Chapter Fifteen

Tracy lay on her bed wondering whether or not Bolan thought that she was crazy. Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door, which broke her out of her trance. She sighed and stood up to go to her door.

When she opened it, she was shocked to see Laura. After a sigh from Tracy, Laura let herself in as Tracy moved back into her room and sat down on her bed.

“Bolan doesn’t believe you, does he?” Laura cut all the small talk and took Tracy by surprise.

“What?” she asked. “No, he probably doesn’t. Why?” she asked and Laura grinned.

“This might sound like a lot of bullshit, but I believe you. I believe that you are being visited by a creature of some sort – a Dreamkiller. That’s what they’re called,” she explained and Tracy smiled and shook her head.

“Yeah, right. If the top shrinks don’t believe me, what makes me so sure that you do?” she asked.

With that, Laura pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Tracy.

“What’s this?”

“Look at it. You may remember it,” Laura said and Tracy reluctantly looked down at the picture which was perfectly sketched.

Tracy’s eyes widened as she looked at an exact picture of her worst nightmare, in the flesh. “How’d you,” she began and Laura cut her off in mid-sentence.

“A couple of nights ago, I was lying awake, and somehow made contact with your dreams. I drew this from your dreams.” Laura explained, waited until everything sunk into Tracy’s brain, and then continued. “I want to help you get rid of this fiend, but you’re going to have to dream again – or you will really go insane,” she concluded.

Tracy wasn’t quite certain if she believed any syllable of what she was hearing, however, she knew that she couldn’t just wait around for this Dreamkiller to hunt her down and kill her. “All right. What’s the plan?” she finally responded.

Laura took Tracy’s hands, “Trust me.” she reassured Tracy.

“Have you done this sort of thing before?” Tracy asked and Laura quickly answered the question.

“Please, quiet,” she said as they held each others’ hands.

It was Laura who made the next move as she released Tracy’s hand and pulled out a hair pin and pulled it apart – revealing a small blade. She took it to her palm and made a small incision with the blade. She then gestured it to Tracy, who shook her head.

“Uh, no, thanks,” she said.

“I can’t help you if you don’t let me.” Laura explained and Tracy sighed and took the blade from Laura’s hand.

Slowly, she brought it to her palm and then slit it.

“Our blood flows as one stream now.” Laura announced once she took Tracy’s hands again.

Tracy threw her a confused expression and Laura smiled.

“Trace, you have a gift that you don’t know you have. You can travel within the dream world and pull people into your dreams. How do you explain that boy in your dream? You are what the ancient ones call a Dream Crusader. I don’t have that gift, so I have to resort to more crude methods to control a traffic channel.” Laura explained and Tracy shook her head.

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Tracy looked at her as if she were crazy.

That night, Tracy kept her promise that she had sealed with her blood. She instantly fell asleep, as if she hadn’t slept in over four days. When she opened her eyes, she was prepared to place them on the Dreamkiller, but did not.

She quickly arose from her bed and walked over to the door. Just before her hand touched the knob, the door was flung open by a force from the other side.

And there, she placed her eyes on the towering beast which stood in the doorway.

Tracy felt as if she were about to pass out, when she heard a voice from behind the beast. “Move!” the voice of Laura screamed to Tracy.

Tracy moved to one side and Laura kicked the creature into the room. He fell to the floor and Laura looked at it in utter disgust. The beast looked up at her as well.

“Alexius?” Laura asked and the beast smiled.

“Yes…” it droned in a hissing snake-tongue.

Tracy watched in horror and then Laura formed a frightened expression on her face. “Tracy, wake up. Now! Get out of here!” she screamed and Tracy shook her head.

“I can’t just wake up,” she explained.

With that said Laura went over to Tracy and slapped her – hard – across her face, leaving a reddened hand print.

Tracy awoke in a cold sweat moments later, rubbing her cheek where Laura had slapped her, and looked over at the clock which read that it was nine-seventeen the next morning.

Tracy and Laura were sitting in Tracy’s room when they heard a knock at her door. Tracy reluctantly stood and walked over to the door and opened it. To her surprise, it was Rick who stood in front of her.

“Rick, how did you manage to get here? Without someone seeing you?” she asked and he smiled.

“Easy, my dear. You just got to be sneaky, that’s all,” he explained.

She smiled and let him enter her room. “Uh, that’s Laura. Laura, this is Rick.” Tracy introduced them.

“Hi,” they greeted one another.

Rick sat down in a chair next to the window, and all became silent as a grave in winter.

Not a sound came from anyone for the next five minutes. “So, Laura,” Tracy cut through the ice. “What was all that Alexius shit about?” she asked.

“Well, I’m not quite sure I can say,” Laura said and she casually gestured in Rick’s direction.

Rick looked up at them and cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh, don’t worry. He knows just as much as I do. He helped me fight the son of a bitch a couple of nights ago.” Tracy explained.

“Oh. Well, I’m not sure yet. I’m going to have to find out some things before I can tell you anything definitively.” Laura replied and Rick broke in on the conversation.

“What about Bolan? Can’t he help?” he asked and Laura grinned.

“You see, Rick, Bolan is using us like we’re laboratory rats – we’re his pets. We’re being used at his expense.” Laura said as she looked over at Rick.

Their eyes met and their seemingly innocent glance turned into a stare. Tracy couldn’t help but to notice and smile.

They kept staring into one another’s eyes when Tracy moved her hand in their path and waved it saying “yoo-hoo” in a laughing expression.

The trance was broken.

“Welcome back to reality.” Tracy said and Rick and Laura turned a light shade of red.

They both shook their heads slightly and smiled.

That evening, Laura and Tracy lay on Laura’s bed and Laura formed a mischievous smile on her face. “What do you know about Rick?” she asked as Tracy returned the girls’ smile.

“Well, not much. I’ve only just met him – right before the final nightmare which ended up in me coming here. Uh, let’s see, you know about his physical features. He’s very serious. I’ve only seen him blush once,” she smiled. “That’s all I really know.” Tracy explained, then, “Why?” she asked with a grin.

Laura began blushing a second time this evening. “I don’t know. I was just wondering,” she said and Tracy was on the edge of laughter.

“All right. So I like him. So what?” Laura laughed and threw a pillow at Tracy, who couldn’t control herself any longer and burst out laughing.

Several minutes of laughter and Tracy was all seriousness again. “So, what do you have to check up on?” she asked and Laura frowned.

“I can’t tell you right now – but I will. I promise,” she answered.

Tracy stared out of Laura’s window. It was nearing sundown. It was nearing another showdown with the Dreamkiller…