Dreamwalking

Prologue

Pumping his old legs, the man sprinted at full speed down the abandoned city block. He had loosed the tie around his neck a dozen times, but it just seemed to get tighter and tighter as his pace quickened. In the distance, he could hear the guttural howls of the abomination that now pursued him. He squinted and blinked; anything to wake him from this terrible nightmare in which he found himself trapped.

In the business world, he was a giant. He lorded over these very streets during the day like a pharaoh sitting atop a throne of gold. Subjects would bend their knees to surrender to whatever passed his fancy. But when the night came, no knees fell before him. When the night came, he was the prey.

He ducked to a side street; a shallow alley, and hid behind an overturned dumpster. The feeling of pure terror washed over him, it was all he could do to keep himself from whimpering like a toddler who had just seen his first monster under the bed. As he lay there, crying in muted tones, he heard the footsteps of his assailant stalking by his hiding place. He could feel it scanning the alleyway, looking for any indication that its prey had come this direction. He could almost feel its breath and it leaned in, searching for him.

Then, in an instant, it turned and continued down the street, content that its prey was elsewhere. He waited for a long minute, making sure that he heard the footsteps fade into the distance before he made a noise. Finally, he peered over the top of the dumpster. A sigh of relief came from his mouth as he noticed that his pursuer was, indeed, gone. The distinguished businessman stood and quietly padded to the mouth of the alleyway. Not taking the time to flirt with the prospect of being seen, he bolted off in the opposite direction that he believed his pursuer had gone.

But, just as he turned to run, he stopped in his tracks as he stood face-to-face with his hunter.

It was nearly seven feet tall, when it stood upright. Though its features were obscured by otherworldly shadow, it was clear that the being was bestial in nature with far more monster than man tracing the edges of its silhouette. It was almost serpentine in form, had it not been for the four long, pincer-like arms that protruded from its body. But no legs. Instead, it slithered around on a tail of shadow, which left a trail of smoky darkness everywhere it went.

In a fit of panic, the man turned and sprinted at full force away from the creature, which let out a feral roar that almost felt like a cry of distorted glee to the businessman’s ears. He knew that it was chasing him once again. He turned another sharp corner of the otherwise abandoned cityscape, only to see that the long road ended with a brick wall; a dead end. He ran to the end of it, turning and putting his back flat against the wall as the shadowy creature filled the opening of the street.

The creature slithered ever closer, rows of fangs dripping with a foamy ooze that splattered on the ground with a splat. The man could almost swear that he saw the ooze sizzle as it foamed on the ground. Closing his eyes tight, he begged, pleaded to wake up; to be free from this nightmare that had so much hunger and hate in its eyes. He could smell its breath this time. It wasn’t just a feeling. Without even opening his eyes, he knew that the creature would be upon him in an instant. But, before the creature could snap out and engulf his body in its many rows of teeth, he felt something else.

Two arms, very much human, grabbed him from behind. Looking down, he saw that they were coming directly out of the wall that he was backed up against. In one motion, the arms pulled him backwards, through the wall and onto the other side as if the stone were made of smoke. He wasted no time; he got to his feet instantly and sprinted in the other direction, not taking the time to thank his good fortune.

On the other side of the wall, the creature tilted its serpentine head to the side, confused as to what just happened. Then, from out of the wall, as if it were still nothing but a barrier of smoke, a man stepped through. Dark, unkempt hair cascaded over his face and all around his head covering one eye with the shaggy, feathery strands, with his other eye being covered by a simple, tattered eye patch. He stood, empty-handed in front of the creature, who now slithered backwards a few feet, wary of this newcomer.

The man took a few steps forward, a grim smile coming across his face, as if the next moment was something that he had been waiting in gleeful anticipation for. As he stepped forward, the long, frayed coat that he wore flapped in an almost nonexistent breeze. All at once, he looked back up at the creature and let his smile erupt into a full smirk of joy.

The creature couldn’t react fast enough when a seven-foot spear appeared from a flash of mellow, bluish light in the man’s hand. He lurched forward in one motion, swinging the spear directly for the creature’s head. The creature couldn’t respond quickly enough as the bladed edge of the spear soared towards its face.

In the distance, the running man could hear that unearthly cry from the creature once more. Though, this time, it did not seem so pleased.

Chapter 1

Sitting on the weathered cushion of an old wooden chair in the corner of a small farmhouse bedroom, there was a stuffed bear. Light brown fur with black stitching and beady black eyes, the bear was a comfort to look at and only partially faded by the sun that shone down on it from the half-open drapes of the bedroom’s window. The sun-stained portion of the back of the bear’s head gave it the distinct appearance of having a faded halo directly stitched into it’s terrycloth fabric, which seemed all-too-appropriate, considering the girl who own the bear was an angel of sorts.

