《A Human's Shadow: The Hidden Truth Beneath Our Slumber》


 Intro/Chapter 1

    Introduction


    A long time ago, there were beings who lost their world to the inevitable cosmic force¡ªtime. Free from the constraints of time, they found themselves able to evolve to a higher plane of existence, not bound by any laws of physics. With no physical body, nor having a physical presence at all, they were doomed to float through the vast nothingness of space-bound to only do one thing: observe.


    Most simply observed from away, but from time to time, a being would be drawn to a planet where emotions ran raw and life bloomed in all shapes and forms. It was like flipping through television channels and stumbling upon something captivating. That''s Earth.


    The beings watched, fascinated, as they observed entities of many sizes, colors, shapes, and behaviors. Humans, the planet''s dominant species, were particularly intriguing. These entities could easily peer into the minds of humans, especially when they were asleep. Entering a human''s dream was the closest they could get to having a physical presence, though it wasn¡¯t real¡ªjust a figment of the imagination or a memory controlled by the dreamer. Unbeknownst to the humans, these silent watchers filled their dreams.


    For some, mere observation wasn¡¯t enough. In dreams, they could only get a taste of what it would be like to have a body, feel emotions, and experience life. Some began to play games with humans¡ªgiving advice, influencing them, and even manipulating the course of dreams. The humans, believing the beings were part of their own imagination, obeyed. But it was always just a dream. The humans would wake up, go about their lives, and nothing would change.


    However, every so often, an envious being wouldn¡¯t let go of the human they were watching. They¡¯d grow obsessed, yearning to take control. But as much as they tried, they could never physically exist in Earth¡¯s real world. However, there is a moment when a human is abruptly awakened from a deep sleep, where the boundary between dream and reality blurs. It lasts only for one Earth minute. The human becomes frozen, their body thinking it¡¯s still asleep while their mind remains awake, connected to the subconscious dream state. Through the dreamer''s subconscious, the beings can briefly manifest into the real world, though still without a physical presence.


    These beings would simply stare back at the frozen human. They can do this repeatedly throughout a human¡¯s life until the desire becomes unbearable, and they attempt to end their suffering by trying to grasp the human¡¯s heart. But all the humans would feel was pressure on their chest, which would break the dream state, waking them up to an empty room, leaving behind only a foggy memory of what had transpired.


    This was the curse these beings endured since their world ended: doomed to forever be observers¡ªuntil one random moment in time, when one being did the impossible.


    Chapter One


    The sun was beginning to rise, casting a deep blue across the sky. It was Saturday, and the Jones house was bustling with energy. Abel Jones, or AJ as everyone called him, was already dressed and sitting on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal.


    AJ was an average-looking young man, about 17 years old, standing 5''11" and weighing 170 lbs, with medium-length dark hair he got from his mother and blue eyes. His older brother, Michael, was 6''2" with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. AJ¡¯s father, Adam, was 6''0" with brown eyes and grey hair, while his mother, Mary, was 5''4", 160 lbs, with green eyes and dark hair. It was as if someone took them straight from a magazine for rural America.


    AJ¡¯s parents were very strict and deeply religious. His father, Adam, owned a local car dealership and was a successful business owner. He was also a deacon at the church, with a strong reputation in the town. Adam was a dominant figure who ran a strict household, demanding respect and expecting it to be given.


    His mother, Mary, was a housewife who cared for the children, kept the home in perfect order, and prepared dinner for the family. She was responsible for peacekeeping in the household. Mary always had to be right and be in control. She would nitpick everything, from how you dressed to your room, your hair, your performance in school, or your grades.


    AJ had an older brother, Michael, also known as Mike. Mike was 20 years old and a sophomore in college. He was tall and athletic. Mike was very popular in school, having been the quarterback in high school and currently the star running back at his university.


    Today was the first day Mike had returned home for summer break, and the whole family was excited and anxious to see him.


    ¡°ABEL JONES! YOU GET YOUR BUTT UP RIGHT NOW AND SIT AT THE TABLE! WE ARE NOT EATING CEREAL WITH MIKE HOME!¡± Mary Jones yelled as she walked into the living room, seeing her youngest son, AJ, sitting on the couch, watching the morning news.


    ¡°But I¡¯m already eating. There¡¯s no reason to get up now,¡± AJ replied to his mother without taking his eyes off the television.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Mike is home, and I will not have you two eating cereal when we can sit down and have a nice family breakfast!¡± she shouted as she walked around the couch and turned off the TV.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom,¡± AJ said, rolling his eyes and placing the bowl on the coffee table. He stood up, walked around the couch, and headed toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Now, what would the Lord want me to make for Mike?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know what he likes. I think I¡¯ll make blueberry waffles!¡± Mary smiled, excited to have her eldest son home from college. She headed into the kitchen and began preparing the batter for the waffle maker.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my big bro is finally home!¡± AJ said, turning to Mike, who picked up AJ¡¯s cereal and was eating it on the couch.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s going to be good to see everybody again. How are you doing, AJ?¡± Mike asked, sitting up and stretching his arms.


    ¡°Great. Mom and Dad have been bugging me about you coming home. You¡¯d think it was the King of England coming to visit,¡± AJ said, laughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. How are things at school? You still dating that girl?¡± Mike asked while standing up and pulling on a shirt.


    ¡°Zoe? Yeah, things are great with her. School¡¯s okay, but I¡¯m not doing well in English class. I¡¯ve already taken it twice, and the teacher¡¯s talking about flunking me. If I fail, I won¡¯t be able to get into the same college you¡¯re at,¡± AJ said, looking down at his feet.


    ¡°Well, that shouldn¡¯t be an issue with all your extracurriculars. My college is a sucker for a good all-American football player,¡± Mike said with a grin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be too happy to hear this, but I quit sports. The only extracurricular I¡¯ve done is art club,¡± AJ said, looking away, embarrassed.


    ¡°What? AJ, are you crazy? Art isn¡¯t a sport. Besides, if you don¡¯t do something that¡¯ll get you into college, you¡¯ll be stuck here forever!¡± Mike exclaimed, shocked that his younger brother had given up something he¡¯d once enjoyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t do it anymore. All the guys on the team are so obsessed, and I¡¯m tired of being around them. I think I could be really good at art if I applied myself. Zoe says people would pay for my drawings!¡± AJ said, still not making eye contact.


    ¡°AJ, be realistic. Most artists have terrible lives. The chances of you making a living off art are slim to none. Don¡¯t be stupid. You don¡¯t have to play football, but you need to choose something that will provide for you and your future family,¡± Mike advised.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head over and eat,¡± Mike said, walking toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m hungry, and you¡¯re right. That was silly of me. I¡¯ll ask the coach if I can rejoin,¡± AJ replied as he walked out the door with Mike.


    The family gathered around the table and began eating the breakfast Mary had prepared. The food was delicious, and everyone was enjoying the company.


    ¡°So, Mike, how¡¯s school?¡± Adam asked, chewing on a piece of bacon.


    ¡°It¡¯s going great, Dad. I¡¯m actually the starting running back on the football team, and I¡¯m on pace to make the dean¡¯s list. I also joined a youth ministry group where we help feed the needy while teaching them how to be closer to God,¡± Mike said proudly, glancing at his mom.


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, honey!¡± Mary replied with a huge smile on her face.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s good. Dean¡¯s list? Just like your old man,¡± Adam said, clearly interested in his son¡¯s success.


    ¡°AJ, what about you? How¡¯s school?¡± Adam continued, looking over at his younger son.


    ¡°Fine,¡± AJ muttered, looking down at his food.


    ¡°Come on, tell us what¡¯s going on,¡± Mary urged, nudging AJ.


    ¡°Nothing, Mom. Nothing¡¯s going on,¡± AJ replied, still avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t even want to talk about school. Maybe that¡¯s a sign. We should¡¯ve seen the writing on the wall with his grades. He needs to focus on what he¡¯s good at and forget about this art nonsense. That¡¯s not something a young man with a promising future should waste his time on,¡± Adam said, shaking his head.


    ¡°AJ, I¡¯ve told you this before¡ªyou need to be realistic and think about what will provide for your future,¡± Mary added, looking at AJ.


    ¡°But, Mom, you know I¡¯m good at art. You always said it was the one thing I excelled at,¡± AJ replied, looking up at his mother.


    ¡°Yes, as a hobby. Like how I play the piano. Do you think I should¡¯ve given up raising you both to pursue a career in music? That¡¯s what you¡¯re saying to your future kids,¡± Mary countered.


    All three of them nodded in agreement at AJ.


    ¡°All this nonsense is probably why you can¡¯t sleep at night and keep having those¡­ what do you call them, night terrors?¡± Adam said.


    ¡°It¡¯s called sleep paralysis, Dad. And I¡¯ve had it since I was a kid. It¡¯s just been happening more often lately,¡± AJ replied.


    ¡°You know, scientists still don¡¯t know exactly why it happens, but it¡¯s been around for a long time. It was once called the ''Old Hag Syndrome,'' dating back to 1567. There was even talk it could be an incubus demon in biblical times. And now, in modern times, people think it¡¯s why some believe they get abducted by aliens,¡± Mike added, showing off his knowledge.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Mike. A demon following my son? No way, not after how much we give to the church,¡± Mary said. However, she paused for a moment, staring at AJ as if trying to scan his soul. Then she continued, ¡°Anyway, eat up. Let¡¯s not waste this food or this day.¡±


    The family finished breakfast and headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. They went into town, showing off that Mike was back. They stopped by local stores, running errands and telling everyone about the barbecue they were throwing for Mike next weekend. However, it was more of an excuse for Adam to network and ensure he could secure the position of head deacon in the community next year. The sun began to set as the Jones family wrapped up their day together. They, of course, decided to eat dinner in town as one last way to show off their ¡°perfect family¡± status to the community.


