Chapter Twenty-Two

“I’ve been trying to get out of here,” explained Laura later that afternoon when she and Tracy took the same walk she and Rick had taken only hours earlier. “But Bolan won’t let me.”

“I know,” said Tracy, and wasn’t surprised to see her sister throw her a confused look. “I kind of overheard the two of you arguing about seeing Mom.”

Laura lowered her head and couldn’t stop the tears from coming. “God, I hate this place. I’d rather be dead.”

Tracy wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. When all this shit is over with, I’ll see to it you come back home with me.”

“Home?” Laura looked up and into Tracy’s face. “I’ve forgotten what the word means. Does Mom ever talk about me?”

How can she put the truth out there without permanently scarring her sister? “On occasion she’ll mention her ‘other’ daughter. But no. She doesn’t talk about you like you were still alive. Otherwise I would not have been so surprised to find you.”

“Is it a good thing?” Here Tracy gave her sister a confused look. “I mean, if I would have had the book with me, none of this would have taken place.”

Tracy wrapped her arms around Laura’s neck. “I would never have changed a thing. It’s a God-send, really, that we’re here together.”

Laura’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach and she let her sister embrace her with all her strength. “No one will ever tear us apart. Never again,” she whispered in Tracy’s ear.

That night, Tracy was – again – hooked up to the infamous machine. She lay in bed, sound asleep with Bolan, Whitaker, and the technician looking on from behind the mirror.

The technician sighed. He really wasn’t sure this was going to work with the Kingston girl – after all, he did lie to Bolan about the college students’ results.

Bolan hoped that this would work; his job was on the line after all.

Whitaker hoped that it would work. He cared for Tracy and didn’t give a rat’s ass about the science involved. He wanted to help her.

Several minutes later, a fourth man entered the already-too-small room. On the upper right side of his shirt, he had a ‘Visitor’ tag.

Bolan looked up and smiled at the man. “Paul. It’s been a long time,” he announced.

Paul returned the smile. “Yeah, it has. Too long, I’m afraid,” he said and then looked past them and out the glass. “Well Chuck, what’s wrong with Tracy?”

“Well, Paul, Tracy is…she’s,” Bolan began and looked through the glass and the technician almost jumped out of his chair.

“Dreaming!” he exclaimed and stared over at the small T.V. monitor.

They all watched the monitor in amazement. The technician watched with a smile. He was ready to see some sort of an apparition or something.

But, for Bolan, Whitaker, and Paul, they didn’t know what types of hell they would set eyes upon.

Tracy got out of bed, standing, and began looking around with a confused expression on her face; she had hoped that she would have appeared in Laura’s dream by now. She noticed a door, walked over to it and slowly opened it. She stepped out into the corridor and looked both ways and suddenly heard a loud crash from behind her.

She quickly turned and looked behind her – back inside her room. Nothing seemed to have changed. When she turned back around, however, everything had changed. Now she stands in the room with two doors, altar, and the ancient chair.

Tracy quickly decided on leaving this room and pictured Laura and Rick more carefully in her mind. She was back at the hospital once again and ran to Laura’s room. Upon entering, she found them there waiting for her arrival.

Bolan, Paul, Whitaker, and the technician all witnessed this amazing account. They shared an equal amount of confusion when they saw the patients all in the same dream. It was Whitaker, however, that was drawn back in time to a not-too-distant past.

“How…how can other people be in the same dream?” Paul asked and Bolan shrugged.

“How the hell should I know?” he replied then thought of something and his eyes narrowed slightly and paid closer attention to the monitor readouts. “Jesus. This can’t be happening with Tracy, too.” Bolan almost whispered.

“What?” asked Paul and looked over at his friend.

“It happened with Laura, too.” Bolan began.

“What about my daughters, Charles?” Paul asked, this time in an accusing tone.

“Laura destroyed that machine – just with her dreams. If it’s what I think it is; Tracy will most likely do the same thing.” Bolan explained and turned back the readout numbers.

“Where’s Allen?” Laura asked as she looked around the room.

