Out of Control
a dream story

by Xcraft

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This was inspired by HollyIlex's wonderful *Dream Series* and is dedicated to her. It is a PWP, but then aren't most dreams that way anyhow?{g} Just a strange little episode that popped into my weird little head {along with many others:-).}

~~a bit of stress for our favorite FBI man and an appearance by Sean Connery as the officer.{g}

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Mulder found himself behind the wheel of an unfamiliar vehicle. The seat sat high and the steering wheel was large. He had a firm grip at both sides of the wheel, but the vehicle was hard to control.

He spotted headlights in his rear-view mirror and when he turned to look behind him he could tell he was driving some sort of large delivery truck as the back section followed him like a cavern on wheels. He felt jittery and the headlights behind him got closer and closer.

The road was treacherous. It dipped at impossibly steep angles and sharp turns were constant. *Who in the hell made this road?* he thought to himself. On his right was a steep rocky cliff and on the left a raging river that was perilously close to overflowing it's banks. It was dark and hard to see. Mulder wondered if his headlights were on.

The lights behind him came closer and closer.

Mulder's sense of panic grew. A light sweat formed on his upper lip. He pushed the accelerator to the floor. Something was up ahead. It was too dark to see, but it looked big. His eyes dashed from the rear view mirror to the river. It had jumped the banks! The water was overtaking the truck! Mulder fought the wheel, it was terribly hard to control. The truck pulled to the left and threatened to go into the rapid water.

Suddenly, Mulder could see that the road was abrubtly ending. He stepped on the brakes, but there was nothing.

"SHITTT!"

He slammed both feet down, nearly standing on the bake pedal.

"Stttoppp! SSSTOPPP!!" he screamed.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes ready for a terrible impact. Miraclously the truck stopped, barely 2 inches from a solid wall of rock. As he regained his breath his eyes darted to the mirror.

"FUCK!"

The lights were directly behind him. In a panic, he leapt from the truck and ran. He ran blindly into the dark.

As he ran he noticed the rocks were gone and somehow he was in a dense forest. He dodged trees as he ran, faster and faster, the sound of heavy footfalls behind him. Dead branches tugged at his coat and scratched at his face, but he had to keep going. He could hear his feet crunching over the dead leaves and his breathing seemed impossibly loud. He glanced over his shoulder to see the beam of a flashlight slashing and darting across the trees and underbrush, obviously in the hand of whoever was chasing him.

The forest stretched on and on, endless, and he was getting winded. His feet felt like they were in thick mud and were heavy and sluggish. He kept running and running, but didn't seem to get anywhere. His coat snagged on a branch and he was pulled back. All the while the beam of the flashlight got closer and closer.

He stopped. His head whipped from side to side as he looked for a way out. There was none. He decided to climb a tree in hopes that his pursuer would pass right by. Somehow he managed to climb a tall skinny tree in no time at all and clung to the upper-most branches as the tall thin tree swayed back and forth. His eye were open wide as he watched the ground far below him.

The light stopped at the base of the tree!

"Shit!" Mulder whispered.

The beam of light slowly raised until he was flooded with it's bright light. Caught!

"GET DOWN HERE NOW!" a deep voice yelled out.

Mulder thought he saw the flickering of a badge. *Is he a cop?* He had no choice but to shimmy down the tree. A strong hand gripped his ankle to insure he didn't change his mind. He landed like a rag doll on the forest floor cover with wet leaves, sticks and mud.

Mulder felt a hand seize his upper arm and he was hoisted to his feet like he weighed nothing at all. His suit was ruined, ripped and muddy. The other man shook him repeatedly.

"You're going to pay for running from me, boy!"

The man had an accent and his voice was deep and filled with anger. Mulder was still blinded by the flash light and didn't resist as the man shook him hard again.

Strangely, Mulder felt small, the man seemed to tower over him. He was jerked forward and pulled along by the arm. He put up his free hand to protect his face from the branches that slapped back at him. The man stopped and he stumbled to his knees and was quickly pulled back up to stand on his feet.

"Now you're going to pay!" the officer barked.

The man sat on a large rock and the next thing Mulder knew he was over his knee, his backside bare. He looked over his shoulder and saw the officer holding a switch high in the air.

*NOOOO!* he tried to yell, but no sound came out of his mouth. *NOOOO! NOOO!* Mulder's mouth formed the words and he watched as the switch decended in slow motion. A line of fire blazed across his cheeks. He fought to get away, but was held too securely. His hands were held behind his back and his legs trapped under the strong leg of the officer.

Again and again the switch fell, only this time faster and faster. Mulder struggled as the burning lines spread across his bottom.

There were only about six strokes of the switch and then somehow Mulder found himself in the passenger seat of the squad car squirming on his sore rear. He still felt small, almost as if the passenger seat had swallowed him. He looked over at the officer driving the car, his face stern and hard.

They stopped in front of a strange house, but Mulder felt as if he should know it. He was again pulled by his arm up to the front door. The officer rang the bell and the door opened.

Mulder found himself staring into the obviously furious face of....AD Skinner!

The situation seemed out of control and he raised his arm. Half wakened by the images, Mulder felt himself raise his arm from the bed and he woke, his breathing rapid. He was sweaty and there were tears in his eyes. He reached back and ran his hand over his boxers half expecting to feel weals left from the switch.

"Wow, that was weird." he said aloud as he ran the back of his hand over his face. "I wonder what that means?"

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