by D. H. Quinn
“When I have problems with sleep, I tend to develop a sleep routine, make your bedroom comfortable, your sheets clean, turn off your phone, it all helps.” He smiles gently.
“Thanks,” I say with no real emotion behind it. Liam does not seem to notice my shift in attitude. He talks animatedly about something that happened in his job. He laughs at his own joke that I don’t really understand. I wish I could talk openly about what has been truly happening to me, not hypothetically. It does indeed feel like I am losing my grip on reality.
Our date ends early and I quickly change into a tshirt and shorts and get on my laptop. Liam looked less than thrilled that I told him I was tired and to take me home but more pressing matters grip me at the moment. I need to talk to someone who studies dreams, maybe even a sleep psychologist, just someone who I could be completely open and honest to.
After hours of research I find a Doctor Maria who is a psychologist with an interest in studying dreams. My savings could be used for this. The thought of releasing everything going on in my mind feels like an enormous relief. And maybe Liam was right, maybe I needed to get my head on straight and stop letting these dreams affect me so much. Should I be putting so much faith in something I had no proof of existing. What about Sierrah? She confirmed everything. A small voice questions in my mind but I push it aside.
Doctor Maria’s office reopens on Monday at 8am. I wish I would have found her sooner. I set a reminder in my phone for Monday to contact her. Then I browse on the dream blog. Whoever had written this was funny and quite clever. I laugh aloud at some of the passages.
I open the message me page once again. I desperately want to talk to this person even though I know Sierrah is the one who is receiving the message and she claims she is not the author. I write and erase a few messages before I finally send it.
My message reads, “hey Sierrah I wanted to let you know that I found a way back into the city, I think. Anyways, I have someone who knows the ins and outs of how it works and I am hopeful I will return in a few days. I would love to hear from you. Also, I would love to hear more about the person that wrote this blog if you have the chance. Their experience and their personality in general fascinates me, Thanks, Kamari.”
I wind down while watching TV and I happen to fall asleep on the couch but not long enough to get into dream world. I head to my bed and lay awake. Liam hadn’t texted me and I am sure he is irritated. He must think I am no longer interested in him. I send him a text apologizing and saying I need to sort things out within myself and that I can’t wait until the next time I see him so I can make it up to him. He doesn’t respond before I fall asleep which is almost an hour later.
I awake laying on my back looking up at darkness. I raise my hands up and feel cold stone above. No! I cry under my breath. I can’t be back here! I attempt to sit up even though I am aware that it is impossible. The grass is wet and sticky against my back. I lay back down forcing myself to breathe. I did it once I can do it again, I tell myself but I much of my panic is caused by what could potentially be in here with me.
I try to twist around to obtain a crawling position but the passage too narrow to overcome. I am stuck in a coffin, buried alive. I hear a shuffling sound beneath my feet but it is somewhat distant.
I wriggle side to side in an attempt to move forward. I am moving but not quickly enough. I decide to reach my hands up and out, using the stone wall as leverage to pull myself forward. This method works much quicker but hurts my hands immensely. I can feel the blood pour from them and they sting with each movement but I keep going. I find that I am crying in fear and pain. The tears fall automatically but I keep myself from wailing aloud.
The light appears quicker than I expected it to and I pull myself up and out quickly. Something in the tunnel cries lightly and then retreats. There is no sign of Kade. Maybe he is waiting where we last were, if I could find it, that would be the smart thing to do. I ensure I am a few feet away from the tunnel and examine my hands.
I hear the scream of whatever had been out here a lot closer than it was yesterday. Using any type of creation whether it be healing or creating some simple bandages would attract it. I decide to rip off the bottom of my shirt and wrap it around each palm. My emotions getting out of control could attract it as well. In fact, I am confident my emotions in that tunnel were enough to make it find me. I need to move quickly!
I turn down the first passage way that I remember. I hope I am heading the right direction but I can’t be sure. I am relieved once I find the dead-end we were trapped at last time but I do not see Kade. The monster sounds distant now.
“Kade,” I call out wearily. No response. The wall looks different, a vine has been purposefully placed from the top to the bottom, clearly to climb over. I smile and reach up, pulling myself along. The pain in my hands is immense and unbearable. When I am half way up the wall my grip gives out and I am falling down. I let out a cry of pain as I hit the ground. My leg feels twists. I lose my breath.
The bandages I wrapped around my hand pathetically rip apart, blood seeps from my hands, now even more raw than they were before. The monster cries loudly, it senses my pain. I cannot possibly climb up this rope with my hands in this condition.
I make an impulsive choice. I have to. The monster is already on its way. I heal myself completely and give myself a boost of extra upper body strength. The monster cries loudly again and sounds enraged and entirely too close. I jump up and unwrap the makeshift bandages and drop them on the floor. I grab onto the vine and start climbing up the rope.
I pass the halfway mark rather quickly. Suddenly, I hear the monster behind me and below me. The rope I am on tightens being tugged on from below. It screams and the wall vibrates.