“I don’t think I can get to him.” Tracy said and they glanced over at her with questioning glances. “When I tried to reach him last night, I hit a roadblock.”

Rick stepped over to her. “What are you talking about?”

With a shrug, “I don’t know. I think I saw Orion standing in the doorway to his mind. Says I have no access.” Tracy explained and Rick nodded.

“Must’ve been Orion, all right,” Rick said and turned to Laura. “He’s the one pulling the strings around here.”

Laura shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll just find another way to read the book.”

Rick walked over to the far wall muttering to himself. “I wonder what he wants with Allen,” he whispered in deep thought.

Then the footsteps were heard echoing just outside the doorway.

The entire room quieted in a hurry with the hopes that Alexius may pass up the room and search elsewhere.

“Hey, what’re you all doing in here?”

They all practically jumped a foot off the ground and then realized that it was Allen who was standing in the doorway with a grin on his face.

“You son of a bitch. You had us scared to death.” Laura grinned and grabbed Allen by his arm, pulled him hard into the room, and embraced him with such strength that Allen coughed.

Rick went over to him and joined the celebratory moment, but it was Tracy who stood back and watched the scene from a different angle. It was Tracy who had the questions. “Why did Orion let him come tonight? What’s so different? How’d he get here – I didn’t go to him?”

Laughter filled the room. But not from anyone standing in the room. It was a low, yet loud demonic laughter which brought a nervous feeling to everyone.

“Welcome home, my family. Welcome to my hell,” grunted the voice of Alexius and he threw his head in the doorway for all to see.

“Shit!” Laura screamed and brought out the Alexius book from beneath her nightgown. Allen watched the book closely.

Silently, Allen looked around and then up above Alexius. He closed his eyes and pulled with his mind. Nothing happened at first – Alexius was about to laugh. The crumbling noise made everyone – including Alexius – look up. The ceiling directly above Alexius began crumbling.

“Tracy, get us the hell out of here!” Laura screamed to her sister. “Now!”

They had vanished just in time to avoid witnessing the entire ceiling collapse and crush the Dreamkiller.

They stumbled into an empty room with stone walls. Once Laura was positive they were safe for the moment, she unveiled the book once again.

Tracy watched closely at how eager Allen seemed when he held out his hand to retrieve the book. All this seemed a bit too strange.

“Maybe I should hold it and you could read it that way.” Tracy suggested.

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“Or maybe you could let Orion just have the goddamned book.” Allen sneered and then grinned. “I won’t let anything happen to it,” he assured, yet Tracy was not convinced.

Laura watched the interaction and began seeing what Tracy was seeing. Not to her recollection has anyone mentioned Orion’s name to Allen – she could be wrong, though. But still, he was acting very strangely.

Laura allowed Allen to take hold of the book and watched as he ran his fingers across the cover and closed his eyes with a smile.

“It’s a bible of sorts. This is what Orion’s been after for a very long time. It was taken from him. It holds secrets the universe never knew existed. The Dreamkiller saga begins in the bible – and prophesied the end.” Allen began and Laura and Tracy stared, wide-eyed at Allen.

“What?” they both exclaimed in unison.

“Oh, yes. One girl will be the demise of the entire Dreamkiller army. It does not say who or when, though,” he continued and was cut short by an explosion by the window.

“Alexius,” Whitaker murmured to himself as he witnessed the Dreamkiller show its true form.

Bolan glanced over at his superior, who had gone into some sort of trance.

“Move!” Laura screamed at the group and they sprinted out through the doorway.

It was Tracy who took them to her own bedroom for a safe haven.

Laura smiled as she looked around her sister’s room. She knew that this room was not in the same house as when they lived together. She had heard that her parents divorced and that her mother remarried, she and Tracy ended up moving into his house; the fact that Tracy was still living in the house in which the book was hidden, this was the link to why Orion and Alexius were tormenting Tracy.

It was a short-lived moment of freedom.

Alexius bolted up through the floor directly behind Allen, the door flew off its hinges and in walked Orion himself.

Rick, Tracy, and Laura didn’t know who they should be more frightened of; however, it was Orion which Allen stared at behind worried eyes. Why is He here?

