by Gareth Otton
“They started out as the Anti Dreamwalker Movement, took the initials and turned it into their new catchy title; Children of ADaM. You know what they want? They want us gone. That’s what they’re whining about. They reckon we’re not natural and they’re trying to get rid of—”
“There’s been countless protests since the Merging,” Tad said, unable to help himself. “They always fizzle down to nothing.”
“Really?” Peter asked. “Even when it’s being led by your old mate, Marcus Riley?”
Tad frowned as that name struck a chord with him. Marcus was a researcher who travelled into Dream and got stuck. By the time Tad rescued him, he’d lost his legs to a nightmare and blamed Tad for it. Tad had never experienced such raw hatred before and though he hoped it would blow over, Marcus continued to get news coverage. However, Tad hadn’t heard from him in a few weeks and hoped it was finally over. Evidently he’d just moved onto new things.
“Thought you might think differently about that,” Peter said. Just one look at that sadistic smile and Tad wanted to chuck the old man out and be done with him. However, he was trying to be inclusive in these meetings and didn’t want to set a precedent like that.
So he forced a smile and shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but even with Marcus leading these Anti Dreamwalker protests—”
“Children of ADaM,” Peter interrupted.
“Even then, I don’t see this going anywhere. It’s just like the protests after the Swansea and Cardiff nightmares. People are scared and acting out. It’ll blow over, eventually.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” It wasn’t Peter who spoke this time, but Jacob. “Sorry, but Peter’s right to bring this to our attention. Some protests faded out, but this one’s different. For starters, Marcus Riley has never given up on his cause and the people he surrounds himself with are just as stubborn. I think this is something we need to keep an eye on.”
“They’re just protests,” Tad tried to argue.
“You’re right, for now. But if they’re giving themselves a grandiose title like the Children of ADaM, they could move beyond protests. Especially if they think protesting isn’t getting them heard.”
“Exactly,” Peter crowed, exultant that he was being taken seriously. “It’s getting so I’m scared to leave the house with these hooligans about. They’ll come for us, mark my words.”
Jacob may have taken his side, but he rolled his eyes at the old man’s theatrics.
“Lets not go too far. It’s good to be aware of trouble, it’s bad to build it up into something it isn’t. My worry about this group is their message of fear. Fear speaks to people, riles them up, makes them angry. It can drive mankind to dark places, so we’d be stupid to ignore it. However, let’s not play their game and give them too much attention.”
Tad fought to remain silent. He wanted to shout Jacob and Peter down, tell them not to give these people the attention they craved. There were bigger things to worry about. However, escalating this into an argument wouldn’t help anyone.
“Alright, thanks Peter,” Jacob said. “There’s just one last thing I’d like to talk about tonight if there are no objections.” When no one spoke, Jacob continued. “I hesitate to bring this up after what we just spoke about, but this needs to be said.”
He paused, took a breath, then sighed loudly enough that it startled the puppy awake.
“I have bad news. Jack Perrin died last week.”
There were gasps around the circle and it took a second for Tad to realise why the name sounded familiar. In the craziness of his life recently he’d met a lot of people and it was easy to forget a name. Slowly an image formed of a friendly face and a New York accent. He’d seen him last in one of these meetings.
Jack Perrin was a dreamwalker.
“Not just dead,” Jacob continued. “Murdered. He was found in the burnt out ruin of his home and it has been classified as a homicide. I’ve always liked the saying that once is an incident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. This is the third time something like this has happened to a dreamwalker in the US.”
“What?” Tad blurted, and he wasn’t alone in his surprise.
“I know, I should have spoke up sooner,” he said to Tad directly. “But I wanted to be sure. Now there can’t be any doubt.”
“All murders?” Tad asked.
“All murders. All with their houses burnt down after the fact. And then there’s this.”
An image materialised in the centre of the circle, a fifteen foot wide photograph that, through the magic of Dream, could face every member straight on at the same time without ever needing to change angle.
“And this,” Jacob added as another image appeared. “And this.”
Three images stacked over one another, each a photo of a burnt out home, each taken from a slightly different angle. Tad leaned forward, not sure what he was looking at.
“It’s a pattern,” Sandra said excitedly. “Around each of the houses is a painting, like a design. They’re huge.”
“So big they’re almost hidden until people see them from afar,” Jacob agreed. “But these designs have been found at all three murders. Each time the victim is a dreamwalker, each time the house is burnt down afterwards. I hesitate to say it, but…”
Tad groaned as he knew exactly what was coming next.
“…someone is hunting dreamwalkers.”
The circle erupted into excited talk as Jacob laid out his conclusion. Tad didn’t pay much attention as his brain was running away with him.
Really? I have to deal with someone hunting and killing Proxies again?
Memories of sleepless nights, Dinah Mizrahi, Joshua King and a sacrificial table came to mind.
As if I don’t have enough on my plate.
First nightmares, then solving whatever was happening to Stella, then finding Jen a doctor, then Ryan’s news this afternoon, and now these murders. It was piling up again and he wondered when he’d ever get a break.
