Mr. Sandman (19 page)

 

 

 

 

Page 8 (8
panels)

 

Page 8 panel 1

 

A large panel--wide shot of a massive clearing in the black, polluted jungle. The opposite edge of the clearing is not visible. The dark storm clouds hang overhead, with a bolt or two of lightning slashing downward in the distance.

 

The clearing contains a chaotic, suffering mass of distorted beings, gathered together around twisted stone towers. The beings are all dreamers who have been corrupted and deformed by the Bogeyman. They are the physical manifestations of people on Earth who are dreaming--and they are
all
warped and twisted and mutated. Some have huge boils or growths and are hunched over with fused spines; others look like infected lepers, literally dissolving where they stand; some lack certain body parts, and others have too many; some of the beings are unrecognizable as humans, looking more like bizarre, dangerous space creatures. They are all gathered around tall, crumbling stone pillars and sections of disintegrating gray block walls--the once-impenetrable walls between the Fields of Sleep. The sickened creatures are everywhere, hopping and gibbering around blazing bonfires; tearing at each other; climbing the pillars and wall remains; or just slumping on the slimy, debris-strewn ground. They are all crazed, bestial, mutilated beyond belief. The clearing looks like a vision of Hell itself.

 

The Dream Lord flies out of the dense jungle to confront this horrible sight and recoils in disbelief.

 

Dream Lord: Oh, God...

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 2

 

Stunned and horrified, the Dream Lord just settles to the ground at the edge of the clearing and looks around at the sickness. Shrieks and moans continue to weave through the air.

 

Dream Lord: What have I...how could I let this
happen
?

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 3

 

The Dream Lord walks out into the clearing, through the screams. Infested, deteriorating creatures cling to his legs, giggling.

 

Dream Lord: All these dreamers...all these
people
...mangled and mindless.
He
did all this...turned the Dream Zone into this hellish nightmare.

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 4

 

A man leaps up suddenly beside the Dream Lord, throwing his head back and screaming. A huge, slimy leech is stuck to his chest and a trail of blood trickles down his body.

 

Dream Lord (ducking away and cringing from the awful sight): Oh, Lord...

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 5

 

Wide shot of the crumbled remnants of a big gray wall, crawling with deformed beings and insects. In the distance, other wall remnants can be seen jutting from the dark jungle.

 

Dream Lord: The Dreamwalls! They've rotted away, crumbled to the ground! The Fields of Sleep are no longer separated! Everyone's nightmare is part of everyone else's--all combined into a single, infinite wasteland!

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 6

 

Dream Lord: What can I
do
? It's too
much
...too much to stand...

 

Still walking, he sees a gang of grotesque beings stuffing another being into the mouth of a massive cockroach.

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 7

 

Dream Lord: ...too much to heal.

 

A group of dying, mutilated creatures bundles together, sprawled around sand and rags and bones.

 

Quote: From
Heart o
f Darkness
: "Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair."

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 8

 

Closeup of the suffering, pitted faces of the creatures.

 

Quote: "They were dying slowly--it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now--nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom."

 

 

 

Page 8 panel 9

 

Dream Lord (flinging his head back to scream):
Stacy
!!!

 

 

 

 

Page 9 (6
panels)

 

Page 9 panel 1

 

Dream Lord suddenly soars into the dark sky, glowing with brilliant golden energy, casting bright light over the huge, mad clearing. Below him, all the creatures look up, startled by the light, squinting and jabbering and staring at him.

 

Dream Lord:
I
can't find you!!!

 

 

 

Page 9 panel 2

 

The Dream Lord hears a sound like a car horn:
Honk honk!!

 

Dream Lord (turning quickly to look in the direction of the noise): What...?

 

 

 

Page 9 panel 3

 

In the distance, a large, neon arrow points toward the ground. The arrow is lit up with the flashing word
HELP
.

 

Dream Lord: She's still alive!

 

 

 

Page 9 panel 4

 

In a blur, with a stream of bright energy crackling behind him, the Dream Lord rockets through the sky toward the arrow, a grim expression tattooed on his face.

 

Dream Lord (shouting): Stacy, I'm
coming
!

 

 

 

Page 9 panel 5

 

Swooping around the big neon arrow, the Dream Lord sees Lullaby on a pile of rocks below him--encircled by glowing cartoon characters she has created to defend herself from the horde of sick creatures trying to attack her. There are cartoon bears, and rabbits, and ducks, like Yogi Bear, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck--plus a character like the Tasmanian Devil and a big coyote. The cartoon figures are wrestling with the creatures, slugging it out with them to keep them away from Lullaby.

