Nightmare Stalkers

by Michael La Ronn

  “Don’t cry, Allegra,” he said. “Uhh, Aisha’s right. We’re gonna figure this out.”

  Allegra stopped crying. I wiped her eyes with my scarf and smiled at her.

  “The Robinsons don’t give up,” I said. “And as long as you’re running in my crew, neither will you. Got it?”

  Allegra smiled and wiped her face.

  “Okay,” she said. “I won’t give up.”

  “I hate to keep giving you all bad news,” Rodgers said, “but it’s five o’clock, and that train’s coming into the station at seven oh-one. Goddamn. In my twenty years in law enforcement, I don’t have a clue what to do next. Let’s go back into the Leather Skull. Maybe there’s something we missed.”

  We turned to head back to the Leather Skull.

  But where the giant skull storefront had been, a used bookstore took its place, filled with people. No skull veneer. No sliding door. But instead, a brick veneer that matched the storefronts next to it.

  The Leather Skull was gone.

  26

  Rodgers drove through the blinding snow, windshield wipers at full speed.

  “I am thoroughly freaked out,” he said. “And look at me. I'm a cop. That's saying a lot.”

  “That makes two of us,” I said, trying to see through the snow. “I don't know how you can see in this snow.”

  Rodgers leaned forward, squinting.

  “I'm not stopping,” he said. “I'm getting as far away from that damn place as I can. I’m convinced we just saw a poltergeist.”

  His phone rang.

  “Look, sheriff, I'm gonna need counseling after what I just saw,” he said. “I don't care if you object to what I'm about to tell you. You need every unit at Kemiston Central. I want every piece of steel and ammo this police department has in that bitch, do you hear me?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Rodgers was bringing the wrong weapons to this fight.

  But I couldn't get the “other Allegra’s” face out of my mind.

  We were dealing with something beyond my skill level.

  Something creepy.

  Rodgers hung up.

  “We’re gonna get more boots on the ground at Kemiston Central,” he said. “We had the premises evacuated. No innocent people are going to get hurt, that's for sure.”

  “More people at Kemiston Central is a bad idea,” I said. “Do you want innocent cops to die?”

  “We've got shifters and wizards in our ranks,” Rodgers said. “It'll be an even playground.”

  He took a turn too fast, skidding for a moment before regaining control. I held on to the door handle in fear for my life as Rodgers increased his speed and weaved between two trucks amid a symphony of blaring horns.

  If I survived long enough to see the end of this mission, I wouldn't be riding with him any time soon.

  I glanced at the clock.

  Five fifteen.

  “We’ll be at Kemiston Central by five thirty,” Rodgers said.

  “What are we going to do there?” I asked. “Stare at each other?”

  “Do you have any other ideas?” Rodgers asked.

  Darius’s phone rang.

  “Yo. Who? Destiny?” he asked. “She's with me. But who are you?”

  Pause.

  “It's for you,” Darius said, handing her his phone.

  “Who is it?” she asked.

  “They wouldn't say,” Darius said. “It's a city area code, though.”

  “It's probably that damn eight nine seven six number,” Destiny said. “Ooooh, I'm sick of these telemarketers! That phone number called me three times today already before I dropped it off at the shop.”

  She answered.

  “Look, I'm sick and tired of you telemarketers blowin’ up my phone, a’ight? It's real low, using my cousin’s phone to get to me. I got better things to do than listen to your dumbass pitches trying to sell me more shit that don't nobody need, and I got better things to do with my life, like going to Kemiston Central and saving this city from an apocalypse, so if you would be so kind as to put me on your do not call list and fuck off, I would greatly—no, SINCERELY appreciate it, okay? Mmm kay? Thanks!”

  She hung up.

  “I think you need to call them back and tell them about your true feelings,” Darius said. “You held back too much, sis.”

  “Be quiet, D!” Destiny said.

