Nightmare Stalkers

by Michael La Ronn

  Nightmare Stalkers

  Magic Trackers: The Mage Book 2

  Michael La Ronn

  Copyright 2018 © Michael La Ronn. All rights reserved. Published by Ursabrand Media.

  Cover Design by Lou Harper © 2018.

  Editing by BZ Hercules.

  Proofreading by Donna Rich.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, dialogue, and incidents described in this publication are fictional or entirely coincidental.

  No part of this novel may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of the publisher. Please address inquiries to info@michaellaronn.com.

  1

  Nightmares.

  They sweep into a dream like a summer thunderstorm—suddenly and out of nowhere.

  I was deep inside a client’s dream when I lost my control over her mind.

  Floating through a corridor of fog, with a thousand hazy screens of jumbled up memories around me, I was watching scenes from a woman’s life that I couldn’t be sure were true. The dream was a soup of sounds, smells, and lights.

  The fog thickened and the mindscape grew stuffier. An intense wave of fear passed through me. It wasn’t my fear; it was my client’s. I felt it taking hold and spreading across her mind.

  I snapped my fingers.

  Nothing.

  The dream ether that filled her mind had vanished. Normally, it pulsed just out of sight, always ready for me to dig into it with my fingers and manipulate the dream.

  But it was gone.

  Shit.

  I tried to make sense of the memory screens in spite of what I knew was coming.

  My growing anxiety suddenly made it hard for me to concentrate.

  One by one, the memories flickered off, leaving me floating in the empty space of the dream, surrounded by fog.

  I hadn't had time to make sense of anything. I’d barely had a chance to get my bearings in the dream before the dreamscape started to change.

  “Aisha, you better get out of there,” a booming voice said.

  Destiny, my cousin.

  She was watching the dream with me, even though she wasn’t physically present. Her dreamlike voice was a welcome distraction from the changing atmosphere. I imagined her in falcon form, perched on a bird post next to the bed where the woman was dreaming, watching with one eye open to the real world while she slept.

  “Darius says Allegra’s heart rate is increasing,” she said. “We in for a nightmare.”

  “That’s what I expected,” I said. “I just didn’t think I’d lose this much control so soon. I'm going to need Allegra’s help. Can you induce a lucid dream, please?”

  “A lucid?” Destiny asked. “We ain’t done that in a while. You sure, cuz?” Destiny asked.

  “Positive,” I said.

  Lucid dreams were those dreams one has every once in a while where they’re fully aware that they are dreaming. They’re somewhat in control of the dream, too, able to think, move, and interact with the environment meaningfully. Sending a client lucid had its pros and cons. Actually, more pros than cons.

  “I'll tell Darius, but I don't think this is a good idea,” Destiny said.

  “Hello?” I asked. “I'm the dream mage, remember?”

  The last thing I needed right now was Destiny trying to tell me how to use my powers.

  I waited impatiently.

  Slowly, a human form began to take shape in the fog next to me. First a shadow, then the silhouette of a body that traced itself into full form.

  My client, Allegra da Silva.

  A worrywart kind of woman—the worst I’ve ever met. Even in sleep, her face looked fretful. She must have been my age—about twenty-five—and I found it hard to believe that someone could worry so much about life and still be alive.

  But at least she had a generous heart.

  I pulled her closer to me, and she floated as if she were underwater.

  I brushed my hand across her face, brushed a curly hair aside, and tried to help her consciousness become aware of the dream.

  I didn't like interacting with people while they dreamt. I preferred to watch the dreams and interject as I needed to.

  But this woman had come to my shop a few nights ago, fear in her bloodshot eyes, hardly able to speak because she was stuttering so much. Through a lot of hot chocolate, we finally got her to calm down. With her thick accent, she told us that she dreamt of people dying.

  When she woke up, they did.

  And it was true. A couple glances at the news websites with mysterious deaths in subway stations all across the city gave her some credibility.

  And she had money, was willing to pay, and was desperate for help, so naturally I took her case.

  Allegra opened her eyes.

  She blinked a few times and I knew she was truly with me now.

  “Welcome to your dream,” I said.

  Allegra gasped and rubbed her eyes.

  “Don't worry,” I said. “You're experiencing a lucid dream, which is why all of this feels so real. I need your help.”

  “Okay,” Allegra said.

  We floated in the dreamscape quietly as she blinked and tried to get her bearings. She beheld the foggy mindscape with wonder, then looked back at me.

  “What do you think?” she asked. “Did you figure it out yet?”

  Allegra floated next to me. Though she was Brazilian, her skin was almost as dark as mine, and her curly hair blew as she rotated to get a good look at the dreamscape.

  “It's happening again,” she said.

  All around us, her mind went dark. The fog that surrounded us grew thicker and darker, like an encroaching storm.

  Allegra whimpered.

  “Not again,” she said. “No, not again!”

  I took her hands in mine, and we floated together.

  “Listen to me,” I said.

  But Allegra shook her head.

