The Sandman's Daughter

Eight

Eight

Morning had come much too quickly for Cassie's taste. She'd spent the night drinking coffee and battling sleep anyway she could. Twice it had gotten the better of her and twice she'd woken up screaming.

It couldn't continue. She wasn't strong enough to fight sleep deprivation and she wasn't strong enough to fight the town's nightmares either. She was in a losing battle no matter which way she looked at it.

Something had the town in its evil grip. If she didn't figure out a way to stop it soon, her mind would implode.

She took a long draw from her disposable coffee cup as she made her way across the school parking lot. She needed to find Sam. Her best friend wasn't answering her phone this morning and she was worried about what that could mean.

Her mind kept playing the same scene over as her mom drove her to school. Sam lying in a hospital bed, dead to the world, deep in the grips of an unexplainable coma.

She chewed her lip as she sprinted into the school. She needed to find Sam before the image drove her completely insane.

Cassie stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the empty hallway in front of her. She glanced down at her watch to make sure it was time for school to start. The ticking hands confirmed it was, but...where were all the students?

Cassie moved, taking in the cold empty halls. Had they cancelled school and not told her?

A chill dripped down her spine as she neared her locker. Had she fallen asleep on the way to school? Was she back in someone's nightmare, a walking target for the creature behind the scenes? Every hair rose on her body as she looked around.

What would it be this time?

The chill intensified as she opened her locker and tossed her messenger bag inside. She had a feeling that whatever it was would be worse this time.

After all, it liked to toy with the youth of the town.

"Very creepy, isn't it?" a voice spoke behind her.

She jumped, nearly spilling the last of her coffee in the process.

"I'm sorry," Mike said softly, steadying her. "I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to scare you."

Cassie took a deep breath, trying to calm her frantic heart. She glanced past Mike and saw Sam and Riley standing there. Relief flooded through her as the sight of her best friend. "You're okay," she said. "I was worried when you didn't answer your phone."

Sam gave her a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was in such a scatterbrained state today, I left home without my phone." She glanced at the empty halls. "A lot more students are in comas."

"Are we all that's left?"

Mike shook his head. "No, there's about a quarter of the school left. They're gathering in the gym right now. Nobody wants to be alone."

Riley gave a disgusted chuckle. "Can't say I blame them. Teens are dropping like flies around here."

Sam shook her head at his insensitivity. "Shut up, Jones. It isn't funny."

"No, it's not," he told her flatly. "But what else can I do?"

Cassie sighed, grabbing a few books out of her locker. "This is like one long waking nightmare," she muttered as she slammed the locker door.

"Tell me about it," Mike told her. "Either I'm in bed jolting myself awake because of bad dreams or I'm awake and faced with an even grimmer reality."

She looked at him, worry rushing through her. "You're having nightmares?"

"The whole town is."

"Oh, yeah," Riley added. "My old man screamed so loud last night it woke the whole house."

Everyone in town was having nightmares? No wonder Cassie couldn't close her eyes for two seconds without being pulled into someone's dream. This was so much bigger than she'd imagined. How was she supposed to fix this?

"It's no wonder you're always so tired, Cass," Sam said, putting an arm around her. "If your dreams are anything like the ones I've been having I'm surprised you get any sleep at all."

Cassie shrugged. "At least, we're all awake right now."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Mike said, like a small prayer. "Come on, they're holding an assembly in the gym before they send us to class. I want to know what the official word is on this."

They made their way to the gym and sat among the scattering of students. Cassie felt tears sting her eyes as she took in the pathetic sight. There wasn't many of them left at all. Had that many kids really been sucked into a dream and left in a coma? It was horrifying to do that kind of math.

She glanced over at her best friend, and then at the two guys sitting next to her. Anyone of them could be next. Sam was the sister she always wanted. The one who understood her like no other. She couldn't lose her.

To have her stripped from her life would be like having a piece of herself cut away, torn from her very soul.

The guys would be almost as bad. She knew how much it would hurt Sam to have anything happen to Riley.

Then, there was Mike.

Cassie had the biggest crush on him since kindergarten. He was the one she'd always compare other guys to. He was the one she'd go to her grave thinking of every night.

Just because he barely even knew she existed didn't change the fact she needed him safe.

Always.

She pulled her eyes away from her friends and watched as the principal made his way in, followed by several teachers. They stopped near the front and talked quietly among themselves for a moment. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they turned to the students.

Principal Lamoure stepped forward, a grim look on his face. "As you know, this town is experiencing an extreme crisis," he said, his voice booming across the gym. "Many of the town's children have succumbed to a strange and unprecedented coma. They slipped into it while they were sleeping, most often in violent episodes."

Students murmured to themselves, recounting the things they'd seen. Tyler flashed into Cassie's own mind, his body twitching on the classroom floor.

"Whatever is happening is only affecting 11 to 17-year-olds," he continued when the gym settled down. "While no one is certain of a cause, we are certain that authorities are doing all they can in treatment and prevention." He looked around at the handful of students. "Many parents have decided to keep their children home at this time. While I am saddened by the effects it may have on the students' education, I feel staying with your loved ones may be the best choice right now. So...as of tomorrow, school will be cancelled until further notice. You are dismissed. Please report to your first-period classes as soon as possible. Thank you." He turned and left the gym with the teachers still on his heel.

"Wow, that's a first," Riley said as he stood up.

"Yeah. Things must be really bad if they're cancelling school," Mike agreed.

"This is really scary," Sam said as they filed out of the gym with the other students.

"I know," Riley said, slipping an arm around her.

Cassie watched her friends walk ahead of her, their fear plain to see. She couldn't blame them. Everything was wrong in their little town and there was nothing they could do about it. They had to sit back and wait until the comas claimed the next person.

No. 

Cassie wasn't going to let that happen. She'd stop the thing even if it was the last thing she ever did.