Of course he’d have to deal with this. He couldn’t leave it to someone else, not something this big. It could cause all kinds of trouble, especially if it was linked back to a group like the one Peter spoke about.
Tad’s head swam with all he had to do, and he barely heard Jacob when he called for silence.
“Everyone, calm down. I didn’t tell you this to panic you, I brought it up so we could prepare. I want you to keep an eye out for these signs. If you see anything like it you call the police immediately.”
“That’s it? Keep an eye out for the signs and wait to be hunted like Jack?” Brad asked. “I’m not sitting around to become the next victim for these people.”
“I understand,” Jacob tried. “But we need to calm down.”
“Calm down. I liked Jack. I will not sit by and—”
“I’ll look into it,” Tad said as he recognised the direction the comments were headed. Brad wasn’t alone in his outrage. However, at Tad’s words the room fell silent. Jacob may be the person who led these meetings, but Tad was still the Dreamwalker. Even to these people who were also dreamwalkers, Tad was the first and they all looked up to him.
Swallowing hard as he felt their eyes on him, Tad repeated his claim.
“What can you do if they’re happening in America?” Brad asked.
“Whether I need Stella to call in a favour at work, speak to the Prime Minister, or just dreamwalk over there and look at these crime scenes myself, I will look into it. I promise, you don’t need to worry about this beyond what Jacob just said. Keep an eye out for anything dangerous, go to the police if you're worried, or failing that, call one of us. This is one reason we started this group. We need to rely on each other like we never did when we were Proxies. I don’t mean for us to become vigilantes or put ourselves in danger, I mean we look after one another should the need arise. If anyone feels like they’re in danger, you all have my personal number.”
“And mine,” Jacob added.
“Call and we’ll be there. But unt
il then, don’t panic. I’ll be able to tell you all more next week.”
There wasn’t much to say after that. The meeting ended on a quieter note than it started, and one by one people vanished. The face that Tad would remember most was Sandra. She was so excited by the puppy at the start of the meeting, now she looked terrified.
Eventually, only Jacob and Tad remained.
“I’m sorry, my friend. I didn’t mean to spring that on everyone, especially after that asshole Peter started up. But people needed to know.”
“I know,” Tad said. “You’re right, I’m just bummed that we had to end the meeting that way.”
“Yeah, me too,” Jacob agreed. “Listen, I appreciate what you said about looking into this, but don’t go thinking you have to do this alone. What you said to that group is just as true for you. We’re here if you need us. You have a problem, you call me, you hear?”
Tad smiled at his friend and nodded.
“I mean it. Anything at all. Don’t go lone cowboy and try to fix this yourself. That’s not your job. You just call if you need help.”
“I will, I promise,” Tad said.
Jacob grinned. “That’s a lot of promising you’ve been doing tonight. Promising to call me, promising to look into this, promising to outdo this grand structure next week,” he said, waving at the crystal dome. “Don’t go taking on too much.”
Despite himself, Tad grinned. “Oh, don’t worry about that, I won’t be losing a minute of sleep outdoing this upside down salad bowl.”
Jacob burst out laughing. “Upside down salad bowl. You know what, you’re a real dick sometimes, Holcroft.”
Tad grinned. “Yeah. So I’ve been told. See you next week, mate.”
Jacob grinned right back as he shook Tad’s hand.
“Count on it.”
Then he was gone, leaving Tad and the puppy alone. Tad looked down at the dog who sat on Tad’s crystal chair with his head cocked and staring at Tad like he could see into his head.
“You got something to add?” Tad asked the dog.
Predictably, the dog said nothing in reply, though his little tail started wagging.
“Oh, the silent treatment? I can live with that.”
The tail wagged even harder, and suddenly the dog barked excitedly. Tad laughed and rolled his eyes.
“So not the silent treatment. I should have known. Come on then buddy, let’s go home. You need me to take you or can you find your own way?”
The dog barked like he was trying to talk and Tad laughed again, the puppy’s enthusiasm lifting his mood.
“Come on then, catch me if you can.”
Tad turned and ran. Instantly he heard the sound of scrabbling claws on crystal as the puppy hurried to catch up. Tad laughed again and changed the channel, appearing in his living room and collapsing onto a sofa, surprising Letty, Jen and the other two pups who both started barking. Before anyone could speak, there was another pop and another barking puppy appeared in the living room right on top of Tad who grunted as the puppy’s front paws landed on his stomach.
The grunt turned into a laugh as it crawled up his chest to lick his face, then the laughter only grew as the wet doggy tongue was joined by two others as the other puppies got in on the action.
“Oh my God, dad. What are you doing?” Jen asked, trying to sound outraged but laughing herself.
“Getting attacked by dogs,” Tad said. “Little help?”
Jen laughed and came over to collect the dogs, pulling first one and then a second away from Tad, and finally coming back for the third. This just meant the dogs changed their person of interest and soon Jen was giggling as she fought off twelve puppy paws and three wet tongues.
“How was the meeting?” Letty asked as she smiled from one of the sofas.
“It was alright, but it didn’t end well.”
