The Dream Hopper (Those Whom the Gods Wish to Destroy Book 2)

by Shawn Mackey

  “You aren’t getting out of this alive, old friend,” I said.

  “Neither are you, pal,” you said. It took me by surprise. You almost never spoke. It earned you an extra punch. For a second, I thought you had split my skull.

  “I’m willing to go out together. As long as you go first,” I said.

  I moved toward the sturdier side of the balloon. Behind you, another hole opened up and coughed out a jet of flame. The treetops were coming closer and closer. As you charged at me, I side stepped and kicked your ankle. You lost your footing, and as I went to kick your knee, you twisted your body and elbowed the back of my head. I fell flat on my face. You tried to grab me, but I rolled over and kicked you in the rear. It sent you tumbling forward. I managed to get up before you. Another hole burst between us. I went flying toward the other side while you collided into a tree.

  It was far from over. I crawled over to the least fiery side and shimmied down into the cockpit. The room was burning, the air outside unable to suck out all the thick billows of smoke. Fortunately, Amanda was hiding under one of the nearby tables. I snatched her, forcing her to grab tightly around my shoulders. I climbed out the window to get a better view. The trees were almost close enough to touch. Without warning Amanda, I let go of the window, managing to grab onto one of the treetops. The impact sent us sprawling downward, smacking into a few branches.

  She not only held on, but avoided getting hit by the branches. This didn’t stop her from screeching into my ear and kicking my sides in fear and anger. You were certainly at an advantage in every one of these scenarios. I had to protect your targets, while you picked anybody you pleased to avoid my wrath. It mattered little, since the handicap would only make my victory more glorious.

  “Will you calm down?” I said, shimmying down the tall tree. Amanda was sobbing uncontrollably, but fortunately her body was extremely light.

  “This is a nightmare,” she kept repeating.

  “Have I protected you so far?” I asked. She muttered in the affirmative. “And I’ll continue to do so. Now stop your wiggling. It’s loosening my grip.”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” she said, only to nearly burst my eardrums with another scream. The zeppelin crashed in the distance, the sound of bending interior metal framework echoing across the forest like the roar of a giant beast. The sky lit up from the explosion. The light didn’t dim, the fire catching to the other tree tops. “Oh god. Faster! Faster!”

  My hate for you was the only thing preventing me from pushing the insufferable woman over my shoulders. At least she had stopped hitting me. We touched the ground before the wildfire spread to us, though it was closing in enough to cloud my vision with misty smoke. We sprinted away for quite a while, eventually outrunning it and reaching clear air. Amanda stopped and knelt down.

  “Please, give me a moment,” she said, breathing heavily. “It’s of the utmost importance we survive. They need to know this wasn’t an accident.”

  “We’ll walk. Best not to stop moving,” I said. She nodded, her face flushed red and covered with soot. Behind us, the fire continued to spread, though our brusque walk kept a distance from the smoke.

  I was getting eager when we neared the approximate area you fell. This was going to come to a close soon. Judging from your intensity earlier, I knew you wanted to go another round. You were probably as tired of this game as me; this seemed as good a time as any to put it to an end. A shame we didn’t go down with the zeppelin. Better to go out in a blaze. Though killing you with my bare hands would be preferable, I wasn’t sure if it was possible. How does one kill a puddle of oil? What better way than fire?

  Which was why I slowed my pace. I imagined you burning and sizzling up in that wildfire. Surely you had the same in mind. A black bear crawled from behind one of the trees and lumbered toward us. Amanda leapt back with a shriek. I grabbed hold of a log and smacked it a few times against a trunk until it cracked in two. As you charged her, I took hold of the sharper end and stabbed you in the hind leg. With a single swipe, I was sent flying onto my back. You were standing over me before I could get up. Your claws sunk into my right shoulder, cleaving through the flesh and breaking the bone. I sunk the branch into your chest, managing to move aside before you slapped my head off.

  “Run!” Amanda shrieked. The smoke was catching up.

