Cassie took an automatic step back, pulling Sam with her before she even knew what she was doing. She didn't know what the thing standing in front of them was, but it wasn't human. The predatory gleam dancing in his eyes as he inhaled slowly, breathing in the girls' fear as he licked his lips, told her that. She didn't know what he was or where he came from, but one thing was certain, this was the creature behind the nightmares. The one who had stolen all the souls.
"Who are you?" Cassie asked, her voice barely coming out more than a hoarse squawk. The moisture fled her mouth at the sight of him and her fingers shook as she tried to swallow. The fear was excruciating and it was all she could do to keep from running away. But she wouldn't let herself move. The people around her needed her strength. They needed her help. "What do you want?"
"I want everything," he said simply, his cool voice flowing everywhere. It was all-encompassing and it was all Cassie could do to keep from drowning in it. "Isn't that what everyone wants?"
Cassie winced as Sam's fingers dug harder into her arm. She pulled them off and took a small step, putting herself slightly in front of her best friend. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded as she locked eyes with the man.
His dark eyes danced as he watched the girl. "Why do you care so much, little Cassandra? Who are you to be their self-imposed protector?" He looked away, his eyes scanning the cells around him. His face lit up as he watched a boy tear his hair out, tuft by tuft. Blood dotted the exposed scalp as the boy bayed with the pain even as he eagerly went back for more. "Why waste your energies in this foolish manner?"
She took a breath and squared her shoulders. "Someone has to stand between you and them," she told him, her voice sounding calmer than she felt.
"Why?" he asked, moving to another cell, his eyes drinking in every second of the misery contained inside as his fingers stroked the glass. "I am a pioneer, a harbinger of sorts. I'm here to show what we can do if we only allow ourselves to do it."
His words sent a shiver down her spine. "What are you talking about? What purpose does any of this have?"
He whirled around, his eyes narrowed as he glared at her. "Don't you get it, little Betweener? I'm forced to live within the walls of human dreams. I am more powerful than they will ever be, yet I am at their mercy, forced to flee to a new refuge every time the humans wake. Well, no more. I submit to no one."
"Cass," Sam whispered in her ear. "We can't fight something like that." She drew away, slipping farther down the hall until she was in front of Riley's cell. Tears slipped out as her face creased with pain. She slid down the glass, despair coating her as her eyes never left the boy dancing with madness in front of her.
Dread tightened her stomach as she watched her best friend's face. Sam had given up. The fear and grief were too much for her. What was she supposed to do now? She turned back to the nightmare in front of her. "Who are you?" she asked again, stressing the words as she silently begged him to answer. Maybe if she knew who they were dealing with, maybe she could find a way to stop this.
"You may call me the Taker, Cassandra," the man said, dropping into an elegant bow. His lips twisted up in mockery as his eyes held only contempt. "This is who I am now. I take what I deserve. These humans, they flit about not even realizing the precise gift they have, while we stay in the shadowed parts of the subconscious, waiting for our next release."
"What gift is that?"
"Life," he cried with repressed anguish. "They are real. They live, while we are only smoke and mirrors. But I have found a way. A way through these stupid teenagers. They still believe enough to allow me in, but not enough to fight back like the younger of their kind are inclined to do. They are malleable in my hands. I take their souls and create myself from their sorrow. Once I am bursting with enough of their life, it will be me who walks the real world and them hiding in the darkened corners of sleeping minds."
Cassie's lips parted as she stared at the madman before her. He was feeding on them. He was using their fear and sorrow to make himself stronger. And when he had his fill, he'd be free.
"We can't let him into the real world, Cassie," Sam whimpered, snapping out of her sorrow at those words. The madness around them would only be the beginning if they did.
Cassie knew that. She knew that with every fiber of her being, but what were they supposed to do about it? How could she possible beat something she didn't even understand?
The Taker silently watched her once more, a grim curiosity in his eyes. "But you should already know this, little Betweener. You walk the dreams as well as any of your kind. They should have taught you better than this by now." He stepped closer still, staring down at her. "Why are you so ignorant of the ways?"
"Do you know who I am?" The words left Cassie's mouth before she could stop them. Surely there was a price to gaining wisdom from the devil.