Orion came closer to them, studying each one and came upon Allen, he could feel Allen’s heart race faster. Keeping his hooded head facing the trio, Orion reached up and shoved Allen across the room with a force that rendered him unconscious.

“Now that he’s out of the way,” began Orion and addressed his audience. “I need my book and I know neither of you will supply me with it. So, let’s take a look at what’s behind door number one,” he said and gestured, as three doors appeared at the other end of the room.

When the first door swung open, Laura was the one who screamed when they saw Vincent kneeling, bound at the legs and his arms tied behind his back. They saw that he was gagged and tears had been running down his face.

Orion turned the other way. “Door number two!”

Another door opened and they saw Britany in the same mangled manner as Vincent. Even in this horrific scene, Tracy thought, Britany still had that beautiful aura about her.

“And last, door number three!”

There they saw Steve standing rather than kneeling. He was still bound at the ankles, but he had managed to have stood up. He had not wept like the others. He may not know everything that was going on, but he knew that it must be important and that if Laura was involved, then it must be for the greater good.

“And now, Alexius,” Orion called out as he faced his Dreamkiller.

Alexius produced three long metal spikes and he tossed them to his master, who caught them without the slightest inconvenience.

“Vincent Sagoes, please, Alexius.”

Alexius nodded and went over to the frightened Vincent and picked the young man up by his neck, still in his kneeling position from being tied, and carried him over to Orion. Grinning, the Dreamkiller dropped his weight at the feet of his master and he bowed his head once again and stepped to one side.

“Since no one is willing to assist me, I give you three chances to return to me what’s rightfully mine.”

Rick stepped forward and shook his head. “It doesn’t belong to you. You didn’t write it, neither did Alexius. I bet these pages are older than you.”

“And what makes you think this, Richard?”

Laura stepped up and took Rick’s hand. “Your obsession to get it back.”

Orion hesitated. He loved games. “Explain.”

Taking hold of her sister’s other hand, Tracy faced her nightmare. “If you or one of your Dreamkillers had written it, you could have just rewritten the book. But you have been obsessed with finding this particular book; it must be the only one and I bet even you don’t know what’s inside.”

Laura grinned at the remark. “She’s right. You don’t know what’s inside. Do you? Even you can’t understand the scripture.”

“I know very well what is in it,” said Orion behind a deeper hatred. “If you must know, what Allen had told you was a lie – it is no bible. Inside the pages lies the secrets to the Forbidden Realms and where I can obtain its key. Allen wasn’t telling you the truth. But he did not lie when telling you about the prophecy; that one girl will stand to fight me.”

Tracy stared at Orion for a moment and then a strange feeling came into her body. “Allen isn’t,”

Orion had enough, they were treading areas he wished not to tread, and he swung the metal spike up into the air. “Give me the book!”

There was a fearful hesitation among the three; and during that pause Vincent had watched his friends take a moment which could cost him his life. They were staring at the creature holding the spike in his ghostly-white hand, wondering how long the bluff would hold out.

“Time’s up,” he said and before anyone could say any more, the spike had been driven through Vincent’s body just below his heart.

Orion leaned down to Vincent. “This should keep you alive long enough to watch your friends die. Your friends who allowed me to kill you,” he said and then stood up, “Britany McKagan, my dear Alexius,” he called out and turned to face his beloved servant.

Alexius grinned and grabbed the weeping girl in the same fashion he had done with Vincent and he dropped her at the foot of his master.

“Well?” Orion looked from the terrified young girl to the group.

Britany was shaking beyond her control and her eyes were wild. Laura knew that Britany’s eyes were pleading that they give the beast whatever he wanted.

There was another silence and Laura squeezed Rick’s hand and lowered her eyes. What the hell was inside the book? Was it worth the sacrifice she was making? Why is it she who is sentencing her friends to death?

She heard a soft “ugh,” as Orion plunged the spike through her chest. She was weeping. She was considering giving Orion what he wanted. That was, until she saw Steve.

He was standing before them with a confident stance. He was frightened not of death, rather of the pain just before dying. But even this fear did not change his opinion. He was staring at Laura and shaking his head; his eyes telling her not to give up.

