Chapter Nineteen

Tracy remained in bed as Bolan, Whitaker, and the technician watched from behind the mirror. Bolan sighed and shook his head. “Dammit. It’s been three hours. Why isn’t she dreaming?” he asked no one in particular.

“I don’t know. I don’t think she’s even asleep. She must’ve awakened right before hitting REM sleep,” the technician explained and Whitaker smiled.

“Well, Bolan. It looks like you’ve screwed up once again,” he said and Bolan became nervous. He began feeling his career going down that toilet of the corporate world.

“Please, Sir. Give me one more chance,” he pleaded and Whitaker grinned and then sighed.

“I really shouldn’t, but, all right. I love people groveling at my feet. One more screw-up, I’m taking over.” Whitaker said as Bolan let out a sigh of relief.

“We’ll try it again tomorrow night.” Bolan said and the technician nodded and turned off the machine.

Shortly after they turned off the monitoring machine, Tracy appeared in another room.

She had been in this dungeon-like room before and she didn’t like it any more than she liked it then. She stood up and just as she did she saw that her bed had vanished. She crossed the room, passed the large blackened fireplace, the chair and stone altar, to the open door and peered around the corner.

Tracy was amazed to find that she was looking down a corridor in the hospital. She glanced back and saw the torture room as it had always been.

Seconds count in a dream and so she took off sprinting down the corridor and found her sister’s room. “Laura, thank God. Wake up, please.”

“Tracy, what are you doing?” asked a voice from behind her and she turned around and saw the figure of Laura.

“What the,” Tracy whispered and turned back to the body in the bed.

She cautiously bent down and rolled the body on its back. She almost vomited; what she saw was Tracy, herself, lying on the bed. Her face was rotten flesh; half was dangling – in a layer – off her forehead, covering her right eye. Her abdomen was blown out, as if she were pregnant. On her abdomen, a long incision lay across as blood oozed out.

As they watched the horrific scene, Alexius squeezed his body from the womb. Laura and Tracy screamed as a swarm of maggots fell to the floor.

They quickly turned tail and ran from the room and ran down the long corridor. As they ran, the walls became narrower and narrower with every step they took. “Think, Tracy! Get us the hell out of here!” Laura screamed.

Tracy – still running at top speed – calmed herself and closed her eyes. She wanted to find someone strong, maybe even a bit dangerous, and so she pictured Allen in her mind. The picture of Allen burned hot in her brain and she felt as if her head might explode before the walls had their chance to crush it first.

Laura saw it first – a door not twelve feet away. They reached it in no time and Laura shoved both girls into the room just before the walls closed forever.

They were relieved to find an empty room. A room safe enough at the moment to try and connect her dream line with Allen’s. Surfing the dream net isn’t as easy as she thought it would have been. She formed the sad form of Allen sitting hand-cuffed to his chair in her mind.

Nothing happened. She remained with her sister.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She concentrated harder this time – seeing how his blackened hair fell into his eyes.

Still nothing.

She saw how sad he looked when he looked up at her and gave her that little wave of his.

This time she received a shock in her head. All around her, objects went black. Her sister had vanished along with the room and left her mind floating in some void in space – where she was blind to everything. A wooden door materialized before her and with mental hands, reached out for the doorknob. She turned the knob and threw open the door. A terrifying scream erupted somewhere in space and there he was, blocking the doorway. Tracy studied his cloak closely.

“No, no my sweet. Access denied. This one’s been mine before you were even thought of.”

And the door was slammed in her face.

“Tracy, you okay?”

Tracy opened her eyes, only to be looking up at Laura. Somehow she found herself on the floor with her sister hovering over her with worried eyes. “What happened?” asked Tracy as she lifted her head.

“I thought we lost you for a sec; you looked dead,” Laura answered and received the same confused expression from Tracy.

“Something’s wrong with Allen’s dream line. I can’t seem to be able to get to him.” Tracy explained.

It was a noise which quieted them a moment later. They looked over at the closed door and heard wood chipping away from the other side. Tracy stood up and moved closer to Laura and they moved toward the center of the room – all the while looking for an escape and finding none.

The chipping sound grew louder with each passing minute and just when their nerves could take no more, the door flew open.

They were surprised at not looking at Alexius, but instead Rick stood there in the doorway. “Thought you guys might try and wake up before I said hello.” Rick smiled at a frightened Laura.

He glanced out into the hall, then back into the room. “He’s on his way,” he announced and before he could move back into the room, a large clawed arm grabbed him by his throat and shoved him out of the way.

Alexius turned and his focus was on Laura – not Tracy. He began skulking toward her and she remained still – staring back at the Dreamkiller.

“Uh, Laura, shouldn’t you move?” Rick looked at her scared eyes.

With no reply, she just stared deep into the red eyes of the Dreamkiller.

“Move, Goddamnit!” Rick yelled and ran up to the demon from behind.

Alexius instinctively turned around and lashed out, his right fist planting into Rick’s stomach.

Rick fell backwards – he was beginning to get very irritated from Alexius hitting him in his stomach - and looked up at Laura behind fear.

Alexius lifted a green-gray finger and pointed it at Laura. “You were the first to destroy my life, therefore you will be the first to die,” he explained.

Laura stared at the beast – features never calmer.

“No,” They turned to look at Rick, who was standing and walking over to Laura’s side. “There must’ve been others before her.”

Alexius grunted and almost laughed at Rick. “You’ve no idea, Boy,” and his attention was back on Laura. “I want it back,” he said to her.

She returned the beast’s grunt with one of her own. “If you think you’ll ever get it back…you must be dreaming.”

That must have hit a nerve in Alexius and he screamed in outrage. “No!” he screamed and his blackened fingernails grew grotesquely to five inches. His hands were out in front of his face, fingers out, as if he were stalking his prey and savoring every bit of this specific kill.

“Tracy, I want you and Rick to get out of here.” Laura yelled; eyes still locked on those of Alexius.

“But, you’ll get killed,” Tracy protested.

“I’ll stay with you.” Rick said when he regained full composure and turned to the grinning girl.

“You don’t understand. I started this war, I need to finish it,” she explained. “Don’t worry – I’ll make it out alive,” she assured him.

“You’d better. I need the chance to ask you out properly.” Rick said and moved closer to the girl.

Alexius let them have what words they wanted – for he knew it was Laura he wanted right now anyway; there would be plenty of time to go after her sister later.

Rick pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist and their lips touched with tender softness.

She pulled away several seconds later. “Go. Get out of here,” she said behind a nervous smile.

Another second and they awoke…that is, except for Laura who still stared into the eyes of the Dreamkiller, who had death dripping from his fingernails.