  “If you didn't give my phone number away as your “alternate” at every single giveaway and booth at all those college conferences, then maybe your phone and my phone wouldn't ring so much,” Darius said.

  “At least people call me,” Destiny said. “Unlike somebody who insists that we pay for minutes and unlimited data, and you don't even use it.”

  “You need a nap,” Darius said. “Straight up.”

  “Keep bickering,” Allegra said. “It's taking my mind off everything. I totally need that right now.”

  “Y’all fight like no other,” Rodgers said.

  “I don't fight,” Darius said. “I defend myself, man. Aisha and Destiny, when you two saw Aunt Letty, I guarantee Destiny trash-talked me. I'm always on the defensive.”

  Aunt Letty.

  “Darius, give me your phone,” I said.

  “Why?” he asked. “Where's your phone at?”

  “Give me the damn phone,” I said.

  He reached up from back seat and handed it to me.

  I combed through his contacts. It was damn near empty.

  “Serious question,” I said, annoyed. “Why aren't there any phone numbers in your contacts?”

  Darius shrugged. “I have them all memorized.”

  “What!” Destiny said. “What if you get killed? How are the police gonna know who to call?”

  “My strategy is to not get killed,” Darius said. “Problem solved.”

  “She's got a point, man,” Rodgers said.

  “We’re going to talk about your phone skills,” I said. “You're a millennial. This is disappointing.”

  I dialed, trying to remember Aunt Letty’s number.

  The line rang several times. Just when I thought the answering machine would capture the call, Aunt Letty answered.

  “Well, well, well,” Aunt Letty said. “If it isn't the boy who owes me money.”

  “Aunt Letty, it's me,” I said.

  “Aisha? Sorry, baby.”

  “I need help,” I said.

  I told her everything.

  “We’re stumped,” I said. “Did you or Nana ever see something like this?”

  “Nope,” Aunt Letty said. “But I told you that you were getting involved in a mess you didn't understand. It sounds supernatural to me, and that's outside your skill level, baby. But it sounds to me like your next action is pretty clear.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You need to see if you can get another dream out of that Allegra girl,” Aunt Letty said. “When you first saw that train, circumstances were different. Now that you've gotten involved, maybe the course of the dream has changed.”

  I sighed with relief.

  “Aunt Letty, that’s genius,” I said.

  “Of course it's genius,” she said. “Isn't that why you called? Huh? Ha!”

  “True,” I said.

  “But, Aisha,” Aunt Letty said. “Whatever you do, don't board that seven oh-one train.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Letty,” I said.

  “Don't ‘Thanks, Aunt Letty’ me,” she said. “You listen to me, you hear?”

  “Okay, Okay,” I said.

  “Hiiiii, Aunt Letty!” Destiny said.

  We said parting words and hung up.

  “Your aunt’s a wise woman,” Rodgers said. “But we don't exactly have time to pull over and go to a hotel so Allegra can sleep.”

  “Don't pull over,” I said. “We can do it here.”

  I glanced back at my cousins and grinned.

  “You two ready for a dream jump?” I asked.

  Darius and Destiny grinned back at me.

  27<
br />
  Allegra’s dream slowly took form around me.

  I floated in a world of hazy fog. A million jumbled up images swirled around me. A cacophony of sounds filled the dream, a melt of voices, horns, footsteps, wind, screams, and other sounds that I couldn't figure out. It was like being at the loudest rock concert of all time.

  I reached out and felt dream ether buzzing just beyond my fingertips.

  It felt so good to have it in my hands again!

  I needed this.

  I needed a dream jump to calm my nerves.

  Taking a string of ether, I pulled it as hard as I could, sending the jumbled images flying through the dreamscape.

  I swung the ether under me, creating an invisible floor.

  I stomped, silencing the sounds one by one. Pulling more dream ether around me, I threw it into the dream, imagining it sucking up all the images that didn't apply.

  Allegra’s mind was swimming. I had to clear it.

