The Nightmare Inflictor (2 page)

Paul sleeps on his side, facing the wall, and has the burgundy comforter pulled halfway over his head. I turn him on his back and stare into his young face. His round cheeks puff out when he breathes and pink lipstick is smudged across his chin. His short blond hair has hair gel clumped in it and he’s fully dressed in jeans and a hoodie. It’s like he just passed out on the bed without a second thought.

I suck in my bottom lip as the pain of hunger clutches my stomach and then press my cool fingers to his temples. The world fades and my stomach flips, and I open my eyes to pitch black darkness.

A low moan echoes through the air and I realize I’m underground in a tunnel or a cave. It’s hard to tell with the lack of light, but with the way sound bounces around, I know it’s somewhere cavernous.

“Did you hear something?” A male voice whispers. It echoes around me and I turn in the direction of the noise.

I bend down and touch my hands to the hard ground and it softens under my touch. It smells like wet dirt and decay, and I slowly step forward in the direction the whispers came from.

Footsteps echo and then a feminine voice says, “I found the spare battery. Here put it in the flashlight.”

I grin as a mixture of fear and curiosity drifts through the air. As I navigate the darkness, my shin hits something solid and a squishing sound echoes as whatever it was melts away and drips down my bare legs and pools around my feet.

The woman gasps. “Paul, we’re not alone in here.”

He curses and the woman screams and then a bright flash of light blinks through the darkness as the woman snaps a picture to light the darkness. She snaps another picture and in that split second I take in my surroundings. I’m in a cavernous cave with giant stalactites dripping from the ceiling. Paul and a brunette woman stand near the opening of a dark tunnel and at least twelve corpses lie on the ground around them.

Another flash.

The woman screams.

Paul clicks the flashlight on and I blink a few times. Paul and the woman are surrounded by reanimated corpses. Some crawl on the ground, rotting flesh hanging from bones with hollowed eyes, gaping mouths, and dirty tattered clothes. Guttural moans escape their mouths as they push their decaying, broken bodies closer to the couple.

“They’re going to kill us!” The woman yanks the flashlight from Paul’s hand.

I make my way through the herd of reanimated corpses and step between Paul and the woman. His eyes widen, but he looks past me, not really seeing me. He doesn’t take his eyes off the woman and she holds her hand up.

Paul steps closer. “Fiona, please, don’t. They’re harmless. They’re souls trapped in human bodies, not flesh-eating monsters.”

Fiona shakes her head. “You don’t know that.”

Sweat breaks on Paul’s forehead. “Fiona...”

“I’m sorry, Paul. I command you to stay here.”

Fiona turns toward the dark tunnel and I reach out and grab her shoulder. She explodes into a cloud of dream dust and I suck in her dream essence. Energy and life flows through my veins and I turn to Paul. The flashlight disappeared with Fiona, but I can sense his intense fear. It’s not the corpses or Fiona he fears the most, but betrayal. If this weren’t a dream, Fiona’s command would guarantee Paul’s death because he’d be forced to stay in the cave.

I lick my lips as his fear wraps around me and I reach in his direction and pull him into a hug. He yells, a gut-wrenching noise, and then the dream world cracks as I destroy his dream.

Paul’s moans follow me into the hallway and I lean against his closed door. I feel bad for the poor guy because the nightmare will haunt him and he’ll now have a hard time trusting anyone, but he won’t really know why. I’m not hanging around to explain the effects a nightmare inflictor has over his subconscious either. It’s a risk he took and now he must live with his decisions.

3. THE WORST VOLUNTEER

I was a day away from having to travel to the city. The council was behind on finding a volunteer for me while my father is away. He’s the one who holds them accountable. Without him I’m not sure I’d ever get a dreamer. The only reason why they found me a dreamer tonight was because they were afraid I was going to lose control. When I’m starving, everyone is susceptible to my nightmare inflictor side.

It’s just after midnight and I glide from the steps of the dormitory. The bright full moon shines above me, lighting a pale path to the guest apartments. I tilt my head to the sky and stare at the glittering stars. They’re stunning tonight—like a diamond-speckled, dark blue blanket.