    For AJ, this was normal family life. They presented themselves as the perfect, happy family, and AJ believed it. It was all he had ever known, so it seemed normal to him. His friends at school had similar stories and lifestyles, so AJ never questioned his parents, and definitely not his brother, who seemed to have it all figured out.


    When they got home, it was around 8 PM, and the family was exhausted.


    ¡°Okay, guys, time for bed. We have church tomorrow, and then the big BBQ,¡± Adam said as he walked through the front door.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Mike and AJ both replied.


    ¡°Good night, sweetie,¡± Mary said to Mike, giving him a hug.


    ¡°Night, Mom,¡± Mike replied.


    Everyone headed to their bedrooms. AJ lay in bed and started to drift off. As he dozed, he felt the familiar pressure on his chest. Panic set in, but he couldn¡¯t move or open his eyes.


    AJ was able to slowly open his eyes and saw a dark shadow standing in the corner of his room. The figure was tall and stared directly at him.


    The figure didn¡¯t move. It just stood there, staring. AJ tried to calm himself down, telling himself it was just a dream.


    AJ lay in bed, staring back at the shadow until he eventually fell asleep again.


    Sunday morning, AJ woke up groggily and dressed for church.


    ¡°Abel, hurry up! We¡¯re going to be late!¡± Mary yelled from downstairs.


    ¡°Coming!¡± AJ shouted back while putting on his shoes.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have words if you make us late! Now get down here!¡± Mary called out as she walked toward the front door.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, jeez,¡± AJ muttered.


    ¡°Where were you this morning? I thought you were dead in there,¡± Mary said, staring at AJ with a disapproving look.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I was just getting ready,¡± AJ replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Mike. Come with me,¡± Mary said, heading toward Mike¡¯s room.


    ¡°Why is Dad so obsessed with Mike?¡± AJ asked his mom quietly.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s the favorite,¡± Mary replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± AJ asked, feeling a pang of jealousy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. You know he loves you both, but there¡¯s something special about Mike. He works hard, and he¡¯s always been the perfect son. You, on the other hand, are so lazy,¡± Mary said, her words cutting into AJ.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lazy! I work hard at everything I do,¡± AJ protested.


    ¡°Sure, honey, sure,¡± Mary replied sarcastically.


    AJ could feel it¡ªthe conditional nature of his mother¡¯s love and the way his father¡¯s affection seemed to revolve around success. Mike was the golden child, while AJ and his efforts were often overlooked or ignored.


    ¡°Mike! Mike, wake up. We¡¯re going to be late,¡± Mary said, pounding on Mike¡¯s door.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m up. Give me a sec,¡± Mike responded from the other side.


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t you yelling at him when he slept in?¡± AJ asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He¡¯s a grown man and doesn¡¯t need me yelling at him. Unlike you¡ªyou¡¯d sleep all day if I let you,¡± Mary replied dismissively.


    The family headed outside to the car, where Adam had been waiting for the last thirty minutes, frustrated by the delay.


    ¡°What took you so long? We¡¯re going to be late now,¡± Adam said, giving AJ a stern look.


    ¡°AJ slept in. He missed breakfast. Then we had a talk,¡± Mary added, clearly blaming AJ for the delay.


    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s go,¡± Adam said as he started the car.


    The family drove to church. Once there, they walked inside and found their seats. The service was long and tedious, but everyone knew their roles and played them perfectly.


    After church, they returned home and began preparing for the barbecue.


    ¡°Hey, Mike, how¡¯s college social life treating you?¡± AJ asked while they were getting ready.


    ¡°It¡¯s good. Really good, actually,¡± Mike replied, looking up at his younger brother.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± AJ said, though his mind seemed to be elsewhere.


    ¡°Yeah, it is. So, what about you? How are things going with your girlfriend? Is she coming to the BBQ?¡± Mike asked, trying to sound casual.


    ¡°Things are great, but she¡¯s busy, so she won¡¯t be able to make it,¡± AJ replied, looking down at the ground, feeling a little disappointed.


    ¡°Okay, well, maybe next time. I¡¯d love to find out where she got accepted into college,¡± Mary said, giving him a reassuring smile.


    The party started, and soon the backyard was full of people from the church, some of Mike¡¯s old high school friends, and even a few neighbors who had heard about the event.


    ¡°Hey, AJ, how¡¯s it going?¡± AJ turned around to see a familiar face¡ªTyrone, a classmate who used to play football with him.


    ¡°Hey, Tyrone, it¡¯s going well. How are you?¡± AJ responded, offering a quick hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, man. I heard your brother¡¯s back in town. How¡¯s that going?¡± Tyrone said, laughing and nudging AJ.


    ¡°It¡¯s going alright. He¡¯s cool,¡± AJ said, trying to sound indifferent.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, man, that¡¯s good. So, what¡¯s up with you and your girl? I saw her at the gas station the other day. She looked good. Did you guys break up or something?¡± Tyrone asked with a smirk.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re still together. We just haven¡¯t talked much lately,¡± AJ replied, glancing away.


    ¡°Well, that sucks. Why haven¡¯t you two talked?¡± Tyrone pressed.


    ¡°She¡¯s busy. College stuff you know? She has a lot going on,¡± AJ explained, not making eye contact.


    ¡°When was the last time you called or texted her?¡± Tyrone asked.


    ¡°A couple of days ago. Why?¡± AJ replied, feeling uncomfortable.


    ¡°Look, I know it¡¯s tough when a girl you like doesn¡¯t give you enough attention, but you got to keep trying. Girls like it when you pursue them. That¡¯s what my dad always says¡ª¡®Keep hitting it until you get what you want.¡¯ You want her, right?¡± Tyrone said, patting AJ on the back.


    ¡°Yeah, I want her,¡± AJ nodded, feeling uneasy with the direction of the conversation.


    ¡°Are you coming to the bonfire tonight? Bring her there,¡± said Tyrone.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be there,¡± said AJ.


    AJ didn¡¯t like where the conversation was heading, so he quickly changed the subject. ¡°So, how are your folks? How¡¯s your mom and dad doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good, man. My mom¡¯s always complaining about my grades, but that¡¯s nothing new. My dad, though, he¡¯s pissed at me right now. Everett from school told the teachers I was cheating off his test,¡± Tyrone said, clearly annoyed.


    ¡°Oh, that sucks. I¡¯m sorry,¡± AJ replied.


    ¡°Not as sorry as Everett¡¯s going to be when we get back to school on Monday. I am going to smash his stupid ninja skateboard the next time I see it,¡± Tyrone said with a smirk. He was known for being a bully, always craving attention at school since he didn¡¯t get much at home. Everett, on the other hand, was quiet and tried to avoid being noticed, but he was always on Tyrone¡¯s radar.


    AJ and Tyrone exchanged goodbyes, and AJ continued mingling at the barbecue, trying to keep himself busy. The party went late into the night, well past dinner.


    Adam was sitting on the back porch, enjoying a cigarette with a few fellow church members and Mike when he noticed AJ standing by the door.


    ¡°Hey, AJ, can you bring me a beer?¡± Adam called out, looking over at his son.


    AJ noticed his father was a little tipsy. Without saying a word, AJ walked over to the cooler on the porch, grabbed a beer, and handed it to his father.


    ¡°See? Right there. That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. Mike would¡¯ve asked if anyone else wanted a beer, but AJ just grabbed one, not thinking about anyone else,¡± Adam said, turning to his friends.


    ¡°But you said¡ª¡± AJ tried to defend himself.


    ¡°I know what I said, but if you just used your brain or your eyes, you¡¯d have noticed everyone else needed one, too. If you just thought more about others instead of yourself¡ªlike this art thing¡ªyou¡¯d be on track to being just like your brother. Now go on, get out of here,¡± Adam said, turning back to his friends.


    Mike gave AJ a sympathetic look but said nothing.


    AJ had had enough. He thought about telling his family about the bonfire, but why bother? No one would even notice he snuck off. So, AJ sent Zoe a text, grabbed his bicycle and headed to the beach. The family lived on the west coast and was not far from the beach.


    But Adam did notice and was not about to let AJ off clean-up duty. Before AJ could even enjoy the bonfire, Adam raced into his car to grab AJ. Something went down at the bonfire because when Adam and AJ got back, Adam sent AJ straight to his room.


    ¡°What is up with that?¡± asked Mary to Adam.


    Adam just shrugged and went back to the end of the BBQ.


    AJ was out of it. His head was fuzzy. He excused himself and went up to his room to get ready for bed. From his window, he could see most people had left, and only his father and a few friends remained outside. His mother and brother had also gone inside.


    AJ''s head started pounding so he skipped brushing his teeth and hopped into his little twin-sized bed. He realized he forgot to close the door to his room but was too lazy to get up.


    "AJ, you still up?" Mike was at the door peaking in. AJ could tell he also had some beer and wanted to say something, but AJ¡¯s head wasn¡¯t letting him focus and he just wanted to sleep.


    Mike soon left and AJ waited until the coast was clear and hopped up to close the door. AJ hopped into bed and put on some white noise to help him drift off to sleep. He had a lot on his mind and struggled to clear his mind before bed. But eventually, the white noise works and he is out cold.


    That night, he dreamed about his life and what it could have been. He dreamed of pursuing drawing and his parents encouraging him. His life fast forwards to him being an adult in his 50s where he can see himself sitting out on some California beach drawing while the sun is setting in the background. A woman who is assumed to be his wife brings out a glass of wine and compliments his drawings as kids are running around on the beach. He is so happy. He doesn''t want it to end. He then realizes he''s not just watching himself but he is also there in the distance. He looks down and sees his hands, but somehow, he knows he is both this AJ and that AJ at the same time. He doesn''t dwell on it long because he is enjoying just being there in the moment and wants to see how it plays out.


