17 Dreams

Chapter 6: Dig Deeper

When you have a dream that you can't let go of, trust your instincts and pursue it. But remember: Real dreams take work, They take patience, and sometimes they require you to dig down very deep. Be sure you're willing to do that - Harvey Mackay

The door busted open and Jason was laughing. I wasn't gonna let this man intimidate me. I'm a fighter. Always has been, always will be.

"My sweet flower."

I grabbed a letter opener as a weapon since it was the first thing I saw. I gripped onto it like my life depended on it. Technically, my life did depend on it.

"Don't come any closer!"

"Or what?"

I lunged at Jason, ready to stab him. He pushed my hand away but I was quicker and smarter than him, I stabbed his hand with the letter opener. He screamed in pain as blood was dripping down his hand and onto the rug. I was about to finish him off when the lights cut out. Everything went dark and I couldn't see anything.

"What just happened?" South asked.

"You thought I was working alone? Not this time, sweet flower."

I then felt something hit the back of my head, and I soon felt my body collide with the hard cold floor.

My vision was blurry, but I could hear a few voices.

"She's fine. She just fainted from the shock. She'll need rest and make sure she eats and stays hydrated."

"Thanks, Doc."

I opened my eyes and saw Jake and my dad talking to the doctor. I turned my head to my right and saw Claire sleeping in a chair close to my bed.

"Dad?"

"South!"

Dad and Jake rushed to me, giving me tight hugs.

"Are you ok?"

"Dad, I'm fine. I just felt sick."

"South? I'm...I'm gonna have to ask you questions."

"Questions? Like...like I'm a suspect?"

My dad and Jake remained quiet. This is what happened last time I was in the hospital. After I fainted from the fire that killed Adam Diaz, I woke up and was asked questions about the fire. This is all too familiar.

"I can't do it, not again."

"It's not those kinds of questions."

Now I was confused.

"If it's not those kinds of questions, then what am I being asked?"

Soon a well-dressed woman walked in. She was tall, wearing a black pantsuit and had a briefcase.

"South Diamond?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Laura Jones, I'm an oenologist. Do you know what that is?"

"No."

"It's the study of dreams. I'm something like a dream doctor. I've been told by the detectives that you dreamed of the last victim, Ava Knight. Can you tell me more about that dream?"

"Um, I woke up in a dark basement. It felt...so real. I was tied up, saw my boyfriend passed out and bleeding, then I saw a woman. She looked about my age. She was tied up like me. Jason Ambrose walked in, said he was gonna finish what he started. Shot Ava in the head."

"Ok, and soon after you bump into the same woman you saw in your dream?"

"Yeah, alive and breathing. She seemed so nice, too. I must've looked like I saw a ghost because she asked if I was ok."

"Did you dream about your professor?"

"Yeah. After the dream I had about Ava Knight, I dreamt about my professor. He was shot 15 times. Overkill. Someone was angry with him."

"And today, your professor turns up dead. The detectives found this."

Laura then shows me a piece of paper. It was my paper about a song that we relate to the most, and there was a marked grade that has been crossed out and been replaced with an A+.

"Professor Stone gave you an F, and was shortly replaced with an A+. Any reason why?"

"No, I don't."

"Did Professor Stone attempt to rape you?"

I was taken aback.

"How did you-"

"I told them." Jake said.

"Why? Stone almost killed me the other day because he heard you and Claire talking about it."

"Did that make you angry?"

"Excuse me?"

"He almost killed you, and tried to fail you. Did that make you angry?"

"Listen here, lady. I've been in this situation before. I didn't kill him, and you're not a detective. You're some kind of dream doctor, so what is the reason you're here?"

"I'm here to help you."

"With what?"

"Your dreams. The detectives think you can actually help find the next victim and save them before they get killed."

"I don't..."

"South? We need you. We think if we dig deeper into your dreams, we can find the source. The plan is to get inside your mind and find the source."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Claire asked.

"We hook you to a machine, it helps us see what you see when you're asleep."

"Wait, so you're gonna enter her mind?" Jake asked.

"Not really 'enter', more like 'take a look'. This machine helps us see on the outside what you see from the inside. You're very aware of your surroundings in your dreams, and because of that, we can see your dream just from a screen."

"How does this machine help you see what I see?"

"The machine is connected to patches, and we stick the patches onto your head and it helps us see your dreams on this."

Laura then pulls out a tablet.

"We set it up to the TV for everyone to see."

"And by 'everyone', you mean...?"

"Just the detectives, your family and I."

This was too much to process. These murders, my dreams, and the fact that science is on my side. But more importantly, I'm the answer. I'm the key. It's up to me to find the source of my dreams. And in order to do that, I have to dig deep.

"So, what do you say?"

Some would assume one would need time to think about being used as a guinea pig, but knowing that I hold the key to end this madness, I already have my answer.

"Let's do it."