 

Lullaby (looking up at Dream Lord from her hill): Dream Lord, would you please give me a
lift
? I'm sorry, but I'm really not having fun anymore. The novelty has worn off, y'know?

 

 

 

Page 9 panel 6

 

Lullaby (as a screaming creature plunges past her cartoon defenders, holding a spear): These dudes are
buzzed
! They are
too
freaked out! It's like
Night of the Living Dead
.

 

Dream Lord races down from behind her, clenching his fists.

 

 

 

 

Page 10 (8
panels)

 

Page 10 panel 1

 

Lullaby: Either that, or the kids at my high school.

 

Dream Lord grabs Lullaby around the waist with one hand and punches the creature in the face with the other. The thing's spear, already thrown, hurtles past them into the darkness. The creature screams with pain.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 2

 

Lullaby (as the Dream Lord continues to fly up and away from the chattering beast): So where
were
you, buster? Did you have to make a pit stop or something?

 

Dream Lord: No. I was coming up with more reasons to kill the Bogeyman.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 3

 

Lullaby: I hear you, buddy. Those people are seriously
nuked
! They need some heavy-duty help, and I guess we're the only ones who are gonna give it to them.

 

Dream Lord: That bastard will suffer for this. He is going to know more pain than all those dreamers--every one of them he's twisted and contaminated--put together.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 4

 

Lullaby (as they both continue to fly through the stormy, black sky): So, what next? Back to that stinky black river?

 

Dream Lord: No, we don't have to go that way anymore. All of the Dreamwalls from here on have collapsed. There's nothing to separate the Fields of Sleep--and nothing to block us from flying through. We can get to the source of the infestation in no time at all.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 5

 

Dream Lord and Lullaby continue to speed through the dark sky, right past a bolt of lightning.

 

Lullaby: We're getting down to the heavy stuff, huh? What do we do after we find him? What's the plan?

 

Dream Lord: Execute him.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 6

 

Lullaby: Great, but I don't think it'll be that easy. He won't be too thrilled with the idea, you know. How are you gonna get him?

 

Dream Lord: I'll think of something.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 7

 

Lullaby: What if he thinks of something better?

 

Dream Lord: I'll make him stop thinking.

 

 

 

Page 10 panel 8

 

Lullaby: Good strategy. Remind me to never play chess with you.

 

Dream Lord: Look, we're getting closer to him. See how the sky is getting darker? And below--the Fields are swarming with deformed dreamers. Everything's becoming sicker, blacker, denser.

 

 

 

 

Page 11 (6
panels)

 

Page 11 panel 1

 

Dream Lord: Stacy...oh, God...I can
smell
him. It's like before...when he stabbed me on the battlefield... only a thousand times worse... a thousand times
stronger
...

 

Lullaby: Hey, don't let it bother you. He's gonna be
tough
, right? You already knew that. You're just gonna have to be
tougher
.

 

 

 

Page 11 panel 2

 

Lullaby: And don't forget, you've got your secret weapon along this time--the Lullaby Special. I'll let
nobody
kick
your
bucket, buster!

 

Dream Lord: Neither will I.

 

 

 

Page 11 panel 3

 

Lullaby: So, what does this place look like? How will we even find it?

 

Dream Lord: Stacy, I don't think we'll have any trouble.

 

 

 

Page 11 panel 4

 

Wide shot of Dream Lord flying into the dark sky, carrying Lullaby. In the distance is a dim, thin tower--at first just a speck of light.

 

Dream Lord: Cancer always leaves a trail of corpses...

 

 

 

Page 11 panel 5

 

Dream Lord: ...lots of suffering...

 

Another wide shot, with the pair getting much closer to the tower. It appears to be a high, brightly lit castle tower.

 

 

 

Page 11 panel 6

 

Dream Lord: ...and a great big tumor in the middle of it all.

 

Large panel showing the Bogeyman's terrible fortress, with the Dream Lord and Lullaby in the foreground, flying down to it. They are dwarfed by its enormity. Once more, however, the Bogeyman's dark sense of humor has been at work. The place is a massive, exact replica of the Magic Kingdom castle in Disneyland--the one shown at the beginning of every Wonderful World of Disney program. It is beautiful and sparkling, with flags flying from the ramparts and gold trim everywhere. It is on top of a high hill, with a drawbridge extended from the gate, leading into nowhere. There is no moat and no land for the other side of the bridge to cross.

 

Lullaby: Whoa! This is
it
? No way!