  “More people are going to die if we continue,” she said. “Wake me up. Wake me up, please!”

  “Allegra,” I said calmly.

  “I can't do this!” she said.

  “Allegra. Look at me.”

  She focused her amber-colored eyes on mine.

  “Everything’s going to be fine,” I said. “I promise. You hired me because I'm a dream mage. So stick with me and let me take care of the nightmare, okay?”

  Allegra nodded.

  I started to reply, but the dream’s lack of gravity stopped and we both fell into the dark fog.

  Allegra screamed.

  I held on to her hand, looking down.

  The falling sensation.

  Typical.

  Felt real enough. My stomach damn near jumped into my throat. I don’t know anybody that likes the feeling that they’re falling off a skyscraper.

  But I’ve learned through the years that the easiest way through this is to lean into the fall.

  I held Allegra’s hand.

  There was no point stopping her from screaming.

  We fell and fell and fell, like we were skydiving in the dark.

  And then we stopped.

  Suspended in mid-air.

  Allegra gasped and clutched her chest.

  “You won't hit anything,” I said. “You can’t die, okay?”

  She heaved.

  “There's a saying about everything you want lying on the other side of fear,” I said, annoyed. “Try to believe in that, will you?”

  The nightmare took shape around us.

  A marble floor faded into existence below us like a watercolor painting.

  My shoes landed on the floor, sending a shockwave through my ankles.

  Smoke and exhaust whiffed into the air, so strong and thick it made me cough.

  Walls rippled around us and th
en firmed up. Strong cement walls with a glossy sheen and murals that I couldn't discern.

  Slanted rays of light shone down on us.

  Looking up, I saw the slatted skylights of Kemiston Central Station. Snowflakes gathered in a small pile on the glass.

  People wisped into the station, passing around us in droves. Their faces were blurred and they were all in a hurry.

  This was Kemiston Central Station, all right.

  A few details were off, but everything else looked about right. The crazy majestic height of the ceilings, the arched two-story windows, the way one felt immensely small in the place, like it was the stomping ground of giants. And of course, the smell of hot dogs and rock salt pretzels that made the food court inside the depot famous.

  A giant golden clock hanging from the ceiling struck, and a gong sounded seven times.

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bon—

  The clock stopped mid-gong.

  “Train approaching the station,” an intercom said.

  “It’s so real,” Allegra said, holding out her hands.

  Suddenly, the ground shook and someone yelled.

  Then the crowd scattered around us.

  “Here we go,” I said.

  The skylight shattered, raining down glass and snow.

  I pulled Allegra out of the way.

  We ran with the crowd toward the stairs leading up to the street.

  But the long row of doors bloomed metal shutters, barring anyone from exiting.

  The crowd turned and changed direction like a school of fish.

  The fear in the air was palpable now. I could feel it crowding around me. It had to feel twice as bad for Allegra.

  Allegra and I turned and ran with the crowd, toward the far end of the station, toward a massive spiral ramp that led down to the subway tracks.

  “Train approaching the station,” the intercom said again. “Seven oh-one to…will arrive shortly.”

  A bone-shaking whistle tore through the station.

  We dashed down the sloping ramp into the train platform, a giant vaulted room with a glass ceiling and walls held up by riveted beams. Outside, the endless downtown skyline shone bright in the snowy night.

  Hundreds of people were gathered on the platform, waiting anxiously for the train.

  The ground shook again, almost knocking us off our feet.

  The bone-shaking whistle sounded again.

  In an arched tunnel in the distance, a bright white light appeared.

  The ground shook again.

  Boom.

  Cracks spidered through the glass walls and ceiling. Everyone screamed.

  “Here comes the train,” Allegra said, pointing at the tunnel.

  The chugging sounded distant at first but progressed as the white light neared. I looked away for a moment, unable to see.

  Now would have been a great time to stop time with my powers and take a look around at what was happening.

  But I was powerless.

  Allegra gasped.

  “Oh my God—”

  And then I heard Destiny’s voice.

  “That’s it, Aisha. We’re ending this dream.”

  “Destiny, don’t!” I said.

  “Her heart rate is out of control,” Destiny said. “Whatever’s about to happen, it’s not going to be good, especially since she's lucid.”

  “Destiny!” I cried.

  Allegra put her hands to her head and screamed.

  All around the platform, people screamed.

  And then I realized that the chugging sound wasn’t a subway car.

  It was a train.

  A real train.

  Real old school too, with a steam engine.

  It was tearing the bricks from the vaulted tunnel off as it went, sending up a storm of bricks, dust, and steam.

  The train tracks under the train broke up and crumpled underneath the locomotive’s furious wheels.

  The bone-shaking whistle sounded again.

  “You got three seconds to get out there,” Destiny said. “Three, two…”

  I craned my head to get another good look at the train, but its white light was too bright.

  The train sped by the platform as if we weren’t even there.

  Someone uttered an excruciating scream.

  Then someone else.

  Then someone else.

  Allegra held on to me.

  I spotted someone on the tracks.

