by K M Frost
And we’ve stopped running.
I step around the big guy in front of me and pull Stewart along as we start running again.
After a moment I realize the guy is right beside me, keeping pace easily, though he’s more focused on what’s behind him than where he’s going. Incredibly, he never runs into anything, or even so much as stumbles.
His weapon makes two more explosions, and each one is followed by a horrible, sharp scream.
Then we just run.
We run even though our legs are heavy and going numb; even though our lungs burn and our hearts beat holes in our chests. We keep running.
Finally—I have no idea how long we’ve been running —the guy puts out his arm to stop me and the object he’s holding catches me in the chest. He pulls me to a halt and I do the same to Stewart. I’m still holding his arm in an unrelenting grip, and I realize it’s probably a bit painful, but Stew never complained.
My legs shake with exertion, and I force my fingers to uncurl and release Stewart at last.
Panting, we both drop.
I close my eyes as my body shudders against the cold, hard ground.
I’ve never run so long or fast in my life, and my body is having trouble dealing with the intense, extended strain.
Every breath hurts, and my heart feels like it will never slow down to a normal rhythm. My head pounds from the run and my ears are still ringing from the explosions the guy’s weapon made, even though the last one had to have been at least ten minutes ago.
As I lay there, sweating and gasping for breath, I think about the Reality Dreams. What’s the point if all you do is hike endlessly or spend your time running for your life from terrible creatures that never seem to tire?
Maybe this isn’t what I always dreamed of—maybe it is just a nightmare.
“Stewart? Jonas?” Rick’s voice is surprisingly close, and Leah repeats him a little farther away. They sound worried.
I try to answer, but can’t get any noise out of my raw throat.
“Here!” someone shouts.
Even though my eyes are closed, I’m sure it’s the guy with the strange weapon.
I force my eyes to open.
The spots are still there, but I can see other things too: the trees above me, the night sky beyond that, the guy standing above me with his weapon in hand.
There’s a rustling sound to my right and I turn my head toward it, distantly fearing that more Entities have found us.
But then Rick and Leah emerge from the shadows and I relax, letting my eyes close again.
“What’d you do to them?” Leah demands fiercely.
I open my eyes and see she’s facing off with the guy who fought against the Entities, glaring at him darkly.
Rick kneels next to Stewart and touches his freckled face. “He’s okay.”
“And Jonas?” Her voice is still dangerous, her eyes still on her enemy.
Rick glances toward me and I force myself to nod, raising a weak hand to show I’m alright.
Leah sees and relaxes slightly. She shouldn’t have.
The guy moves incredibly fast. His arm is suddenly pressed against Leah’s throat, pinning her to his broad chest. His black hair is long and brushes against her pale face. He’s tough and dangerous-looking—like a criminal.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way.” His voice is tense, though he tries to hide it.
Rick rises cautiously, but the guy clicks his tongue and presses the weapon in his hand against Leah’s cheek.
“You don’t want to do that,” he tells Rick calmly, mockingly polite.
Rick stays where he is, though he doesn’t take his eyes off the guy or Leah.
The guy smiles tightly. “Now. What’re a bunch of young’uns like yourselves doing out here so late?”
“We’re explorers.” Rick’s voice is tight and low, too.
“I’ve heard that before. What are you really doing out here?”
Rick frowns.
Leah’s a bit more outspoken. “That is what we’re doing, you moron.”
The guy tightens his arm around her neck and she chokes. She grabs his thick arm and tries to pull it away, but it’s no use. He holds her there for a few seconds and then loosens his grip a little, letting her breathe again.
“Now, that’s enough of that. I’ve had a long night, and I’m not in the mood to be lied to.” His voice is hard and impatient.
Leah opens her mouth to retort, but the guy cuts off her air before she can make a sound. She gasps and tears at his arm again, but he doesn’t let go.