    This must be Lucid dreaming he heard about. He got curious and wanted to see what the other AJ was drawing, so he started walking towards it. But as he got closer, the further away the other version of him and his family got. He was stuck observing at that distance. He was getting frustrated. It was his dream, so why can''t he control it? AJ started to run and went faster and faster until he was sprinting. Finally, it caught the attention of the other older AJ.


    The older AJ was shocked to see this AJ. He stood up and the present AJ could now see the painting was blank. He was painting nothing. The older AJ''s face grew angry, his eyes turned pure black. "Go away." The older AJ said as he waved his hand. The present AJ went flying backward. The fall felt so real it jolted him awake.


    It was just a dream, AJ thought with a sigh of relief. But that moment was quickly gone when he realized he couldn''t move again. He wasn''t afraid, just annoyed at this point. He looked over, and yep, the being was in the corner again. After the hundredth time, it is not scary to him anymore, and besides, the beings just watch. He ignores the being and tries to fall back asleep. He figured out that falling back asleep was the fastest way to stop the sleep paralysis, and the best way is to start thinking about a dream. There was only one dream on his mind and it was to continue the dream he just jolted awake from.


    "No. Do not dream. Do not go back to sleep."


    AJ''s eyes opened widely. What was that? He looked over at the entity. Did it just speak? It was the same voice that said "Go away" in the dream but the figure didn''t even have a mouth or even eyes for that matter. Just a shadow figure. He figured it was his imagination. He closed his eyes again and tried to think of the dream.


    "I said NO."


    AJ opened his eyes again. He definitely heard that. He looked over at the figure and he felt this uneasiness. An almost anxious presence was coming from that being. Without a warning, the being approached him. AJ was still frozen, forced to just watch as it aggressively approached the bed getting taller and taller. Its hand stretched out and reached for AJ''s heart. The same pressure on his chest he felt before was now unbearable. Tears started rolling down his eyes as he wanted it to stop. It squeezed his heart and then, darkness.


    AJ gasped as he woke up the next morning. He looked around his room. He was so relieved to realize it was just a dream. He shivered just thinking about it.


    ring ring ring


    His alarm clock just went off to wake up. He woke up right before it went off. He stared at the ceiling, really not wanting to go to school today.


    ring ring ring


    His alarm went off the second time. Okay, just move your body. He thought. Luckily, he already packed his backpack so he just needed to get dressed, brush his teeth, and head out. He walked over to the mirror in his room. He stared at himself and noticed there was crunchiness around his eyes as if he actually did cry in the night. There was dry blood under his nose.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± AJ said as he touched the back of his head.


    He paused, trying to remember exactly what happened, but his memory was getting foggier and foggier.


    "AJ." A voice can be heard. It scared the crap out of AJ as he flailed his arms, knocking over his schoolbooks off a desk. He looked around, thinking someone was in the room, but no one was there.


    "AJ don''t freak out." He could hear the voice again but he couldn''t tell where it came from.


    "Hello? Where are you? Who are you?" AJ asked, looking under his bed, in his closet, and all around.


    "AJ, I can only communicate to you inside your head. Something happened that has never happened before nor will never happen again."


    "What?" asked AJ


    "Just listen. Something happened last night that wasn''t supposed to happen. You broke the barrier when we touched. I have been watching you for a very long time. We need to talk. Your family, your life is in danger."


    AJ sat back on his bed rocking back and forth. He is either going mad crazy or this is real. Either way, this was bad news.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter Two


    "AJ, you can''t keep ignoring me," a voice said inside his head.


    AJ was sitting at the breakfast counter, eating a bagel right before leaving for school.


    "AJ, you are going to miss the bus. AJ? Helloooo? The bus? AJ, are you listening?" His mother, Mary, could be heard saying.


    "Hm?" AJ looked up from his plate.


    "Go back to your room so we can talk," the voice said again.


    "Are you deaf? Listen to your mother. You better hurry up and head to school," his father, Adam, said.


    AJ just stared at both of them and nodded. He left the table, grabbed his backpack, and headed out the door.


    "What is going on with him lately?" Mary asked Adam.


    "I will never understand that generation. I had an odd dream about him last night," Adam said.


    "Really? Me too. What about?" asked Mary.


    "I-I can''t remember," replied Adam.


    "Huh, me either. Oh well. Coffee?" asked Mary.


    This isn''t happening. This isn''t happening. This isn''t happening, AJ thought as he headed to the bus stop.


    "But it IS happening," the voice said.


    It can read my thoughts? AJ panicked and started to hum a song. Um... hey now dun dun dun dun, get your dun dun, go play.


    "Hey, what are you doing?!" the voice said.


    Hey now, dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun, get paid.


    "FINE. I''ll be back when you come to your senses," the voice said.


    AJ didn¡¯t know why he chose that song, but he knew it word for word and kept singing it all the way to school. He sang it so much that he went into autopilot, picking a seat on the bus and walking into school.


    AJ walked to his locker and ran into Zoe.


    "AJ! Hello, Earth to AJ!"


    AJ looked over and saw Zoe standing by his locker with a smile on her face. She walked over and kissed him on the lips.


    "Hey, how are you doing?" AJ asked, smiling back at her.


    "I''m good. I had the strangest dream about you last night," Zoe said, looking into his eyes.


    "Yeah? What about?" asked AJ.


    "I can''t remember, but I feel like it was something important." Zoe paused, trying to recall the dream.


    AJ took a long look at Zoe. She was beautiful, a half-white, half-Asian woman with bright eyes and an amazing smile. She was the only person AJ could open up to and the only friend he truly trusted. Her father was an Irish-American cop, and her mother was a Japanese-American nurse. They were divorced, so Zoe and her brother had a busy life switching between homes.


    "Darn, I¡¯m sure it will come to me. Anyway, AJ, have you decided where you''re going next year yet? If you want, we can go over plans tonight, maybe over dinner after school?" said Zoe.


    "I haven¡¯t gotten any acceptance letters yet, and I¡¯ve got a lot on my plate, Zoe. Maybe we can talk this weekend. Are we still on for the Academy of Science sleepover together?" AJ asked, his mind was still elsewhere.


    "Oh. Okay. Yeah, sure. I''ll see you then," replied Zoe.


    Zoe walked off, and AJ headed to class.


    AJ sat in history class. The teacher asked him a question, but he didn¡¯t hear it.


    "Abel Jones," the teacher called.


    "What?"


    "Did you hear the question?"


    "No."


    "Then please pay attention."


    "Yes, ma''am," AJ replied.


    The teacher then turned to Everett and asked him a question about Greek mythology.


    "Everett, what can you tell us about Zeus and his son, Apollo?"


    "Zeus was the king of the gods, known as the god of the sky and thunder, as well as the god of law and order."


    Everett continued his answer, but Tyrone, who didn¡¯t like Everett, interrupted with a rude comment.


    ¡°Nerd,¡± said Tyrone.


    "Zeus was married to the goddess Hera, but he was notorious for being unfaithful. He had many lovers, both nymphs and mortal women. Apollo was his son with a mortal named Leto."


    "Very good. Now, can you tell me about the nymph, Daphne?" the teacher asked.


    "Daphne was a wood nymph, the daughter of the river god Peneus. She was one of the most beautiful of the nymphs. One day, while running away from the god Apollo¡ªwho had fallen in love with her¡ªshe begged her father for help. He transformed her into a laurel tree, and Apollo, embracing the tree, placed a crown of laurel leaves on his head, naming it the ''crown of victory.''"


    The teacher was impressed and wrote the homework on the board: an essay on Greek mythology.


    AJ grabbed the paper that had his assignment titled Subject: Orpheus and Eurydice.


    Tyrone groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. "So boring."


    "Now, now, Tyrone, this is important stuff. You never know¡ªit could come in handy," the teacher said.


    "Like when?"


    "Well, have you ever felt like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or maybe had a weird dream? That could have been the Greek gods trying to reach out to you."


    "Uh-huh," Tyrone rolled his eyes and slouched in his chair. "Whatever, teach. This is stupid."


    "Alright, well, class is dismissed," the teacher said.


    On the way out of class, Tyrone picked on Everett for his answer.


    "Hey, nerd, how come you always know everything?" Tyrone sneered.


    "Because I study," Everett replied.


    "Yeah, whatever. Hey, I need help with my homework. Can you come to the library and help me?"


    "Well, I have class..."


    "Come on, brother. Besides, I''ll make it worth your while."


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "How?"


    "I''ll pay you for your time. You can buy a new skateboard instead of that ninja one you have." Tyrone pointed to his skateboard.


    "Well, I guess, since I need the money..."


    AJ watched as Tyrone and Everett walked off towards the library.


    "Don''t let him go with him," the voice reappeared inside AJ''s head.


    Oh no, AJ thought as he ran toward the bathroom. He didn¡¯t want to be seen.


    AJ finally snapped and acknowledged the voice.


    "Please, just go away. I can''t be crazy. I don''t want to be crazy," he said, looking into a mirror.


    "You are not crazy. But... um... there is someone in that bathroom stall who might think you are," the voice said.


    AJ bent down and saw feet under the stall door. His eyes widened.


    "He hasn''t seen you yet. Just leave. Walk to the football field. We can talk in the stands," the voice said.


    AJ headed to the football field. He saw some friends along the way and passed Zoe.


    "Hey AJ, I was thinking about our convo earlier, and I really want¡ª"


    "Sorry, busy right now," AJ said, walking quickly to the field.


    He climbed up the stands to the middle row.


    "Okay, fine, I''m here," AJ said.


    "First off, I can read your mind. So, you don¡¯t have to talk aloud; people will notice. No one can hear me besides you," the voice explained.


    "Where are you?" AJ asked.


    "I''m just... in you. Or it is more accurate to say all around you. You could say I''m a part of you at the moment."


    "You are me?"


    "No, no. Well. Kind of. I''m not from this Earth. I had my own body... I think," said the voice.


    "Who are you then?"


    "I... I don''t remember. I just... am."