He shook his head, strands of stringy hair sticking to his face. "I know who you're supposed to be. Though they led us to believe you were no longer alive. I see now your mother simply hid you away. And, because of that, she hasn't been raising you right. Not at all." He turned away with a sigh. "Pity. I smell potential on you. You made your way here, after all, and all without any guidance. And you even managed to bring a guest. That's hard to do for even the skilled." He leaned against the glass, a thought dancing behind his eyes. "Yes, powerful indeed. I can train you properly, little Cassandra. Stay here with me and learn from the master."
Cassie shook her head, backing away from the excitement in his dark eyes. The thought of owning her thrilled him to no end. "No, you're a monster. Why would I want to learn anything you have to teach? I won't have anything to do with you."
He threw his head back, rage flowing from every pore. The hallway shook and the kids screamed, their madness delighting in the fury flowing freely around them. "Who are you to turn me down?" he spat out as he drew back, his long frame growing until it took up the whole hallway in front of her. He hunched over, his back hitting the ceiling as he glared down at the girl. "I am a God! I am this whole town's God and I will be worshipped!" He glanced over her shoulder with a laugh, his huge face smiling as his eyes burned into her. "You've woken the pet with your insolence. You shouldn't get me in such a rage, Cassandra. It has consequences you might not want to pay."
Cassie pulled her eyes away from the Taker's vast form, deliberately turning her back on him. It was another act of defiance and she wasn't sure she'd live through it, but she wouldn't submit to him. Ever. And he needed to understand that.
Her eyes darted past Sam down the long hallway. The bald, white thing crawled across the ceiling, its every movement was unhurried, its sightless face enjoying every agonizing second its steps caused. Its intentions were clear. It was headed straight for Sam.
She jumped up, terror on her face as she turned to face Riley. She knew there was nothing she could do to save herself or the boy she'd come to the dream world for, but she wouldn't leave this life without saying what she'd always wanted to, what she'd always been too scared to admit to. It didn't matter if he understood her or not. "Riley," she said softly, drawing his attention.
The boy turned, his eyes settling on her for a moment. His hands stilled and he waited even as his mind couldn't comprehend what he was waiting for.
Sam leaned forward, sighing as she laid her forehead against the glass, the harsh breathing of the creature even closer still. It was now or never. "I...I love you, Riley."
Riley's eyes widened as his body shook. "Sam," he gasped, his voice a rough croak as he woke from the madness. "No. What are you doing here?" He hurried to the wall separating them. "You can't be here. He'll hurt you." He raised his hand against the glass and Sam followed, her hand against his, though the cell kept them apart. His eyes darted up above her head. "No, Sam. Run. That thing can't have you. Not you."
Cassie stepped forward, encouraged by Riley's words. Sam had brought him back. Maybe they all could be brought back.
"No," the Taker hissed, grabbing Cassie's arm. "This small thing of hope is nothing, little Betweener. One moment of clarity isn't enough to save anyone. It's especially not enough to keep my pet from taking your friend."
Cassie's head dropped even as she tried to pull away from his iron grip. He was right. There was nothing they could do to save themselves now. They'd be just two more victims lost to some unnamable illness.
"Please," Riley begged as he watched the creature move closer to the girl before him. "Sam, I love you. I can't lose you to that thing. Run!"
"There is no place to run," the Taker bellowed as his fingers dug harder into Cassie's arm. "There is only here and I already have you both."
Sam felt hot breath on the back of her neck, but held Riley's gaze, never wavering from the look in his eyes. If these were her last few minutes, she wanted to hold onto the love contained in his eyes. Suddenly she jerked, her body becoming rigid as her hands flew to her chest. She doubled over in pain, her hands clawing at something unseen.
"Sam!" Riley yelled as he slammed his fists against the glass.
Cassie watched in amazement as the bald thing stopped, tilting his head as he tried to work out what was wrong with the Sam. "What are you doing to her?" she demanded as she jerked away from the hideous man holding her arm.
"It's not me," he hissed, pulling Cassie back even harder.
