Rise of the Dreamer

by L. J. Higgins

  “I’ve found something,” his voice startled me and I opened my eyes again, “a shirt covered in blood. They were here.” He spoke through the radio.

  “Sweep the area. We have to find them,” a voice crackled.

  “I’m going,” whispered Kaelee, her eyes filled with fear.

  “What?” whispered Janine. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “If I give myself up, they’ll stop looking. I can’t do this. What if they catch me?” She started to clamber up the dirt wall.

  Fury spread through my veins and limbs as I watched her attempt to betray us again, and I grabbed a fistful of the back of her shirt, dragging her down. I pressed my hand firmly over her mouth and glared into her eyes. She relaxed back onto the ground, unable to move with my weight bearing down on her face. Hearing the commotion, our pursuer returned. This time a beam of light shone through the thick bush in search of us. The beam drew closer and closer.

  Thud, thud, thud.

  A loud sound boomed in the distance, stealing the guard’s attention. He took off at a fast pace towards the noise and I let out a breath of relief, followed by Janine. I slid my hand from Kaelee’s mouth, red marks showing where my fingers and palm had been.

  “You’re with us now whether you like it or not. So no more crap like that,” I warned her.

  “We better get out of here. He’ll be back for sure,” suggested Janine.

  “What was that noise?” asked Kaelee rubbing her cheeks.

  Janine shrugged.

  “My guess is a kangaroo,” I said.

  “Well that kangaroo probably just saved our lives,” said Janine.

  Two gunshots rang through the night, followed by the flutter and squawk of birds.

  “I’m guessing he found the kangaroo,” Janine said. “Quick, let’s go out the other side of the ditch and try to get to your friends before those guys find us again.”

  Chapter Two

  A few hours into our bush trek, the suns warmth spread around us. Beams of light poured through the tall gums and trees, and I rolled up the long sleeves of my flannelette shirt. The numbness in my heart was disappearing with every step, transforming into anxious energy. It brought with it the pain of my bare feet that ached and stung, tender from being locked away and running over the sticks and rocks. I knew Janine would’ve been in pain too as she was also shoeless, but she’d decided to remain quiet since my outburst at the ditch and coming so close to being caught. Kaelee groaned and whined to herself, but it wasn’t loud enough to irritate me. The fact she still had to confront Harper and tell her the truth about her part in everything was what kept me from snapping at her. I wondered if that was what was making her lag behind.

  As we continued walking, the agony of my feet grew more intense. I pushed myself to keep going for as long as I could, but the pain finally became unbearable, and I couldn’t take one more step.

  “Let’s rest,” I exhaled.

  I fell to the ground and pulled the backpack onto my lap, stretching my legs out in front of me. My feet throbbed, appreciating not having to carry any weight. Leaning my head forward onto the backpack, Cameron’s masculine cologne still clung to it and I inhaled, willing myself to remember every bit of it. Unzipping the bag and reaching inside, I found two canisters of water and handed one to Janine before taking the other one for myself. I unscrewed the lid and took a long swig, closing my eyes. I hadn’t realised how dry my mouth was until the warm water moistened my tongue. I took greedy gulps, knowing our rendezvous point was a few hours away and I had plenty. Janine passed her bottle to Kaelee, who took a mouthful before putting the cap back on and holding it out for me to take.

  She couldn’t keep my gaze as she did, her eyes wandering to the dry leaves strewn across the ground. I let her keep her arm outstretched before me until she looked up. I met her stare with a scowl and saw the fear in her eyes before taking the bottle from her and putting it back in the bag.

  “How do you live with yourself?” I wasn’t sure if I meant to say it out loud.

  Kaelee swallowed audibly and looked towards Janine. Janine shrugged at her.

  “Well?” Now I’d asked the question I needed to hear her answer.

  Again, she looked towards Janine.