    "Okay, well, I need to call you something. Just am? Justam. I got it! How about ''Justin'' for the time being?"


    "That''s fine. Names are not important. Now listen carefully. Something happened that has never happened before and will never happen again."


    "What do you mean? How do you know?" asked AJ.


    "I have been watching you your entire life. It''s what beings like me do. We are not of this world. We have been around long before you and your ancestors. We only observe because that is all we have ever been able to do. We have no emotions like you humans, so there was no desire to do anything else. But the more we observe humans, the more some of us, like me, grow curious.


    You see, we cannot enter your world; we physically do not exist. But a human''s dreams¡ªtheir subconscious¡ªare a different story. You have not comprehended that your consciousness ascends beyond your dimension. It¡¯s a window to all the other realities, yet this Earth thinks of them as merely a movie playing in their heads. In a dream, our worlds can mold, and we can, in a sense, have bodies again. We are far too old as entities to remember what our bodies looked like, so we mimic. And the more we copied, the more we started to... form."


    "Are you saying those times when I have sleep paralysis¡ªwhen anyone has sleep paralysis¡ªit is really a being from another world watching me?!"


    "Well, yes. But¡ª"


    AJ started to laugh. "That''s the most ridiculous thing. How could you even come up with that?"


    "I mean, think about it. The same exact thing has been happening to millions of people since we even knew how to dream. Sleep demons? Sleep witches? Things visiting you late at night? Why would everyone have the same dream and feel the same paralysis with pressure on their chest?"


    AJ stopped laughing. "Last night... that feeling. It was new. I''ve always felt pressure, but this time... what happened?"


    "I¡ªI don¡¯t know," Justin said, hesitating. "We¡¯re not supposed to be able to touch you. If we tried, all you would feel is that pressure, and then you¡¯d wake up. But last night, something about your dream felt so familiar. I didn''t want it to end, so I was you in the dream. Or were you me? I felt how you felt. I had never experienced that before. You were going to take that away from me, so I¡ª"


    AJ looked around. The voice just stopped. "You what?"


    "I don''t know. But now I can talk to you just like in your dreams. It¡¯s like a part of you is still dreaming."


    "You talk to me in my dreams?"


    "Oh yes. Beings like us can communicate through dreams; you humans just never remember. Or we make you forget. Usually, if you can¡¯t remember a dream, that''s us. Have you ever fallen in love but can¡¯t remember their face? Have you ever felt death, then realized that wasn¡¯t you? Have you ever been so angry that your wrath burned down towns and relationships while you were outside looking in? That''s us."


    "That doesn''t make sense. But, fine. Let¡¯s say that¡¯s true. What does that have to do with me? Why are you here?"


    "Well, you see, the impossible happened, and I got through. Once I was in your world, in your mind, I was able to feel¡ªfeel for the first time. Everything you feel. It was too much and not enough. Others watched and were instantly attracted to come through, too. I knew what would happen if they managed to get through. It was like a memory, but not your own¡ªwhat the future would be like if I¡ªif we didn¡¯t stop them. And I felt sadness. So, I decided to destroy the gate."


    "Destroy the gate? Whoa, me? Did you try to kill me?"


    "Killing wasn¡¯t a concept I understood. You don''t just exist in the present to us. There is no good or bad in death for us. But once I touched you, I couldn''t go through with it. Some got through before I managed to wake you up, which temporarily stopped more from coming."


    "How many?"


    "Five."


    "You are saying they are bad?"


    "Bad for us¡ªor you, I should say. They will latch onto a human, most likely one you have a strong emotional connection with. If we don''t stop them, they will slowly feed off those emotions until the human is no longer in control. They become just beings of raw emotion, ultimately leading to their own destruction. Then they will become gates themselves and create more gates until¡ª"


    "Their own destruction? Like they die?"


    "Yes."


    "Why didn¡¯t I die?"


    "I don¡¯t know."


    "So how do we stop them?"


    "We enter their dreams."


    "Excuse me?" AJ said in disbelief.


    "I can teach you. First, I can detect them. I am connected to my kind. Then we just need to be asleep in the same room. I need you to enter your sleep paralysis state; only this time, you will be their sleep paralysis entity. From there, it''s as simple as a touch. It¡¯s much easier to show you than to explain."


    "Do we know where these five beings are?"


    "I only sensed one so far. I sensed it when two of your classmates went off to the library. The other four? I do not know. They will likely be attached to someone close to you, so I suggest you go about your life, and they will reveal themselves. For now, let''s deal with the one we know of."


    "It must be Tyrone. I have to be asleep in the same room as him? When am I going to be sleeping in the same room as Tyrone?!"


    "Didn''t I hear there is a field trip with an overnight stay at the Academy of Science?"


    "Yeah, but he will never go to that. That guy only cares about football and women."


    "Well then, you better make sure he is at that event," said Justin.


    AJ sat there, thinking about everything he had just been told. Maybe he should see a doctor and find out if he was crazy. But what if this is true? AJ decided that either way, he would find out at the Academy of Science Museum.


    The rest of the school day went by slowly. AJ tried his hardest to concentrate, but all he could think about was Justin and the sleep entities. He was in his last class of the day, and Tyrone was in it. He stared at him, wondering how he was going to convince Tyrone to go to the Academy of Science.


    "Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones. Are you paying attention?" said the teacher.


    "What?" replied AJ, snapping out of his thoughts.


    "Since you¡¯re clearly not paying attention, would you care to solve this math equation on the board for the class?" said the teacher.


    "Uh, sure. Give me a moment."


    AJ looked at the math problem on the board.


    "X is 10," Justin said to AJ.


    "Uh, X is 10," AJ repeated.


    "Wow, correct. I guess you were paying attention. You can sit back down," said the teacher.


    As soon as class was dismissed, AJ decided to speak with Tyrone and convince him to go to the museum.


    "Tyrone."


    "What''s up?"


    "I, uh, wanted to talk to you."


    "Talk. Shoot."


    "Um, are you going on the Academy of Science trip?"


    "Hell no."


    "But why not? There¡¯s a sleepover."


    "Why would I do that? Sleep is for the weak. I have plans to meet up with Tiffany. You should come too. Bring Zoe."


    "Um, I¡¯m good. But you should really consider it. It¡¯s for extra credit."


    "My guy, you worry too much."


    AJ tried a new tactic. "Zoe''s friends will be there. Trust me, they''re hot and all single. Think about it. We got our own hotel rooms. We¡¯ll all be sleeping in the same place. Plenty of time to make some moves."


    "You know what? I didn¡¯t think about that. Well, if that¡¯s the case, then hell yeah, I¡¯m in."


    "Hell yeah." AJ got really excited that it worked but immediately dialed it back because Tyrone had given him a look.


    Tyrone took off down the hallway as AJ watched. As Tyrone left, AJ saw Everett and Zoe talking to each other and headed toward them.


    Everett could be heard saying, "No, I swear that is what I saw." Tyrone approached them, and Everett looked down immediately.


    "Hey, what are y¡¯all talking about? Hm?"


    "Nothing," Everett said, looking away.


    "You are one ugly motherfucker, you know that?" Tyrone said.


    "Tyrone!" exclaimed Zoe.


    "What! I¡¯m just saying it so he tries a little harder. You want me to lie? Whatever." Tyrone continued down the hallway. "Look forward to seeing you at the Academy of Science!"


    Zoe turned back to Everett. "What did that mean?"


    Everett just shrugged. "I got to go." He walked off in the opposite direction toward AJ. As he passed AJ, they locked eyes. AJ could see Everett had a black eye. But it wasn¡¯t sadness in his eyes. Or fear, even. It was anger. AJ had never seen someone look at him with such hate. Everett passed by.


    "Something bad is going to happen if we don¡¯t get to Tyrone, huh?" AJ said aloud, trying to speak to Justin.


    "Hey. Stop. Talking. Out loud. You look like a crazy person," Justin said to AJ in his head.


    AJ forgot and looked around to see a few students giving him weird looks. But nothing hides abnormality like high school, so he went on his merry way.


    AJ headed home. Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the day. Justin was pretty silent during that time. In his room, AJ stalled going to bed¡ªhe was afraid. He didn¡¯t want to dream. He lay there with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.


    "It¡¯s okay. Just breathe. I¡¯m here with you. I¡¯ll teach you how to control your dreams," said Justin.


    "Can you teach me to block you out while I sleep? I don¡¯t want to see you or think about these entities when I¡¯m not dreaming."


    "If that¡¯s what you wish. But know, you can¡¯t block out everything. You¡¯re not that powerful yet. There will always be something. It¡¯s inevitable."


    AJ was getting annoyed with Justin¡¯s cryptic responses.


    "Justin, are you going to be with me forever?"


    "Until we defeat the last of the sleep entities. Then, I can no longer hold on to this plane. I will go back to being a floating conscience of data."


    "Why not?"


    "I¡¯m not sure. So, it goes."


    "Oh. Well, good night, Justin."


    "Good night, AJ."


    AJ closed his eyes.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter Three


    "Welcome to the Academy of Science! You guys have a fun time! Call us if you need anything. Here is your room key. Dinner is at 6 pm, breakfast is at 7 am, and the tour starts at 8 a.m. sharp. Get a good rest tonight! See ya!" said the chipper tour guide.


    "Thanks," AJ replied as he grabbed the room key.


    "Hey, AJ. What room are you in?" Zoe asked, appearing beside him.


    "104. You?" AJ replied.


    "203. I¡¯ve got to settle in, but maybe we can have some alone time later. I¡¯m rooming with Kate, but she¡¯ll probably be out at some point," she said.


    "Yeah, maybe," AJ responded, though he was more worried about other priorities at the moment.


    "Okay. We don¡¯t have to¡­" Zoe trailed off, questioning his interest.


