No, please, not like this.
Teeth sank into her shoulder, but she barely felt this thing starting to eat her before blackness washed over her.
CHAPTER 19
Unable to move, Shawn stared at the creature sitting on his chest. It was a troll, but the knowledge did little to ease his apprehension of the thing. He’d hated these things ever since he saw that stupid movie about them when he was a kid. The movie was bad, and when he saw it again years later, he’d laughed at the corny effects, but the nightmare continued to haunt him.
The troll didn’t make a sound as its blue eyes watched him from its wrinkled and distorted green face. Its lower jaw jutted out from under its upper jaw, and green snot ran from its pig-like snout. Then it grinned at him and revealed the tiny, sharp teeth crowding its misshapen jaw.
Finally, he managed to choke in a breath. The troll laughed as it lifted one oversized foot and then the other to creep closer to his face. The thing was barely three feet tall, but it weighed a ton, and its pressure on him was making it difficult to breathe.
Peering down at him, it turned its head one way and then the other as it moved its face to within inches of his. Shawn remained frozen, but his mind spun as he tried to figure out how to get out of this.
Then he realized, if he couldn’t use his body, he could at least use his powers. Excitement coursed through him; he would get free!
Drawing into himself, he concentrated on pulling his power forth and felt it welling up inside him. The troll tilted its head to the side and grinned down at him as the power surged out of him in a rush meant to annihilate this thing.
But instead of destroying it, the troll remained sitting on him as a laugh issued from its distorted throat. Panic like he’d never known swept through him, and he let out a strangled cry.
This was not possible! It couldn’t be happening! A giant, hairy paw rose until it hovered over him. He remained motionless as it descended and sliced into his side.
• • •
Landon bolted awake with a scream trapped in her throat. Sweat poured down her as she panted for air. She stared in disbelief at the slice running down her thigh; a knife, wielded by her fellow students, created that wound.
Her teeth chattered as she sobbed. She’d taken her chances by falling asleep and paid the price for it. Curling into the fetal position, she hugged herself while she cried. She should take care of her leg, but she couldn’t bring herself to move as her mind spun with terror, lack of sleep, and pain.
She couldn’t keep doing this. She wanted to tell the rest of the coven what was happening to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. One of the coven was responsible for this. They’d set Regan free, and though she had yet to see him in her nightmares, she knew he was behind this. He was trying to break them, and she hated it, but he was succeeding with her.
She craved sleep, and she couldn’t have it.
Landon looked at the hand Alex touched earlier, and fresh tears welled in her eyes. She missed him and wished he was here, but she didn’t trust anyone anymore.
• • •
Sandra jolted awake as she flopped off the bed before crashing down onto her bloody back. Thumbtacks pricked her face, and one had pierced her skin. She ripped it out with a cry of disgust and flung it away. She swept the remaining tacks to the floor before stalking into the bathroom.
She would never sleep again, never! She didn’t care what she had to do to stay awake.
Yanking a towel off the rack, she pressed it to her back. She swore and flinched when she applied pressure to the fresh wound. She knew Regan was behind this, but she refused to tell the coven what was happening.
After seeing everyone at lunch, she suspected it might be happening to some of them too, but she’d be damned if she gave whoever set Regan free the satisfaction of knowing about her torment.
No, she would keep this to herself, and when they finally discovered who unleashed Regan, she’d kill them. She didn’t care if she had to go through Hell to get to them; she would tear them apart with her bare hands.
• • •
Alex stared at the fresh water as he turned in the crystalline pool. His surroundings mildly surprised him, but he wasn’t overly concerned. Instead, he felt peaceful and at ease.
For some reason, he felt he should be concerned, but everything was too wonderful for him to care right now. Lifting his legs, he floated on his back and stared at the stars above before closing his eyes.
When something brushed against his back, his eyes flew open. With his peaceful reverie broken, he jerked upright and gawked in disbelief at the swirling, black water surrounding him. Tentacles moved and churned beneath him as enormous, octopus-looking creatures swirled beneath him.
Smaller things narrowed in on him as they moved through the water like a torpedo homing in on its target, and he knew they were leeches. Suddenly, he remembered why he should be concerned about finding himself here; he hated pools and especially the pool drain and the things he’d imagined coming from it ever since he was a kid. And those things were swarming him now.
In the center of the pool, the sides were ten feet away from him in either direction. Normally, it wasn’t a daunting distance, but he would have to swim through these things to reach the side. Unfortunately, he had no choice.
His hands brushed the slimy, thick-skinned creatures beneath him as he swam toward the side. Something swept his leg as he cut through the water. He swam faster, but he couldn’t escape a searching creature as its tentacle wrapped around his leg. Kicking frantically, he fought against the iron-clad grip on his thigh.
Then the thing jerked him back and briefly dunked him. Kicking hard, he broke the surface and gasped in air as water poured down his face. He clawed at the tentacle before beating it, but it didn’t release him. Alex drew within himself and released his powers on a whiplash of wind.
