Nightmare Stalkers Snippet

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.

***

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