Sleeper (The Waking Sleep Book 1)

by Lucy Adler

  “A solid punch to the face, especially when they ain’t expectin’ it, is a lot worse than in those made-up stories. It’s no joke.”

  “Yeah, I guess not.”

  Daria had been so preoccupied with Max’s part in the whole event that she hadn’t noticed Julia. As Corey tied the man up, she came over and knelt down beside him. Her eyes were closed and her hand was resting on the top of his head. Then it slowly slid down his forehead and covered his eyes. As it did, her hand seemed to disappear, even though somehow it was still blocking the man’s face.

  What the heck?

  Since it was dark, Daria couldn’t tell exactly what was happening.

  Until the little lights appeared. The flecks of gold and silver, just like when Jake showed up out of nowhere during her escape.

  It lasted about thirty seconds and it was beautiful.

  As it faded, and Julia’s hand returned to normal, the man seemed to fall asleep. His hand that had been clutching his nose fell to his lap, while his other hand rested on the ground. The rope was the only thing keeping him upright against the tree.

  But more than his posture and position, Daria noticed something else now.

  The blood was gone.

  In fact, his face looked quite normal, and peaceful.

  Julia opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “All good?” Jake asked.

  “Yup, fine,” she smiled.

  “How long is he going to be like that?” Daria asked her.

  “Long enough. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine in a few hours. Then he’ll yell and call for help, and they’ll find him.”

  “Ok, let’s go,” Corey said, interrupting them. “3:45. Sleepy time for most of his buddies.”

  “And you’re sure we can just walk right up to the building?” Max asked. “No one’s watching?”

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  “Pretty sure??”

  “Look, there’s no guaranteed way in or out. This is our best chance. A third of the guards are asleep, so there’s not enough to watch every angle. And Corridor F isn’t a busy access point. Even during the day, there’s almost never someone watching it. I think this guy was our only obstacle. On the outside, at least.”

  “Ok,” Max conceded, “let’s just get this over with and get out of this place.”

  Corey led the way as they hurried across the lawn, then across the parking lot and up to the double doors of Corridor F.

  _______________________

  The lawn had been relatively dark, compared with the ever-present lights of Progress that kept most of the city illuminated at all hours. But now, as they arrived beside the building, they pressed themselves against it as closely as possible, trying to keep their bodies in the thin shadows cast by the lights from the roof above them.

  “You’re up,” Corey said, pointing to Jake with his finger then back towards the door with his thumb.

  Daria thought his face looked nervous. Not that their little mission wasn’t nerve-wracking, of course. But she didn’t think it was that. She thought - no, she felt like there was something else going on. But she was certain that now wasn’t the time to ask.

  Jake knelt down and closed his eyes, just like Julia had done back in the trees, only Jake leaned forward on his hands as well. Daria couldn’t see his face but his body seemed relaxed despite its awkward position.

  This time, it wasn’t just a hand that began to change. This time, all of Jake, from head to toe, began to vanish into the shadows. It was a deep shadow, not just because it was pitch black but because it really did possess a depth. It felt like a portal was opening, an infinite expanse confined to the shape of Jake’s body.

  Then the silver and gold stars appeared, sparkling in the shadows as any identifying feature of Jake himself was now completely enveloped by the darkness.

  And within a few seconds, it was gone. He was gone.

  Just like closing a door or shutting a window, the rift that had opened to receive him now restored the normal fabric of space and time. And Daria saw only the wall of the building and the pavement below.

  Then she whispered, “Sorry, but is it nerdy for me to say how freakin’ awesome that is?”

  Despite the tension that prevailed as each of them tried to be patient and stay hidden in the shadow of the building, a quiet laugh rippled through the group.

  “It’s pretty sweet!” Aury whispered back. “We all wish we could do it!”

  “How far can he go?”

  “I think the farthest is like five miles? Apparently, the farther you go, the harder it is on your body, and your mind. The sleepers who have the ability haven’t figured out how to push it much more than that.”

  Corey gave them a look, his finger to his mouth, and they stopped whispering. They were all quiet as they waited for the doors to open any minute.

  And they waited.

  And they waited.

  Corey looked at his watch.

  “This is taking too long.”

  Daria’s excitement over Jake’s vanishing act quickly dissipated.

  “How long should it take?”

  “A minute or two, tops.”

  “How long has it been?”

  “Five minutes.”

  She felt a shot of adrenaline run through her as she tried to fight off the anxious thoughts.

  But just then, the doors clicked and clanked as quietly as possible, then a space appeared as one of them opened a few inches. Jake’s face peaked through with a silly look on it.

  “Come on guys, what are you waiting for?”

  They quickly filed into the hall and closed the door behind them.

  “Seriously, man, what took so long?” Corey asked. He had clearly been worried.

  “Nothing, nothing. It’s all good. Let’s just keep moving.”

  That was obviously enough to settle Corey, and he led them on down the Corridor.

  Daria, on the other hand, gave Jake a raised eyebrow.