Haylie had owned the bear since before Alex was born, and no matter what mood Alex was in, when he ran into Haylie’s room for comfort from a hazy, sleepless night or recovery from a day of being bullied, the small, halo-clad bear was always on the chair in the corner of her room. It let out a smile of stitched black that always gave it a kind, understanding expression. It’s legs lay out in front of it, allowing it to sit upright and giving it a posture of calm confidence--the kind of position that Alex would have expected to see on a wise old grandpa.

When Alex had turned 11 a few years ago, he awoke to find the bear sitting on the chair in his own room. An upset to the young boy, considering how accustom he had grown to it being a fixture in Haylie’s room. However, after a spirited debate from Haylie who wanted him to have the bear, he finally allowed it; of course, it sat in the same position on his chair as it had in Haylie’s.

And on this particular, chilly, summer morning, Alex lay awake in his bed, locking eyes with the curiously comforting stuffed bear. The sun was just peeking over the horizon of his uncle’s farm, allowing a ray of light to creep in through the blinds of his upstairs room in the small farmhouse. He wiped the moisture from his eyes, continuing to lay motionless. He had lain in that same position for the last four sleepless hours.

Alex had insomnia. Most nights, he was only able to steal a few hours of sleep, and those few hours that he did get were not relaxing or restful at all. His uncle had taken him to several doctors to try and figure out what was wrong, but they all said that he was in perfect health; that there was nothing that should be keeping him awake. They would suggest a healthier diet and more exercise, but little changed. Even after a healthy meal and a day of running around outside, Alex found himself in that same position for most of the night; lying in bed, thinking about what it might be like to have a good night’s rest. Eventually, he stopped telling his uncle about his problems sleeping and resolved to deal with it on his own. It was only when he turned 11 and Haylie had loaned him the bear did Alex find some manner of respite. He was not able to fall asleep any more frequently, of course; but, somehow, just looking at the bear gave him a restful feeling as though he had a full night of sleep.

He sat up and ruffled his messy brown hair, which lay in a perpetual state of bed-head. He arched his back in a long stretch, letting his 14 year-old muscles pop and crack after a night of lying almost completely still. A few satisfying pops and he sat back against the wall, waiting. He rubbed the sleep from his sharp, faded green eyes, shaking his head a bit to try and bring himself into full consciousness. Not two minutes went by before he heard his uncle call from downstairs, Hey, Lex! You gonna sleep all day? called the rough voice. Alex lived with his uncle and cousin Haylie at the farmhouse in the Middle-of-Nowhereville. His uncle, Yusuf, was the hardest working man that Alex had ever seen or heard of. He swore that the man slept less than he did each night and did twice as much work as any other man half his age could do. The problem was that Yusuf often expected those around him to have the same work ethic. An ethic that Alex did not have. Haylie was very different. She, on the other hand, was a compassionate, loving, and gentle woman who Alex looked at as something of a mother more than a cousin. A few mornings a week, she would wake Alex up, or rather, come in his room in the morning, as Alex was often already awake, and bring him breakfast. He preferred it when Haylie woke him up rather than his uncle.

He rubbed his eyes a few more times and stood up, stretching out once more as his feet touched the cool surface of the wooden floor. He shuffled over to his closet and pulled out a pair of normal shorts and a clean normal t-shirt, courtesy of Haylie, who did both his and Yusuf’s laundry unerringly every Tuesday. Since today was Wednesday, his closet was stocked filled with a dozen t-shirts and a wide assortment of shorts. Alex was lucky, he knew, to have Haylie around. He feared that if it were just he and Yusuf, they would both eat pizza every night and wear the same dirty clothes for a month. But her cleaning and cooking was not the only reason that Alex was thankful for his cousin. He knew that many young boys in his very situation were not as lucky as he.

Alex tried to smooth out his normal brown hair in front of the mirror hanging on his closet door, but, just like the past hundred mornings before, was unable to fix his trademark bed-head. After several minutes of failing, he tossed his hands up in defeat and opened the door to the hallway that led to the staircase. He dragged himself down into the kitchen where Haylie had already put a plate of pancakes and toast in Alex’s normal seat. Alex sat down drowsily, looking down at the meal in front of him.

Morning, kiddo, came the melodic voice of Haylie from behind him. He looked to the side and saw her gliding into the room with her normal gait of grace and poise. As she passed him, her flowing blue sundress brushed up against him, filling his nostrils with the floral scent of her traditional Wednesday perfume.