Something unexpected happened in the next few moments. Just as Orion was about to impale Steve, Steve bent forward causing the spike to miss his body. As Orion lost his balance, Steve used his tied hands to grab hold of the spike and flip Orion over his back.

Orion fell to the floor and in the next moment, Steve used his spike and sent it deep into Orion’s cloak, hoping that it would connect with something vital. He didn’t want his friends here any longer and with his head he motioned them over to the door.

Orion grabbed the end of the spike and brought it up, and as it dislodged from his cheek, it severed the ties holding Steve’s wrists together.

Tracy and Rick ran to the door and stopped when they saw Laura advancing on Orion.

Steve was shaking his head but it was too late. Why the hell is she doing this?

When she neared Orion, Laura felt the spike penetrate her stomach. Her eyes widened and she stopped moving. She was looking down into the darkness of Orion’s hood and saw that he was holding the end of the spike that had run her through. She looked from Tracy to Rick and back.

Rick ran over to them and looked back at Tracy once he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Get us out of here. Anywhere.”

Orion quickly stood up but it was too late; they were going before he could make any further advances. Doesn’t matter, he mused. The book will be mine soon.

Ironically, Tracy had taken them to Laura’s hospital room.

Laura stumbled onto her knees. She tried to stand once again, only to fall onto the floor. She cried out when the spike moved around her body as she hit the floor.

Rick reached down and pulled the bloody spike from her body and tossed it aside. He knelt down next to her.

“Never thought it’d end this way,” she murmured between gasps. She looked over at her weeping sister. “Tracy, the answer lies somewhere in the book – find it. It’s yours now,” she said and her voice became weaker with each syllable spoken.

She looked up. “Come closer, Richard.”

Rick took her hand in his and squeezed it.

“I enjoyed every minute with you. It was great while it lasted,” she said with a sorrowful smile.

Tears filled his eyes. “Yeah,” was the only thing that could penetrate the rock in his throat.

“Never thought…” she hesitated then, with one final surge of energy, “I love you.” She murmured and then moved her lips while no words were spoken.

Rick read her lips and bent down to her and their lips touched for the last time. As he felt her soft lips on his, his heart sank

As they parted, she moved her arm up over his shoulder and moved her lips once again. “I love you, too.” Rick replied and she formed a sorrowful smile on her young face and closed her eyes for eternal slumber.

Rick took her hand and placed it to her side. As he did so, he held it there for a minute – whispering an unheard prayer. When he released his hold on her hand, he looked down and saw that her necklace was now in his hand.

Tracy ran over to Rick and they embraced one another tightly. “Why?” she wept into his chest. “Laura.”

He held her as her rage built up inside her. “My sister,” she cried and then turned her head up to the ceiling. “Dead!” she screamed.

The monitor which the four men were watching suddenly exploded, sending glass and metal shards spraying about the room.

“Jesus Christ!” Bolan shouted, and then looked through the mirror where they saw Tracy violently thrashing in every direction.

She was throwing her arms and legs wherever they would go.

Bolan glanced down at the measurements, which were reading past eleven on the scale.

“Shit,” he screamed. “It’s dangerous for that thing to read past four,” he explained as sparks flew in every which way.

Just then, Tracy’s eyes snapped open and she ceased moving altogether.

“Sir,”

They jumped once again as a security guard crashed into the room.

“Yes?” asked Bolan.

The guard walked in and leaned toward Bolan. “There’s been an accident, Sir,” he whispered. “Paramedics tried to save them…but there have been several deaths,” he couldn’t continue; Bolan had become irate.

“Fuck!” Bolan shouted and Paul threw him a look saying that he could kill him.

“You goddamn bastard,” He didn’t have to be told; there was a sudden feeling of loss in his heart, which rendered him paralyzed for a moment. “This can’t be happening. No – she’s not…Not Laura – no,”

Bolan watched as his friend staggered to his feet, stumbling as he fell against the wall, and finding the door where he left to console Tracy. There was no feeling on earth than losing a child; but to have to tell her sister –