. Um. Thanks.”

“I will come back to check on you in the morning.”

And Spock left.

Jim blinked rapidly, staring at the ceiling.

Then in the distance he heard a cackling cry.