I’m still on the ground, but I catch Rick’s eye. We need to get that guy away from Leah, and we need to get the strange weapon away from him, too. I give Rick a small nod and hope he’s thinking the same thing I am.
I wait until he lets Leah breathe again, and when he looks at Rick I use all the energy I have left to kick out at the guy’s legs. My shins connect with his calves painfully, and then he’s falling, dragging Leah down with him.
She screams as they fall. She lands on top of him, and they both land on top of my legs.
Ignoring the pain in my legs, I pull myself into a sitting position and lunge for the weapon in the guy’s dark-skinned hand. He’s dazed from the fall, and I’m able to grab it from his slack fingers.
Rick sets his knee against the guy’s throat and Leah squirms away from his grasp.
Copying what I saw him do before, I point the strange weapon at the guy, though I have no idea how to make the explosions. If nothing else, I can use it as a club like he did to me earlier.
Stew is on his feet now, and he and Leah are safely out of the guy’s reach. Leah looks shaken, but also dangerous and very angry.
Rick has the guy pinned down, and though my legs are still trapped beneath him, I have the weapon pointed at his face.
To our collective surprise, the guy begins to laugh.
“Bravo. I must say I’m impressed.”
Rick glares and pushes his knee more firmly into the guy’s throat, making him choke. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same to you.”
He only grins. “Seriously, though, what’re you all doing running around here in the dark?”
“I told you. We’re explorers.”
The guy raises a dark eyebrow, but doesn’t argue again. “You’re new to this, aren’t you?”
Rick’s eyes narrow. “I’ve been doing ‘this’ every night for the past three years—and oddly enough, I never had any trouble before tonight. I guess you’re just bad luck.”
“You expect me to believe your little ragtag group here has been at this for three years, and you’re not dead yet?” He laughs loudly.
Rick presses his knee into his throat again, stopping the laugh. “I said I’ve been doing this for three years.”
The guy’s grin turns victorious. “Ha! So, who’s the newbie?”
They all glance at me, and I force myself to meet the guy’s gaze when he looks at me too.
“Should’ve known.” He chuckles. “Did you ever consider that maybe it’s not me who brought you bad luck tonight?”
My face flares with anger and embarrassment. I try not to feel betrayed when everyone looks at me again. Even Rick looks uncertain.
Then Stew takes a step forward, drawing everyone’s attention. “Jonas saved my life.” His voice is small, but firm. “He’s only brought me good luck.”
Rick returns his attention to the guy, but I can still feel Leah’s eyes watching me. It makes me uneasy.
Rick shifts his weight and doesn’t apologize when his knee presses more firmly into his captive’s windpipe. “Now, you wanna tell us what you’re up to?”
The guy’s blue eyes flash darkly. He clears his throat with some difficulty, but doesn’t ask Rick to move his knee. “What else? I was hunting Entities, of course.”
Chapter 10
Shocked silence envelops the group, and I know I must’ve missed something. I mean, sure it’s dangerous to hunt Entities—not to men
tion stupid—but is it really so shocking?
When at last someone speaks, it’s Leah, her voice characteristically scathing. “That must be fun—especially considering you can’t kill an Entity.”
The Entity hunter grins, his blue eyes bright in the darkness. “Well, that should come as a surprise to the four I killed tonight.”
Rick whispers something I can’t hear—but I can see the awe on his face. Almost unconsciously, it seems to me, Rick leans back and releases the guy from his pinning hold.
I’m about to shout at him to hold the guy down again when his heavy body shifts unexpectedly, freeing my legs. The sudden relief is so overwhelming, I momentarily forget Rick’s brain lapse.
Leah isn’t so awestruck. “How?”
The guy nods toward me, and I jump in surprise. What does he mean, me?
Then I realize he isn’t nodding at me—he’s nodding at the weapon in my hands. I remember the explosions it caused, and the way it made the Entities scream and stop chasing us.
I suddenly want to get it far away from me.