I control my urge to look down. Instead I climb even faster, focusing on my goal of reaching the top. I pull myself up and I sit on top of the wall. The wall top is thin and I balance precociously on it. I look down and see the top of the creature’s head which is filled with holes and black goop. Its arms reach and pull on the vine, slowly moving upwards.
Sharp knife, my mind creates and I use my creation to saw at the vine that got me up here. The creature falls to the ground with a thud. I look down the other side of the wall and see another vine hanging securely down. I lower myself and quickly climb down the vine. I silently celebrate once I get to the other side.
“Kamari!” A voice calls sharply. Kade waves me over to his hiding spot in the bushes. I run over to him and sigh in relief of finally being free of that stone prison. “Let’s move,” he tells me once I approach him. Whatever that thing was is after me now and would not give up so easily.
Knee height bushes cover the ground, scratching at my bare legs immensely. I ask Kade if I can use my creation and he says it is fine since he is sure whatever I did back there already attracted anything that is in our radius. Once I am wearing pants, I am more capable of keeping up with Kade. The bushes are still rough to get through but I closely follow Kade who somewhat clears a path. We move quickly and the stone wall prison is almost out of sight with no sign of the creature pursuing us.
“Do you do this trip often?” I ask.
“Yes, usually to get back to the city.”
“Seems like a lot to get through.” I sigh.
“Usually it isn’t for me but with a human in tow,” he stops with the clear implication. “But that’s to be expected.”
“No, I get it. I don’t really want to be human here either. In fact, I think it would be somewhat better if I went back to my old dream habits of not being aware.”
“I am honestly impressed you have been aware this long. How do you manage?” Kade asks as he wipes at sweat that forms on his brow.
“Well when I got in the city it started and hasn’t stopped since.”
“It’s highly unlikely, once you exited the city then you should have gone back to normal,” Kade shakes his head.
“Well there’s this guy, I met him in the city.” I admit. It’s the o
nly thing I can think of.
“And you have strong feelings for this man?”
“Yes, but the concept of having a relationship with a dream walker is ridiculous isn’t it?” I ask and feel immediately sheepish at the thought of offending him.
“I don’t know about that but your feelings for him could definitely be what keeps you here. I don’t believe you should hold yourself back though. You exist in this world as much as you do in the other.”
“I suppose that’s true it’s just that he is the right-hand man to Jack and even her lover to some degree.” My face reddens. “I don’t if I should trust him.”
“Aleksander?!” Kade asks, clearly shocked. “Forget what I said, you should stay away, it would be better for everyone.”
My heart aches. “Why?” I ask although I may already know the answer.
“There is too much pain involved.”
“He doesn’t love Jack, he has no choice and once we get rid of Jack,” I start but I am interrupted.
Kade spins ferociously towards me. His hands are clenched in fists, his face is bright red. “There is no getting rid of Jack and if you are doing this purely as some love-struck idiot then I need to leave right now!” I stumble back and catch my footing at the last second.
“That’s not it!” I stammer back, “I mean I broke it off for good with him just a few days ago. It’s over, I promise!”
Kade reads my face and decidedly nods in what I assume is acceptance. He turns on his heels. “Let’s go,” he sounds gruff and storms off quickly. I obey, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.
After a few silent moments, he speaks lowly. “I just want to be sure your intentions are pure. We are going into a dangerous situation and any such emotions could cloud your judgment,” I nod along, I understand what he is saying. He is risking a lot for me and this risk should be worth the reward. He pauses briefly before speaking again, “and to be clear, if you are going against Jack, Aleksander is your enemy.”
My heart drops at the last of his words. Here was a man telling me what I expected, who knows more about this world than I do. I can’t trust Aleksander. I know this and yet Kade’s words still manage to hurt me. “And that’s why I ended it,” I say sternly, making eye contact and not breaking it.
My mind flashes on Arden momentarily. “Does that apply to everyone that works for Jack?” I had made Arden loyal to me.
“No, no. Technically I work for Jack as do many others, doesn’t mean I am on her side.”
“Good.”
We are finally coming to a clearing of flat cemented land. “It’s time,” Kade tells me with a nod.
“The plane? Do you think we have time?”
“How fast can you make it?” He hands me a blueprint of a rather small looking plane with seating for just two. I look over the blueprint and picture each individual part and then the plane as a whole. It appears in front of us. I then focus on Kade and increase his knowledge. He is now aware of everything he needs to be a pilot.
With the engine of the plane already roaring, Kade marches over to the cockpit and jumps in. I follow suit and get in on the passenger’s side. Kade grips the control wheel of the plane and does not move. “I know how to fly it but,” Kade says as he shakes his head, his face pale.
I give him confidence silently. He flips a switch and we move forward. I grapple with my nerves myself, not really feeling comfort in such a small plane and never really liking heights. I grip the sides of my seat once I buckle myself in.
The takeoff is smooth. I rest my head back as Kade pulls back on the gear and we lift in altitude. The stone prison nightmare looks less threatening from here. “Woah with this speed we should be in the city in no time!” Kade says with enthusiasm.
“Great!” I say with an opposite tone, worrying more about what happens once we are inside. At least I made my mind calm so I did not panic about the heights. Kade is in control here.
