Sentinel Event

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

In the darkest, quietest hour of the night, Dreamer was awakened to her bed shaking. Her first thought was of Aidriel, and she was seriously preparing to deck him in the face if he tried anything. But before she was fully awake, the rough feeling of a body climbing over her filled her with terror. The next one that climbed over was in such a hurry she was thrown right off the bed and onto the floor between it and the wall. She cried out.

It was pitch-black in the room, but lying facedown on the carpet, Dreamer could see gray and white movement out of the corner of her eye. If Aidriel was already awake, he made no sound, and she couldn't hear anything until he slammed suddenly into the wall on the other side of the room. There were repeated thuds of something, possibly his head, striking the wall, and the shuffling of the sheets of his bed. He suddenly took a short, deep breath, as if he had been under water.

The strong smell of electrical burning hung in the air and something was hissing and sputtering. Dreamer turned her head as far as she could toward the wall and saw the feet of a Passer mere inches away. As if it could sense her notice, it paused in its movement to lean over, its face sweeping down close to hers. The wide empty eyes stared through her, the lips arching in a snarl. The ghost almost seemed to be taking deliberate, angry inhales. Closing her eyes, the phlebotomist got swiftly up, untangling herself from the blankets.

The Passers coming through the front wall and converging on the small area between Aidriel's bed and the far end of the room were so numerous, Dreamer couldn't see through their ghostly forms. The television and temperature unit under the window were sparking and smoking. The room was bitterly cold and she shivered, scrambling up onto the bed. The Passers shoved her forward, tumbling her to the floor again on the other side, by the nightstand and between the beds.

Dreamer was stunned and at first lay still, covering her face with her hands. She had never seen so many Passers before, neither had she been so harshly dealt with, besides when they scratched her at the hospital. She could hear Aidriel manage another gasp for breath, and realized he was probably being choked or smothered. It was frightening how deliberate and silent the ghosts were.

There were two more thumps against the far wall, and Aidriel managed to shout for her to run. But she had to help him; the Passers were out for blood.

Dreamer reached under the skirt of his bed, and her hand collided with a board of wood. She couldn't get to him under it; she'd have to climb over. Without allowing herself to even think, she got up and let the Passers shove her onto the bed as they flowed forward. Clinging to the bedding, she reached over the side into the ghostly blur. Her hand groped and she held her breath, but she found fabric, clutched it, and pulled.

Aidriel rolled to the side, possible against his will, and Dreamer's fingers lost their grasp. The angry spirits flung her back off the bed to the floor. In a fright, she got up and ran to the door, slamming into the wall and flicking on the light switch. Some of the Passers seemed startled by the sudden flood of light and withdrew, but the majority continued their attack, unbothered.

Looking across the foggy room, Dreamer was surprised to see the scrubs Aidriel had been wearing as pajamas lying in a heap on the carpet. She was afraid to draw close to help, but remembered she'd felt fabric when she grabbed onto him. The top supplies tub had been overturned on the floor, and his clothing was no longer inside it; even his shoes were missing. He must have sensed the attack coming and had gotten dressed in hopes of escaping.

Without another thought, Dreamer threw herself forward into the fray, yelling for the Passers to let go of Aidriel and let him breathe. To her surprise, the ghosts appeared startled by her. They rose to turn and stare, temporarily ceasing the assault. Had they never been directly addressed during previous attacks?