  “I’m fine,” he insisted, patting her on the back and smiling.

  _______________________

  Daria was remembering how she had made her shoes squeak on the metal floor the first time she was led down one of these halls. She definitely wasn’t trying it this time.

  “In here,” Corey said quietly as they reached the first door on the right. The Corridor made a zig-zag pattern as it approached the facility, with one left and one right turn before you reached the internal entrance. The room they were entering was just before the left turn.

  It looked like a utility room of some kind, with ladders, buckets, and tools of various sorts scattered around without much organisation. There were some paint stains on the cement floor that no one had bothered to clean up, which was ironic since the place reeked of paint thinner.

  “Is this the place?” Max asked.

  “This is the place,” Corey said, grabbing a screwdriver and then one of the ladders, setting it up just beneath a grate in the ceiling.

  “You ready?” he asked, looking at Daria.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go.”

  Corey climbed the ladder and used the screwdriver to remove the grate, handing it down to Max. Then he disappeared into the ceiling.

  “You got this!” Aury said, giving Daria an elbow in the side.

  “Just do whatever he says, ok?” Jake added.

  Daria nodded, then grabbed a rung of the ladder in front of her and started climbing.

  _______________________

  “These things are pretty creaky!”

  “Yeah. Now you see why I didn’t want six of us in here!”

  “You’re sure they’re not going to hear us?”

  “We have as good a chance as any at this hour.” Corey checked his watch. “It’s 4 now. We’re doing fine. Just move carefully.”

  He crawled on ahead of her through the duct. Daria thought it was surprisingly spacious. She felt a touch of claustrophobia but she tried her best to ignore it.

  After a few minut
es, she spotted some uncomfortably familiar sights - like the common area, then the room where she had her lessons with Miss Croft. She was making a revised mental map of the place from her new perspective. She had seen a large bump-out running along the edge of the ceiling in different parts of the facility but as obvious as it was to her now, she had never thought about the ventilation ducts running through it. She was preoccupied with other things back then.

  Back then? I can’t believe that was less than a week ago! Corey wasn’t kidding when he said everything I knew was about to change.

  I’m not even sure I know what I know now.

  Great. And now I’m not even making sense in my own head.

  She sighed.

  Focus, Dashy.

  They crawled for about ten minutes. Daria had paid attention to Corey’s movements as much as she could, trying to keep track of the quiet spots where he placed his hands and knees, and trying to avoid the ones that made the metal squeak and creak.

  But he was stopping now, just on the opposite side of one of the grates. Then he pointed through it.

  Daria looked down. Below them was a room full of screens. Each one showed some part of the facility.

  “We lucked out,” Corey whispered. “I thought we might have to drop down in there to get a view of the place but we can see the monitors from here. See if you can find her on one of them.”

  Daria could tell no one was in the room, so she pressed her face up to the grate and peered between the tiny slats.

  There was the cafeteria, the gymnasiums, the common room. Offices and meeting rooms, including the conference room where she met with Miss Croft. Some views of the hallways betwee--

  What?!

  Daria saw a bedroom on one of the screens. It was empty but it was recognisable.

  They were watching me in my room?!

  She felt... violated. A cringing, sickening feeling swept over her. It was harder to ignore than the claustrophobia. But she closed her eyes and tried her best.

  I don’t have time for this right now. This is about Brix.

  She repeated it a few more times in her mind then opened her eyes again. She scanned the remaining screens until finally something jumped out at her.

  “There,” she whispered, “I’m pretty sure that’s her.”

  “Which one?” Corey asked, shuffling closer to the grate so he could see.

  “Fourth one down on the right.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense. Strapped to a chair. That has to be her.”

  “Do you know where that is?”

  “Sort of,” he said with a hesitant look.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know the general area where Reston pursued his pet projects. He was picky about who was allowed in the rooms. We can get close enough. But we might have to drop down and try some doors if the duct doesn’t connect.”

  Just then, the door below them swung open and someone entered the room.

  It was Angela Croft.

  She sat down in the chair and looked up at the screens. Corey and Daria looked at each other, their eyes widening a little.

  Angela started clicking a few buttons on the panel in front of her, changing the images on several of the monitors.

  Daria raised her hand, palm up, making a face that clearly said, ‘What do we do now?’.

  Corey pursed his lips, glancing back and forth between her and Angela. Then he used his first two fingers on his right hand to make a walking gesture, followed by putting his index finger to his mouth.

  Daria nodded and then waited for him to change his position as slowly and silently as possible so that he could start crawling again. Once he was moving, she followed him as carefully as she could.

  But before they had gotten very far, something happened.

  When Corey had twisted around to get a better view of the monitors, the screwdriver in his jacket pocket had also shuffled around. And as he began crawling, it began inching its way forward.

  It slipped free and came crashing down on the duct, bouncing as it did so that its tip and handle both rapped against the metal more than once, sending echoes in either direction along the tunnel.