Though Haylie lived on a farm, she was one of the most girly-girls that Alex had ever seen. She was always in high-heels and never let a day go by without making sure that she ran over the entire house with the vacuum. Her thick, auburn hair was tied back in a loose pony-tail that fell to between her shoulders in playful curls that reminded Alex of ivy curling around a tree in the woods that surrounded Yusuf’s farm. Haylie was in her early 20s, but she could have fooled anyone into thinking she was much older with the way she presented herself. Alex sometimes forgot that she was only seven years older than he was.

How’d ya sleep? she asked as she began to tidy up the counter of the kitchen.

Fine, Alex lied as he took the first bite of pancakes. He could tell that Haylie was looking at him, probably trying to determine whether or not he was being honest. Haylie had always been concerned with Alex’s insomnia, even after he stopped complaining about it. She had been a little overprotective over the past few years. Ever since what happened with Bryce.

Morning, stud, Yusuf said, shoving his way into the kitchen from the back door that led to the porch, which stretched all around the secluded farmhouse. Need a little help with the combine, when you’re done. Yusuf often had Alex help out with this and that around the farm. Alex didn’t mind much. He was not very interested in farming, but it was something to do in the long, summer days until school started back up each fall.

Sure, replied Alex, taking the last bite of his first pancake and reaching out towards the syrup for another dose.

You done yet? Yusuf asked as Alex started spreading the syrup on his plate. Haylie whacked Yusuf behind the head, causing a bit of saw-dust to shake loose from his messy salt-and-pepper hair.

Give him a minute to actually digest it, dad, she said with a playful scowl.

Alright, alright, Yusuf replied, conceding. Even Yusuf often acted as though Haylie was a bit of a mother to him; that was just the energy that the self-assured young woman portrayed. After another two minutes of Alex eating and Yusuf’s leg dancing in anticipation, the gruff, sturdy man stood up. I’ll be waiting for you, pokey, he said with a hearty belly-laugh. He turned and stomped out of the kitchen happily back into the yard, his sturdy boots making an earthquake-like noise as they pounded on the tile of the kitchen.

Take your time, Alex, Haylie reiterated with a loving look on her face. She knew him all too well. If she didn’t give him a reprieve, Yusuf would drive him to exhaustion by noon. Not that Yusuf was unkind. Just that he all-too-often forgot that Alex, like most boys, did not have the vigor and enthusiasm for work as he did. He just lost himself in the labor, forgetting that Alex, though a hard worker, was still just a 14-year-old kid on summer vacation. Alex finished his pancakes in silence as Haylie went about her day tidying up the house and starting to clean some of the floors of the dirt that Yusuf always seemed to be tracking around. Once he had finished, he sat at the table for a minute, almost comatose, trying to empty his mind of everything.

That was until Samson, his dog, nestled his nose under Alex’s hand, prompting the boy to start petting his brilliant, golden canine muzzle. Samson had been his dog ever since he could remember. He was like a brother, always knowing when Alex felt down. Occasionally, he would sleep in Alex’s room, which would give Alex solace, often allowing him to drift into a longer sleep than his insomnia would traditionally allow. Of course, Haylie often insisted that the dog sleep in his kennel in one of the farm’s several sheds. Though Samson was a relatively tidy dog as it was, his fur would often shed quickly in the summer months, causing massive balls of fuzz to accumulate in every corner of the house. Whenever Alex could sneak his lovable dog into his room, he would let Samson sleep on the foot of the bed and take comfort in his rhythmic breathing. The dog had always had a way of keeping Alex’s anxiety about not being able to sleep at bay. He had been doing so ever since Bryce had disappeared.

Bryce was Alex’s twin brother. Or, at least, Bryce had been Alex’s twin brother. He was just a few minutes older than Alex, so Haylie had told him years ago. Yusuf or Haylie rarely mentioned their parents. The only time that they had been discussed was when Yusuf told Alex and Bryce that they had left the boys with he and Haylie for a while, and stopped at that. Every time Alex or Bryce had asked about their parents, Yusuf would say, They’ll be back around when they’re done, and Haylie would say, They were amazing people. They just had a lot to do. Over the years, Alex and Bryce had just stopped asking. They knew that Yusuf and Haylie’s answers would never change. Bryce was a little more belligerent about it. Often, he would try to press the tender-hearted Haylie for more information, but the cunning woman was very capable of dodging his inquiry without giving away anything else.

Yusuf is their legal guardian, she would say. That’s all that you need to know.

