Dreamscapes

by D. H. Quinn

  “I like it. It gives me experiences I have never had before but in that sense, it can be bad as well.”

  “How so?” We turn down a pathway that is clearly less maintained.

  “Well I am in constant danger, so there’s that.”

  “Oh of course because you are human, silly me.” She hits her forehead in a sort of duh movement.

  “But aren’t you dream walkers in danger outside of the city as well?”

  “Not if you find the right place with a low amount of human traffic, yes towards the city it is bad but out here it is somewhat peaceful. Most humans pass by here without a second look, too boring for their taste, I suppose.” She sighs. I follow her quietly down a trail which is now only visible by the flattened grass ahead of her. The dense shrubbery in this area reaches out for our ankles.

  The woman stops at a fence with a gate and looks at the small cabin that it secures. “You should go, I really must go back.” Her previously casual demeanor drops. “Just knock on the door.” She backs slowly away. “Good luck,” she calls out and quickly heads back down the trail.

  My stomach churns at the sight of the cabin. I open the gate slowly and step in. It instantly slams behind me. I step up on the porch of the cabin and knock. A numerous amount of weeds and vines surround the house.

  “Who is it?” A man’s voice asks through the door.

  “My name is Kamari. A person in your town sent me, suggesting that you could help,” I project my voice.

  “With what?” He seems curious yet does not open the door.

  “I need to get back to the city.”

  I hear shuffling behind the door then and the door cracks open just a bit. I see only his eye, a part of his mouth and his bushy beard. “You’re human! And they sent you here?” He asks clearly appalled. I say nothing in response, feeling unsure if this was some joke for the women. He clearly wasn’t pleased. “I would never help you.”.

  “Well, I am trying to help those in the city. I understand your distaste for humans really but this isn’t just about me.”

  “What could a human do for us?” The door opens just a bit more and his rather large nose pokes out.

  “I was helping repair the city and make some changes.” I find myself leaning toward the right, attempting to peek in.

  He notices and closes the door slightly. “I do live in the city on occasion so what is it that you would do?”

  “Great!” I say in reference to him potentially traveling to the city soon. “I was working on repairs and damages made by voids, adding entertainment and other options for dream walkers.” When I say it aloud, my job doesn’t sound all that important. He doesn’t seem to think so either so I decide to take a risk with my words. “And potentially overthrowing Jack or changing her type of ruling at the very least.” He opens the door wider than before but his expression is gloomy.

  “Interesting,” he says and his tone softens. “Maybe I can talk to you more about this later, looks like your time’s up.” I drift away and I awake in my bed to the sound of my alarm.

  Chapter Eight

  Ugh. I was so close. The way the man talked to me gave me hope that I would get back to the city with his help. I have to wake up there again! I roll over to my side and prepare myself to get up for work. Instead I doze off for a few minutes and awaken once again. I do not sleep enough to reach the dream world again. I jump up and perform my morning routine as quickly as I can manage so I am not late.

  It is Thursday and I am looking forward to tomorrow as I have a date with Liam. My work day goes rather quickly and I head home early do to the lack of work and my boss’ approval. I call my brother to check up on him. He doesn’t answer so I leave a message and hope he gets back to me. He may be at practice and have a game tonight so I don’t try again.

  My dog is extremely happy to see me home early and I take my time walking him and playing with him in the backyard. His presence calms my nerves for my potential dream experience tonight. If I can return to the man in the cabin, if I could get there quickly, maybe I could get back to the city tonight.

  Liam calls me and we chat for a while. I am still sitting outside and when I see that it is getting dark and chilly, I head inside. I talk to Liam for at least an hour until I am yawning nonstop. I can hear the tiredness in his voice as well and we both agree to say goodbye and goodnight. My heart flutters. Liam makes me feel special, he makes me feel wanted, and I am extremely attracted to him.

  I fall asleep slowly, the fear of where I may end up in the dream world keeping me awake. I am back on the first lake where I had met Emily and her guardian. I create a compass and head south once again. I am at the man’s doorstep rather quickly.

  I knock eagerly and no response comes. I knock again and wait. I shift back and forth on my feet anxiously. I finally hear some shuffling on the other side of the door.

  “Who is it?” The man asks again in the same distrustful tone he had before and again does not open the door.

  “Kamari, the human you were talking to the other day.”

  The man opens the door widely and I finally see his long face with angular cheekbones. His beard covers most of this though. He wears a white cotton tee and some flannel pants. He yawns widely and looks me over.

  “Yes of course. Come in,” he yawns again and then walks inside.

  “Sorry if I woke you.” I follow him in. He shuts the door behind us.

  “Yeah. You humans have really unpredictable schedules you know that?” He laughs. The cabin inside is as messy and unkempt as it is on the outside. A pile of shredded newspapers sits near the front door, stacked unreasonably high. A large number of coats hang from a coat rack next to this stack and notice that some of these coats would definitely not fit this man.

  The banister of the staircase leading upwards has each inch of covered in a mix of clothing, blankets and shower curtains. I follow him into the living room. The hoarding continues. All types of chairs line up against the wall, in stacks on top of each other, all different colors, shapes and styles.