  “You go first,” I responded. You were licking your wounds, circling around me. Amanda let out a curse and ran away. “We’re almost done here. Come on. Finish it.”

  Though the pain was intense and my left arm was no longer functioning, you were bleeding far more than me. With a limp, you moved around on four legs. As I started to lower the stump, you charged. I raised it again, lurching my whole body forward. Your massive arms wrapped around me, claws dug deep into my back. I managed to stick the jagged branch into your throat. As your body slumped to the side, your paws ripped me open. I fell to the ground, face to face with the bear’s lifeless eyes, the pungent smell of smoke ripe under my nostrils.

  A thin strand of black blood slithered from the bear’s slack jaw and climbed onto my neck. The blood started to collect into a puddle, moving onto my body. I seized it with my free hand, but it slipped through my fingers. As the cold liquid sprawled across my body, I grabbed handfuls and quickly shoved them into my mouth. I felt the icy liquid try to burst from my throat as I kept swallowing more and more. With every last drop in my belly, I lay under the dark smoke, content to burn with my eternal nemesis.

  “Is there any point to dying yet?” a voice rang in my head. It seemed to come from my stomach. “Or will we just come back again? Our lives don’t seem to matter. Certainly not our petty skirmishes.”

  “Go to hell,” I said, clutching my chest. A sharp pain came from under my palm. I felt the cold ooze from my torn shirt. It seeped through and wrapped around my fingers.

  “You think fire can kill an immortal? Illusory fire?” the voice still echoed in my head. It cackled and went on: “I’m the one with the power. This is my domain! You live because I allow it. But must it be this way? I propose a deal.”

  “Never.”

  “It’s largely in your favor. I propose we switch bodies. Before you decide, consider the power. I’ve grown tired of it. All I need is to feel. To reach out and touch is all I crave. Even if this is an illusion, I’ll throw it all away to feel warmth again. There is only so much pleasure in the agony of others. I’ve had my fill. Kill me afterward. I’ll surrender my life or give you a fair chance in battle. Just consider my proposition. Quickly!”

  “Why would I trust you?”

  “You know full well it won’t matter. If I don’t surrender, you’ll find me eventually. I’m no match for your zeal.”

  “This is not a friendly bargain. I will kill you.”

  “I look forward to the sting.”

  Just before my body went completely numb, I felt the icy liquid course through my body. I was turned over and brought to my knees with a grunt. It wasn’t mine, though it came from my mouth. I was on my feet, and after another drawn out grunt, walking through the thick smoke. The air gradually cleared the further my body limped away from the wildfire. My legs moved faster, as though already restored, running through the forest with crazed laughter.

  I watched as Amanda came into sight. She was leaning against a tree, oblivious to her stalker. She looked back and forth, but not behind her. My body closed in as she started to walk again. Only when it was inches away did she turn around. Hands gripped her throat, pressing her body against a tree. Amanda’s eyes grew wide in horror, and as she opened her mouth to make a sound, the world around us collapsed into pitch-darkness.

  Before the next scenario phased in, I found myself crawling.

  -

  “Does the truth sting, old friend? A pity you can’t rebut with your usual mockery, though I’m sure you’re also considering the reality of the situation, wondering how you became the monster if we were once men. You—monstrous disease that has blighted mankind since its
inception—are quite the genius. You learned the best way to survive was to forget your true nature. It appears some of my old self was left behind in your old form. Now, I come to reap that seed’s fruit. How sad for you!”

  Rather than listen to my nemesis prattle on about our past, I focused on survival. My body had wholly disintegrated, yet I maintained full control over my senses. I felt something hardening inside the pit of my nonexistent stomach, first tiny as a seed, but quickly expanding into something like a tumor. As it continued to grow, the heat emitted from this little ball of life gave me a sense of my new body: Large and gelatinous, cold and runny. I involuntarily ensconced myself around this foreign object, its warmth reinvigorating my mind.