  Both he and Daria paused and winced in pain, as if they were bracing themselves for some kind of impact. But the only thing they could hear was the sound of Angela leaving the room with the screens.

  “Do you think she heard?” Daria whispered. She was staring at Corey’s backside as they had stopped mid-crawl and were trying not to move.

  “She must have.”

  “Is that why she left the room?”

  “How do I know?”

  Daria tried to lean against the wall of the duct as much as she could, hoping to get a view of Corey’s head to gauge his reaction. She could tell that he had dropped it a little and was shaking it from side to side. Then she heard a long exhale.

  “We gotta keep going,” he whispered.

  “Even if she suspects something?”

  “If she doesn’t, then nothing has changed. If she does, then we’re in trouble either way. We might as well be in trouble while trying to rescue your friend. Besides, now we know there’s no one watching the monitors.” He turned his body just enough to look back and give her a hopeful smile. “Calculated,” he said with a wink.

  “Oh, I’m sure!” Daria laughed quietly.

  Then he carefully picked up the screwdriver. He decided to keep it in his hand this time, to avoid another accident.

  They continued on for another two or three minutes until Corey stopped by a different grate. He stayed perfectly still for a few seconds, looking through it and listening before he turned around to face Daria.

  “Ok, I think we’re safe to drop down here. See those doors?” he asked, pointing down toward the opposite side of the hall below them. “She’s gotta be through one of them.”

  He quietly unscrewed the grate. It was big enough for Daria to slip through with ease. Once she was hanging by her fingers, she was still dangling a few feet off the ground, but it was a safe enough distance to let go and fall to the floor without hurting herself. Corey followed her with a little more difficulty but not by much. Even though he was taller, his wiry frame was thin enough to pass through the opening, as long as he kept his arms over his head. He also didn’t have as far to fall once he was out.

  They were standing in the middle of one of the many halls that comprised the maze-like facility. Daria couldn’t remember having been down this way before but then again, everything looked pretty similar. The place wasn’t exactly designed with aesthetics in mind.

  “So, just start opening doors?” she asked.

  “Basically,” Corey replied with a shrug.

  They tried the one closest to them first, turning the knob as slowly as they could. It barely made a sound. It was dark and spacious inside but it only took a few seconds for them to tell that it was just a simple closet.

  Corey pointed to the next door, then pointed at Daria. Then he pointed at himself, then at the third door. Daria nodded and moved on to try opening the next knob as quietly as the first, while Corey walked quickly but silently past her to the last one.

  She squinted and twisted her mouth as she laid her hand on the metal fixture. She turned it carefully. Like the first knob, it didn’t make a sound. She breathed a little sigh of relief, then pushed. Unfortunately, despite the smooth latch, the door stuck in the jamb. She hesitated, then gave it another push. It squeaked a little, then popped free.

  The room was mostly dark except for a faint light in the back corner. There were some boxes piled up that were blocking her view, so she couldn’t tell where it was coming from. She listened closely but didn’t hear anyone or anything.

  She tiptoed in through the doorway, bending over slightly as if to hide herself, even though the light shining from the hall behind her was hard to conceal. She crept around the boxes, which, as her eyes adjusted, she now realised were sitting on top of an old desk. There were even some old-fashioned filing cabinets
along one of the walls. Daria hadn’t seen those in real life before, only in history class. Paper wasn’t efficient enough for Progress.

  Her heart was beating faster now and her knees were feeling shaky as she found herself crouching more and more the closer she got to the source of the light.

  But just as it was about to come into focus...

  A hand touched her back.

  Daria spun around with a gasp.

  It was Corey.

  “Come on! Couldn’t you hear me?” he whispered.

  “Uh, no, no, sorry,” Daria replied, her voice as shaky as her knees from the extra shot of adrenaline. As if there weren’t already enough coursing through her veins.

  “I think your friend is through the next door.”

  _______________________

  Daria and Corey were standing in a room half-enclosed by glass, looking down on what seemed like some kind of laboratory. Even though she had never seen this place before, Daria could tell it had been recently rearranged. A couple of tables were haphazardly pushed together at an odd angle, making room for a chair that had been set up in their place. It was a reclining chair, like you might find in a dentist’s office, only bigger and more imposing. The frame was made of chrome that glinted in the light of the various computer screens in the room, while the cushions were thick and upholstered in jet black leather.

  But Daria was less concerned with the furniture and more concerned with the girl seated in it.

  It was Brix.

  And she didn’t look well.

  “How do we get down there?” Daria asked.

  “I - I don’t know,” Corey replied, looking frantically around the space where they were standing. It was merely an observation deck with no obvious point of access to the lab below. The walls were plain and solid, not even a seam or notch that might conceal a hidden passage. And in front of them, only glass.

  Daria put her hands on the glass, staring down helplessly at her friend lying perfectly still in the chair. Her eyes were closed and she might have looked peaceful, except that her skin seemed lifeless. Almost grey in colour.

  Brix! I’m so sorry! This is all my fault!