  The man chooses a brown rocking chair in the center of the room to sit in. It squeaks when he adjusts back in it. His face melts. “Take a seat.” He instructs. I choose a small orange chair with a large cushioned seat.

  “Name’s Kade by the way. I know names are important to you humans.”

  “Yes. Nice to meet you Kade.”

  He huffs at this. Clearly he wants to get on with it. “I was thinking about what you said and considering it and being the man that I am I have to ask what’s in it for me? I mean I am risking my life and my possessions for a human.” With the amount of possessions he has in this cabin, he surely wouldn’t mind a few more.

  “Well, not including getting a better life for your people and you when you are in the city, I am human and I can create many things.” I suggest.

  “Like?” He leans forward in his chair and it squeaks. His eagerness is apparent.

  “Anything really if I have an available plan for it. I have created many buildings, items and dream walkers even,” I say the last part lowly and with some regret. Creating dream walkers feels wrong. What if I missed something essential for them like I had for the store workers.

  Kade raises his eyebrows at me with amusement. “I need some time to think but at a minimum we would need a plane and a pilot and that is not part of my price. But if we have a plane we could get there fast,” he rambles his thoughts aloud.

  “I could make you into a pilot if you would like,” I suggest almost automatically.

  “But I have never flown, ever.” He vigorously shakes his head back and forth.

  “Would you like to be able to?”

  “Yes! Of course. But that would be impossible, wouldn’t it?”

  “Depends, are you a special type of dream walker like Jack?”Aleksander had been so adamant that my powers would not work on Jack but I had yet to test his theory.

  “No,” he says with a hearty laugh. “She is a special something that
’s for sure.” A sound of distaste presents itself in his tone.

  “Then I have had success changing internal things about your kind.”

  “What exactly have you changed?”

  “Inspirations, love, loyalty, speed, strength,” I say, listing each one quickly. “Making you be able to fly a plane and to have that knowledge would be simple.”

  “Fascinating. I’ll be honest, I had my physical requests in mind but now I have to consider other possibilities,” he pulls thoughtfully at his beard. “But I need some time.”

  “How much time?” I ask although I truly want to say I don’t have any. “I am corrupted. There are Mares after me that are probably on my trail by now.”

  “Mares are always after your kind, imprinting on you. You are always in danger. But humans are random and unpredictable and the Mares eventually lose interest in chasing you down after a while.”

  “Really?” I ask feeling a sense of relief.

  “Yes, did Jack tell you that the Mares would rip you to shreds because you are corrupted?” He asks with a knowing smile on his face.

  “She did and basically made me her slave with that information.” I drop my chin and look at the ground.

  “Classic Jack really. She always manipulates humans into doing her dirty work.”

  “So, I am not the first human to be in the city for a long time?” My face turns hot with anger. Hadn’t the blog confirmed that for me? I didn’t want to believe it. That they all had lied to me, that they all were truly on Jack’s side. Aleksander, Arden, Garrett all putting on a play, why did I choose to be blinded like this?

  “Of course not. Jack has a new one often.”

  “Is any of it true then, is the city really a safe haven for people?”

  “In a way I suppose it is.” I think of all the pain I had already suffered in the city. All the Mahrts’ who had a chance to dig their claws into me, the void, none of which should not be considered torture.

  “Do you happen to know anything about the wall being vulnerable?” This part must have been a lie as well.

  “Yes, it is unfortunately,” Kade says sadly.

  I stand up from my chair. “Well, I am glad you need time because I need some as well.” I sigh.

  Kade does not seem pleased with this. “I thought you wanted to help the dream walkers of the city?”

  “I did, I do but I don’t really know if what I am doing helps them and if I can trust anything they say to me,” I say as I start to turn for his front door.

  He stands as well and looks at me pityingly. “I am sure whatever they told you, whatever act they put on was not their choice.” I nod to acknowledge his words but they do not calm me. I leave his cabin shortly afterwards.

  I walk into the woods, away from the lake town. A device appears in my hand and I immediately know who I want to call. He answers on the first ring.

  “Is she already working on finding her next human?” I ask angrily.

  “Kamari what’s going on?” Aleksander answers.

  “Did you all think I would be stupid and not realize, that someone would tell me that Jack always has a different human, that I didn’t necessarily have to stay in the city to stay safe, that I didn’t need to do as she said, that I shouldn’t have trusted any of you?” I barrage him with question after question.

  Aleksander sighs on the other side, “I’m sorry Kamari, I am sorry you found out that way and that I was too much of a coward to tell you but I honestly was trying to find a way to get you back here, to get you back to me.”

  I try to ignore the other emotion that whirls through me, the one that is filled with desire. “Honestly Aleksander I don’t know if I am coming back.”

  “You need to, we need you, I need you!” Maybe he had been manipulating me this entire time just as he said Jack had manipulated him.

  “Why? Nothing will happen between us. You were right before, I cannot understand how you could change your mind. Besides your prediction was right, I found a human man that I like and care for and I don’t need to focus on some fictional relationship that is just playing with my feelings,” I say in an attempt to hurt him. He stays silent I have achieved my goal. But I am disgusted with myself. Aleksander is as real to me as Liam is.