  Tiny limbs poked from the ovular shaped creature, flailing around my insides, obviously looking for an exit. I regained control of my body, squashing the expanding limbs and sucking up the warmth. They continued to grow, and out my nonexistent eyes, I saw a hand burst from the ooze and grip the outside. It pulled with an immense strength, managing to extend another arm. A tiny nose poked through the goo and sucked in its first breath of air.

  Time seemed to freeze. An incomprehensible transformation took place, which I could only describe as remembering my old self. Slithering and sloshing in the gelatinous form was as familiar as moving my limbs. Before the creature could exhale, I pulled it back in, and with a rush of energy from some untapped source, the new lifeform instantly dissolved. I was surrounded by absolute cold, and just as I thought it was death, something spat me out, freezing and shivering. The coldness, wrapped around me in a thin black film, quickly evaporated into steam. I got back onto my feet, standing on trembling legs, looking down at the receding black puddle.

  “I’m not ready yet,” I said, backing away from my nemesis. We were somewhere pitch dark, yet I could see the outline of my hand in front of my face. As the ooze shriveled into a tiny droplet, I added: “In fact, I’m not sure I ever will be.”

  “It only gets worse from here,” he said. His voice sounded similar to my own. As the last bit of my nemesis disappeared, I opened my mouth to speak, only to find it had faded away with the rest of my body.

  The search for the truth suddenly seemed like an idle waste of time. I was riddled with doubt and would be grateful to find myself in the next dream with an intact body. This ordeal was better off forgotten, and the Nightmare’s delusion with it.

  Chapter 14

  Hopperette and Horrors

  I found myself in the back seat of a car. Lukewarm air blew through the windows as we soared down the open dirt road in a vast green countryside. The driver puffed on a cigarette while talking to the girl in the passenger seat, though their conversation was incoherent over the loud speakers. He would glance toward her sporadically and flick the ash off his cigarette, the wind flinging large amounts toward the backseat passengers. The monotony of this was broken when the man sitting behind him was hit square in the eye by a piece of ash. He punched the driver’s headrest with enough force to bounce the driver’s head forward, launching his glasses onto the dashboard.

  “What the fuck?” screamed the girl in front. The driver slammed on the breaks, kicking up a massive dirt cloud as it swerved off road. The girl screeched, her high-pitched panic a match only for the driver’s.

  “The hell’s the matter with you?” he shouted as we came to a complete stop, surrounded by a field of tall grass.

  “Is everyone okay?” the girl in the front asked, turning off the music. The girl to my left nodded her head as she coughed up all that dirt. The man to her left nodded as well, looking scorn-faced at the driver. He wiped off his glasses with his shirt, muttering curses under his breath.

  “I might have overreacted,” the man said. “I’m sorry, Kenny.”

  “Fuck you,” Kenny snapped, adjusting his glasses. He took hold of the steering wheel and got us back onto the road.

  A long silence followed. I took the opportunity to find my reflection in the rearview mirror. My face was youthful, and other than a few specks of dirt that needed to be cleaned off, I had no complaints. The girl next to me smiled into the mirror.

  “What are you looking at?” she whispered.

  “You,” I responded after a while, unsure if she was talking to me.

  “Didn’t seem like it,” she said, then chuckled and quickly added: “Do you always look at yourself like that?

  “Yeah,” I said. How else could I respond to the strange banter?

  Kenny was the dreamer. He was long-haired and bespectacled, dressed in a black coat and black jeans, identical to the girl in the passenger seat, whose turquoise and pink-striped hair stood out like an Easter egg. The other guy had a goatee and a constant look of vexation glued to his face. He repeatedly stroked the hair on his chin, seemingly unaware that it was cut just a bit unevenly. The girl to my left was dressed in a white sweater and a knit cap with platinum hair poking out from underneath.

  What was the story with this motley crew? I decided to stick with the silence and wait for someone else to act. In the meantime, I enjoyed the ride through the sunny countryside, hoping for an uneventful evening.

  “So where are we going?” the girl to my left asked.

  “My old house,” Kenny said. “You didn’t tell them, Rob?”