The compound is empty and I’m thankful for that. I don’t like people to see me night stalking. It’s embarrassing when they know what I’m doing. Even though it’s dangerous, I sometimes wish I could go to the city instead of relying on the volunteers who visit the compound because that way no one would know I was coming and the dreamer would never know I was there.

I enter the guest apartment building. Warmth wraps around me and I peer around the lobby. A few books and magazines are scattered across the small coffee table and an empty cup rests on the floor near the couch. The television displays an infomercial without sound, and I turn it off as I glide into the hallway.

The very first door on the left is half shut. I rest my hand on the doorknob, but don’t push it all the way open because I don’t sense the dreamer. I hold my breath and listen to the silence. A strange feeling courses through me, the hairs on my arms rising, and I push the door open farther and stick my head in.

James Turner, a pixie from Oregon, lies on top of the dark green comforter. His eyes are closed and he rests his hands on his chest. His breathing is even, and he looks asleep, but I don’t sense his dreams.

I step into the room, leaving the door open. I glide closer to James and stare down at him. His long, black hair, similar to my father’s, lies messily on the pillow. His round face is smooth and silver glitter dusts his cheeks and sparkles in the soft glow of the nightlight.

My eyebrows furrow together. “James?” My voice is no higher than a whisper.

The pixie doesn’t respond.

I touch his shoulder and study his face. His eye twitches and I jump back and rush to the door. I don’t know what’s going on but James is definitely not asleep. He’s faking it.

“Wait.” His voice echoes through the quiet room before I have a chance to leave.

I turn and glare at the pixie as he sits up and leans on his elbows. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“No, I swear. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t sleep. I was anxious and excited.” He swings his feet off the bed and stands up.

I press my lips together. “So you thought it would be a good idea to pretend to sleep. Did you think that I would just jump in your head anyway?”

He rubs a hand over his forehead. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m an idiot.”

I’m angry and embarrassed by this entire situation. I just want to turn around and run, and never look back. I shake my head and roll my eyes, and then turn toward the door. There’s no point in sitting around and arguing with the pixie. I can’t invade his dreams if he isn’t sleeping.

What I hate the most is that I’m going to have to go to the council and beg them to find another volunteer for me, or have someone escort me to the city. The real world outside the compound is too dangerous for me to go alone. I can’t risk getting caught by the Human Preservation Agency, my community’s enemy. I don’t know what else to do. I wish my father were home already.

“Wait, please. I want to help you. What can I do?” James asks while crossing the room.

I dig my fingernails into my palms and glower at him. “Nothing.” I step into the hallway and start gliding to the lobby when James douses me with silver pixie dust. I freeze in place, unable to move. This pixie is really not going to give up. Doesn’t he get it? The only thing he can do is sleep.

He touches my shoulder. “Please, don’t go.”

Tears burn my eyes. “I can’t even move if I wanted to.” It’s nights like these that make me wish I were something else.

He blows more silver dust in my face and the magical hold he had on me releases. I stumble back and slide to the ground against the wall. I curl my knees to my chest and bury my face in my arms. If I sit like this long enough maybe he will just go back to his room so I can leave.

“Just give me a few hours and I promise I’ll fall asleep and you can invade my dreams. And for putting you through this I’ll stay another day and you can invade my dreams tomorrow, too.”

I suck in my bottom lip. His offer is tempting, but it’s against the rules to visit a dreamer more than once. Nightmare inflicting affects a person’s sanity so the more I do it the more likely they’ll go crazy. And they always go crazy.

“I’ll wait an hour, but that’s it.” I don’t move to get up. I’ll stay here on the floor for the hour because if I move I think I’ll run out of here and then that will leave me without a dream.

James smiles. “Okay. I’ll go to my room and leave you then. I am truly sorry about this whole situation. I never intended to meet you and make you uncomfortable. I’m probably your worst volunteer.”