  “Look, I didn’t mean that you weren’t real to me it's just.”

  “No you are right completely and I should not have taken it as far as I did. Goodbye Kamari,” he says the last part with such finality that I feel like my heart breaks physically. Before I can stop him, he hangs up.

  It is better this way, I attempt to convince myself. I put the device in my pocket and examine my surroundings. Did I still want to go to the city after all this? Did the people really deserve my help?

  I had always been told that I hold onto the past too much, that I need to let certain things go. Holding onto grudges isn’t healthy especially when the fate of many could be in my hands. What if they were all just terrified of Jack, I couldn’t blame them, I am afraid of her as well but if I could change that for them and make the city safe then maybe it would be worth it.

  I am keenly aware though of what else is motivating me. I want revenge on Jack. I want her to be less important. I want her to feel the pain that she has impacted onto others. And even though I want to deny it, a small urge inside of me still wants to help the people of the city, even if they had mostly deceived me. I still want to help Arden and Aleksander even if at this moment they did not want me too.

  I venture further away from the cabin losing myself in thought. I firmly grip the phone, desperately wanting to call Aleksander back but still convinced my decision is for the best in the long term. Kade’s bellowing voice startles me. “Don’t go too far,” he calls out. I glance over my shoulder and see him standing in his overgrown lawn.

  I return my gaze in front of me. I hear his cautious footsteps as he approaches me. “I want to help you.”

  I sigh. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea, maybe I need time to think as well.”

  “Look that was a bluff, I wanted to see what you were offering but I was going to do it regardless.”

  “Do you care about the city? About the people? Tell me are they worth it?”

  “I can’t say I know honestly, I don't know them all,” he laughs and then his face grows stern, “but anyone under Jack’s rule should have the chance to be liberated, to experience what it is like to be free,” he says with a deep breath as if he is demonstrating his freedom.

  “Then we are on the same page. What are your demands?” I look up to him.

  “The plane, the pilot ability and I will let you know the rest once we are back in the city.”

  “Great. You think you can get me back in?”

  “Yes, I do but it will be dangerous.”

  “What isn’t really in this world? Well should I make the plane?” I ask.

  “Not here, not yet, we need to leave town so as not to attract too much attention here, it could be dangerous,” he says and I understand immediately. This lake town gives a peaceful vibe and I’d like to keep it that way.

  Kade returns to his house and comes back wearing an overstuffed backpack. I had offered to create whatever he needed but he said he much preferred his own items. I did not argue back with him.

  We head into a thickened forest. Kade’s cabin is no longer visible once we get a few meters in. The ground feels unsteady and is covered in leaves although the trees themselves are not bald or seemingly in the process of shedding. Something bites at my ankle and I wince. My arm reaches down immediately towards my leg but Kade quickly turns around and catches my hand.

  “They can touch you but it’s best you don’t touch them.” We both look down at the same time. The creature slithers off of my shoe and back to the ground. It appears to be a small black leech but with the single bite it took I doubt it could be that. It works its way to Kade and seemingly stands up, its head moving back and forth as if testing the air. Then it flops down and hides back into a pile of leave
s. “It doesn’t like you.”

  “Doesn’t like the taste of my kind,” he shrugs simply.

  “I should make myself some long pants,” I shiver, feeling disgusted. A large welt forms on my leg.

  “Don’t!” Kade warns urgently then explains, “if you attract too many of them then it does become a problem.” I nod in understanding. I step carefully over the next few larger leaf piles. Kade marches quickly forward without any worries. Was he not afraid of what my presence could bring to him, the danger he would be in?

  Maybe the city had chosen Arden to be my guide for that sole purpose, to make everything in the dream world more terrifying than it truly is. Luckily, I do not get bitten anymore as we finally exit the forest. I do see another one slither past though and I am relieved that our forest journey is short lived.

  “What were those things?” I ask once we are finally out of the forest.

  “Pieces of Mares or Mahrts, no one really knows, although we do know that they prefer humans and not dream walkers. They are all over the place.”

  I take a moment to heal the welt on my leg and extend my shorts to ankle length that fit tightly on the bottom. “Anything else I should be aware of out here?”

  Kade laughs. “So much, but we really don’t have time for that.” We are now at an open field with rolling hills of flowers. The flowers are all types of colors and the view is overwhelming. “My advice, just ask me before doing anything and I will do my best to warn you, but not everything is predictable. Like right now, we have a problem,” Kade tells me as he looks into the sky. “I will come find you just try to stay focused on reality.”

  Before I can even ask what he is referencing I am transported to another area. I am in my office building, sitting at my desk. “Kamari,” my boss calls out to me. She hands me a thick folder. “You need to finish this.”

  “I need to go.” I attempt to stand up. My boss just shakes her head disappointingly and drops the folder on my desk. I sit back down. It opens up and I see a picture of Sierrah and a printed page of the dream blog I had found. I reach for the folder and suddenly a black tendril like object appears out of my desk. It grips my wrist tightly and pulls me close to the desk, so close my face almost touches my keyboard.