    "NO! I want to, it¡¯s just... I¡¯m really tired and haven¡¯t gotten good sleep the last couple of days. I don¡¯t even know who I¡¯m rooming with," AJ said, trying to explain.


    "Is everything okay? You know you can always talk to me. I was actually thinking we could talk tonight," Zoe offered.


    "Here? Tonight? I¡ª" Before AJ could finish, he was interrupted.


    "Well, well. Don¡¯t worry, everybody, the party¡¯s here! Hey, Zoe. So, where are your hot friends?" Tyrone came walking over.


    "Who?" Zoe looked puzzled.


    "What rooms do you got? Ha! Looks like you and I are room neighbors. Listen, party at mine tonight. Jack and I are going to throw the biggest party this nerd place has ever seen." Tyrone pulled out his room key card, showing "102." He didn¡¯t wait for a response and walked off toward the elevators.


    "Okay everyone, let¡¯s head to our rooms," said the tour guide.


    AJ headed toward the elevator and made his way to his room. When he opened the door, he found Everett already inside, unpacking on the bed.


    "Hey, Everett. Looks like we¡¯re roommates," said AJ.


    "Hey, AJ. Yeah, looks like it," Everett replied.


    "I¡¯m glad you came. Are you interested in this science stuff?" AJ asked as he put his things on his bed. He noticed Everett didn¡¯t respond. Instead of unpacking, it seemed more like Everett was hiding away his bags.


    "Well, I¡¯m going to shower before dinner. Do you want to go first?"


    "No, you go ahead."


    In the shower, all AJ could think about was what was going to happen tonight.


    "Just act like everything is normal. We don¡¯t want the entity to suspect we know. We have one problem: too much alcohol blocks us from entering the dream," Justin¡¯s voice echoed in AJ¡¯s mind.


    "It does?"


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking¡ªit won¡¯t work. You can¡¯t get rid of me that way. The only way is to tackle this head-on."


    "They¡¯re having a party. How are we going to do this?"


    "You¡¯re not going to like this..."


    "What?"


    "You¡¯re going to have to put him to sleep."


    "What the hell? How?"


    "Well, a couple of options. I¡¯m sure some of the hotel staff have pills to help with insomnia. Or... you can apply some force to the head."


    "Knock him out?! Hell no."


    "Well, there is one other option. In ten minutes, there will be a maid on this floor. She¡¯ll have alcohol on her cart she pushes. Hurry up, get dressed, grab a few bottles, and make a cocktail with them. Offer it to Tyrone, and I¡¯ll do the rest. He¡¯ll gladly accept, and then... game on."


    "What about the party?"


    "It¡¯ll be the perfect timing since everyone will be out. You just have to convince Everett to go too so you have the room alone."


    "He¡¯s not the type to go."


    "Why? Why do you judge him so much? Do you even know him?"


    "No, but... fine, you¡¯re right."


    AJ finished his shower and got dressed.


    "Hey, Everett. You going to come to the party tonight?"


    "Oh no. Definitely not."


    "How come?"


    "I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t invited."


    "No one is personally invited. That¡¯s how parties work¡ªyou just show up with friends."


    "I don¡¯t have any friends."


    That made AJ feel bad. "Whoa, AJ. That¡¯s not true. You just got to open up more. Come on, come to the party."


    "You¡¯ll be there? What about Tyrone? He wouldn¡¯t want me there."


    "Let me worry about Tyrone. He won¡¯t be there."


    "Hm. Okay. I guess I¡¯ll go shower then." Everett actually smiled. A funny thought ran through AJ¡¯s head¡ªthis might have been the first time he had seen Everett smile.


    Everett headed into the shower. AJ snuck out, and the maid was in the hallway exactly as Justin had said. He waited until she went into one of the rooms and crouched down to her cart. Her purse was underneath and next to it was a bunch of half-filled bottles of alcohol. AJ grabbed several and quickly ran back.


    Back in the room, AJ could hear Everett still showering. He grabbed the hotel cups and started pouring soda into one. He cracked a bottle open and mixed it into the drink.


    ¡°Now what?¡± asked AJ


    ¡°Now watch,¡± Justin said. AJ was holding a cup in each hand. He looked over and noticed the shadows of the cups were looking odd. The shadow seemed like black steam was coming off it. He looked back at his hands as black steam seemed to emit from his hands and went into the cups. Worried that it might taste weird, he went over to the mini fridge to look for other mixers. Everett''s bag was in the way, so he went to move it. It was unbelievably heavy and didn¡¯t feel like it was full of clothes. What was Everett carrying? AJ thought and went to unzip the luggage, but was stopped.


    "Are these for us? Sweet!" Everett said. AJ turned around in panic to see Everett taking a sip from the cup.


    "No! Don¡¯t¡ª" It was too late.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good,¡± Justin said.


    Everett took another sip, then stopped, realizing AJ had touched his stuff. His smile vanished.


    "What are you doing?" Everett asked.


    "Oh, uh, I was just looking for something to mix the drinks with, so I had to move your stuff," AJ explained.


    Everett rushed over, still in his towel. "Well, don¡¯t touch my stuff without permission!" He ran over to his bag.


    "Everett, what¡¯s in the bag?" AJ asked.


    "Nothing." Everett tried to grab his bag, but in doing so, his towel fell, exposing his bare ass.


    AJ started laughing. It was such an awkward sight, watching Everett try to hold his bag and towel at the same time.


    "Stop laughing!" Everett snapped.


    "Chill, Everett. It¡¯s funny."


    "It¡¯s not funny!"


    Then AJ stopped laughing. He finally really looked at Everett. He had bruises all over.


    "Everett... where did you get all those bruises?" AJ asked.


    Everett let go of his bag and wrapped himself back in the towel.


    "Everett, I¡¯m serious."


    "Some are from Tyrone. Some are from..." Everett trailed off.


    "Tyrone? Why don¡¯t you tell anyone?!"


    "Because no one really cares. I¡¯ve tried before, and it only made things worse."


    "Everett, I had no idea."


    "I feel funny. What was in those drinks?"


    "Uhhhhhh..."


    Everett stood up quickly and then immediately collapsed back onto the bed.


    "Holy shit, that worked fast," AJ said.


    "Yeah, well, we can affect people¡¯s dreams. I know this is a lot, but we don¡¯t have much time. Worry about him later. Focus on Tyrone," Justin said.


    "But. Did we need to put alcohol in it then?" AJ started.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time,¡± Justin insisted.


    AJ grabbed a soda, poured it into the cups, and headed to Tyrone''s room.


    Knock, knock, knock. Tyrone opened the door.


    "Yo, AJ. Whoa, drinking already? You fucking animal. Love it. Is one of those for me? Hell yeah, come in." Tyrone grabbed one of the cups and let AJ in. AJ walked in and saw that Jack and Tyrone were already drinking.


    "Jack around?" asked AJ.


    "He went to get more booze. He should be back shortly," said Tyrone.


    "We need to get him out of here before he comes back," Justin said.


    "I''m looking forward to it. Cheers," AJ said as they clinked cups and started to drink. All he could think about was Everett''s bruises and how this guy caused them. Was it the sleep entities making Tyrone do that or had this been happening before? He felt angry.


    "You know," AJ said, "I got some booze back in my room. You want to help me grab it?"


    "Sure. We could always use more. Lead the way," said Tyrone.


    They headed back toward AJ''s room. AJ paused at the door, remembering there was a passed-out, naked guy inside.


    "Tyrone, my¡ª"


    BAM. AJ turned around to see Tyrone face down on the floor. AJ freaked out. He got the door open and tried to hold it while pulling Tyrone by the arm. Tyrone''s head kept getting caught on the doorframe, but AJ kept pulling. He finally grabbed him by the body and dragged him inside. He struggled, but eventually got Tyrone onto the bed. He now had two passed-out students on each bed.


    "What now?" AJ asked.


    "Now it¡¯s your turn," replied Justin.


    "Wait, what? I need to drink that black stuff, too?"


    "Well, do you think you can fall asleep right now after all that? Just trust me. Have a seat on that sofa. Once you take a sip, you''ll go under. This is really important. I¡¯m about to teach you how to enter people¡¯s dreams. Think of someone''s dream as their own domain of the mind. It¡¯s infinite in size, yet that person''s control over it is limited to the strength of their mind. If you sleep alone, it''s just you, but if you sleep close to someone, their domain can overlap with yours. That''s why some dreams get weird and don¡¯t make sense¡ªbecause you''re mixing dreams, ideas, and even consciousness. This applies to anything that can dream. So, to enter someone else''s dream, I need you to turn off your mind. Don¡¯t dream, in a sense. Let their domain take over and do the work for us."


    "I¡¯ve never meditated in my life. How do I turn my mind off?"


    "You¡¯re going to have to. That¡¯s not even the hard part. Once we¡¯re in the dream, we have to find the sleep entity attached to them. It can be anything or anyone, and their mind will naturally want to protect them, so each time, we¡¯ll have to find a way to destroy the entity. Kill it in the dream, and it will leave the human host. Then we can send it back."


    "How will I know?"


    "It¡¯ll be hiding, so it¡¯ll be difficult. But you won¡¯t be alone¡ªI¡¯ll be with you. Now, we don¡¯t have much time. This should be the easy one; the others will have more time to grow stronger. Drink up."


    AJ looked down at the red plastic cup. The moment of truth had arrived. He thought about backing out and seeking mental help. Maybe it wasn¡¯t too late. But then he thought, Fuck it.


    AJ closed his eyes and waited. Nothing happened. He wasn¡¯t even tired. He opened his eyes. He was still in the room. Maybe he should pour more into the cup. He got up and walked to the counter. He looked back at the beds. Then he took a second look.


    Tyrone and Everett were gone.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    "AJ, open up. It¡¯s the police. We heard you drugged your students."


    AJ was confused. Did he fall asleep, and now they¡¯d woken up and told on him?


    Bang, bang, bang.