Leah remains entirely unimpressed. “And what do you do with that? Poke them to death?”
The Entity hunter grins tightly and swipes the thing from my hands. I don’t object, though I wonder if he’ll use the explosions on us, like he did with the Entities.
But he just points it into the trees, and a second later there’s a loud explosion. A nearby tree cracks and tumbles to the ground, its trunk smoldering ominously.
He smirks at Leah and props the weapon against his shoulder in a relaxed way. “I usually opt for that. Though, it can do a bit of damage as a cudgel.”
Even Leah is speechless.
I pull myself to my feet, not daring to take my eyes off the sleek weapon in his grasp. “What is it? And how does it work?”
He looks up at me and shifts the weapon to his lap. “I call it a firestick, but it could just as easily be called an Entity-killer, because that’s what it does.”
“But how does it work?” I’m still wary of the cocky guy with the deadly weapon, but I’m also curious.
He snorts. “Do I look like Meltor?” When he sees our blank stares, he frowns. “Don’t tell me you don’t know who Meltor is.”
We all shake our heads. I never pay a lot of attention in History of the World, but I don’t recognize the name.
The Entity hunter shakes his head in amazement and bewilderment. “Meltor is only the smartest man to ever live. He knows everything about anything. In fact, he’s spent the last thirty years of his life just answering people’s questions.” When we don’t all nod in sudden remembrance and understanding, his frown deepens. “People come from all over the world to seek his wisdom. What are you, a bunch of cave-dwelling illiterates?”
Leah glares at him.
Rick’s frown is skeptical. “And where does this . . . Meltor live?”
The Entity hunter looks insulted and a little angry. “He can be found in Porah, of course.”
“Oh, of course,” Leah says sarcastically.
He glares at her and I see his fingers twitch against the firestick in his hand.
I interrupt before anyone can try to kill anyone else. “Look. Let’s just try to get along, okay? He saved our lives, we spared his. We’re even, right?”
The Entity hunter laughs. “You spared my life? Like it was ever in any danger from you kids.”
Without warning, Leah’s foot is planted on his chest and he’s sprawled on the ground again. Just as quickly, he brings up the firestick and knocks her away. She tumbles to the ground with a short cry of surprise.
In the next moment, Rick is on top of him and the firestick is kicked aside.
I stumble to where the firestick landed and pick up the weapon, though I don’t like the feel of it in my hands. It’s cold and heavy.
After a series of grunts and blows, Rick and the guy break away from each other. The Entity hunter’s right eye is running and painfully red. Rick’s nose is bleeding.
I step between them and wrap both hands tightly around the firestick. I probably look ridiculous, but I don’t care—just so long as everyone stops trying to kill each other.
The Entity hunter is chuckling again and Rick is glaring, but they stay where they are.
The Entity hunter extends his hand toward Rick. “Truce?”
Rick stares at him for a moment, his face still dark, and then he shakes the offered hand, though he doesn’t look very happy about it.
The guy turns to me next, and reaches for the firestick. “Thanks for holding onto that for me, pal.”
I hold it farther away from him and look at Rick for guidance. Should I give it back?
No one moves while Rick considers. At last he nods, swiping a hand beneath his nose to wipe away the blood.
I study the Entity hunter uncertainly for a moment longer, and then I hand over the firestick. I’m glad to be rid of it, truthfully.
He grins and slips it into a holster on his back. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now I can’t imagine how I’d missed it.
I help Rick to his feet and the Entity hunter stands up, too. Now the five of us stand in a loose circle facing inward, watching each other uneasily.
I hesitate, and then take the lead when no one else does. “What’s your name?”
“I go by Rogue.”
Leah snorts, but other than that it goes over fairly well, all things considered.
I nod, hoping to interrupt any comment Leah might have. “Nice to meet you, Rogue. I’m Jonas. And this is Rick, and Leah, and Stewart.”
Rogue offers a mocking bow and I toss Leah a look of warning when she glares.
