The Dream Walker (2 page)

Chapter
4

The next day, Nico followed Rayner, Faith, Jovan, and Liberty into the lobby of the Wigwam Resort and Hotel in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The four-star hotel and resort was fairly close to the silo. As the silo was out in the middle of the desert, their choices were limited, and Jovan didn
’t want to drive very far. As he put it, he’d driven up and down the Eastern Seaboard fifty-five times chasing a lead, and he was done with cars for a while.

Their combat boots clomped on the hardwood planks, and a fire crackled in the old stone fireplace. Oversized leather couches surrounded the fire, and black-and-white photos of old Litchfield Park decorated the walls.

They checked in and were directed to their rooms. Back in the Hummer, they drove around the property. Lush green lawns and thousands upon thousands of roses lined the drive.

“
Nice place,” Nico said.

“
Oh yeah,” Rayner said. “Only the best for the Dream Walker.”

When they pulled in front of their building, Nico noticed that there were four rooms in the building—two on the top floor and two on the bottom.

He didn’t like being in such close proximity to the others. He got out of the car and gazed around, not seeing many people milling about. What if Jovan, Liberty, Rayner, and Faith were the only ones around? He wasn’t going to get much practice, as he refused to dream-walk in their dreams. It was a matter of him honoring his respect for them. And besides that, he really was rusty. It had been a fluke when he dropped in on Abby the other night. He’d been aiming for Cohen. What if he accidently dropped in on Rayner, Jovan, Faith or Liberty?

“
I think I’m going to request a room on the other side of the property,” Nico said to them as they walked up the pathway to the building.

All four turned around and looked at him.

“I need practice, and I don’t want to visit any of your dreams,” he said.

Rayner nodded.
“I appreciate that, man.”

Jovan nodded.
“Me too. But I can guarantee you my dreams are far more interesting than anything Rayner can come up with.”

“
Doubtful,” Rayner said. “You’ve got the imagination of a dead tree root.”

“
I really don’t care who is more creative, and I’m not about to dream-walk to find out,” Nico said with a laugh. “I’ll walk back to the front desk and I’ll text you when I get my room number.”

“
Sounds good,” Jovan said.

“
Do you want to meet us for dinner later, Nico?” Liberty asked.

Nico thought about that. He really wanted to get down to work and hone his skill, but he also needed to fuel up, as dream-walking did require a lot of energy.
“Yeah, probably. I’ll let you know for sure.”

He picked up his suitcase and walked back toward the lobby, happy it wasn
’t summer. It would be in a few short months, and the temperatures would hover in the triple digits for approximately one hundred and twenty days, give or take a few. April in Arizona was a perfect seventy degrees, and he enjoyed the walk as he took in the beauty of the property. The bees buzzed lazily on the rose petals as the maintenance crews pruned, mowed, and fixed sprinkler heads. He imagined it was a never-ending job keeping up with the sprawling splendor of the jewel in the middle of the desert.

He requested a new room on the other side of the property, no questions asked. Climbing the stairs to his room, he nodded at his neighbor, a man in his mid-forties, who was just leaving.

Perfect. He had a target, and maybe the man had a wife he could practice on as well.

Opening the door to his room, he was greeted with southwest lux
ury and comfort. The large bed was covered in plush white bedding and big, inviting pillows. He threw his bag down on the couch and noted the big flat screen television on the wall above the brick gas fireplace.

He walked into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His hair had grown out, and oddly enough, was getting a little darker. His black eyes would turn silver when the sun went down, and because of that, Blake had been given the nickname “Spiderman.”

After using the toilet, he went back into the living space and fell backward on the bed. Closing his eyes, he realized that he was happy to be alone for a while. He’d been alienated most of his life and was used to being by himself. Yes, he enjoyed the company of the Saviors, but as the saying went,
silence is golden
. Sighing, he shut his eyes, his thoughts taking him back to the rollercoaster ride that had brought him to this moment.