  I snapped, pointed at the mess of images around me. One by one.

  Swoosh!

  Swoosh!

  Swoosh!

  They disappeared into nothing.

  I fashioned rings of ether, threw them into the heart of the noise. The rings absorbed the sounds and made them disappear.

  Ring after ring!

  Stomp after stomp!

  Image after image, gone!

  Felt like I was working for an eternity before I created stillness in her mind. Before it was quiet enough to think.

  I stood in a haze of fog, in the core of Allegra’s mind, where all was silent.

  “Nice job,” Destiny said. Her voice echoed down and around me. “It was loud in here. I didn't think you'd ever finish clearing her mind out.”

  “My mind would be full too,” I said. “We've been through a lot today. No one’s brain would have enough time to process it.”

  Around me, the large clouds of fog began to shrink into slivers as specks of color appeared inside them. The colors, varied and warm, grew slowly.

  A dream was blooming.

  “Here's to hoping Allegra stays clairvoyant,” I said.

  I let myself drift on the waves of Allegra’s mind, toward the colors that were slowly forming into a place.

  “I hope Rodgers is driving safely,” I said. “The last thing we need is for him to get into a wreck.”

  A wreck would jolt Allegra out of sleep.

  Then I would be trapped in her mind.

  Trust me, being trapped in someone’s mind is an extremely painful thing, even if it's just for a few minutes. I really hoped that this wasn't in my future today. With the roads as icy as they were, and Rodgers’s crazy driving style, I suddenly became more nervous.

  Sounds and smells blew past me in a gentle breeze.

  Warm air. Pretzels. Hot pretzels. God, they smelled good.

  I smiled.

  “If I didn't know any better, it smells like Margot’s Pretzels,” I said.

  Margot’s Pretzels. The most famous pretzel stand in Kemiston, and you could only get them in Kemiston Central.

  “Sounds like the right place is forming,” Destiny said. “Will you at least do me a favor and listen to me when I tell you get out this time?”

  “I'll do my best,” I said.

  The tall, vaulted ceiling of Kemiston Central melted into place. Then the historic two-story windows painted themselves into existence. And the lights, the creamy, orange-colored lights, and the Christmas lights festooned in the rafters, and the giant bulbous, glitter-kissed ornaments hanging from the ceiling…the Kemiston Central Station I knew was forming nicely.

  “Looks just like Christmas,” Destiny said.

  “Can we send Allegra lucid like last time?” I asked.

  “Nope,” Destiny said. “We don't have essential oils with us, remember?”

  Damn.

  “Right,” I said.

  The floor took on its normal glossy sheen. All around me, dark wisps flashed, swirling like ink. They materialized into faceless police officers.

  A lot of them.

  “Looks about right,” Destiny said. “Rodgers said the place would be full of cops.”

  The officers walked around on high alert, looking everywhere. The terminal’s usual crowd of citizens were gone.

  A bright wisp appeared in the middle of the depot.

  I walked toward it as it formed into Allegra.

  She took in the sights curiously, grabbing the necklace around her neck and fingering it for a moment.

  “Here we go,” I said.

  Allegra started walking, and I followed her.

  My intuition told me to remain invisible, to remain a spectator in the dream.

  Remembering Aunt Letty’s counsel, I obeyed.

  The police officers ignored Allegra as she passed. They were too concerned with looking around the terminal for suspicious activity.

  She passed the terminal’s giant golden clock that hung from the ceiling.

  It was six fifty-nine.

  Slowly, the minute and hour hands crawled to seven o’clock.

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bong…

  Bon—

  The clock stopped mid-gong again.

  The terminal intercom spoke. “Train approaching the station.”

  Allegra picked up her pace.

  The police officers ran toward the subway platform.

  I followed Allegra down a spiral ramp into the subway terminal.

  The terminal's huge glass enclosure looked the same as ever, with snow lashing against it. I could barely see the city skyline through the storm.