Sam's eyes went wide and she looked up, a curious expression on her face. "Cassie," she said softly. And just like that, she was gone, nothing but empty space remaining where she had been.
"No!" the Taker growled. "That's not possible."
Relief trickled into Cassie's chest as she realized what had happened. "Someone woke her up," she said, turning a smug grin to her captor. "She safe from you and your pet now."
The man pulled his face even with Cassie's, venom pooling in his eyes as his foul breath came out in rasping pants against her skin. "She can't stay awake forever," he warned, his smooth voice deep with hatred. "She will be mine eventually. You all will."
Fire erupted in Cassie's chest as weight slammed down into her. She clawed frantically at herself, trying to rid the invisible vice crushing her lungs. Her heart gave a loud thump and relief poured through her. Phantom voices swirled, calling out her name.
The waking world edged in on her. She could feel it. It would be only a matter of seconds before she followed Sam back into the real world. "We won't be yours today," she told the Taker with as much defiance as she could. "Catch you next time." His fingers on her arm became less solid and the hallway blurred around her, becoming nothing but a white smear on black.
Cold tile bit into Cassie's back and she sat up, looking around in a daze. People stared back at her, bewilderment and concern written all over their faces. "Sam?" she said, her thoughts immediately going to her best friend. She'd disappeared before she had. Had she returned as well?
"I'm here, Cass," she said softly from the floor on the other side of Riley's bed. "We're both okay."
"What happened?" Cassie asked, straightening her shirt and standing up.
"Easy," a man in a white coat said as Riley's nurse slid an arm around her shoulders. "Take it slow. You and your friend's heart stopped. Mr. Jones' friend found you both lying on the floor. We resuscitated you, but I'm not sure if moving you is such a good idea." The doctor turned and looked at Sam. "With everything going on, you both should be admitted so we can run some tests."
"No," Cassie said, pulling away from the nurse. "We're good." She stepped closer to the bed as Sam stood. "We'll only be a few minutes longer. We're not going anywhere until we say our goodbyes."
The doctor stood there a moment longer. "You at least need an examination before you leave. Come find me when you're done. We'll set something up for you." He glanced over at Sam. "For both of you." He turned and left, the rest of the hospital staff following him out as well.
She took a deep breath, realizing how close that had been. If the doctors hadn't intervened when they did, they'd both be locked in glass cells right along with the rest of their friends.
Sam's eyes wandered to Riley, his slumbering body still prone in the bed. "We didn't save Riley, though," she said as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
No, they never even stood a chance. How in the world was she supposed to save anyone?
A warm hand closed over her shoulder, the grip gentle but firm. "Cassie?"
Cassie turned at the sound of that voice, complete shock overwhelming her. "Mike? What are you doing here?"
"I snuck in to see Riley," he said absently as his eyes scanned hers urgently, his face drawn and pale. "Cassie, are you okay?"
She nodded slowly, barely remembering how to breathe. Mike had never been this close before. "I think so."
"What happened to you? Neither one of you were breathing when I came in." He sighed as he gently tucked a strand of hair behind Cassie's ear. "You scared the hell out of me, Cass," he admitted softly.
Cassie bit her lip, frozen as she stared into Mike's eyes. "I did?"
He nodded as his palm slipped down against her cheek, hesitantly brushing against her skin. "You most certainly did."
She swallowed thickly. "I...I'm sorry."
He shook his head, his hand running down her arm. "What the hell is going on around here?" he said, his voice heavy with frustration.
Sam sat back down in the chair next to the bed, sliding her hand into Riley's. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you, Mike-"
A shuddered breath halted her words, all eyes going instantly to the boy in the bed. His eyelids fluttered before suddenly popping open. Another deep breath poured out of him as he sat up, eyes darting around the room until they found Sam. "Run, Sam," Riley croaked, his voice thick from neglect. "Run. He wants you. He wants you both. Please, baby. Don't let him take you back." His eyed closed just as quickly as they opened and he dropped back to the bed, nothing but a slumbering body once more.
The three of them stood there in shock, the meaning of what they witnessed different to each one, but still as equally disturbing.
Mike blinked, trying to focus his mind as he turned back to Cassie. "I think it's time you tell me what you know."