Upstairs, Kenzie began questioning me before I even closed the door. "What did that cop say? Are we in trouble? Is Randy both the murderer and the Great?"
"The cop just told me to be careful." I lied.
"Oh." Kenzie replied.
Oh? I thought.
"What now, Nash? Try to stay awake all night?" Kenzie asked, stepping closer to me for safety.
"We need some sleep..."
"Please. No." Kenzie interrupted. "I can't."
"Listen to me." I explained. "I plan to locate and stop this 'Great' idiot in the real world, but we need to rest. We'll be fine. The drugs I picked up today allow us to have dreamless sleep. Dreamless. We need sleep. We can't stay up forever and I figured if we can't dream, the Great can't hurt you."
"Drugs, huh? What're they?" Kenzie asked.
"Not sure exactly, but I got them from a doctor I trust. She told me they're some sort of combination of Sodium Oxybate, Risperdal and some other stuff I can't even begin to pronounce." I told her. "I gave the doctor our weights, ages and everything."
"And she just gave you these drugs?" Kenzie asked suspiciously.
"Yes." I explained. "She owes me. It's a long story."
"What if they don't work?" Kenzie asked. "I mean, I agree we can't stay up forever, I've tried that before and the results weren't good. But how do we know the drugs will keep us safe?"
"They will. She told me exactly what to do." I assured the woman. "Here's my plan. I'll give the drug cocktail to you, you fall asleep, and I'll watch you for any sign of dreams at all. Eye movement, restlessness, anything. If you're sleeping, but not dreaming, I'll take my dose and sleep right next to you. I'll drag that comfy chair in here and sleep as close to you as I can. First sign of a dream, I'll wake you up."
"You can sleep in the same bed as me, Nash." Kenzie offered. "I mean, just to watch out for me..."
"I appreciate that, but not this time, Kenzie." I explained seriously. "No distractions. Plus, I want to sit and watch you. I can't do that lying down."
Kenzie pretended to pout. "Party pooper." She whispered. Although joking and teasing me, I understood how nervous and frightened the woman actually was.
After administering the drugs to Kenzie, she climbed into bed and, within minutes, fell fast asleep.
Switching between leaning over Kenzie to observe her eye movements and watching her from the chair, after an hour, I satisfied myself the drugs worked as promised.
After setting the alarm clock on Kenzie's desk as a precaution, I took the same drug concoction and sat back down in the easy chair, yawned and closed my eyes.
* * * * * * *
At first, I thought the smoky, circa nineteen-thirties nightclub might be some old black and white television, late-night movie. That thought, and all others, quickly left my mind as the exotic woman took the stage and began singing seductively. Behind her, obscured partially in the shadows, the live band played anonymously, as every eye in the joint focused on the well-dressed woman in front of the mic.
As the woman sang on, I swear she stared directly at me the entire song. After finishing another drink, my overly attentive waiter replaced my cocktail without me saying a word.
"Good service, here." I whispered to myself as I attempted to focus on the woman's words as she sang, and not on the expensive dress clinging perfectly to her figure. "This is exactly the distraction I needed tonight." I again whispered to myself. "This latest case has got me all turned upside down."
"Take me down by the river..." The woman sang. "Just like we did last year..."
Yup. I thought. She's definitely singing to me.
Finishing her song, the woman smiled and left the stage as every man in the room stood and applauded.
Myself included.
Turning my attention back to my drink, the waiter brought me a folded piece of paper, placed it on the table and left. Opening the note, I read it to myself.
I'm waiting for you backstage. XOXOXO
Finishing my drink in a single gulp, I stood and made my way through the tables toward the backstage door.
Opening the unlocked door, I entered and closed it behind me. After entering the lone dressing room with a large star on it, I began smiling as I found the singer standing in the center of the room, obviously waiting for me.
I ceased smiling as she slapped me hard across the face.
"Ouch!"
"Nash! You're in my dream again!" The woman shouted. "Snap out of it. I know I look different again, but it's me! Your damn drugs didn't work! We're both in the Dreamlands!"
I instantly came to my senses. "Kenzie? You pulled me into your dreams again! Damnit! I thought we couldn't dream with those drugs!"