    "AJ, tell me it''s not true," Zoe¡¯s voice came from the hallway.


    AJ didn¡¯t know what to do. "Justin?" AJ asked, but there was no answer. Clear your mind, he thought. He started taking deep breaths. Focus, focus. He concentrated on an image, focusing on it intently. He pictured himself older, on a beach with a family. It was so vivid that he could feel the cool ocean breeze hitting his face. He forgot all about the sleep entities, his parents, and Zoe. He was just in that moment, enjoying the sun.


    Screech.


    AJ looked up and saw a hawk flying overhead. He looked back down at the sand. The room was gone. He scanned the beach but saw nothing. Suddenly, a horse came running over the dunes and passed him. Behind it was a man dressed in Old Western clothes, like a cowboy.


    "Sir! Sir! Little help!" the man shouted.


    AJ stood frozen, still confused, as the horse ran farther away.


    "Thanks a lot! My wallet was in there!" the man called, chasing after the horse.


    AJ made his way to the top of the dunes. As soon as he reached the top, he saw a vast Old Western town hidden just on the other side of the beach. From his vantage point, he could see it was bustling with activity. He looked down at his hands and realized he was wearing a vest, a brown trench coat, and a hat. Where did that come from?


    "It¡¯s real," AJ said to himself. He took one last look at the empty beach and then headed toward the town to find Justin.


    As AJ walked into town, he looked around and saw it was packed. Everyone was dressed in Old Western style.


    The town had a saloon, a barbershop, a sheriff¡¯s station, a hotel, a jail, a general store, a post office, and a church. There were several other buildings, but AJ didn¡¯t see Justin anywhere.


    The streets were packed with people, all moving with a sense of urgency. There were many wagons, and the townspeople seemed timid and frightened, unwilling to talk to AJ.


    AJ squeezed through the crowd, trying to listen to what they were saying.


    "Did you hear the news?"


    "What could be next?"


    "I told you the devil has taken over. Pray for us, preacher."


    "I told you we shouldn¡¯t have come."


    "I¡¯m scared, mama."


    AJ had seen enough movies to know that if he wanted information, he needed to head to the saloon. He made his way to the building and managed to get inside. It was full, with people sitting at tables, having meals, drinks, playing cards, and a live band performing.


    "Can I help you, son?" asked the bartender.


    "Yes, I¡¯m new in town. What is everyone so afraid of?"


    "What, you¡¯re not from here? Where did you come from?"


    "Nowhere in particular. Can you just tell me what¡¯s going on?"


    "Have a seat, and I¡¯ll tell you a tale. Many years ago, there was a man, a great man, a sheriff of this town. He was loved and feared. And he did good¡ªuntil one day, he changed. No one knows what happened. One night, his wife and his own daughter were found dead. He went crazy, killed his deputies, then disappeared. Some say the devil got him; others say he went mad and died somewhere. But since then, strange things have been happening. A bank robbery, a man found with his eyes eaten out of his skull, and another man hanged. There are other incidents we can¡¯t even explain, like lights in the sky that seem impossible, and burn injuries no weapon could make. The people of this town aren¡¯t used to such violence, so now everyone¡¯s afraid."


    "Did anyone ever see the killer? asked AJ.


    "You can ask around, but I heard, the man who did see his face has gone crazy and lives out in the desert. You can try asking him." said the bartender.


    "What was this sheriff''s name?" Asked AJ.


    "Tyrone," the bartender said.


    "Tyrone?" AJ repeated


    "Yep, the sheriff was named Tyrone," said the bartender.


    "Hey! Bartender, get us some service. You hear me!" said a loud man.


    "Yes, Mr. Smith. Sorry." the bartender said then left.


    "Hey, mister. You got a smoke?" said a lady sitting at the bar.


    "No. I''m sorry," said AJ.


    "Well, do you want one? We can go get some. Together," said the lady flirting with AJ.


    "Get him one of what, Tiffany. What are you talking about?" said a man approaching.


    "Jack! This is a surprise." Said Tiffany.


    "Hey, Jack." AJ was confused.


    "So, who is this guy?" Jack said, pointing at AJ.


    "Oh. He just showed up. I was just offering him a cigarette."


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Hey! Hey!" Shouted another man from the other side of the saloon.


    AJ and everyone else looked over. The man was holding a newspaper. "Sheriff has been spotted in town. Says he is here to restore order. The town has gone crazy. We have no deputies, and the mayor has not shown up for work. The whole town has been in chaos."


    Everyone started whispering amongst themselves.


    "I got to get out of here."


    "This is the end, I tell you."


    "The town is going to hell."


    "We have to pray for deliverance."


    "We should kill the sheriff before he kills us."


    "Who the fuck are you?!" said the bartender.


    AJ turned around and was faced with the end of a rifle.


    "I think I caught you all at a bad time. I think I''m going to go." AJ stood up.


    "Where the hell did you come from? You know him, don''t you? The sheriff. Answer me!"


    "I''m just passing through." AJ was trying to think of a way out of this situation.


    "He''s lying," said Tiffany.


    "I am not," said AJ.


    "He is a liar," said Jack.


    "You are a fucking liar," said Tiffany.


    "Shut the fuck up. I''m going to ask you again, who are you? I know you are hiding him. I can see it in your eyes."


    AJ started thinking, the dream has a lot of similarities to the real world. But it¡¯s a dream, so it could also be different. The sheriff is Tyrone. And this guy wants him. AJ could run. He could fight. Or he could tell the truth.


    "You can''t hide him forever. If you don''t tell us, we will kill you." said the bartender.


    AJ took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. I am looking for him too. Why not let me go and I can speak to him for us."


    "What are you playing at? You don''t want to mess with him."


    "Look. We all have to calm down. If we want this town back. We need to get the old sheriff back. You want your town back right?"


    "He''s not the old sheriff anymore. He has changed. He is not the same person." .


    "We can save him. He has to be in there somewhere."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I can bring him back."


    "How could you possibly do that? No one has been able to do that. Everyone that has tried has failed and been killed."


    "I''ll take that risk," said AJ.


    AJ was led first out of the bar followed by a gun to his back, and the rest of the bar followed. Alone at the end of the town was Tyrone standing there all in black western clothes and still wearing his sheriff badge but it had a blood stain on it.


    "Tyrone," AJ began.


    "AJ? Are you here to run me out of town too? That didn''t go too well for the last guy."


    "What are you doing? Why are you terrorizing these people?" asked AJ.


    "It''s my town. I got tired of doing what I was told, so why not make my life better? Why not just do what I want? This is it for me. I am not going anywhere else so why not make it fun? Make it count."


    "But to murder? To burn people?" asked AJ


    "That wasn''t me. What kind of man do you think I am? I rob because this is my town. Hell, I even enjoy a good violent dual. But those bodies? People only get hurt if they don¡¯t listen. So, in a way, it¡¯s their fault. I am trying to take over the town. Those deaths were something else. Those bodies¡­" Tyrone said as he got a chill from the thought.


    "Have you had extra help recently? Like a sidekick? Or someone new in your life?"


    "Fuck you, this isn''t an interrogation. You have three seconds to get the fuck out of my town or I could always use people on my side. You still with that woman of yours?" Tyrone said with a disgusting grin.


    "Not going to happen," said AJ


    "That''s unfortunate. Barkeep, hand him your gun," Tyrone says pointing his gun at AJ.


    "Not going to happen," said the Bartender.


    Bam!


    AJ turned as the bartender dropped to the ground. Tyrone pointed his gun now at the next person.


    "You. Pick up the gun and hand it to AJ."


    Tiffany nodded and picked up the gun to hand to AJ.


    AJ was still in shock. That seemed real¡ªnothing like a dream at all. He could feel the blood on his face.


    "Okay, I lied. Maybe I¡¯ve killed a few, but it¡¯s for order. I¡¯m still the sheriff of this town. But I wasn¡¯t lying about those other bodies. Do you know how to duel, AJ?" Tyrone asked.


    "I¡¯m going to turn around, and you do the same. We each walk ten paces. At ten, we turn around and fire. Fate will decide who this town belongs to."


    "I don¡¯t want this town!" AJ protested.


    "Look, you can turn around or not, but I recommend going out fighting. Let¡¯s do this."


    Tyrone watched as AJ complied and turned around. "Good. Okay. One. Two. Three¡ª"


    "Fuck this," AJ muttered. He turned and sprinted toward a building.


    "Hey!" Tyrone shouted, turning around as he heard AJ fleeing. He aimed his gun at AJ.


    Screech!


    A hawk swooped down from the sky, clawing at Tyrone¡¯s gun, causing him to miss.


    AJ, lucky enough to get away, kept running until he was a safe distance. The hawk circled above, then swooped down and perched on a barrel.


    "There you are," said the hawk. "AJ, it¡¯s me, Justin."


    "Justin?! How?" AJ was in shock.


    "In this world, I can take any form, but I am limited to what your subconscious wants me to be. The hawk seemed the best way to cover the most ground without alerting Tyrone¡¯s conscience to an outsider. His sleep entity will be looking for me just like we are looking for it. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t reveal myself to you sooner."


    "He was alone," AJ noted.


    "I know. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t sense any entities around him."


    "What do we do?" asked AJ.


    "Well, if we went back, dueled him, and won, it would just wake him up. Our only option is to find where the entity is hiding. Maybe the sheriff''s office?" Justin suggested.


    "Wait. The bartender said there was a man hiding in the hills who knows where the entity is. But how do we find him?"


    "AJ, it¡¯s time for your next lesson. Human brains do not like the unknown. If someone is missing, it will fill it in on its own. Every path leads to somewhere in a dream. There are always clues that give away the path. Everything else doesn¡¯t exist yet unless someone or something created has found it. For example, what¡¯s inside this building we¡¯re hiding behind? Nothing. It doesn¡¯t exist until we enter. But as soon as we do, the brain will fill it with life. Therefore..." Justin spread his wings and flew up, circling above before returning. "Good news. There¡¯s a path leading out of town."