  A leg.

  Another leg.

  All around us, the platform was collapsing.

  Jesus.

  “Time to go!” Destiny said angrily.

  I closed my eyes and morphed my consciousness out of Allegra’s dream, trying to drown out the whistling train, the crumbling platform, and the screams of death.

  2

  I materialized in a bedroom next to a twin bed. I transported myself out of the dream so fast I couldn't control my speed.

  I crashed into a closet and bounced off, falling back on the floor.

  A flapping sound made me look up.

  A brown falcon on a bird post next to the bed.

  Destiny, my cousin, in falcon form. She stared at me with lightning-yellow eyes, and she shrieked. Then she slipped out of a window behind her and flew into the dark, snowy night.

  Allegra sprang up, gasping. Her skin was covered in thick beads of sweat, and her blue tank top was soaked. Even her hair was drenched. She was covered in white pads that were hooked up to an EEG machine in the corner of the room.

  The room was crazy hot. Thank God Darius had opened a window to let some of the wintry air in.

  She started to remove the pads.

  “Did you…see it all?” she asked.

  “Saw it all,” I said.

  A black hand offered to help me up.

  I grabbed it and my cousin, Darius, pulled me up. He shook his cornrowed head at me.

  “You all right, Allegra?” Darius asked, handing her a towel. “I've seen a lot of people sleep. But I ain't seen nobody sweat like you. Damn.”

  Allegra wiped her face.

  I checked the essential oil diffuser next to the bed. It was almost empty, so I grabbed a vial of orange oil and put a few drops in. Soon, the room smelled like citrus. Hopefully, that would calm her down.

  “That was intense,” Allegra said. “I mean, my other dreams were bad, but that—”

  “It's a’ight,” Darius said. “We monitored everything. No need to worry or relive it.”

  “Darius is right,” I said, smoothing out my leather jacket. “You leave the dream interpretation to us.”

  Allegra nodded and smiled.

  “Shower is down the hall and to the left,” I said, opening the door.

  Allegra slipped out of bed and out of the room.

  Darius tilted his head at her curvy frame and put his fist to his mouth and bit it.

  He shut the door quickly.

  “Gaaaaaaah-DAMN she is fine,” he said, shaking his head. “Ain't never seen an ass like that.”

  I punched him on the shoulder.

  “She's a client,” I said.

  “I know, I know,” Darius said. “That's why I shut the door.”

  Then he frowned at me.

  “You realize how close you cut it this time?” he asked.

  He held up a stopwatch. It read: two point five seconds.

  “This is your margin,” he said. “If you had stayed in there this much longer, you might not have come back.”

  “I live on the margin,” I said.

  We had agreed on five seconds. I had cut it pretty close.

  “Just don’t give a damn, do you?” he asked.

  “If you saw what I saw, you would have stayed as long as I did,” I said.

  “You say that every time,” Darius said.

  Downstairs, the front door to the shop slammed and the bell over the shop door rang.
Hard footsteps stomped across the floor and up the stairs.

  The door opened and my cousin, Destiny, barreled in, wearing a pink sweater, yoga pants, and furry boots.

  She slammed the door behind her.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but I held up a hand.

  We paused, listening to make sure that Allegra was in the shower.

  The water was running.

  “What the hell is your problem?” Destiny asked.

  “We agreed to help her,” I said.

  “Help her by dying?” Destiny asked.

  “I wasn't going to die,” I said. “I know what I'm doing.”

  “We set ground rules,” Destiny said. “Rules don't mean shit if you don't follow them.”

  “Because you seem to have forgotten,” Darius said, “if I sense any danger, I tell Destiny. If I think the dreamer is gonna wake up, I tell Destiny. I don't just whisper shit in her ear because I'm bored, cuz.”

  “And I don't warn you when I don't think there's danger,” Destiny said.

  “And I don't stick around in a dream unless I have a good reason to,” I said. “So why don't we all agree to drop it?”

  I really, really didn't feel like arguing with my cousins tonight. But it looked like I didn't have a choice.

  “Naw, I'm not dropping it this time,” Darius said. “What did you see in there that made the risk of death worth it?”

  “Still thinking on it,” I said. “There was a lot to process.”

  “Because I can tell you what I saw,” Darius said. “A woman who ain't quite right.”

  “In the head?” I asked.

  “Naw, physiologically,” he said. “Her vitals are all kinds of fucked up. Her heart rate jumped to unsafe levels. If she had kept dreaming, I'm pretty sure she would have had a heart attack.”

  “This isn't the first time she's had a dream like this,” I said.

  “But who knows when it will be the last?” Darius asked. “I want to help her. You know I do—”

  “Mmm hmm,” Destiny said, folding her arms. “You want to help her, all right.”

  Darius swatted her away.

  “I want to help,” he said, “but we’re getting into the unauthorized practice of medicine here. She needs medical attention. If something happens while she's in our care, it ain't gonna be good. I don't think we can help her. I say we decode her dream, give her our best report, and let her down gently.”