AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Two
CALLISTER
I sit on my throne—ornately carved from obsidian—drumming my claws against the armrest, waiting for my new favorite to fall asleep. I could be out feasting; there’s always someone in the world sleeping, and it’s easy enough—if a bit boring—to infiltrate a dream and turn it into something terrifying. But this new one, Libra, she’s worth the wait. The taste of her fear is robust, which often happens when nightmares are produced by real events instead of my guiding hand.
I’ve visited her four nights in a row, which is rare for me, as I like variety, but I can’t seem to get enough. There’s something alluring about this human, something that calls to me. It’s more than just the strength of her fear. There’s something about her in particular that satiates me in a way nothing has before.
I’m losing patience with waiting for her to fall asleep each night. I need better, more frequent access to her.
I’m tempted to bring her here, to the Nightmare Court. Have her as my guest and explore her intriguing mind. I want to…keep her. Which is odd. I’ve never cared much for humans. I infiltrate their dreams, feed on their fright, and then go about my business. I’ve never craved one, never wanted to get to know one. Certainly never wanted to bring one home.
But Libra is different. I want her, in more ways than one.
I glance around thoughtfully and wonder how a human might fare in this realm. She wouldn’t be here in corporeal form, of course. Her body would remain in her own reality. But I could bring her consciousness here, and it would feel to her as though her whole body was with her. She could roam the labyrinthine corridors filled with skulls and bones and lurking demons. Flames and spikes and eerie moans.
Darkness. Guttering candles. Creatures conjured up by the most disturbed minds humanity has to offer, brought to life by my hand. Things that skitter in the night, that you can never quite see clearly.
I wonder if she would be terrified, or if she might enjoy herself. Some humans like a good scare. But it’s hard to know; humans are, in some ways, quite unpredictable creatures.
I feel it the moment Libra enters REM sleep, and with a devious grin, slide into her dreams. I feed on the terror produced by human nightmares, and hers is a delicious treat. It doesn’t take long before she’s tossing and turning, little mewls of distress spilling from her lips.
I watch the dream as it unfolds.
She’s young here, only a teenager. An older man sits next to her on a sagging couch; the house they’re in is dirty and unkempt. There are two green piles on the coffee table in front of them: one is cash and the other is a picked-apart plant.
Next to her, the man is rolling a joint.
“You’ve never smoked before, huh? I promise you’ll like it.”
Libra frowns. “I don’t know, Evan. I’ve never really wanted to take drugs.”
He laughs. “Weed is barely a drug. It’s all natural! And it won’t fuck you up or make you addicted. It’ll just help you relax.”
She wavers. “Well…maybe. Just a little bit.”
He lights the joint, takes a hit, and passes it to her. “Just inhale and then keep the smoke in your lungs for as long as you can.”
She follows his instructions, but ends up in a coughing fit. He laughs at her distress.
“Come on, Eliza. Can’t you inhale like a normal person? Try again.”
Curious. He calls her by another name, but the girl in the dream is certainly the woman I’ve come to know as Libra.
She’s still coughing and shakes her head. “I don’t want to. I don’t like it.”
“How do you know? You did it wrong.” He holds the joint to her lips. “Come on, try again. If you do, I’ll give you a present.”
“What kind of present?” she asks.
He holds out a little white tablet. “I got some E. Trust me, you’ll fucking love this stuff. It makes you feel so good.”
It’s obvious that she both wants to please him and stand her ground, and it’s also clear which impulse will win. He’s older than she is, and has all the traits of a master manipulator. She’ll take the drugs.
“Okay,” she finally says, taking another hit off the joint. She manages it without coughing this time, and the man praises her.
“That’s my girl. Now you get your reward.” He passes her the tablet and shows her how to take it.
It doesn’t take long for the ecstasy to kick in, and she crawls into his lap, desperate for him. It’s distasteful, the way he controls her, and the last thing I want is to watch them have sex, especially because he’s forceful and rough, making her cry out in pain. But through it all, her fear is pure and delicious, and I can’t help myself. As offensive as this man is to me, the fear he brings out in Libra is glorious.