"Well, you thought wrong." Kenzie angrily retorted. "Now what?"
"Let's wake up." I said, proud of myself.
"Oh." Kenzie retorted sarcastically. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"You've tried that before?" I asked.
This time, I caught Kenzie's hand before she slapped me a second time. "Nash! You promised me this wouldn't happen!"
I never promised. I thought.
Before I could reply, a mountain of a man entered through the dressing room door. "Look, doll face.... Mister Big says he don't want no private dicks snooping around his place. Especially this one."
"Vanish." Kenzie stated angrily an instant before the enormous thug-for-hire disappeared.
"Why did we show up back in this old noir private detective dream again?" I asked. "Is this still my dream?"
"No." Kenzie said, still angry at me. "I thought this was as good a place as any to hide from the Great. Once you dozed off, I pulled you in with me. I couldn't contact you out there, in the audience, because some of those customers might be real people, lucid dreaming or worse, spies for the Great."
"And the Great hasn't found you yet." I stated. "That's a good sign. You've been asleep for over an hour in the real world already. Have you ever lasted this long before? I mean, before the Great found you? Maybe that Randy fool is the Great and we woke him when we broke into his house tonight? I mean, over an hour is a long time, right?"
Kenzie's emotions immediately turned from angry to upset as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Nash. I'm so scared. You have no idea what he does to me here."
I took Kenzie into my arms as she cried and shivered, vowing silently to stop this Great, whether he be the real-life Randolph Carter or not.
As Kenzie wept, I thought about the "rules", for lack of a better term, in the Dreamlands. First, both Kenzie and the Great could manipulate the environment, and I couldn't. Maybe I didn't sign the book so I can't control the dreams? Second, the Great could manipulate Kenzie's body, like tying her up, but neither Kenzie nor the Great ever tried to do that to me. Maybe they couldn't. I mean, if the Great could control me, he would have already. I'm a threat. All the Great's ever done is talk to me and affect the environment around me to include taking my guns.
I had to ask Kenzie to try something, despite her emotional state. "Kenzie, I'm sorry this is so upsetting, but can you force me to do things, physically do things against my will, like touching my toes in your dream?"
"Why?" Kenzie asked.
"Can you?"
"I don't know." Kenzie answered. "Why would I even try?"
"Try now. I don't think the Great can control you or me and I can use that to our advantage." I explained.
Kenzie stared at me for several seconds before speaking. "Touch your toes." When I didn't move, Kenzie continued. "Slap yourself for being an inconsiderate jerk who obtains worthless drugs." Again, I didn't move.
"Well?" I asked.
"But the Great has more power than I do." Kenzie countered.
"No." I explained. "I don't think so. I think he has power over your environment because you voluntarily agreed to be in his dreams, even though he tricked you, by signing that damn book."
"Then what's the answer?" Kenzie asked, wiping the last tears out of her eyes.
"Can you bring us back to the University?" I asked. "Looks like the Great isn't here in the Dreamlands, at least for now. And I really want to finish reading that spellbook for a clue or for a way out of this mess. Like last time, there shouldn't be anyone there this time of night."
"Library." In the way of an answer, Kenzie instantly transported us to the Miskatonic Library. She also changed her clothes from her singing dress back to the evening gown she wore last time we visited the Dreamlands and her dream mansion. Checking, I also realized she let me keep my private eye costume, complete with the .45 pistol under my left arm.
"Good girl." I praised Kenzie, smiling and kissing her on the forehead.
In response, Kenzie grabbed my head and kissed me hard on the lips. "Hey." I mildly protested after kissing her back.
"Hey, nothing." The smiling woman replied. "This is my dream, after all."
Standing in the middle of the University library, I instantly came up with a witty response. However, I never said it as dozens of hideous creatures, straight out of the worst nightmares ever dreamed by man, surrounded us!
"What the hell!" I shouted, drawing the pistol from my shoulder holster and shoving Kenzie behind me.
"Nash!" Kenzie screamed. "The Great must've left this place guarded!"
As the monsters advanced on us, I couldn't help but angrily think Kenzie could've told me this was a possibility before bringing us here.