The tentacle dug in deeper before pulling him under again.
CHAPTER 20
If she wasn’t seeing it for herself, Avery never would have believed it possible the coven could look worse today than yesterday. But, sitting at the lunch table and staring at the people around her, Avery realized it was possible.
Sandra’s usually shiny blonde hair was a dull, limp mass as it tumbled down her back. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. Sitting beside her, Landon slouched in her wrinkled clothes, and her eyes were heavy-lidded. She’d walked over to the table with a slight limp and mumbled something about twisting her ankle.
Sitting beside Sandra, Isla was jumpy, and her hands jiggled on the table. Mario sat beside her with his fists clenched on his legs. His head kept falling before snapping back up; each time it did, he would glare around the table from his bloodshot eyes. Eric sat beside him, absently tugging at his tussled, red hair. His scalp had to be screaming in protest by now, but he didn’t stop.
Shawn sat beside Reid. He didn’t seem as tired as the others, but his eyes were puffy. He kept looking around the table and staring at each person with an angry gleam in his eyes. Sitting next to Shawn, Alex’s blond hair was in disarray, and his black eyes were puffy. He’d also limped up to the table and muttered something about pulling his groin muscle.
Avery had no idea what was going on, but it was obvious none of them were sleeping well, if they were sleeping at all. It had to be something to do with Regan; he did rule the Nightmare realm. So much for getting them together to fight Regan; from the looks of them, they couldn’t fight off a mosquito.
“What’s going on?” Avery asked. “You all look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” Landon muttered.
“I’ve been working on trying to find the skull,” Shawn said.
Avery opened her mouth to reply when Rosie walked up to the table. Avery’s stomach plummeted into her sneakers at the distressed expression on Rosie’s face. Her sky blue, bloodshot eyes were almost pleading when they landed on Avery.
“Rosie,” Avery whispere
d, “what’s wrong?”
“I… uh… I just heard something in the halls.”
“What?” Reid asked when Rosie gazed helplessly around the table.
“They’re saying… they’re saying…” she gulped as her eyes returned to Avery. “They’re saying Talia’s dead.”
Avery swayed as a wave of dizziness assailed her. Reid rested his hand on her shoulder, catching her when she almost toppled from her chair. Taking a deep breath, Avery steadied herself, but tears clogged her throat when she met Reid’s concerned gaze. Talia had used her, but at one time she’d considered the girl her friend, and she’d never wanted something like this to happen to her.
“What?” Landon breathed. “How?”
“Um…” Rose glanced at her hands. “They’re not exactly sure, but they’re saying she went to sleep last night and never woke up.”
“Oh my God,” Isla breathed.
Avery’s blood ran cold as she glanced at the clearly sleep-deprived coven. “What is going on?”
“I’ve got to go,” Landon said as she stood up.
“Me too,” Isla said.
And before Avery could do anything to stop them, they were all gone. She turned to Reid when he clasped her hand and drew her against his side. “Are you okay?” he asked as he ran his fingers over her hair.
“No. I know she was never really my friend, but for a brief time I considered her one and—” Her voice broke. “—and no matter what she did, she didn’t deserve this. She was so young; her poor parents.”
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her against him. “Come on; let’s get out of here.”
“And go where?” she asked.
“Anywhere else. I don’t know about you, but I need a break from this place and the coven.”
“What is going on with them?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve asked Landon about it, but she won’t talk to me, and honestly, I’m starting to get a little pissed off about it.”
“If this happened while Talia was sleeping, do you think it could have something to do with Regan?”
“I do.”
“How do we stop him?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
She let him help her to her feet and lead her from the cafeteria. For the first time, students didn’t stop talking when she passed, and she heard their frantic, whispered words about Talia’s death. The whole school would be buzzing with the information before lunch ended.
“Was there something we could have done to stop this?” she asked as guilt tugged at her.
“I don’t know what.”
When they walked outside, Avery let the tears she’d been holding back fall as she tilted her face toward the sun streaming through the trees. The warmth of the sun and the power of the earth beneath her feet gave her strength, but she still couldn’t stop crying. Talia was dead, and Regan wasn’t holding anything back.
Pulling out her phone, she texted Karen, Lila, and Tina. If he’d gone after Talia, he would go after them too. Call me ASAP.
She hit Send and turned to Reid. “I want to go home.”
He draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked across the parking lot to his Jeep.
CHAPTER 21
The flames of the torches played across the people surrounding her. Avery stared at them before turning to look at the large post behind her. When she jerked at her arms, she realized her wrists were bound behind her and tied around the post.
A sinking feeling filled her, and she looked down to find herself standing on a pile of sticks. Uncertain as to how she got here, Avery stared at them in confusion as she tried to figure out what was going on.
“Witches are burned for their sins!” someone yelled.
Avery started when she recognized the words from one of the threats she received since starting her new school. Were these the kids who were sending her those notes? But as she gazed at the faces surrounding her, she realized she didn’t recognize any of them, and the blurry quality to them reminded her of a dream.