When he was old enough, his father had insisted that he enroll in the military. Nico had never understood why, as his father had shunned him for his whole life, blaming Nico for his wife
’s disappearance back into the forest. Once enrolled, his father had made sure that all of Nico’s peers were aware of his ability, and Nico was once again rejected. To this day, Nico never understood his father’s motivations. He’d given some thought to it and had come to the conclusion that maybe his father was just a cruel bastard who wanted him to hurt as bad as he was when his
lovren
left.

An SR44 male without a mate was an ugly thing.

Nico went about his lonely world, and every now and then he dream-walked. He never allowed himself to be seen in the dreams, always hiding in the darkness that seemed to surround dreamscapes. He witnessed hatred, love, unattainable goals reached, and deep heartache. Once again, he found the interpretation of the dreams second nature. For instance, he dream-walked on one of his fellow cadets who was having trouble with the physical aspect of training. In his dream he was moving forward toward a light, but he never got there.

Nico interpreted it as the male knowing that he would not succeed in the military.

The next day, as Nico watched him perform the physical challenge, he failed. Later Nico talked with him, and the male said he knew he wasn’t cut out for military, and dropped out a few days later.

Dreams really weren
’t all that hard to interpret. Well, for him, at least.

When Annis came into the military as the first female, she was also shunned. As the two outcasts, they became close, and eventually, lovers. They quickly realized they had made a mistake in taking their relationship to that level. Annis had a theory that they were both so lonely and looking for someone to love, and return that love, there was the immediate attraction. They had remained good friends, and Nico had always respected and admired her fierce spirit. He
’d never invaded her private space.

As the years went by, the military was downsized. Nico was kept on, but for what purpose, he didn
’t know. He guessed it was because his father wanted to keep a leash on his oddball son. When the attacks by the
Miladrids
occurred and it became apparent SR44 could not protect itself, Nico’s father had chosen Nico to join the others on the escape craft to carry on the race. Nico was still puzzled by this move of his father’s as well. Perhaps a final apology for making his life barely worth living? Or was it a hope that the craft would blow up into one fiery fuck-all explosion that would get rid of his son once and for all?

Nico would never know, and the good-bye had been terse and filled with the dislike and contempt Nico had seen in his father for as long as he could remember.

The body Nico had been given had a tattoo on the chest. At first, it looked like a half-sun, but upon closer inspection, Nico realized it was a closed eye, perhaps his father’s way of branding him a Dream Walker.

He never understood how he could be so disliked by his own parents for something he didn
’t control. It wasn’t as if he asked to be a Dream Walker—it was something that just happened, like a human child having brown hair.

He opened his eyes, sat up on the bed, and looked around the room. Grabbing his phone off the bedside table, he texted Jovan and Rayner his room number. He heard voices outside his room—a male and female
’s—and then a door slamming. Sounded like his neighbor did have a wife or girlfriend.

Excellent.

Dinner at eight?
Nico texted to Rayner.

Sounds good. Steakhouse. I
’m so hungry I could eat a cow. Ha!

Nico couldn
’t help but laugh.

He lay down and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come. He had a lot of work to do tonight after dinner, and he needed his rest.

Chapter 5

At eleven, Nico turned off the TV. He knew his neighbors were in their room as he had heard voices just a little while ago. Since he didn
’t hear the television, he assumed they were asleep.

He lay down on the mussed bed, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

Nothing. They must either not be asleep, or they weren’t quite in REM sleep.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the clock and watched the numbers change. Ten minutes later, he took a deep breath and focused, and then it happened.

It was like he was being sucked into some type of black vortex at warp speed, and then he stopped just before entering the dream.

He had been concentrating on the woman, and he
’d been right on target. Stepping into her dreamscape, he took it all in.

There were dark clouds everywhere churning with an impending storm. He knew this meant a possible future eruption of emotions, or depression or anger. As he looked around, he wondered what else would show up.

Glancing to his right, he saw her. She wore a black business suit and heels, her short brown hair messy, and sweat trickled down her face. The woman carried a large burlap sack over her shoulder and lugged it through the dark clouds. Perhaps she felt burdened or overwhelmed with her responsibilities in real life.

She slowly walked toward him, and he stepped behind one of the clouds. As she passed, he wished there was a way for him to know if his interpretations had been correct. He had a distinct feeling that they were spot on, but validation would be nice.