    "Really?" AJ asked.


    "Yeah, I think the person is in a cave out there. Let¡¯s go."


    They both headed out of town toward the hills. As they followed the path, AJ looked around. The landscape was flat with little grass, and the further he looked, the more barren it became¡ªa vast nothingness. They had to travel far, but as they walked, the distance seemed to shorten, as if the dream wanted them to reach their destination faster.


    "We have to hurry. I am not sure how long the entity has been attached. If we take too long, the entity could grow stronger and merge. We have to kill the entity," said Justin.


    "How?"


    "You will use me. If you get close enough, I can grab hold of the entity. Then you need to kill the person it controls, jolting them awake in the real world. After that, I¡¯ll handle the rest," Justin explained.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "Don¡¯t worry about that."


    As they approached the cave, the surroundings grew darker. The terrain changed, with metal shards scattered across the sand, growing in size the closer they got. Some of the sand had turned to glass, showing signs of extreme heat.


    "Careful, some of this metal is sharp," said Justin.


    As they got closer, they saw larger shards of metal and rock¡ªand even bones.


    "Is that a person?" AJ asked.


    "It¡¯s a victim. He was tortured. Look¡ªit¡¯s one of the sheriff¡¯s deputies. It looks like Tyrone tried to come here."


    There was a skull melted to the ground, teeth gone, and the bones cracked and broken. The sand had now completely turned to metal. It was no longer the old Western desert, but something out of science fiction. Red eyes glared at them from the cave.


    Grrrrr


    The red eyes emerged from the shadows, revealing a robotic wolf with piercing sharp claws, a tail that looked even sharper, and steam leaking from its mouth.


    "AJ, don¡¯t move. We¡¯re in someone else¡¯s domain," Justin warned, flying down to perch on AJ¡¯s shoulder.


    "Moro, heel," a voice called from the cave.


    Behind the wolf, Everett stepped out.


    "AJ? What are you doing here?"


    "Everett? I should be asking you that.¡±


    "Hiding. I just want to be left alone. Wait¡ªyou weren¡¯t followed, were you? Did Tyrone send you?" Everett exclaimed.


    Grrrr


    The wolf began to bare its teeth.


    "What? No! We¡¯re actually looking for Tyrone''s hiding spot. He has something there we need. Where does he hide, specifically when he fled town?" AJ asked.


    "I can¡¯t help you. You¡¯ll ruin everything. Just please, leave," said Everett.


    The wolf took a step closer, steam foaming sparks from its mouth.


    AJ looked at the dead body. "Everett, did you do that?" AJ asked, pointing to the body.


    "It¡¯s not my fault. They just wouldn¡¯t leave me alone. Every day I was picked on in that town. Tyrone went out of his way to make sure I wasn¡¯t happy. I thought if I kept my mouth shut, he¡¯d leave me alone. What did I do to deserve this? Does anyone help? No. They see it. That town is just as guilty as Tyrone. So, I ran away. But he chased me. I ran until I found this cave... and Moro here."


    The wolf looked back at Everett and started to circle him affectionately, showing a sign of loyalty.


    "Moro protected me. They were going to hurt me again, so Moro hurt them. But that wasn''t enough. I had to send a message to Tyrone to stay away, and he got the message. You want to find him? Go to his house. He¡¯s probably there. At the edge of town, there¡¯s a big house with a grass lawn. Of course, while the town suffers from drought, he has a huge home with green grass. You¡¯ll find him there. Now leave."


    "Everett, I¡ª" AJ began.


    Grrrr


    "Don¡¯t. You were never mean to me, which is why Moro hasn¡¯t attacked. But you¡¯re not innocent in all this. You try to be friends with everyone, and in doing so, you¡¯re complicit in the evils going on."


    "I didn¡¯t know!" AJ exclaimed.


    "I¡¯m not going to say it again. You and your dumb bird, get the FUCK AWAY," Everett said, his eyes looking at AJ the same way they had back in school that one day. Moro''s eyes were now glowing red, and its body was ready to attack.


    Justin flew off AJ¡¯s shoulder and away. AJ got the hint¡ªit was time to go. As he walked away, he looked back and saw Everett heading back into the cave with the wolf standing guard.


    "Justin?" AJ called out. "You know what¡¯s happening. We can¡¯t just let this go on."


    "This is not a fairy tale, AJ. It¡¯s a dream. In the real world, the same thing could happen. You could do nothing. People are just born bad, and the good are just there to suffer. The real world is cruel."


    "Well, this isn¡¯t real," AJ argued.


    "Isn¡¯t it? Think about it."


    AJ didn¡¯t look back. He knew the dream was real, and so was the monster. He headed back to town, and by the time he arrived, the sun was beginning to set. There were fewer people on the street, and a chill filled the air. He made his way to the house at the edge of town. It was large and fancy, and the lawn was much nicer than the rest of the town. He could hear music and laughter coming from inside.


    AJ approached the door and knocked. Justin flew down and perched on AJ¡¯s shoulder.


    BAM BAM


    The door slid slightly open from the knock. It was unlocked. AJ glanced at Justin.


    "AJ, arm yourself," Justin said.


    "I dropped the gun. I don¡¯t have anything," AJ replied.


    "It¡¯s a dream. You can have whatever you want," Justin reminded him.


    "Oh." AJ closed his eyes, envisioning a weapon, and then looked down.


    "A knife? AJ, this is a Western. What the fuck are you going to do with that?"


    "You said anything! Fine," AJ muttered. He closed his eyes again and envisioned a revolver, just like the ones he had seen in the movies he used to watch with his dad.


    Justin nodded in approval, then spread his wings and flew into the house, knocking the door wide open. AJ followed inside. The house was in disarray. Chairs and tables were broken, lights were flickering, if they worked at all, and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. Music was playing, but no people were around. Laughter echoed from what sounded like a TV upstairs. Justin was circling the first floor, going room by room. AJ decided to head upstairs.


    AJ made his way toward the noise, gun drawn. He tried to cock the gun with one hand but was so nervous he had to use his other hand to steady it. There was a slight crack in the door to the primary bedroom. He peeked inside and saw Tyrone sitting in a chair, watching TV. He was watching a Western movie in a Western dream.


    "Don¡¯t shoot him until we find the entity," Justin whispered from behind AJ, perched on a guardrail. "Just hold him at gunpoint."


    AJ opened the door, pointing the gun. Tyrone turned around, but he didn¡¯t have the face he¡¯d shown in town. He looked sad.


    Justin circled the room and landed on the bed. "AJ¡­"


    AJ¡¯s eyes were drawn to the bed. He saw a bloody foot hanging off the edge. He walked closer to get a better view. Zoe lay dead on the floor with a young girl beside her, both brutally torn apart. This felt too real to AJ. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest¡ªno, he could feel it pounding all the way to his veins.


    AJ raised the gun and pointed it directly at Tyrone.


    "What is this?! Explain!" AJ exclaimed.


    "My wife. My daughter. I never thought anything would happen to them. I know I have my faults, but I never took it this far," said Tyrone as he got up to face AJ. He pulled out a gun and pointed it right back at him.


    "You came here to finish the job? To take my town from me?!" Tyrone shouted.


    "You monster. How could you do this?" AJ said, barely holding himself back from pulling the trigger.


    Tyrone started laughing, but his laughter quickly turned to rage and sorrow. "Me? The monster?" Tyrone asked. "I didn¡¯t do this. He wanted to send a message. If I didn¡¯t leave town, he said he would... But I couldn¡¯t. This town is all I have. I didn¡¯t think he was capable of..." Tyrone glanced over at the bodies.


    "AJ, I think we fucked up. There¡¯s no sleep entity here," said Justin.


    "Holy shit, did that hawk just talk?" said Tyrone.


    "Everett. That wolf. That¡¯s his sleep entity," AJ realized.


    "That thing... I thought he¡¯d stop with just me. But he kept me alive," said Tyrone.


    "Why?" asked AJ.


    "He¡¯s gone mad. He doesn¡¯t just want me to pay. He wants the whole town. But he was scared I had... I don¡¯t know, a wolf too, or something. So, he didn¡¯t act. He¡¯s been hunting people in town, looking for someone or something. Asking the same kind of questions you were asking."


    "Justin, it was searching for you! You don¡¯t think it knew?" AJ asked.


    "I don¡¯t think so. It can sense that I¡¯m in the dream too, but I¡¯ve been hiding my presence," said Justin.


    Screams echoed from outside.


    "It¡¯s back," said Tyrone.


    AJ and Justin looked at each other and then ran outside. As AJ ran, he saw fire and smoke rising from the center of town, near the saloon. People were running in the opposite direction, their faces cut and bloodied, some burnt beyond recognition. A few were lying motionless. One of the bodies AJ passed was Jack from the bar.


    As he turned toward the square, gunfire rang out. People were collapsing as though their legs had given out, but AJ knew it was much worse. In the middle of it all, Everett stood, holding two automatic guns, far too advanced for a Western.


    Blam. An explosion erupted. Flames consumed one of the houses as it collapsed, and the wolf loomed even larger than before, its metal body red-hot from the flames.


    They weren¡¯t leaving any survivors. It was a massacre.


    "Moro, kill!" Everett yelled, firing more rounds into the crowd.


    "We have to help them," said AJ.


    "It¡¯s too late. If you¡¯re going to help, you have to stop that thing," said Justin.


    "How the fuck am I going to stop that thing?" AJ shouted.


    "I have my ways. But it will cost us," said Justin.


    "What?"


    "Just stop that fucking thing!"


    "Wait...Please stop this. I don¡¯t think I can take much more."


    AJ looked around at the scene. Everyone was either dead or dying. The wolf was moving fast, tearing people apart.


    Rip.


    Crack.


    Break.


    The wolf was killing indiscriminately.