Alex trusted Haylie and Yusuf enough not to make much of a deal out of it. He knew that they would tell him anything that he needed to know. But, for whatever reason, Bryce was just not willing to accept that. So much so that, one night, six years ago, Yusuf and Haylie’s answers were just not enough for the bull-headed Bryce. The four of them sat down for dinner, and he proceeded to ask every question possible about their parents. What did they look like? What did they do? How old were they? What color were their eyes? Why did they leave us? What were their names? All of these questions, Yusuf and Haylie would just give them the same generic answers. But those would not do for the growingly inquisitive 8-year-old Bryce anymore. He stormed away to the upstairs room that he and Alex shared at the time, leaving Yusuf and Haylie looking worried.

That night, Alex was startled awake by a noise. He looked up to see Bryce throwing clothing into a bag. Alex asked what Bryce was doing, but the young boy just replied that he was getting laundry ready, and that Alex should, Just go back to sleep. That was before Alex’s insomnia was consistently active, so he was able to drift asleep within just a minute or two, not thinking twice about Bryce’s thin excuse. The next morning, Alex awoke to find that Bryce was gone. He got up and searched the house for his older brother, calling out his name. Bryce never got up before Alex did. And the more he thought about the night before, the more he began to suspect what had happened.

Bryce had run away.

Yusuf and Haylie took Alex into town. The police formed a search party for Bryce and combed the county to try and find the eight-year-old. Days went by and no sign of the kid was found. Several weeks passed and his face was flashed on the news and on every paper that was delivered to the farm house. Six months passed and no word of the boy had been received. It seemed as though he had just disappeared in that night. After two years of searching, the police told Yusuf that they had to officially call the search off; that they had to presume Bryce had died in the wilds.

The funeral went by in a blink for Alex. He blamed himself for being so stupid that night. Haylie had tried to comfort him; had tried to assure him that it was not his fault. Yusuf blamed himself too. Alex could hear him in his room every night, sobbing for months afterwards. Even now, when Yusuf was working outside and Alex would approach him from behind, before Yusuf detected his presence, he could swear that the burly man was sniffling. And when he would turn around to address Alex, he could swear that a twinkle of a tear was still in his bearish eye.

Life had not been the same since then. Yusuf and Haylie had not changed, but it was not long after Bryce had disappeared that Alex’s insomnia grew worse. The doctors said that it was likely, partially post-traumatic stress, and that it would eventually just fade away. But it never had. Alex was brought back to reality with the hearty call of Yusuf from outside.

Hey, Lex! You done yet, or you gonna read them pancakes a bedtime story? he shouted with a belly full of laughter. Haylie looked up from the kitchen island, where she had already started preparing lunch and smiled.

It won’t take long if you help him now, Alex, she said with a caring smile. And don’t let him drag you into anything else. Only the combine. If he tells you that he needs you to milk the cows or feed the chickens or plant a field of corn, tell him to talk to me first. Haylie finished with a wink. Alex smiled in understanding and pushed back his chair, leaping to his feet. This caused Samson to leap back as well, misinterpreting Alex’s haste for wanting to play. Alex batted at the dog’s face a couple times with his hands, then rubbed his ears and turned to go outside, Samson right on his heels.

It took only an hour for Alex and Yusuf to work out the problem with the combine. Once it was running again, Alex and Samson took off into the woods surrounding the farm to explore a little; of course, not without a stern warning from Haylie to get back by lunch. Alex and Samson spent the rest of the afternoon in the woods with a lunch and a snack break back at the farmhouse. It wasn’t until the sun was starting to go down that they finally returned to the farm. Haylie made steak and potatoes with asparagus and lemonade that night, a personal favorite of Yusuf, who could be defined as meat-and-potatoes type of person anyways. Alex nibbled on his food a little, but he was not all that hungry. He tossed a few of his potatoes to Samson under the table, who chomped at them vigorously, much to Haylie’s disapproval. Yusuf just laughed and proceeded to cut off chunks of gristle from his steak and join in Samson’s feeding. The three of them played a round of cards after dinner before Yusuf went back outside to finish some work in the barn before he turned in.

Back in his room, Alex had snuck Samson in, despite Haylie’s warnings that the dog should be taken outside. Alex sat on his bed and thumbed through one of the old novels that he had borrowed from Haylie. After a couple hours, he decided that he should at least try to get some sleep, even though he knew it would be impossible. He tossed the book to the side and lay down flat, allowing his eyes to fall directly on Haylie’s bear. In that position, he He lay awake for what seemed like an eternity. The only thing that made him even the slightest-bit drowsy was Samson’s heart-beat at the foot of the bed. Then, all of the sudden, Alex felt something that he had not felt in years. All at once, he felt… tired.

He was not sure where it had come from or what it meant. And, in all honesty, it made him so excited, that he almost leapt out of his bed. But he