Sleeper (The Waking Sleep Book 1)
Page 27
“Have I ever told you my story about the warm cottage and the hungry lion?”
Dr. Reston didn’t respond.
“People tell me it doesn’t make sense but you’re a smart guy, I think you might like it.”
“Don’t waste your energy, Mr. Barrymore.”
“What am I saving it for?” Corey laughed. “You see, Chuck, I used to think the Dark was the lion. That fearsome predator in the night, waiting to strike. But now I’m not so sure. If that girl escaped on her own and you couldn’t stop her... well, maybe you’re not the lion in this story after all.”
Dr. Reston pointed to one of the guards. More specifically, he pointed to the holster on his belt. The man unbuttoned the flap and drew his gun, flipping it around and handing it grip-first to the doctor.
“Since you’re so fond of stories,” he replied as he pulled the slide, advancing a round into the chamber, “perhaps you’re familiar with one of the poets of the Former Days. I believe the line is, ‘We came into the world like brother and brother, and now let’s go hand in hand, not one before the other’.”
The doctor raised the gun, pointing it at his head.
Corey smiled and reached over, grabbing his brother’s hand.
Then he closed his eyes and thought of mountains, forests, and moonlit skies.
28
Month: 4 | Day: 5 | Year: 60
THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT
Brix’s head was throbbing. As she opened her eyes, the light of the rising sun was piercing. She closed them again and groaned.
“Brix!”
“Uugghh, not so loud!”
She felt someone touching the side of her head.
“Easy, it’s pretty painful,” she mumbled.
“It’s ok, just take your time,” the voice said. Then she realised it was Jake.
Her eyes popped open before she remembered the blazing sun. She squinted, trying to look at him.
“Jake?”
“Yeah, Brix, it’s me.”
“But, you were... on the floor... what the heck happened?”
“Honestly,” he laughed, “I have no idea!”
Her thoughts were starting to come together, so she decided to try to sit up. As she did, she tried opening her eyes a bit more.
There were trees and rocks, and the sounds of birds chirping and singing around them.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“A safe place, don’t worry.”
She looked behind her and saw a cabin with a large porch. Then, lying on the ground between her and it, she saw something else.
“Dashy!” She tried to scrambled to her feet to check on her friend, but she wobbled and had to steady herself on her hands and knees. “Is she ok?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Jake said. He walked over to Daria and knelt down beside her. “I think she just needs some rest.”
“Do you think this place is open? Can we get inside?” Brix asked.
“Yeah, it’s definitely open,” he laughed. “I’ve got the key!”
“Wait, what? How?”
“I’ll tell you later, when we’re both a little more with it.”
Jake sat down on the ground now and Brix crawled over beside him and Daria.
“When we’re not so shaky on our feet, we’ll carry her inside,” he said.
“Sounds good.”
They watched the sun rising over the valley to their left. Its rays put on a stunning display as they weaved in and out of the clouds, painting the sky with strokes of red and orange.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Brix said. “It’s hard to see the horizon from Progress.”
After a few minutes, she tried to get up again.
“I feel like a baby trying to walk for the first time!”
She stumbled a little but managed to stay on her feet. She walked toward some of the nearby trees, looking up at them and the dark blue of the morning sky above.
As she wandered off, Jake looked back at Daria. He looked at her peaceful face as she slept, and he thought about how beautiful she was. How beautiful he had always thought she was, from the first time they met.
He gently tucked some of her hair behind her ear, then ran his hand over her forehead, pulling back a few more strands.
Whatever she had done to save them, he knew it must have been remarkable. He was anxious for her to wake up so he could talk to her about it. And so he could see her eyes and hear her voice.
But he knew that sleep was the best thing for her now.
Sleep.
Something he may never experience again.
He could feel the effects of whatever it was he had been given back in the cell at the Institute. It was stronger now, much stronger, and he could feel it coursing through his veins.
Energy.
Wakefulness.
And the gift inside of him felt more hazy than it ever had before. Like a signpost that’s too distant to read. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t focus his mind on it. He couldn’t be still enough to hear or sense anything.
He was trying not to panic but his stomach was in knots. The only thing he could feel was a deep, sickening nausea. He wished he could just vomit the poison out of his system and be free of it. But he knew it was a part of him now. If this drug was as effective as the doctor had claimed, was there any way back?
Was this his new life?
“I think I’m ok now, if you want to try to get her inside,” Brix said, interrupting his thoughts as she walked back over to him.
“Yeah, sure,” Jake said, his mind quickly returning to the moment.
They managed to lift Daria and carry her safely up the porch stairs and into the house. They set her down on one of the couches in the living room for a minute while Jake turned the lights on and opened the door to one of the bedrooms upstairs.
They carried her up the stairs and eventually laid her on the same bed where she had spent her first night after her extraction. Brix pulled the covers up and tucked her in.
“I feel like her mom!” she whispered with a quiet laugh.
Once they had gotten Daria situated, they went back downstairs to the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, really hungry!”
“We’ve got some protein bars and a bag of raisins, if that’ll do?”
“Anything, honestly. I could eat the bark off the trees!”
They brought their snacks over to the dining table and sat down across from each other.
“So, do we give her like 45 minutes?” Brix said, her mouth full of dried fruit.
Jake couldn’t help smiling.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about!”
_______________________
He was impressed. Brix lasted a solid two hours before she said she needed a little break to get her mind around what Jake had been telling her. So far, she was taking it well, and he was thankful for that. She decided to step outside for another peek at the forest and the view over the valley.
While Brix was enjoying their surroundings, Jake went upstairs. He was having his own struggle getting his mind around his new situation. Normally, after everything they had been through, he would be in the next bedroom, taking his own long nap. He should be exhausted right now, sleeping as deeply as possible.
But instead, he had never felt more awake.
In a way, he didn’t know what to do with himself.
He nudged open the door to Daria’s room an inch or two, enough to peek in and make sure she was still sleeping. He could just make out the blanket rising and falling with each breath.
He left the door cracked and leaned against the wall beside it, sliding down slowly until he was seated on the floor. Then he pulled his knees up, folded his arms on top, and let his head rest on them.
In the silence of the cabin, he could just barely hear her breathing. Those deep, full breaths calmed his heart and mind as he tried to let them drown out the anxiety.
If he couldn’t sleep,
if wakefulness was his new life, then he would need something to focus on. Something to keep him anchored.
Then a thought came to him.
Even if he never slept again, he would always make sure that she could.
Afterword
Thank you so much for checking out The Waking Sleep and beginning this journey with me! If you want to stay connected and know as soon as the next book is released, join my mailing list and/or follow me on BookBub, Facebook, or Instagram.
Check out the series site www.thewakingsleepseries.com for all the links! (Including a sneak-peek at the cover for Book 2! It’s pretty awesome.)
Can’t wait to hear from you,
~Lucy
PS – Now get some sleep… ;)