  The intercom spoke again. “Train approaching the station.”

  Allegra ran now, weaving between officers on her way down to the platform.

  I followed, passing through the officers as if they didn't exist.

  “Hey, guys!” Allegra said.

  And then I saw Darius, Destiny, and Rodgers standing on the platform, facing a dark, arched tunnel.

  I was among them.

  Well, not me.

  But me.

  A dream version of me.

  God, I looked so tired. The bags under my eyes!

  I hated seeing myself in dream version. It was the equivalent of seeing yourself in a video. Always made me cringe.

  “It's about to begin,” dream Aisha said.

  Then, a light appeared in the tunnel.

  A train whistle sounded.

  “Aisha!” Destiny cried.

  I watched the light grow brighter as the train approached.

  And then I heard a screeching, cracking sound.

  The locomotive, gray and smoke-stained, exploded from the tunnel, dragging the subway tracks up with it, sending a tidal wave of sparks and flame ahead of it. The air turned dark and I felt negative energy pulsing through the dream as the nightmare train blazed out of the tunnel.

  The police officers yelled.

  “Aisha!” Destiny cried.

  Then I realized it was the real Destiny, not the dream Destiny.

  “Rodgers says there's a traffic jam about half a mile up the road,” she said. “You need to jump out, now.”

  “Damn it,” I said.

  I couldn't linger this time.

  That would cause trouble.

  I focused on the dream ether, began to transport myself out of the dream.

  And as I faded away, the train tore through the platform, and I heard a scream.

  The dream Destiny.

  She was screaming.

  Screaming my name.

  The last thing I saw before I exited Allegra’s dream was the dream version of myself, falling as the platform collapsed on the tracks.

  28

  I materialized in Rodgers’s SUV as he slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop.

  I gasped as a bar of red brake lights loomed close.

  The SUV stopped inches from a rear-end accident.r />
  Ahead, traffic wound around a final curve leading to Kemiston Central Station. Police sirens washed against the massive terminal.

  “Almost there,” Rodgers said, honking his horn. “What’d you find out?”

  I tried to catch my breath.

  Destiny transformed from a falcon into her human form. She put a hand on my shoulder.

  “It's okay, cuz,” she said. “Breathe.”

  Allegra woke up, startled.

  “Oh my God!” she said.

  She glanced at me, panting.

  “Aisha, I'm so sorry,” she said.

  I shook my head.

  “It's not your fault,” I said. “Not your fault at all, Allegra.”

  “What happened?” Darius asked. “Why are y’all apologizin’?”

  “Because,” I said, slowly coming to the realization. Numbness spread throughout my body.

  “Because I died,” I said.

  “You died?” Darius asked. “Like for real?”

  “For real,” I said. “I died.”

  And then I rested my head against the back of the seat, and closed my eyes.

  “I'm going to die,” I said.

  “Jesus,” Rodgers said. “You sure about that?”

  “It was pretty clear,” I said.

  Darius punched the door.

  “Then you're not going,” he said. “Rodgers, stop the damn car and let Aisha out.”

  “And let her freeze to death?” Rodgers asked. “Real smart, bruh.”

  “You're not dying on us,” Darius said. “That's where we draw the line.”

  “If it's not me, then it'll be someone else,” I said.

  “What if the KTA shuts down the power to Kemiston Central?” Darius asked. “The train can't kill anyone if no one is there.”

  “It'll just show up somewhere else,” I said. “D, I get the feeling that this train’s going to come to the station no matter what we do. And we have to be there.”

  Darius cursed.

  “It's gonna be fine,” I lied.

  “This got morbid fast,” Rodgers said. “I feel like I'm driving you to your final destination.”

  I stared ahead.

  “We don't give up,” I said.

  But I didn't believe myself.

  I couldn't even think straight as Rodgers negotiated the traffic jam, driving on the shoulder.