In the dreamscape, he closed his eyes and focused on getting back into his body. Once there, he didn’t waste any time trying to find the male’s dreams.

The male held hands with the same female in a circle of flames about three feet high, indicating he felt a deep bond with her. The circle of fire reminded Nico of the symbolism of the mating circles on SR44, and also of the traditional wedding ring on Earth. The male kissed the female’s hand, indicating he had a deep respect for her.

Nico once again returned to his body, exhausted. He stood, took off his clothes, and let them drop to the floor. As he climbed into bed, he saw that three hours had passed. Dreams were funny like that. It could seem that they lasted forever, but they were really over in the blink of an eye, or vice-versa. The two dreams he had visited fell into the category of seemingly quick—minutes even—but apparently not.

As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered what his own dreams would entail.

The next morning, Nico woke with a throbbing headache. He went to the bathroom and wetted a washcloth under cold water. Returning to the bed, he put the cloth to his forehead and wished he had a bottle of Excedrin.

He heard his neighbors moving about their room, and a while later, they were standing in the hallway in front of his door.

“I just feel so overwhelmed with the job, Ben. I’m angry that they’re firing others and then saddling me with their work as well as my own!”

“
Honey, we’ll get through this together, okay?” the male said. “You know I love you and I want you happy. If you think finding a new job will bring you some peace, then let’s find you one. Or maybe you just need some time off?”

Despite the jackhammer doing a number on his cerebrum, Nico smiled.

His interpretations of their dreams had been right on.

Chapter
6

Alaina spun around the silver pole thinking about what she would be having for breakfast in the morning, not the fact that she was wearing nothing but a silver G-string with matching platform heels as she danced around in front of a bunch of men in Mission, a high-end strip club in downtown Phoeni
x.
Mission’s
mission was to provide the hottest women in Phoenix, and it prided itself on showcasing just that for its customers who paid fifty dollars just to get in and twelve bucks for a bottle of beer.

She noticed one guy at the edge of the stage watching he
r.
For four nights in a row he sat on the same stool. Every night as Alaina danced, she couldn’t help but notice there was black stuff—almost like an ashy substance—on the floor around him, as well as on the bar where he rested his arms. It was the most puzzling thing because he wasn’t dirty. In fact, he was terribly clean, with his brown hair cut short and his piercing brown eyes. His skin was an alabaster white one would see on a true Irishman. He looked utterly boring in polo shirts and jeans.

Tonight was a slow night, so Alaina started a conversation with him.

“What’s that black stuff all around you?” she asked as she gyrated on the stage.

The man stared at her a long time, his eyes hard. He never looked over her body, just met her gaze. It was a little creepy. Usually the men were happy to have a little conversation with the dancers and weren
’t shy about checking out their bodies.

She sighed.
“Never mind,” she said. “Sorry to disturb you.”

“
No. Wait,” he said.

She turned to him again.

“You see black ash around me?”

Of course she did. It was plain as day.
“Yeah, I do.”

A slow smile crossed his face. He didn
’t look any friendlier. In fact, he looked almost diabolical.

“
That means you’re a special woman,” he said. “What’s your name?”

She meant to say Kitty, her stage name. Instead, her real name rolled off her tongue.
“Alaina.”

He sat back and regarded her, taking a long, slow sip of her beer.
“Well, Alaina. I do think you and I need to talk.”

Apprehension clenched her gut as she stared into those eyes.

“Alaina!” Peggy called from the side of the stage. Peggy, the manager of the girls, made sure they went on when they were supposed to. “You’ve got ten more minutes. Get moving!”

Alaina looked back down at the stranger. Why did her ability to see dirt make her special?

“I’m on it,” she called to Peggy, and went back to the pole.

She flipped upside down and slowly lowered herself back to the ground, her long black hair fanning out below her, visions of her walking up behind the man and slicing his throat open from ear to ear played in her mind.

She experienced dark images for as long as she could remember. They came and went, but they seemed more pronounced when she was angry. Lately they had become more frequent, and more violent.

