The Oneiro Rangers: First Night (9 page)

Errol slide down in his chair. “Oh boy, that’s a relief.”

Angelica shot up and shook violently Errol by the collar, making
his head flop from side to side. “You pea-brained loaf! Now I got a detention
for no reason!”

Malory stood up and approached Clint, walking around the arguing
and slapping the others were occupied with. “Can I go to the bathroom?” She
asked sweetly, crossing her arms behind her back.

“Go ahead, but make it quick. We don’t know how long it will take
for the lights to return.” He handed her his flashlight. “Here, take this too,
but don’t lose it.”

“Yes sir!” She saluted playfully and skipped out the door, the
light bouncing around in front of her.

Clint watched her leave the room, his eyes peeking up to the clock
above the door. It was a little past ten.

He gasped. “Rhonda!” Running to the front desk, he picked up the
phone, quickly pushing the number wheel. “Oh no, not again. I hope it’s not too
late.”

.  .  .

Glenda’s head shot up, having nearly dozed off after waiting for
so long. The door opening was followed by a rapid patter of footsteps. A light
swam through the darkness, washing under the stall’s bottom. She shifted on top
of the seat, her bag slipping out of her hands, dropping onto the floor with a
loud clatter. Waiting for a reaction, she held her breath and expected the
worse to come.

“Hello?” Malory called out, “is someone there?”

Joy flushed down Glenda’s face as she sighed in relief.

Malory took a step back, seeing the stall open suddenly. “Hey,
what’s going on—?”

Yanking Malory into the cramped stall, Glenda shushed her; the two
of them squished together in the small space. “Be quiet. They’re going to hear
you.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know what they are. I saw the hallway full of some kind
of animals or
something
.”

Malory clapped her hands in joy. “Ooh, ooh, Maybe it’s a kitty!”

“No!” She held Malory’s hands together. “They weren’t kitties.
They stood up like people, but had these big evil eyes and like… rabbit ears.”

Malory gasped from the description. “Wow, it’s a good thing I
didn’t see them on the way in. I would have been scared!”

Glenda turned her head at her, as if not hearing her right. “You
mean you didn’t see anything out there?”

“Nope. I even have a flashlight too. See?” She waved the
flashlight around, making long shadows over their faces.

Glenda held Malory’s hands down again. “Okay, just let me walk
with you back to the dorm room. I’m not going out there alone.”

“Okay, but can I go pee first?”

“Oh... sorry.” Glenda ungainly collected her things, nearly
tripping on her bag’s strap on her way out of the stall. “I’ll be over here
then...”

Act 3

The Night’s End

Chapter 10

Clint hung up after the fifth try. “Hmm, how come she’s not
answering? The phone can’t be out, there’s still a dial-tone.”

Malory returned, bringing someone new. “I found a girl in the
bathroom. Can she stay here with us?”

Roland woke up out of his nap, smacking his lips. His head flew
right off the desk at the sight of Glenda, drool still coming out of the side
of his mouth. All of his attention focused on her and only her. She didn’t even
notice his eyes on her, walking right by him without even a passing glance. It
took Roland a moment to notice the string of drool dangling off of his chin,
quickly wiping it off.

Clint put the phone down. “What were you doing in the main
bathroom, young lady? You know it’s off limits at night. That’s what the dorm
ones are for.”

“There is something going on in the school,” Glenda warned,
dodging the question. “There were little monster things in the halls and they
were going into all of the rooms!”

“Now miss...”

“Glenda Suru.”

“... Miss Glenda Suru.  What did these creatures look like?
Were they like rats? Maybe that is what you saw — there are a few of those out
at night sometimes.”

Glenda shook her head, her twin pony tails flopping wildly. “They
weren’t rats! They were like people, but they had long floppy ears and three
claws on their hands and these wide mouths.”

Clint hummed in thought, rubbing his bottom lip. “If I remember
correctly, I believe you just described a Mara.”

“You mean those things that carry dreams?” Sova clarified.

Angelica turned to him, seeing he wasn’t focused on the book he’d
been reading the whole time. “Oh, is that what they are called?”

Clint nodded. “That’s right. They are
supposed
to be
invisible though, only seen by x-rays.”

“Why do you presume Glenda saw them then?” Sova asked.

“There is one reason I can think of, but that is only if they are
under the control of a—” He paused, standing up slowly. “No...”

“Control of what?”  Glenda asked.

Clint didn’t answer. Running past them, he snatched the flashlight
out of Malory’s hands, stopping at the doorway. “Stay here and don’t leave the
light, you hear?” He opened the door. “Don’t leave the light. And don’t fall
asleep! I don’t care what you got to do, just stay awake by any means. I’ll be
back.”