  “Stop looking at Janine for the answers and tell me. How do you live with yourself knowing you turned me over to them so they could torture me? How does it feel to have betrayed Harper?”

  The sound of Harper’s name brought tears to her eyes and she looked towards her shoes. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “That’s probably the first honest thing we’ve heard come out of your mouth,” said Janine, apparently as sick of her attitude as I was.

  I didn’t trust Kaelee. How could you trust someone who was so weak? Janine had treated me far worse, but I felt as though she understood what she’d done and was willing to atone for her actions. Kaelee, on the other hand, still seemed concerned she was in danger, despite the fact she’d betrayed her friends’ trust. No wonder she’d been such an easy target for the MMC. I was curious how Harper would take her betrayal. The Harper I knew was a laid back, compassionate person, who would do anything for someone in need. Her positivity had drawn me to her and let me trust her in the first place. I didn’t have a clue how she’d handle this situation, and I hated Kaelee for doing it to her at all.

  Knowing my friends were waiting for me forced me back onto my sore feet. “We better keep moving. We should be there in a few hours.”

  “Do you want me to take a quick look at your feet? I can bandage them for you,” offered Janine.

  The thought occurred to me to take a look at my feet myself to assess how much damage I’d done to them. But I knew seeing the sores would make the pain more real, and the rest of the walk would become even harder. The stop had already made standing again near impossible. Janine’s feet would’ve been in the same poor shape, yet she was offering to help me.

  “I’ve come this far. We can get our feet tended to when we’re back with my friends.” I ignored the pain as best as I could and continued on our journey, following the GPS.

  As the flag on the GPS drew nearer and nearer, my pace quickened and the others struggled to keep up. My feet were bleeding and sore, forcing me to walk on the sides of my soles. I knew my friends were close; I could sense it in my bones and I couldn’t wait to wrap them in my arms again. To know the nightmare was over… even if it was for only a moment.

  As I pushed through the last layer of bushes, the glint of a silver sedan came into view. Sarah leant against it, while Joe paced back and forth. My throat tightened at the sight of them, and I hobbled as fast as I could towards them.

  I found myself in Joe’s arms first, the elation at being back with my friends filling every inch of my being. He squeezed me tight and patted at my hair as tears ran over his face.

  “Thank goodness. I was worried you weren’t coming,” he said, holding me tight.

  As he looked up he stood rigid, turning me around so my back was to his chest and he put his arms around me in a protective hug. Janine staggered out of the bushes into view, and her eyes met Joe’s with a knowing stare. He too had seen her as the face of the MultiMind Corporation, seen her as the person who’d locked me away in the psychiatric ward.

  “What are you doing here?” he yelled at her, narrowing his eyes.

  “She’s with me,” I replied.

  He released his grip from around me, and I limped to her side as Kaelee climbed from the bushes behind us.

  “Kaelee?” questioned Sarah, looking between Kaelee and me. “What on Earth is going on?”

  “It’s a long story,” answered Janine.

  Both Sarah and Joe searched my eyes for a hint as to what was happening, why these two people were with me. One who’d been my enemy, and one who wasn’t supposed to have a clue as to what was going on.

  “Where’s Cam?” asked Sarah taking a step towards me, looking into the bushland behind us.

  Janine sho
ok her head, tears forming in her eyes.

  “Oh my God.” Sarah ran to me and held me tight in her arms.

  Tears poured over my cheeks, and my body shuddered under the immense amount of pressure the repressed emotions had been putting on me. He was gone. Cameron was gone.

  “We have to get you lot out of here. You can answer our questions when we get back to Harper,” said Joe, holding back his own emotions.

  “Harper is with you?” asked Kaelee biting her lip.

  “Yeah she is.” He stared both Janine and Kaelee down.

  As we climbed into the car, a sense of relief mixed with longing draped over me. I was back with my friends, and I was safe again. But part of me had been left behind inside the MMC.