Her feet hit the floor, and she turned around, gyrating to the hip-hop music
blaring through the speakers. She watched herself in the mirror. Her bright blue eyes contrasted against her olive-skinned face, and she worked hard to keep her figure firm. Saggy tits and ass didn’t cut it in this business, especially at
Missio
n
.
The upper-end clientele definitely expected the best T&A in the city, and the owners made sure it happene
d
.

One of the other strippers up on stage came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Alaina
’s waist, gyrating to the music with her. The men loved it when they saw a little girl-on-girl action, especially when it was a darker girl like Alaina against the milky-white skin of the blonde behind her.

Alaina let the woman
’s hands run up and down her torso, then turned and held her close so that they were breast-to-breast. Alaina gave her a small kiss and listened to the cat-calls from the audience. Her and the blonde danced over to the edge of the stage, and they both got down on their hands and knees, letting the men slide money into their G-strings.

“
I want to see more of you and the blonde together,”one of the men sai
d
.

Alaina looked at him, then down at the wad of cash in front of him.
“Tell you what,” she said. “You slip me that hundred and I’ll give you a show you won’t forget.”

He licked his lips and slapped the bill down on the stage.

Alaina picked it up as she got to her feet and tucked it into the front of her G-string while sauntering over to the blonde. She wasn’t happy with her life, yet she wasn’t totally dissatisfied. Her life was just what it was. Her dark thoughts scared her, and she kept them to herself. She didn’t want to hurt or kill anyone, but the urge was present at times, especially with some of the asshole patrons at the club.

Maybe her ambivalence was due to depression. She didn
’t know, but was certain she needed to make some changes in her life. She simply didn’t have the energy to do so.

Holding out her hand, she helped the blonde to her feet. Alaina then grabbed her hair and yanked her neck back so that the blonde was in a slight backbend in her arms. Alaina licked one of her nipples, then the other, and she wondered what it would feel like to snap the blonde’s neck with her bare hands. Tears welled in her eyes.

She hated the dark thoughts, and she didn’t understand where they came from or why she had them.

Maybe a new beginning was exactly what she needed.

After her shift that night, she’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt and went out to the bar. She found the stranger, who she had dubbed Mr. Ash, sitting exactly where she had left him. She looked around his stool, still seeing the black substance.

“
So I’m special?” she asked, taking the seat next to him.

“
Very,” he said, staring at the girls on stage. “Not many people see the black ash around me. I want you to meet me and others who are like us next Tuesday.”

People like us? What did that mean?

“You’re telling me that if I call another person over here, they won’t be able to see the ash?”

He simply nodded.

“Tara!” Alaina had yelled to a one of the girls who was walking by. When she arrived, Alaina asked, “Do you see the mess this guy has made?”

Alaina had never considered Tara one of the brightest in the brain department, but surely she could see the black stuff around his chair and on the bar. It was a pretty simple test. Black stuff was everywhere.

“Are you talking about the way he ripped his napkin?” Tara said, obviously confused. “If yes, I wouldn’t call that a mess. I’ve seen worse, girlfriend.”

Alaina watched her go, then looked at the bar and saw three small balls of white napkin neatly lined up in a row among the black ash. A shiver went down her spine, excitement ripping through her. Running one finger through the ash on the bar, she was both terrified and exhilarated.

“Satisfied?” the man asked, not meeting her gaze, but a small smile played on his lips.

“
What the fuck is going on?” Alaina asked.

He spun on his stool and stared at her. Hard.
“If you want to know what the fuck is going on, as you so eloquently put it, and what you are, why you can see things others can’t, and if you want to meet others like you, meet me here. I can offer you a new beginning to your life, Alaina,” he said, handing her a card.

“Oh, really,” she said. “And how exactly are you going to do that? How is meeting with you and these other people going to be a new start to my life?”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Come find out, Alaina. You’re special. One little meeting isn’t going to hurt, is it?”

Getting up from his stool, he threw three twenties down on the bar and walked toward the door without another word. As Alaina
’s heart rapidly thumped in her chest, an uneasy feeling came over her. Who was he? And what made her so special that she could see things others couldn’t?