  “She’s got a bad memory.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Beatrice,” she replied.

  “I’m Kenny.”

  “I’m Victoria,” the girl in front said, turning around to shake hands with Beatrice. She smiled and added: “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too,” Beatrice said. Both girls simultaneously turned their eyes to me.

  “What about you?” Victoria asked.

  “Michael,” I said, shaking her hand. “Nice hair.”

  She smiled nonchalantly and turned around. With all the introductions out of the way, we lapsed into silence. It felt strange to give my name, considering the recent events. I shrugged off the awkwardness and decided to embrace it. My name was Michael for now. I repeated this in my mind a few times.

  “So, Michael,” Beatrice said. “Where are you from?”

  “Nowhere near here,” I said. “Where exactly is this place again? My memory sucks too.”

  “They call this Devil’s Alley,” Kenny said.

  “Stupid name,” Rob grumbled.

  “Yeah,” Kenny said. “No one calls it that anymore. Thing is, I don’t remember the real name. I haven’t been here for fifteen years. All I know is that it leads to my old place. Here’s to hoping that Brian hasn’t butchered it.”

  “Oh, it’s butchered. Maimed and mangled. Sorry, Kenny,” Rob said.

  “Fucking dope heads,” he groaned.

  “And shrooms now,” Rob laughed. “You think Brian lives all the way out here because of the scenery? The place is a breeding ground for all your pharmaceutical needs. Guy practically has aspirin growing on trees.”

  “Sounds like paradise,” I said.

  “If you’re into that sort of thing,” Rob said, then grinned: “That’s why we’re here. Right?”

  “I’m starting to have second thoughts,” Kenny said.

  “Scared?”

  “No, I just wish this wasn’t at my old fucking house.”

  “I’m sure it’s different now,” Victoria said. “Since when have you been sentimental about that sort of thing? I thought you hated this place.”

  “I did. I guess I still do. Whatever, I’ll drop it.”

  As the sun set, we got our first look at the house: a manor, worn just enough to give it an antiquarian flare. I understood Kenny’s disappointment. The tall grass ended where the large mass of property began and seemed to go on endlessly. Four cars had been parked outside, and a group of shadowy figures were sticking torches into the ground. When we reached our destination, the sky faded into a pitch-black, leaving only the moon and meager torchlight to guide us.

  A few more joined the shadowy group, some now visible upon cl
oser inspection. A skinny androgynous person approached us, eyed Beatrice and me with furrowed brow, and then extended his hand to Rob and Kenny. The latter shook it with a nervous laugh.

  “Been awhile, Kenny. Is this Victoria? She’ pretty damn hot,” the effeminate man said. He turned to Rob and added: “Those two your friends?”

  “Yeah,” he responded, jutting his thumb toward us. “That a problem?”

  “Of course not. My name’s Brian, by the way. Been friends with Kenny and Rob since grade school.”

  “How’d you end up with a place like this?” I asked.

  “Blood money.”

  “He’s a snotty rich fuck,” Rob said. “It was an inheritance from his parents. They died in an accident. He just wants to sounds cool.”

  “It’s still bloody money.”

  “Can we see the inside?” Kenny asked.

  “In a bit. Don’t you want to see the others? Frank, Nemo, Zoe, Jenny, and the other Jenny. Yeah, that Jenny.”

  “Where?” Kenny asked, smiling and wide-eyed.

  “Jen!” Brian called out, clasping Kenny by the shoulder and leading him to the other group. Rob and Victoria followed.

  I didn’t pay attention to their conversation. The scenery had me interested. The trees swayed in the distance despite the lack of wind, and a mass of black clouds started to shroud the moon. The airless wind spread to the torches, dimming most and putting out a few. Brian tried rekindling one of them with a lighter and a few drops of gasoline.

  “What’s going on?” Beatrice whispered to me. “I don’t feel any wind.”

  “Me neither.”

  “Look at that!” she said, much louder than she probably intended. The conversation halted. Everyone glanced at Beatrice and then in the direction she was looking.