Chapter Twenty-Four

He couldn’t control where his dreams were taking him tonight. In fact, he really didn’t care. He had been fighting this war for too damned long and soon it would all be over – finally over. And to think that he left Allen in charge of doing battle with Richard and Tracy! He wasn’t too surprised to find that Allen had failed and had been taken down to hell.

He had to admit, it was great fun dueling it out with Richard with those swords.

And now he was seeing the time he first encountered the young boy called Allen Corgan. He was your typical black haired youngster; full of life with not a care in the world. What attracted Orion to this young child was that Allen reminded him of Alexius. They two shared a unique bond in that they were very young and that they were easily manipulated.

It was easy to tell young Allen to slip rat poison into his aunt’s drink; and when Allen was told what he had done (Orion told him it had been a sweetener), he was horror-struck with fear that he might go to jail. But wait! Here is your good buddy Orion. He’ll make sure no one knows what the poor child did.

And wouldn’t it be a blast to leave a trail of gasoline from the garage, can still in it, and out to the driveway? Better yet, why not drop a match down onto the trail – you might want to step back, son.

This time he promised the child that no one will ever find him. Allen must let Orion slip into his body and give the child his old one so that no one can find him. It hurt to leave his old body, but if it would save a life of a friend, he would do it again.

Orion’s dream changed and he was looking, almost like being a fly on the wall, at the first moment Connor Barker had met him in the old torture room back home. It was Alexius which he feared most. He could read Connor’s mind; it was the almost-human form of the shadow which terrified him. At first Connor had not fought back when Alexius dove in and took control of his new body.

It was a pity (or a waste – depending on which way you view things) that no one knew that when Connor finally broke free of Alexius’ hold, his soul went back to his body and, like almost all the other Dreamkillers, regained a heartbeat but not consciousness. There probably isn’t anyone alive today who would give a rat’s ass that Connor Barker’s heart is still beating.

Are these dreams trying to tell him something? Is he supposed to get inside Vince like Alexius had done with Connor and he had, himself, done with Allen? No, Vincent is too strong-willed for that. But perhaps he could let another one of his children take the helm of a different body. Perhaps, just perhaps, he would get better control over Beth if she had a new body.

But who? Who should the new host be? This Professor Krieger would be a great possibility, but his wife might get suspicious.

And then Orion opened his eyes from his dreams and he let a malicious smile fall across his clean-shaven face. It was a risky move but one that he was willing to take. He had never even considered using a vegetable brain for a host; it should be amusing to see what becomes of Samantha when Beth evicts her.

* * *

It seemed as if sleep was becoming more of a challenge to obtain as the nights progressed. He was tired as hell but when he laid his head down on an inviting pillow it took a very long time for even his eyes to close.

Nonetheless, when Vince closed his eyes tonight he had to search for Mykella. He remembered that he was no Dream Crusader and that she met him whenever she wanted to. But he did find her a while later; he really didn’t know how much ‘a while’ really translated to in real-time, but he knew that he was tired just from looking for her.

This was a different dream realm as well. When he opened his eyes in his dream, he sat up and then stood up almost immediately. As he stood up the bed had vanished from beneath him and when he turned back around to look at his surroundings, he was taken aback at the discovery of a jungle.

“Mykella?” he called out as he looked around without moving his legs. He didn’t want to get lost in this jungle; even if this jungle is inside his mind.

Was it really in his mind or did Mykella conjure this scenery up?

“I guess she wants me to find her,” he whispered to no one in particular and he took his first step into the dark jungles of someone’s mind.

He used his outstretched hands to divide the thick vines and he tried to find some kind of a path but realized that there was none to follow. Vince walked further into the darkness, every now and then calling out to Mykella.

It was the faint sound of water flowing that caught his attention and he took the direction he thought the flowing water was originating from. In a matter of several minutes he happened upon a large creek with a wide embankment.

Vince stood next to the water's edge and looked up and down stream for any sign of the Dream Crusader. He bent down and put his fingers into the water and that was when everything changed.

The creek, the embankment, and even the jungle behind him vanished and he found himself squatting down beside an ancient altar of stone in some old room that should have belonged in a castle and not in someone’s dreams.

“What am I doing here, Mykella?” He stood up and found a chair in a corner of the room next to a large fireplace. He went over to it and sat down.

He didn’t see Mykella anywhere but he did feel a presence in the room, and it wasn’t a friendly presence. The feeling was suffocating him and he began massaging his chest.

“You feel it, too. Don’t you?”

Vince turned around and looked over at a door which had just been opened. He nodded when he saw Mykella walk down a couple of steps and enter the room. She closed the door behind her and made her way over to Vince.

“This is where the Dreamkillers stay while their master is away,” she said behind worried eyes.

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“Orion.” Vince stood up and turned toward the fireplace. “You can say the name – it won’t hurt you.”

She smiled and followed him to the blackened mouth. “Orion’s got plans for them, doesn’t he?”

Vince lowered his head, nodding, as he put a hand on the wall for support. “I wish I knew what it was, but yes. He’s got some plans brewing.” He closed his eyes. “What was that jungle all about anyway?”

Mykella shrugged. “Dunno. I just thought that you deserve to know what I dream about when you’re awake. These are my dreams, now. I no longer need yours so I’ll pull you into mine. I see that jungle all the time. Maybe you can help me out solving the mystery of the dreams.”

“If it’s not one mystery; it’s another.” He grinned and looked around the room. “What is this place?”