I zone out on the surrounding scenery. Some of it is stunningly breathtaking and could only exist in a dream and some of it is terrifying and I could not imagine what lives down there. I am surprised that these parts of lands are almost equal in amount from what I can see. The Mares and negativity in the dream world must indeed be spreading. What if humanity only had nightmares? Is there any real way to stop it?
I glimpse the city before Kade mentions it, the impossibly tall wall. “We have to land outside, there is no going over.” He looks somewhat nervous. We do not land near the main gate and Kade tells me that is in fact on purpose. We are taking a route that is not well known and that is the only real way to get me in.
For now though, we wait. Kade sets up a tent and plans to camp here while I am awake in my world. Kade wants to make sure I am fully implanted in the city the next time and I agree as my gut tells me I don’t have much time left for today.
I attempt to vividly remember the landscape and the surrounding areas in case I get thrown off in some other direction when I reawaken. I admire the tall, violet tinged leaves of the tree that stands over Kade’s camp. I take note of the plane which is now covered by a greenish tarp to blend in with the grass. Before I know it, I am waking up in the real world. Even though it is a Saturday, I have hardly slept in.
Chapter Ten
I look at my phone and see Liam still has not texted me back. I hope he is sleeping and not ignoring me. My front door unlock and then opens. My heart races until my brother calls out my name. My dog barks happily.
“Just a minute.” I put on my slippers and wrap my robe around me.
I open the door and watch my dog run out to greet my brother. Rob leans down to pet Auggie. “Hey, I hope you don’t mind if I hang here for a bit.”
“Of course you can.” His eyes barely meet mine and he looks exhausted. He heads to the living room, I hear the backyard screen door open and my dog barks happily at the freedom of outside. I head into the bathroom feeling not so great myself. I splash water on my face and brush my teeth. Once I head out to the living room, Rob is splayed out comfortably on my couch.
“Want something to eat?” I ask.
“Nah, already ate,” he says with a pat to his stomach. I make myself a light breakfast and sit at the table. I check my phone to find no response from Liam. I also check for a message from Sierrah which does not appear either. I join Rob on the couch after I am finished eating. My house feels cold and somewhat depressing.
“Hey, why don’t we go somewhere?” I ask.
“Not you too!” Rob sighs and I remember that is the reason why he has come to my house in the first place, as our parents were asking why he was suddenly staying home on weekends.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to get out, it’s just, I may have messed things up with a guy I really like, and I have been having many bad dreams lately.”
Rob looks over at me with concern. “Well, what happened with the guy?”
I reflect honestly. “Well, he said some things that hurt my feelings and I gave him the cold shoulder.”
“It doesn’t sound like you are the problem.” Rob huffs.
“Yeah but he didn’t know it would offend me and his opinion may be right.” I bite my lip contemplatively.
Rob just looks over at me, clearly reading my face. He grabs the remote and turns off the television. “Fine, let’s go.”
“Let me get dressed,” I reply and hurry to my room to change before he can change his mind.
We leave the house around 12pm. We stop to get lunch before heading off to the mall. I ask him causally about school and he tells me nothing has changed about his feelings towards college but he still doesn’t know what he wants to do next.
While walking through the mall, we browse a few stores. We try on some ridiculous items and laugh. It’s silly and immature but it brings back so much nostalgia from when we were younger. Our mom often let us wander around malls by ourselves while she ran some errands.
We end up at a bookstore that is two stories tall. “I am surprised
this place still exists.” Rob is looking at some graphic novels. I had seen many bookstores go bankrupt. I used to love reading as a teen, getting lost in another world completely but somehow I had lost that feeling.
“It’s impressive,” Rob nods. He holds the book close to him, deeply engrossed in whatever is on the page,.
“I am going to check something out.” I head up to the computer and search for dreams. I find the section near the psychology and science section. There are five different books on the shelf. All of which are based on dream interpretation. I sigh and leaf through a few until Rob comes and finds me. He carries three books under his arm.
“Still thinking about your dreams?”
“Yeah, it’s something that really interests me,” I say which is somewhat a lie. Really, it worries me, really, I want to know how to change what is happening to me. I slide the book back on the shelf.
“You know, after all the nightmares I have been having, I happened to have had a great dream last night,” Rob says with a smile. We head downstairs to the registers.
“Oh no,” I laugh.
“I met a dark haired beautiful woman,” Rob sighs with contentment. “She was a bit older but oh my.”
“Rob stop you are still my brother,” I say as I playfully cuff my hands around my ears.
Rob shrugs innocently, “nothing that dirty happened but she is a great kisser. Her name was Jacqueline and I am holding out hope we will meet again.”
My stomach drops instantly. No, it could not be, it could not be her, it was not possible. “Are you sure that’s her name?” We are now standing in line.
“Yeah she told me to remember it. She called herself Jack but I like Jacqueline more,” he says with a goofy grin.
“How long ago did this happen?”
“Last night. She kept saying she had big plans,” Rob shrugs again. “It was a very vivid dream and kind of strange.”
“Where were you?” Maybe I could find him before she could do whatever she was planning to do. Maybe she knew my plans already and was preparing to fight against me. Maybe Aleksander told her.