“Oh?” Letty asked.
Tad was about to answer, but changed his mind. Jen’s laughter made him decide to stay silent and enjoy the moment.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I miss anything here?”
“Not really. The puppies have been keeping us entertained,” the old woman answered. Then, as if just remembering, she said, “That funny chap from your work called. You know, the one who talks like a robot.”
Tad laughed, unable to help himself. He’d hosted a barbecue a few weeks back, nothing formal, just a spur-of-the-moment thing after a hard day at work. He invited people from work, Lizzie and Lettie. Of all the random people he had not expected to spend the night talking together, Letty had ended up with Miles for an hour and had come away thinking the tech genius was a talking computer.
“He say what he wants?”
“Something about it being a Nightcrawler situation and for you to call him back as soon as possible.”
Tad’s humour instantly died upon hearing Nightcrawler from Letty, and he scrambled to his feet so he could fish out his phone. No sooner had he pulled it out when he remembered cracking the screen earlier. From what he could see through the parts of undamaged screen, he had a lot of missed calls, each nearly an hour old.
Suddenly sure that something was wrong, he sprinted out of the room in search of a landline, leaving Jen, Letty and three confused puppies watching after him.
4
Sunday, 03rd July 2016
18:11
Stella’s world was cold, dark and constantly in motion.
The wave wiped out her whole team and the moment it struck she lost all sense of up and down, of where she was, or what to do. She tried swimming for the surface, but where was the surface?
Water forced itself up her nose, into her mouth and down her throat. She wanted to cough and take a breath, but that wasn’t the best option right now.
Eyes wide, she desperately sought light or something to swim toward, but there was nothing. She felt a pulling sensation and swam against it, hoping it was the tide and not the air in her lungs trying to bring her to the surface.
Despite herself, she coughed, letting out bubbles that were no use in telling her which way was up. The wave churned up everything and the bubbles were instantly lost.
Trying to keep her head straight, she swam as hard as she could, but it felt like she was going nowhere. The sea had claimed her and wasn’t letting go.
Coughing left her lungs empty and she felt like she hadn’t breathed in a month. Her lungs were burning, her head felt heavy, and she had the nagging belief that she wouldn’t make it.
Then she saw light.
Not much and a long way off, but definitely light. She turned toward it, using the last of her energy to push for it. If by some strange twist of fate she was changing into something more than human, this was the chance for her body to prove itself. There was no oxygen left in her blood and already her mind was foggy, but she pushed past it. She was more than some weakling to let herself drown so simply, right? She didn’t need sleep any longer, couldn’t she last a few minutes without oxygen?
Her increasing sluggish thoughts were answer enough. Her movements became slow and uncoordinated, like she had lost the ability to control her limbs together and had to concentrate on moving each one individually. Her arms gave up first, no longer able to move through the water, so Stella focused on kicking. Her world became two instructions repeated endlessly.
Kick left foot.
Kick right foot.
Kick left foot.
Kick right foot.
She concentrated so hard she lost track of her progress. When she remembered to look forward, despair struck. The light was miles off, and she was done.
She didn’t have enough fight to keep going forward.
She stopped kicking.
Is this how I die? Swept out to sea without making an impact on the world?
She wondered what she’d be remembered for. She’d be associated with the Merging for as long as there were history books, and she founded the Dream Team. But, barely three months old with only a few successes under their belt, s
he’d be a footnote at best.
She knew history would assign Tad a larger role in the whole drama. He would always be the man who caused the Merging. His star would forever outshine hers, and strangely she was okay with that. What troubled her was how they would remember him. Would he be the man who brought magic to the world, or the man who doomed mankind by killing a monster and reshaping reality.
It was agony knowing she wouldn’t be there to help shape that story. And there were so many other stories she’d miss.
Her mind bounced from place to place, remembering people and events, asking questions about what the future might hold. It was a similar experience to when her mind merged with Tad’s, her brain overwhelming her with memories and questions. It fired up all at once and felt like hours before finally her mind stilled and she came out the other side.
In a moment of clarity she realised she was still under the water, but strangely there was no pain. There was just peace and darkness.
She opened her eyes one last time to look at the world she was leaving.
She couldn’t see much as the ocean was still chaos and bubbles. She only saw that much because that distant light was slowly growing brighter and getting closer.
Some part of her mind twigged that as important, but she was passed the point of caring. She let her eyes settle on that light and gave up the fight, opening her mouth to let the sea water in.
It rushed into her lungs in the ultimate act of surrender, but then abruptly it stopped.
The light not only got brighter, it consumed her face as the water vanished. First her head cleared the surface, then her shoulders, arms and on until her body rushed out of the water like she was birthed from the ocean. With no one to catch her, she fell five feet and landed on hard sand.
The impact jolted her system and forced her to cough. When only water escaped her mouth, she coughed again, then again, and soon all the water in her lungs was gone and then…
Blessed air.
Her first breath was agony and the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. She coughed again, which was followed by more air, then more coughing. Forcing herself to her hands and knees, she continued the process until a hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up.