We fall silent then, and I don’t know what else to say.
Rick frowns up at the sky. “What time do you think it is?”
We all squint skyward. Well, everyone but Rogue, who says confidently, “Two hours ‘til sunrise.”
We all look at him in surprise, but no one argues. For all we know, he might be right.
Rick blows out his breath in dismay and takes in the dark trees surrounding us. “I’m completely turned around. I have no idea where the cave is.”
“What cave?” Rogue asks.
“The cave we sleep in.” Stewart sounds really tired. I toss him a worried glance, but he looks alright—just worn out.
Rick rubs his knuckles against his brow. “I don’t know that we have time to get back before people start waking up.” He looks worried, and I start to panic a little.
They said it was dangerous to leave your body out in the open, and considering what’s happened tonight, I’ve got a pretty good idea of the danger we’re in.
“Is your cave close by?” Rick asks Rogue.
The Entity hunter frowns. “Cave?”
Leah rolls her eyes. “You know, a hole in a rock where you can sleep safely until the next night?”
Rather than starting another fight, Leah’s comment makes Rogue laugh.
“You’re Temporaries?” He says it like it’s something embarrassing.
That makes me both curious and confused. “We’re whats?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “You’re only here at night, right? You go back during the day?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, don’t you have to go back?”
“Not me.” Rogue smirks. “I won’t be going back for at least three weeks.”
Rick scowls, annoyed and impatient. “What are you talking about?”
Rogue’s smile grows as he takes in our expressions. “I’ve been a Constant for the past five years.”
Leah glares, also irritated. “What does that even mean? Are you just babbling, or what?”
Rogue’s eyes flash. “A Temporary is a Dreamer who only comes here at night and spends the rest of their time in reality. A Constant is here constantly.” He grins. “Bet you can’t figure out why they’re named the way they are.”
Leah glares, but Rick speaks before she can do anything stupid. “It’s not possible to stay in the Dreams.” He
sounds like he’s talking to a very young and ignorant child. “When you wake up in reality, you leave.”
Rogue waggles his dark eyebrows with a sly grin. “But, what if you didn’t wake up in reality?”
Leah scoffs. “What, are you dead or something?”
He shakes his head, smile still in place. “No—I just know how to outsmart reality.”
Rick huffs. He’s lost all patience. “This is ridiculous. Do you know of a safe place to sleep or not?”
Surprising me, Rogue says, “Of course I do. Follow me.” And he turns and starts walking into the trees.
We all look to Rick.
Though he’s obviously not happy about it, he nods, and we hurry to catch up with Rogue.
I walk next to Stewart. He doesn’t look too good. His face is pale, his steps uneven. I hope he can make it to . . . wherever we’re going.
The silence stretches out between us, thick and uncomfortable, and after a few minutes I can’t take it anymore.
“How do you do it?” I call up to Rogue.
I don’t know if there are Entities around, but I do know if I don’t give my mind something to focus on, I’m going to collapse with exhaustion. My whole body aches.
“Do what?” He sounds amused.
I roll my eyes at his attitude. “How do you stay in the Reality Dreams?”
I see him glance back at me in the dim light. Even in the past few minutes, the sky has begun to lighten. Not noticeably, really. It’s like, one moment I can’t see Leah walking a couple feet in front of me, and then I realize I can.
Now I can see Rogue, even though the forest is still dark and filled with shadows and the sky above us is dark and far away.
“When I was fourteen, I decided I preferred the Dream to reality, and wanted to move here permanently.” Rogue keeps a steady pace as we move through the trees. “Naturally, I knew sleep was the doorway to the Dream, so I looked for ways to stay asleep.
“Eventually, I located a famous powder dealer and was able to get my hands on some potent sleeping powder. The stuff works like a charm. It’s just one spoonful with a glass of water and I’m in the Dream for a month. The only downside is it’s not totally endless, so every month I have to return to reality for another dose.