Dream Walker

Chapter 15 | Back to Reality

It was such a relief to be flat on her back, staring up at a sky full of stars with the moon shining among them. She wanted to bask in their glow like a snake in the sun. The sight of her sky and the feeling of being home were relieving the tension in her muscles. The chilly air was helping to cool her skin and slow down the adrenaline rush that had been coursing through her body.

Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was stretched into a lunatic's grin, but she didn't care about that. She was just glad to be safe and alive. While that brief trip to another place had certainly been real, she couldn't help but feel it was just another dream. It was a particularly vivid dream, and, yeah, it had felt real at the time, but that's what dreams were like.

A groan coming from the body laid out next to hers put an end to her fanciful philosophizing. She cut her eyes toward Alex, who was also lying on his back. She was the injured one, so she didn't know what he was complaining about. Maybe she'd pulled his arm a bit abruptly. Or maybe the traveling through realities thing was more painful for him. Who knew? Not her. She was a novice on the subject.

She placed her palms on the ground on either side of her stomach and pushed herself up, wincing when she tried to contract the muscles in her calves. "Alex, you really need to start telling me—look out!"

Her yell was provoked by the single clawed foot hovering in a patch of shimmery air. As she watched, another foot began to push through. A snout dripping with saliva emerged just above the feet.

Alex had gotten up into a crouch and drew something from his pocket. She saw the moonlight gleam off the blade of the knife once he flipped it out. He hissed, "Stay back."

Callie, terrified and a little offended, said, "What? You're gonna fight that monster with a little knife?" Despite the rubber band tightness in her lower legs, she forced herself to stand. She was behind Alex, but she refused to cower like some frightened child.

Gruff with anger, Alex snapped, "I left my katana at home, so this is our best option." She couldn't tell whether he was joking. Did he really have a katana?

The shimmer in the air before them slowly widened as the creature pushed its body through the opening. Once its head emerged fully, it snarled, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth. It began wriggling, trying to force its back half through.

"I will take care of this one, but you need to close the portal before any more come through." Alex was looking steadily at the visible half of the jackal creature. He must have been waiting for the right time to attack.

Callie replied through gritted teeth. "You keep saying these things like I'll understand what you mean. Opening that thing was a miracle. How am I supposed to close it?"

Without acknowledging her question, Alex lunged forward, swinging the arm holding the knife toward the creature's neck. His quick movements allowed him to avoid the swiping claws, and his blow struck home. He stepped back as the creature flailed its limbs and head, blood pouring from the wound in its neck.

Once it stopped moving, Alex turned to face her. There was blood on the hand holding the knife, and some had splattered onto his arm. He had no visible injuries, just as she'd thought. Shock had begun to take over Callie's body, and she had no more biting remarks left to give. She stared blankly at the half-corpse hanging in the air. Her brain had stopped processing information, and she found the situation only vaguely interesting.

"Callie," Alex said. When she didn't respond, he grabbed her shoulder with his clean hand and squeezed. The squeeze was hard, but she was beyond pain. "Callie, you have to close the portal."

Her gaze shifted from the dead body to his face, searching for something. She remained frozen in place. "Hey," he said softly, staring intently into her eyes. "You need to concentrate, just like you did before. You can do this."