  We drove for hours in silence. We weren’t ready to relive what we’d been through after barely escaping with our lives, and the mood had grown sombre when Joe and Sarah had learnt of Cameron’s fate. The road grew narrow as we drove deeper into the rainforest. The air was damp and cool, sending a chill over my skin. The smell of fresh rain clung to the air. We drove across a shallow creek crossing, the wheels crunching over the river’s pebbles, and Joe turned right down an even skinnier road. We drove a bit further before arriving at a camping ground surrounded by giant palms and tree ferns.

  As we drew closer to a few small tents, I spotted Harper standing next to one, a smile spread across her face. She looked at home in her surroundings, her long skirt flowing in the breeze, a mixture of greens and blues, her dark green singlet bringing out the new bronzed look of her skin. Her dreadlocks weren’t tied up behind her. Instead, they hung freely over her shoulders.

  Joe pulled over, and I climbed out of the car. Pain spread through my feet and calves, causing me to drop to the dirt floor in agony. Harper ran to pull me up but stopped as she saw Kaelee swing her door open. She looked at her for a moment, and I watched her eyes as she assessed the situation. They widened and she took a visible breath before returning her attention to me.

  “We’ve been so worried. What did they do to you? You look terrible. You’re nothing but bones. And your poor feet…” She helped me hobble over to a camping chair and sat me in it.

  I remained silent while she and Sarah tended to the wounds on my and Janine’s feet. They cleaned them, rubbed ointment into them and bandaged them.

  “Of course we want to know what’s happened, but right now all of you look like death. I think you need to have a long sleep before we do anything more. A friend of mine runs this campground and has agreed to let us stay for a few days. Rest up and we will sort everything out later. You’re all safe here,” said Harper.

  Sarah helped me crawl into a tent and onto a rolled-out mattress. I lay my head on the soft pillow, my muscles melting into the sheet beneath me. I hadn’t realised how exhausted I was until that moment. My eyelids were heavy, and I couldn’t hold them open much longer. Sarah lay beside me and stroked my hair.

  “You’re safe now. Get some sleep,” she whispered.

  I managed a small smile before falling asleep.

  Chapter Three

  As I walked through the long white halls of the MMC facility, the light grew brighter around me. I tried to shield my eyes with my forearm, but it was too intense and I could barely keep my eyes open. I squeezed them shut for a moment, and when I opened them again I was in complete darkness. An instant later, a dull glow appeared in the distance ahead of me. I started towards it, then broke into a run as desperation flooded through my limbs, taking me over. Soon a large silhouette came into view and, as I approached it, the form revealed itself to be a large bear leaning over something lying on the floor. A body. As the realisation flowed over me, I ran at the bear, punching at it and yanking out fists full of fur.

  “Leave him alone! Leave him alone!” I yelled as I punched at its torso and kicked at its thick legs.

  It reared up, roaring, its foul hot breath in my face. But I continued fighting, staring into its beady eyes, daring it to attack me.

  “Leave him alone! You can’t hurt us anymore!” I roared back.

  The chill of the night still clung to the air when I awoke the next morning. I turned to find Sarah wasn’t lying next to me, and I slid off the sheets that’d been keeping me warm. Taking a drawn-in breath, I ran my fingers through my hair before unzipping the tent flap.

  When I climbed out, the sun blinded me for a moment, warming my arms and face. Squinting through it I tried to work out where I was. Voices and laughter caught my attention, and I turned in the direction of the cheerful sound. A few campsites away was a covered area. I climbed out and hobbled past the few tents between it and me. Following the voices, I found Sarah, Harper, Joe, and Janine sitting at one of the long wooden tables under the shelter. It was awkward to walk with bandages wrapped around my feet, but I appreciated the protection and cushioning they gave me from the rough dirt ground.

  “Morning,” they said together.

  I nodded and managed a half smile: my eyes adjusting to the brightness of the sun.