Errol lifted his head up, rubbing the drowsiness out of his eyes.
“What happened? What did he say?”

Clint raced down the hallway, his steps echoing through the
emptiness. Barging into one of the dorms, he shined his light all over the
place. Not a hint of life, all of the beds unfilled and unmade. He ran off to
another dorm. Same thing, all empty. Nothing but head creased pillows and messy
blankets.

He rushed back through the hall and into the detention room,
locking the door behind him. The teens looked at him surprised as he panted
rapidly. Sweat poured down his freckled cheeks as he gasped for air. His face was
flushed, more pale than usual. He looked like he was ready to collapse on the
floor from the touch of a breeze.

“Is everything all right?” Roland asked.

“Just,” he hastily walked over to the phone, “let me make a call.
Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.”

He picked up the phone and carried it to the corner, far away from
the teens. Dialing headmaster’s number, he nervously galloped his fingers on
the desk. “Come on, Abend… pick up,”

The ringing ended with no answer.

Quickly slamming the phone down, he took a deep breath and dialed
another number — one he would never think he would have to resort calling.
“Let’s try someone who’s
not
in this building.”

After a few rings, someone picked up. “Hello?” It was an upbeat
voice, filled with life and glee.

Clint still spoke with tension in his throat. “Yes, is this the
Oneiro representative for the Normlock police?”

“Speaking.” His voice rang out long and pleasant.

“There seems to be a crisis in the Oneiro Academy. I… I really don’t
know how to say it.”

“Just say it in any way and I’ll find a way to understand it.”

“Well… everyone who was sleeping tonight just disappeared. The
students, the teachers, everyone!”

“It seems we have a Nightterror on our hands,” The representative
stated calmly, as if not fully aware of the situation. “Only
they
would
have the power to do something like this.”

“Look, Nightterror or not, there has to be something done!” Clint
quickly hushed himself, not wanting the students to overhear him. “Without any
Oneiro Rangers, we can’t fight back against the Nightmares. Normlock will be
done for in seconds flat.”

“Are you the only one left?” He treated such a question like it
was a common occurrence.

“No, there are these six students here with me. We were in the
Withering Woods when everyone else disappeared.”

“Well, aren’t you a morpheus?”

“Yes, but—”

“Why, there’s no problem then! First, I’ll see if there are any
rangers still out in the city by some chance. Then, I’ll come over there right
away and we’ll fit your kids up so they can do the job right. Now, doesn’t that
sound peachy?”

Clint was ready to pull his hair out. “You can’t be serious! There
has to be another way!”

“I am one-hundred percent serious here, dear morpheus. You should
have nothing to worry about. I am confident in the young students that remain,
and you should as well! They
are
almost done with their training anyhow,
so we will just let them skip a few lessons. I’ll be there in a jiffy.
Tootles.”

Clint hung up and covered his face with his hands, letting the
phone fall to the floor. He gave his temples long, slow rubs and let out a deep
breath. Opening his eyes, he saw the kids quarreling again — Angelica slapping
Errol around while Roland tried to pry her off. Glenda and Sova sat on opposite
sides of the back row, both reading books and in their own secluded worlds.
Malory tied her curly hair together, somehow getting her fingers tied up with
the strands.

“This is a nightmare…” Clint mumbled. “I'm just asleep and this is
some horrible nightmare.” He wearily made it to his desk, slumping his head
into his arms. “I just hope I wake up soon...”

.  .  .

Heavy boots grinded twigs into the dirt — the chime of spurs.
Flesh split apart, bones popping outward. He slipped out of his black leather
duster, needing his arm exposed to communicate with his master. Hidden behind
the dry brush, he kneeled down behind cover. Darkilov’s raspy breathing wheezed
loudly, even though it was nowhere near Nyxus’ position in the Withering Woods.

Its growl sounded like a lion with a snake for a tongue. “You’ve
failed me Nyxus...”

Nyxus tilted his head. “Come again? I did exactly as was ordered.
Get in, get out; no witnesses, no rangers. Departments first, academy last.”

“There are still six students and a morpheus left,” it gutturally
screeched. “I ordered you to rid of every last one!”

“They’re just students. I got rid of all the real rangers; that
should be enough. Those students will be a problem like nothing.”

“Never underestimate humans. You will have to dispose of those
fiends
the hard way.”

“Six of ‘em, eh?” Nyxus swung his revolver’s cylinder open, seeing
that it was already fully loaded. “One round for each of ‘em.” He clicked it
back closed, the cylinder buzzing loudly when he spun it. “Best expect me
early.”

“I’ll tell you once more,” Darkilov warned, “
don’t
fail me
again.”