When the people closed in on her, they brought their torches with them. Sparks shot from the end of their torches and danced in the air as malice exuded from them. Avery jerked against the ropes and winced when they cut into her wrists. Sticks crunched beneath her feet as she kicked out.
“Burn the witch!” someone said, and when they stepped closer, she realized their face had no features at all. There were holes where the eyes, nose, and mouth should be, but nothing filled those holes.
Bile churned in her stomach as the faceless thing thrust the torch toward her. Despite the dreamlike quality of this, she felt the heat of the flame against her skin.
“Stop it!” she shouted, and the faceless things laughed.
“Start the fire!” another faceless creature commanded.
Avery jerked uselessly against the ropes again, but all she succeeded in doing was rubbing her skin raw and cutting off her circulation until her hands went numb. The torch was shoved into her face again, and she recoiled from it.
“Burn her,” another creature said.
Oh, no. Oh, no. Avery’s heart hammered as the first torch fell onto the wood beneath her and the flames caught. Fire whooshed around her until it circled her in an orange and yellow blaze that blew the hair back from her face.
As she gazed at the fire, she realized she could put it out. Searching within herself, she discovered and grasped the vast well of power she possessed. Imagining a strong wind coming and blowing the fire out, she let it swell within her before releasing it on a blast of wind to blow out the flames.
Her power released from her in a flash of brilliant blue light that should have blown the fire out. Instead, the faceless beings remained staring at her while the flames spread around her.
Then their loud laughter filled the air.
Not possible! The fire should have gone out, and those things should have been blown away or at least knocked flat. Nothing had changed.
Thinking maybe she’d done something wrong, she drew back into herself, but she felt nothing.
Her powers were gone.
“Time to burn, witch.”
From the group of faceless beings, Talia stepped forward and smiled as she held her torch high. The flames danced in her blue eyes and illuminated her blonde hair. Tears pricked Avery’s eyes as hope flared through her.
“Talia,” Avery whispered. “But you’re…. They said you were—”
“Dead,” Talia interrupted. “I am, but I’m still here. And soon more of your friends will join me.”
“Still where?” Avery asked frantically as the spreading fire caused sweat to bead her forehead. “Join you where?”
“You know where, Avery. The Nightmare realm is where we all go when we die in our dreams. You’ll come here too.”
Talia smiled smugly before tossing her torch onto the kindling.
“No!” Avery screamed and lurched against her bonds only to come up short again.
The fire crackled as it crept closer. Avery kicked at the flames in a useless attempt to knock them away from her, but her efforts were futile as the fire caught on the bottom of her jeans. Sweat soaked her as smoke clogged her nostrils. She realized fighting was useless; she was going to die. The flames burned through her jeans and seared her flesh.
Avery woke and jumped out of bed to face an attacker. The cloying stench of smoke filled her nose as she spun in a circle while she searched for a threat. Finally realizing she was safe in her room, her shoulders sagged.
Unable to hold her, her legs gave out, and she sank onto the mattress next to Reid. Having fallen asleep with the lamp beside him on, she could see his serene face as he slept. Her father would be pissed to discover him here, but after today, she needed his company and hadn’t argued when he suggested sneaking into her room earlier.
And after that nightmare, she was thrilled he was here. She bowed her head as she recalled Talia standing beneath the torch with the flames. S
he held back the tears trying to fall as she lifted her phone off her nightstand. Avery opened her text messages, but there was still no reply from Tina, Karen, or Lila. She’d tried calling them too, but there was no response.
Worry churned in her gut, and she almost called them again, but the time stopped her. They were okay; she would know if they weren’t. Something had probably come up at school, maybe a project.
Avery ran a hand through her hair as she tried not to think about her nightmare, but it had been too real, and she was having a tough time shaking it. Rising, she shuffled to the bathroom as the tantalizing prospect of a shower danced in her head.
She’d scrub herself to get rid of the acrid scent of smoke clinging to her. Avery stopped as realization sank in. How could she possibly still smell the smoke?
Gulping, Avery looked down at her legs, and she almost fell over when she saw the reddened skin and blisters forming on them. She’d been so concerned about her friends she hadn’t registered the pain. Now she felt the throbbing of her legs and the heat of her flesh.
Avery staggered toward the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Leaning heavily against the door, she tried to calm the riotous beat of her heart. When her stomach turned over, she ran for the toilet and bit back a cry when the motion pulled at her burned flesh. She barely got the toilet seat up in time to lose what remained of her dinner. Tears streaked her face as she flushed and rose to stand before the mirror over her sink.
She barely recognized the woman looking back at her. Those were her sapphire eyes and black hair, and they were her features, but there was a pinched look to them that made her look ten years older. She ran her fingers over her round cheeks and ski-slope nose as she recalled the faceless people in her nightmare.
Avery lowered her hands from her face. She stared at the faucet as she recalled her lack of powers in her dream. Dread filled her as she gazed at it and imagined it turning on. “On,” she whispered.
Dream Walker (The Coven, Book 3) Page 10