  “Here, I made you smashed avocado and bacon on toast for breakfast. And I’ll make you a cup of herbal tea to help wash it down,” said Sarah, sliding my plate onto the table.

  “Thanks,” I said, slipping onto the seat and taking a small bite. My stomach churned, excited at the prospect of food.

  I could sense my friends staring at me, their eyes searching me for any signs I was going to break. I felt like telling them they didn’t have to wait. After everything I’d been through, I was already broken. Instead, I mimicked their silence. I wasn’t good with words anyway, and to be honest, I wished I didn’t have to talk ever again. I was sure Janine had relayed her version of events, but I also knew they wouldn’t trust her, especially Joe. To him, she was still the psychiatrist who’d locked me up in the MMC building in the city against my will. It’d be up to me to tell them the truth, because they couldn’t trust Kaelee either. Of course I didn’t blame them. Neither did I. Kaelee had lied to all of us. Where was she?

  Janine seemed to notice my eyes darting around, as I looked behind me towards the tents. “If you’re looking for Kaelee, she’s still sleeping. I think she’s hiding out. She’s too afraid to confront everyone.”

  “Coward,” I whispered under my breath before taking another bite of toast.

  “You’ve all been through a lot. She’ll come out when she’s ready,” said Harper.

  I don’t know what I expected from Harper. She’d never been someone who pointed out flaws in people. But I couldn’t help but get the sense she was defending her, despite what she’d done and the lies she’d told. I narrowed my eyes and took another bite of toast.

  Sarah placed a mug of warm tea in front of me before sliding onto the bench and leaning her head on my shoulder. It was comforting to have her near me again. I’d missed having my best friend around. Her presence helped me become more at ease. I took a long sip from my mug, enjoying the warmth of the tea filling my throat and calming my grumbling stomach.

  Placing my mug back on the table, I decided to speak. “Okay, let’s do this. I’d prefer to do it without Kaelee here anyway.”

  Each of them stared at me, then between themselves, their eyes wide.

  Harper took a moment to collect herself. “Are you sure? There’s no hurry.”

  “There’s no point in delaying it either.” I stared into her eyes to show her I meant what I was saying.

  “Okay. We do want to know what happened to you.”

  Now it was up to me, I didn’t know where to start. So much had happened. Did she want to know what happened to Cameron, or did she want to hear how I ended up in the MMC’s facility in the first place? I figured it was best to start at the beginning.

  “The night I was taken, I’d fallen asleep in Harper’s bed,” I began. “A voice in my dream told me I needed to run, and when I woke up I heard someone break in through the screen door. With my dream still fresh in my mind, I instinctively hid under the bed. The intruders looked around the
place and rummaged through some of your things, then I heard them go out the front door. But they’d been pretending to leave the apartment to draw me out from hiding. When I snuck out to have a look, one of them grabbed me.”

  An image of the large man grabbing me pulled me from reality. I remembered falling to the hard tiles with a hard thwack; the pain I’d felt in my face, kicking out at my attacker and my heel connecting with his nose with a crunch.

  I squeezed my eyes closed to focus on my story. “I fought him off and managed to escape, running outside into the park. When I ran into someone, I thought I was safe, but I soon realised he was with the intruders and he grabbed me before forcing a piece of material with some foul smelling stuff on it over my nose and mouth. I passed out, and when I woke up, I was in a dingy concrete room. It was the cell where I found Janine.”

  Janine bit the inside of her lip. I imagined my stories were bringing back memories of her own incarceration.

  “They kept me in the cell most of the time, unless they were trying to torture information out of me.” My jaw clenched as the memories flooded back. I’d already begun pushing them deep down in an attempt to forget them, but they were simply waiting to resurface. The memory of the pain flashed through my skull, and I rubbed my temples to ease it. “They cooked my brain with some strange machine. They electrocuted me and they’d drowned me to a point where I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. They wanted me to tell them how I was immune to the Cambiar virus and what Dual Dreaming was.”