Of Dreams and Mortality

Part 2 of the Dream Slayer Saga. I suggest you read part 1 first, or most of this story won't make sense. Here is part 1. The Dream that Always Returns

The dream has stopped coming to me. About a year ago, I was out on a road trip with my friends. We were trying to find my cousins cabin in the Ozarks, but we got lost going through the mountains. We ended up on some back roads. We passed the kind of houses that you didn't want to stop at for directions, because you might end up getting eaten by some inbred cyclops. But I digress. We continued on the road we were on, hoping to find a town. We didn't find one. About dusk, a figure in a black robe appeared on the road. I swerved to miss it, and I ended up slamming into a tree. I looked to see if my friends were alright, but they were both out cold. I got out of the car to beat the shit out of the guy that was standing in the road. By the time I got out, he was already leaning against the tree. Now I recognised him.

"No, it can't be you," I said. "You are only supposed to come in my dreams. I am awake so why are you here?"

"You didn't think it was just a dream, did you?" he said, his voice like rustling leaves.

"But this is real life, If I go in there, I might actually die." I glanced up at the eerily familiar building. "There is no way that I am going in there."

"You could have just as easily have been killed in your dreams. For you, dreams are gateways between realms, and if you die in a dream, you die for real. I can't blame you for wanting to stay out of there. You know what has to be done. Now though, he will take your friends as well, unless you stop him."

"Why does it have to be me though? Anyway, the car still works, so I can just drive away, and my friends will be perfectly fine."

"It isn't so simple. Mortals that enter here can't leave until he is killed. You know that."

"Then I guess I have no choice. I will see you at the end of this mess."

I walked to the building, and entered. I won't go into detail, but you all know how that part goes. Ghost patients and kids, fucked up giggling, weird ass experiments, etc etc. This time, though, when I came back out, Mr. Cloak didn't say anything to me about being glad he didn't have to take me. He almost seemed sad.

"Well," he said. "you know how this part works. I leave, you grab my scythe, and you are where you need to be."

"Hold up a moment. I want some answers. Why did I have to kill this sick bastard?"

"I think you deserve some answers I guess. The answer is because killing the things that go bump in the night is what you were born to do. Your Father gave to you the blood of the druids, and all their skill at banishing. Your mother gave to you the blood of the Sidh, and within that is the blood of the faerie folk, and their arcane arts. You are much more powerful than you can even comprehend. It is your destiny to rid this world of the dream stalkers. Now, take my scythe and begone."

I did as he told. As soon as the scythe touched my skin, I felt a strange weightlessness, and the next thing I knew, I was outside my cousin's cabin, in the car, and my friends were just coming too. My cousin Jason walked out of the cabin, and pulled me into a hug. We exchanged small talk for a moment, before I introduced Simon and Mike. I told Jason to take them inside, and that I would get the bags. As they walked in, I opened the trunk of my car. I had felt an odd warmth while I was in the car, one that I only felt at the end of the dreams. My suspicions were confirmed as I found the Scythe laying on top of my bag. Only now, it was the size of a small hand sickle. I grabbed it and took a few minutes to examine it. I found a phrase carved into the handle. "Sancti Lucem." I thought back to my studies of latin from my high school days, and remember that the phrase meant Holy Light. The name sent a shiver down my spine. Before Jason came to look for me, I put it in my bag and grabbed the others, and went inside.

Simon and Mike were sitting by the fireplace, and Jason was in the kitchen, cooking a big pot of what smelled like squirrel stew. I helped him finish up cooking, and the three got to know each other over supper. After we all finished, we decided that it was time for bed. We all went into separate bedrooms and I soon fell asleep. Little did I know, this would be the worst night of my life. I started to dream as soon as my head hit the pillow.

My dream started with me in my room. I heard a noise on the other side of the hallway. I got up, and opened my door. I could see claw marks on the door to Simon's room, and some sort of dark stains on his bed. I flipped on the light, and I saw what was left of Simon lying on the bed. His organs were falling out of his torso, and many looked like they had a bite or two taken out of them. His left eye was out of his head, and was just dangling by the ocular nerve. What had it been that Mr. Cloak had said? My dreams were gates? I quickly grabbed the lamp, and hit myself over the head with it.

I woke up in my bed, and heard something heavy start to make its way down the hall. I reached into my bag and pulled out Holy Light. On instinct, I swung it, and it turned back into a full sized scythe. I readied myself, and I pulled open my door just in time to see Simon get his chest cut open. Involuntarily, I gasped, and the creature stopped. It turned to me, and in Jason's voice said "Well now, you're supposed to be asleep, Jacob."

I charged over and swung Holy Light with all my force. It struck Jason and sliced through his entire body. I turned on the light, to see what had happened to my cousin. His hair was gone, and his skin was thinned to the point of seeing the bone and muscle underneath. His body had taken on the size of the average gorilla, and his teeth were now pointed to be designed to tear and devour flesh his mouth and nose were pulled out from his face, like a dogs. Hard claws tipped each finger. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that he was a werewolf.

I walked back out into the hall, and checked on mikes room. I found the same claw marks on his door, and knew that he was dead too. A sickly sweet smell assaulted my nostrils. I turned around, and peered into Jason's room. What looked like a human was laying on the bed. I walked in and turned on the light. Maggots were covering almost every inch of the body. What I knew for sure was that this thing was the real Jason. Whatever that creature was, it had killed and skinned my cousin, and then pretended to be him. I had the feeling that it had done this just to kill me. I grabbed my bag, turned Holy Light back into a sickle, and drove away from the cabin.

I was 20 at the time of this, and five years later, I have severed all ties with friends and family, in order to avoid another senseless slaughter like the one at the cabin. I now go throughout the worlds killing whatever dark creature is foolish enough to show itself. What the man in the cloak said was true. My dreams are portals, and now I can walk through them. Cryptids, beware.

I haven't created part 3 yet, but there will be one, so check back every now and then if you liked this story, and maybe part 3 will be up.