A Nightmare at Dream World

Chapter Fourteen - Baku and the Dream Weaver

Alora and Bull stood there at the entrance of Nightmare Castle's dungeon, dumbfounded. They couldn't believe how many cages there were. And in each cage was there a child. It looked like a veterinarian's kennel but instead of dogs and cats the cages held children. How was this possible? How could they have kidnapped so many kids?

Into the dimly candle lit dungeon Alora and Bull slowly walked looking at the imprisoned children all around them. Anger started to fill Bull as he looked at all those sad children clutching the small bars of their cages looking back at him with so much sadness. They looked miserable, and rightfully so.

The sounds of the Knightmares and Fiends that had been chasing after them then began to echo into the dungeon snapping Alora and Bull out of their numb astonishment. Quickly they started running down the dungeon, the multitude of cages whipping past them as they ran when suddenly they heard a familiar voice.

"Bull!" the voice yelled. "Alora!"

Hearing this made Alora and Bull quit their running and they began to look around.

"Up here," the voice said.

Alora and Bull looked up and into one of the cages. It was Tucker. Then they saw the cages next to him held Becky and Colt.

"Tucker!" Bull let out. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you okay?" Alora asked, completely stunned at seeing them.

"No!" Becky shouted.

"Get us out of here!" Colt yelled.

The Knightmares and Fiends that had been chasing after them then quickly entered into the dungeon. They all hesitated at first but when they saw Alora and Bull they quickened their steps once again and ran at the children as fast as they could.

"This isn't good," Alora said.

"What are we going to do now?" Bull asked. "We can't keep running. We have to keep going down that staircase. And they're in our way."

"You can start by getting us out of here!" Tucker yelled.

"Yeah! They said we're next to be tethered," Becky said.

"I don't want to be tethered to a master," Colt added. "I don't want to be a slave."

"And how are we supposed to free you?" Bull inquired.

"I can do it," Alora answered.

"What, how?" Bull asked.

"Tucker," Alora began as she looked up at the boy. "If I can get you out of there, if I can get you all out of here, will you lead the other children up and out of the castle?"

"Of course," Tucker agreed. "Just get me out of here!"

"Good. Just take them all that way," Alora said, pointing in the direction from which she and Bull had just come. Soon after she closed her eyes and imagined all the cages throughout the dungeon unlocking and opening up. At first, nothing happened. But then, as she thought about it with all of her might, all of the cages began to rattle and shake.

Seeing this the Knightmares and Fiends stopped and started to look around them. All of the cage doors then burst open. The children were free. Initially, none of the children moved, they were too shocked and confused by their sudden freedom. But it didn't take long before the children regained their clarity and began leaping out of their cages one by one onto the dungeon floor and looked around. Many of the children had been locked away for some time and appeared to be feral, growling and snarling at each other like wild things. Then it was that they saw the Knightmares and Fiends. Anger and hatred filled the children replacing the fear and sorrow that they once felt and they all charged after their captors and began to attack them.