Mykella walked over to the altar and ran her fingers across the top. “I wish I knew. I can’t control my own dreams yet.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vince. “Mortal dreams are easy to manipulate; you just have to have a direct line with their minds. But, I don’t have a mortal mind yet.”

“Mortal,” he whispered and walked over to her and looked down at the altar. “Have you seen God?” After what he had witnessed in Jerusalem, he devoted himself to the Great Cause. What was commanded of him by the Holy One, he will do without question.

She shook her head and looked into his face. “Please, don’t ask this of me.”

There was a hint of panic in the fine lines of her face. Dread in her eyes. But, why would she be so frightened to talk of God? He nodded and turned to the door she had come through. “Where’d you come from anyway?”

“The Garden of Evil,” she said and followed his gaze and went around the altar to stand next to him.

Vince glanced down at the young woman and then turned back to the door. He crossed the room and went to the door, opening it, and poked his head out into the world he did not know. From where he stood all he could see was a long flight of steps carved from stone and a bright sky above the steps. He looked back at Mykella. “Where’s this going?”

“I already told you. The garden.” When she saw that he had decided to climb the steps, “There’s really nothing there of interest.” But it was too late; he was almost to the top step before she came out to follow him.

When he reached the final step, saw what she was calling a garden, Vince felt his stomach churning. Yes, there were rows, but not of flowers or vegetables. Here he saw large spikes supported by the earth and dangling impaled upon these spikes were skeletons of various ages of decay. Here the bones of one had dried; there one had patches of flesh dangling from its body. The earth was still covered in the feathers from the birds that fed on the carcasses.

“Dear Jesus,” Vince exclaimed and dropped to his knees and scanned the enormous garden. There had to be at least a hundred, if not more.

Mykella approached him from behind, knelt down as well, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I come here often.”

“Why?”

“It reminds me of why I have to do what I have to do.”

“Is this Orion’s doing?”

“No. Unfortunately this had nothing to do with him.”

Vince turned and gave her a puzzled look. “Then why this place?”

“This is what he’s capable of doing. If I don’t put an end to him, this is what humanity will look like.”

“Who did this, Mykella?”

She seemed as if she did not want to answer this just as she had not wanted to talk of God. Only when he repeated the question, “His father did it. Orion’s father liked to see his victims.”

He turned back to the rows of lifeless beings. “It’s the opposite of a garden, Mykella. In a garden, things grow. Here, things corrode, whither, and die.” He stood up and put his hands into his pockets. “Did the bastard ever love anything besides death?”

He opened his eyes and saw that it was morning. Vince lay there for a moment in an attempt to rid his thoughts of the garden of rotting corpses. There was plenty to do today and he didn’t need disturbing images to haunt him all day long. He had to somehow convince Karl to go to Krieger’s house and prepare to do battle with creatures from hell called Dreamkillers.

He was about to sit up and grab the phone but his cell phone rang instead, which made him jump. Who the hell would be calling me? He stood up and found his phone in the pocket of his jacket he had previously flung over the back of the chair next to the window. “Hello?”

“Vince?”

He cringed when he recognized the voice. Now was not one of those times he wanted to talk to Chris Fergenson. In fact, he wished that he would never talk to her again. “Yeah, Chris. What do you want?” He didn’t give a rat’s ass how rude he sounded.

“I talked with Karl yesterday and he seemed really worried for you.”

He grinned. “Oh yeah? What’s he worried about this time?”

“He’s just concerned that you haven’t been yourself lately. And since I haven’t seen you around lately either, I was wondering, too.”

“Didn’t he tell you I was vacationing?”

There was a pause and then a sigh before she answered. “Yes, he did. He also told me your dad just died.”

“Damn, how long did you guys talk?”

“This isn’t funny, Vince. I need to know if you’re alright. Really all right.”

Just then impossible thoughts were running through his mind. Orion is a mortal man just jumping the lines of time; and in someone else’s body. So, why can’t he attempt to do it, too?

“Vince?”

“I’m here, Chris. How much do you like me?”

“I think you know the answer to that one without me saying it. Why?”

Vince held his breath for a moment and then exhaled. “I was wondering if you would be able to help me. But, you have to let loose all you know and have complete trust in me. Can you do that?”

“I,” she paused, and then, “I suppose. What can I do?”

Vince smiled and sat down in the chair. “I want you to try an experiment tonight. It’s very simple and it’s not dangerous. Just before you fall asleep, I want you to think about Professor Krieger. Concentrate hard on him. I know this sounds bizarre, but if everything goes as planned, you’ll be calling me first thing tomorrow morning.”

“What am I to be dreaming about? Krieger?”

Vince smiled and leaned back in the chair. “If all goes as planned, I believe you will make contact with his dream line.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty out-there, but if you think it’ll help you with whatever you’re going through, I’ll do it.”

“Thanks, and Chris,”

“What else do you need?”

“If this works, would you tell Karl and have him call me?”

Another pause. “Yeah. If this goes like you hope it will, I’ll talk to him.”

“No, I need you to make him understand that there’s more to it than just dream connecting. This is just the first step.”

“First step? Of what?”

Vince sighed and cursed himself. He had already said too much. “Just see if you can connect with Krieger first and call me tomorrow morning.”

They said their good-byes and he leaned his head back and studied the ceiling for a moment. What he was doing he wasn’t sure; maybe he was just buying himself more time. Or, perhaps he had just sent his friends to an early grave.