Nyxus got up, put his heavily beaten duster back on, and twisted
around. The Oneiro Academy was waiting for him, no lights and nobody aware of
his return.

.  .  .

Darktime had just passed. They sky returned, and yet, the school
was still vacant. Clint didn’t take his eyes off of the door, expecting the
Nightterror itself to burst in at any minute and tear through each and every
last one of them. His hand was growing numb, the tight grip on his OP6 easing
up. As for the teens, it was just like being stuck in class with the only
assignment being to stay awake.

Angelica’s pencil wiggled over a piece of paper, the lines almost
completely filled with writing. After a few more words, she put the pencil
down. “There we go, all done.”

Sova saw her finish up and fold the paper in half. “What are you
writing, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Just a letter for my dad,” she answered. “Errol and I always
write to him at the end of the month.” She looked back at her brother. “At
least,
I
always write to him. Errol wouldn’t remember if his life
depended on it.” Taking the completed page, she slipped it into a premade
envelope; tucking it into her binder to mail it later. “He got scared the first
few months we didn’t write. I think worrying about us is the last thing he
needs right now — being a soldier and all.”

“Oh, your father’s a soldier, is he?”

Angelica made a modest face, knowing how it sounds for a Gothnian
to hear. “Yeah, he got drafted right when the war started.”

“You mean your dad is fighting in Gothnia?” Glenda interrupted.
Sova and Angelica both turned to see her standing right next to them a row
away. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but overhear.” She sat down; leaving the
end corner she was in ever since she came into the room.

Angelica glanced over at Sova, embarrassed about how Glenda put
it. “That’s right... He’s not a bad guy though, honest he isn’t. Why, he was
just a pencil pusher in an office before he got the slip. Knowing him, he’d
rather turn tail than shoot someone down, no matter who they are.”

Sova crossed his arms, shifting his eyes away from the two.
“Stupid war. Apparently, I’m not the only one having a hard time because of it.
Both sides feel the burn of battle no matter where the fighting is.”

“Yeah,” Angelica quietly agreed. “War sucks...”

Glenda decided to change the subject for the better. “So is it
true about what they say: that Gothnia has castles instead of cities?”

“Quite true,” Sova answered. “There aren’t that many, but there are
still a good number of them. I used to live in one over there — Castle Dirge it
was named. My parents worked under the count’s orders, right up until I moved
here.”

“Wow,” Glenda sighed in amazement. “So that makes you royalty,
right?”

Sova bobbed his head uncertainly. “Uhh... in a way I guess.” He
paused to look at her blue streaks, one of her bangs moving when she blinked.
“I couldn’t help but notice your family color. I don’t believe I’ve seen a
Synkk
ӓ
wear that type of clothing before. Those are more for a Tuore or
maybe even an Orvokki, but certainly not a Synkk
ӓ
.”

Glenda pulled one of her ponytails over her shoulder to run a hand
along the streak; its split-end like the tip of an overused paintbrush. She
giggled–something that sounded unnatural–and her cheeks slowly turning red.
“I’m not really Gothnian, but I am one by heart. Blue is just the only color I
know of. I would do anything to visit there. Only, with the war stopping all
travel by boat, I don’t know when that would be. Not anytime soon, that’s for
sure. Oh, I bet it’s so beautiful there; all those forest and farms, all those
mountains and rivers—”

Angelica let out a big yawn, stretching her arms over the desk
behind her. Slumping over her desk, she used her arms as two soft pillows. Her
eyes closed instantly as she grumbled peacefully, letting sleep sink in. Glenda
pursed her lips in annoyance, huffing as she practically pouted from being
interrupted. Sova shook the desk, trying to keep Angelica awake.

“No,” he shouted, “don’t fall asleep! The morpheus told us not
to.”

Angelica playfully slapped at his hands, giggling with her eyes
shut. “It’s okay, he won’t mind.” She let out another loud yawn. “Just for a
few minutes.”

Glenda grabbed her silver necklaces, nervously rubbing her thumb
against the random charms. She noisily pushed off of the desk, purposely making
the legs screech against the tile floor. She didn’t say anything, just wearing
the frown she always had on. Sova looked up at her, seeing displeasure in her
eyes. Stomping to the back of the room, she headed back to where she left her
messenger bag.

“Glenda, wait,” he called out, following her.  “What were you
saying about Gothnia?”

The pounding from Glenda’s boots distracted Roland from his
conversation with Errol. Right away, he noticed Angelica with her head down. He
tapped Errol’s shoulder with the back of his hand and then pointed at her. The
both of them gave each other mischievous grins, Roland nearly lifting his
eyebrows up to his hairline. There was nobody there to protect her for what
they had cooking up.