I shrug instead of answering. While James might not be the worst volunteer I’ve ever had, he’s going to be the most memorable. I’ve never been asked to hang out and wait for somebody to fall asleep. And I don’t think anyone will ever ask me again.

James turns on his heels, sauntering back to his room, and closes his door. I play with the white strands of my colorless hair. It’s going to be a long night.

4. ORDINARY MONSTERS

“You want me to come with you, Nadia?” Alyssa’s fiery red hair shines in the golden sunlight. She’s wearing a knee-length, sapphire blue dress with black tights and ankle boots. Her green eyes match the soft grass and her cheeks are flushed with heat. She studies me for a moment, pressing her thin, pale pink lips together.

I shake my head. “No, definitely not. I can’t believe the only volunteer the council could find this week was someone who usually works the night shift.” I tuck my pale blond hair behind my ear. My hair has held its color from the nightmares I’ve inflicted, but will shift to white the longer I resist my hunger. “People who see me are going to judge me. This is so embarrassing.”

Alyssa leans on her hands and stretches her legs out. “It’ll be fine. No one will even pay attention.”

“I hope you’re right.” I push to my feet. “I guess I’ll go get it over with. Wait for me here?”

“How about the dining hall?” Alyssa gets to her feet next to me.

I nod. “I’ll see you later.”

I turn away from Alyssa and glide in the direction of the guest apartment building. A garden nymph with strawberry blond hair and freckles tends to one of the large gardens. One of the four council members, Mr. Soto, stands nearby and watches the nymph. He looks up and meets my gaze. His brows furrow and his lips twist to the side. He’s not my biggest fan. I lift a hand to wave, and he turns his gaze back to the garden. I really hate this place sometimes.

I entered the guest apartment building and am greeted by a pixie lounging on the couch. His feet are propped on the coffee table and he mindlessly flips through the channels on the television. I glide past him into the hallway without saying anything. This is embarrassing enough as it is. Half of the guest apartment doors are closed and I head in the direction of the stairs that lead to the second floor.

I can sense the dreamer already. Sadie Marin, a shifter from Texas, is behind the first door on my right. I quietly open the door and glide into her room. She sleeps on her back under the plain, light blue comforter. Her brown hair veils her face and spills over her pillow. She’s young, probably eighteen or nineteen, and I bet she was interviewing for permanent residency here at the compound. If she’s accepted, my nightmare inflicting today will guarantee that we won’t be friends when she moves in. I tend to leave a negative impression on people so I wouldn’t blame her. If I were normal I would be scared to be my friend, too.

I stand over her and brush her hair from her face. She’s deep in a dream and I can taste the sweetness of it already. My fingers trail from her cheeks to her temples and the world darkens as I invade her mind.

I’m standing in a bedroom with posters of actors tacked to the walls. A laptop sits on a corner desk without a chair in front of it and there’s a pile of dirty clothes on the floor. The black-and-white checkered bed is unmade and the pillow rests on the night table. This room is well lived in.

A scream rips through the air and I can tell the shifter was already having a nightmare. I lick my lips and taste blueberries in the air. I run my fingers along the torch lamp and it explodes, plunging me into darkness.

Sadie screams again from another room. Gliding to the door, I thrust it open, splintering the wood as its hinges snap from the force. The door falls into the hallway and lands against the opposite wall. I lower my boots to the floor and the house shakes with every step I take. I saunter down the hall to the stairs and glide down, stopping at the bottom to stare at my reflection in the big wall mirror. I like these nightmares the most. This shifter is afraid of apparitions and I enjoy playing the part of ordinary monsters.

The mirror shatters and sparkling pieces clatter across the floor like an explosion of stars.

“Why are you doing this?” Sadie tugs on the handle of the front door, but it doesn’t open.

I pick up a vase of dead flowers and the throw it at the door. Sadie drops to her knees as glass rains down on her. Her puffy red eyes shine with tears and black mascara streaks run down her cheeks.

“No! Stop it!”

I pick up a picture frame off the side table and throw it at her. She sobs into her hands, but doesn’t move. The air clouds with glittering dream dust and I suck in breath after breath of her nightmare.