Bridge of Dreams

Chapter 16

A soft whoosh of the metal and glass doors wakes me up from the alternative reality. Where is reality? Is it here?

"Wake up, we gotta bring you the head boss," a deep, scratchy voice says, poking my cheeks and shoulders. "I don't want to carry that. You do it."

"What makes you think I want to touch their experimental garbage? It might have some disease or something."

I hear a chuckle and a smack. "If they have a disease, they would have given us safety measures. We would never bring a diseased thing to the boss, right?"

"Oh, right." Afterward, I could feel my body being lifted into the air.

"Let go of her, brutes!" I hear Harry's voice from my left as he hits the glass with his fists.

"Piss off, squirt! You have no right to talk, lab rat!"

Harry snarls. "What makes you think you have the right to talk? You are still a pawn in their game like us! No power, just a skinny little—"

"Shut up!" The guard kicks the cell, causing a small crack to appear. "You better stay silent or a similar crack will appear on your skull."

I don't want to get up. Whatever Mr. Garrison injected me in my dream, the contents still affect me now. Tiredness creeps from my body and my eyes. My arms slack and waves like a ragdoll.

The fact that Mallory is his son still shocks me.

I close my eyes as guilt and hatred breathe within me.

The guard in front of the one carrying me suddenly trips mid-step. Laughter came from above me. "Clumsy weirdo! I would laugh harder if your spear impales you!"

"Oh yeah?! How about if I impale you with your own spear now because you have heavy baggage!" The guy challenges after he stands up.

The guard places me down roughly and directs his weapon at the guy who tripped. "You want to fight?! I'll give you a fight!!"

I slowly crawl away. My numb body protests to move.

"I got you, hold on," a calm whisper comes to my ears as someone swoops me in the air again. I became eye to eye with grey orbs. He runs away from the fighting guards as he carries me to a dark corner. Maybe to kill me fully.

"Mallory—or whoever you are— I know you are in some sort of relationship with the leader of this place. All I want to say is that with or without you, I will free the people here and help them get a good life!" I declare, squirming from his arms. "I don't need you at all!"

He places both of his hands on my cheeks and makes me look into his eyes. "Listen to me, Blaire. I know I haven't told you anything about me since the first time we met in Dimension 543, but I truly wanted to tell you everything. I never knew my father could find you or were keeping tabs on you all this time."

I look at him and observe his sincerity and honesty to swirl within his grey orbs. "Are you really sure?" I whisper. Traveling between dreams confuses me. I do not even know whether I am awake or asleep now.

Mallory lowers his hands on my shoulders and pulls me into a bear hug. I relish in this feeling that I wrap my arms around him. Too many questions, but so little time. "Would you ever tell me everything even if your father didn't know or find me?"

He nods. "I would find time to sit down and talk with you about it. I should have told you before, but I was too careless. Like I have been with Bea." He sits down on the floor and wraps his arm around me. His warmth engulfs me like a shield against whoever roams around. "You and I come from this Dimension."

I look up at him.

He looks at his hands. "Dimension 18,530 is my second home. I travel there most often and helped build a group against the tyrant. The tyrant is a version of my father. I never want someone to feel misery or pain anymore that I go there to save them whenever I can. They treat me as some savior or leader when in this world, I am nothing. I am only the son of a cruel lead scientist that experiments on orphans and kids with dream-powers." His shoulders slump, leaning against the wall.

"I would do everything to help both worlds," he says. "But now, my father... in every dimension. He knows you are like me, hopping across dimensions. Across the bridge of dreams! Seeing you in 18.530 broke my heart, Blaire..."

"B-But I saw the video message... You said I know where to find you by looking at the battle plans on your desk!" I insist. "I rely on my gut and used transportation to go to the tower."

He stays silent for a while before opening his mouth to speak. "Blaire, I never left a video message..."

My eyes widen. "Then, it was Garrison who made the message! I have to go back there to help them!"

Mallory shakes his head. "No. We will get people in this dimension out first. Francis, Harold, and Diane will handle it there. I know because I gave them specific orders."

"The groups in the prison... I relay them the wrong message. They might get caught again"

Mallory ruffles my hair, smiling that signature grin. I look at him with anxious eyes. "Why are you just grinning and chuckling?! Lives are at stake!"

He chuckles again. "Please don't worry your little head. I signaled them all. They know what to do and I give them my full trust. Let's get the people from here out of this area and let's do this together this time. I will not let you go." He holds my hand.

I smile and nod. "You need to stop making me worry..."

He brings my hands close to his lips. "Once we all get out of here, you will never scrunch your brows again," he promises. "Time to break the control room."

Pulling me to the control room, I run beside him and sneakily hide from the running guards who are most likely trying to find Mallory and me.

Then once we set people free, we would need to recruit three people to stop this madness.