    "Stop!" AJ yelled at the wolf.


    "Moro, kill!" Everett repeated as he continued shooting into the crowd.


    The wolf turned its gaze toward AJ and charged. AJ froze in fear, thinking back to all the signs that Everett had been bullied in school.


    "Moro, kill!" Everett shouted again.


    "No. Stop!" AJ pleaded.


    The wolf charged closer.


    "Stop."


    Grrrr.


    "AJ, don¡¯t forget it¡¯s just a dream! Use your domain! This is your mind too!" shouted Justin.


    "NO!" Everett screamed as he shot at Justin. One of the bullets hit, and Justin tumbled from the sky.


    The wolf leaped at AJ, creating a smoke screen of sand, and he lost sight of everything. The flames, the gunfire¡ªit all stopped. The world around them began to fade and shift from Tyrone¡¯s western domain to Everett¡¯s domain. AJ looked down and realized he was no longer in Western attire. He was now wearing body armor.


    "What are you doing?!" shouted a very angry Everett at Moro.


    "I''m not going to let you do this," AJ said. AJ¡¯s arm got caught in Moro''s jaws but was somehow perfectly protected by the armor. AJ cocked back his other hand and delivered a solid uppercut to the wolf only knocking it back a little.


    Bam! Justin came flying in, knocking the wolf further aside. Justin closed his eyes and concentrated. The hawk was now larger than usual, big enough to fight the wolf on equal terms.


    "You can''t let this entity consume you!" AJ shouted as he rushed toward Everett.


    Slash!


    "He¡¯s the only one who helped me!" Everett yelled, unleashing a hail of bullets at AJ.


    Everett dropped his regular guns and pulled out a heavy, modern-looking one. Everett started to spray bullets in all directions. AJ ducked behind the debris of a destroyed building; the bullets were too many. Meanwhile, Justin and Moro were entangled in a fierce fight. Justin''s eyes glowed red, just like Moro¡¯s. His beak had transformed into something more monstrous, pecking at the wolf''s weak spots: the legs, the ankles. Justin wasn''t fighting cleanly.


    "You need to get to him now," howled Justin.


    AJ didn¡¯t know how. He was stuck behind the debris, and there was too much chaos for him to focus.


    "Stop, Everett," a voice called out.


    The gunfire stopped. AJ peeked over the debris and saw Tyrone emerge from hiding, facing Everett. "That¡¯s enough."


    "Enough? Enough? How dare you say that! What was enough for you, huh? As you tortured me day after day?" Everett snapped.


    Bam! Everett shot Tyrone in the leg and rushed toward him.


    AJ sprang up from hiding and ran toward Everett.


    "Not so fast, or I¡¯ll blow his brains out," Everett threatened.


    "Stop, please," AJ pleaded. Everett did not like the way Aj looked at him.


    "No. No. No. No. Why are you acting like I¡¯m the villain? This man right here, he¡¯s the real monster!" Everett shouted, his voice trembling.


    "That¡¯s not what it looks like from where I¡¯m standing," AJ replied calmly.


    "Ha. Haha. Hahahaha. I guess you''re right," Everett said, glancing around.


    AJ could see the bodies, the destruction. "You did this. This was all you."


    "I caused all this?" Everett muttered. "Moro, come to me." The wolf shimmied away from Justin and retreated to Everett.


    "This thing is making you act this way. This would never happen in real life," Justin said as he flew back to AJ.


    "That¡¯s not how I see it. I see a guy who was picked on every single day¡ªby his parents, his classmates, and this piece of shit!" Everett pointed at Tyrone. "I just became what you all made me into. Why else?" Everett¡¯s voice cracked, tears forming in his eyes. "Why, huh?" Moro grew angrier, opening its jaws and grabbing Tyrone by the neck, just enough to immobilize him.


    "No, please," Tyrone squealed as blood ran down his neck. AJ and Justin couldn¡¯t get closer without risking Tyrone¡¯s life.


    "I didn¡¯t ask to be born, so why do they hate me? I hate it at home, and you... you made me hate it here, where it¡¯s supposed to be safe. So why? Why do you hate me?" Everett demanded.


    "I don¡¯t hate you," whispered Tyrone, struggling to breathe.


    "Then why? What did I ever do to you?" Everett asked, his voice breaking.


    "You were just... easy," Tyrone admitted weakly.


    "Easy? EASY? You just started picking on me one day because I was an easy target?!" Everett couldn¡¯t comprehend it.


    Squish. Moro¡¯s jaws closed. Blood gushed from Tyrone¡¯s neck. He was dead.


    The Western world completely faded away. Now, they were back on the beach, but a lot of sand was warped from extreme heat. Their dreams were clashing. Just the four of them were left.


    "This... this just confirms that there¡¯s evil in this world. I need to change it," Everett said, pain evident in his eyes.


    AJ could see the torment in Everett¡¯s expression.


    "But why did you kill Zoe, then?" AJ asked.


    "What? I didn¡¯t," Everett replied, confused. Moro growled at AJ while Justin spread his wings defensively.


    "No, Justin. I got this,¡± said AJ.


    ¡°Everett, I saw the bodies. This is what blind rage does to you."


    Everett began hitting his head in frustration. "NO, I wouldn¡¯t. She... she sided with him. They¡¯re all fake!"


    "Everett, what was in your school bag? The one you brought to the Academy of Science?" AJ asked calmly.


    "The bag?" Everett looked puzzled, then suddenly remembered. "Oh, right. I was going to blow up the building and everyone in it. Or was it this town? Wait, what was I going to do?"


    "But you¡¯ll die too," AJ said in disbelief.


    "Heh. You act like you actually care about my life. What a joke. No one cares about me. And here¡¯s the kicker: no one cares about you either, or this town. They only care about themselves. They¡¯ll do anything to save their own lives."


    AJ thought about Everett at school. Why didn¡¯t he notice it before? The way Everett kept his head down, how he was always trying to please people, and how he never talked about his home life. In many ways, AJ and Everett were the same.


    "You''re right," said AJ.


    "What?" asked Justin, confused.


    "Everett''s right. I think deep down, I feel that way too. I would look at him, and I thought he had such hatred in his eyes. So, I used that as an excuse to stay away from him. But it¡¯s not hatred¡ªit¡¯s sadness, isn¡¯t it? I know because I see the same eyes when I look in the mirror. And I think I didn¡¯t want to believe it because that would mean admitting it to myself. I¡¯m unhappy. But starting now, I¡¯m going to change that."


    "So that''s your speech? That we¡¯re both losers? All that changes is that you should be over here with me," said Everett.


    "No. We can change. Everett, I¡¯m not going to abandon you."


    "You''re just trying to save your own life, like everyone else!" screamed Everett.


    "I''m not."


    "Okay. Prove it. If you let Moro tear you to shreds, that would only be 1% of the pain I¡¯ve been through. But... it will be enough to stop me. Can you do that? Oh, and your bird there must be caged by my side." Everett closed his eyes and created a tiny bird cage next to his side.


    "AJ, you can''t! Our whole plan will be ruined," Justin said.


    "Shhh. Justin, enough. Everett, I¡¯ll do it. Justin, get in the cage," AJ said. He was now back in his normal clothes, just regular AJ. Justin didn¡¯t argue anymore. He closed his eyes and shrunk in size. Then Justin flew into the cage.


    "Moro. Kill," commanded Everett.


    Moro charged at AJ, biting him in the shoulder and shaking him like a ragdoll.


    "Ahhh! This isn¡¯t real, this isn¡¯t real, this isn¡¯t real!" AJ screamed, trying to remind himself that it was just a dream. Moro threw AJ to the ground and stomped on his left arm, crushing it. The pain was so intense AJ couldn¡¯t even scream¡ªthe air was sucked from his lungs.


    "AJ!" Justin was going wild in the cage. Everett just watched.


    Moro continued clawing at AJ¡¯s chest. One big slash and AJ¡¯s insides were exposed. "Oh God, why hasn¡¯t this woken me up?" AJ thought as he saw his heart still beating. Moro looked up, let out a roar of fire, and then focused on AJ''s heart. AJ could only glance at Everett, silent tears streaming down his face.


    "Okay, that¡¯s enough. Moro, stop," said Everett, but Moro didn¡¯t listen. Its eyes glared at AJ as it bit into his leg, savoring the pain it caused.


    Moro then focused back on AJ¡¯s exposed heart, taking a long sniff. Moro went in for the bite, but with the last bit of willpower AJ could muster, he stopped the wolf''s jaws with his only functioning arm. He was losing his grip.


    "Moro, I said stop!" Everett screamed. Everett didn¡¯t know what to do. He looked over at Justin, who was still fighting to get out of the cage. In a moment of decision, Everett freed Justin.


    Justin shot out of the cage like a jet, but it was too late. AJ lost his strength, and Moro''s teeth sank into his heart. It wasn¡¯t pain¡ªit was the same crushing feeling he¡¯d had when he first encountered the sleep entities. The last thing AJ saw was Justin clashing with Moro, sinking his claws into Moro¡¯s head.


    AJ woke up back in the hotel. He was still paralyzed but could make out a shadowy figure with its arm inside his chest. The figure¡¯s arm seemed to be turning more solid, like darkness was dripping away to reveal flesh. The transformation crawled up the arm, forming a body, until a mouth began to emerge. The mouth grinned.


    AJ was horrified but still unable to move. He felt weaker and weaker, and then¡ª


    Gush.


    Another shadowy arm pierced through the first figure. The grin faded; the second figure never fully formed. It pulled its arm out of AJ¡¯s chest, letting out a horrifying screech as its body faded back into a shadow. AJ saw another shadowy figure standing behind it. Though it had no eyes, it seemed to be looking at its body. The hole in its form grew larger.


    It happened too fast¡ªthe shadowy figure disintegrated. The second figure stood still for a moment, then vanished. AJ tried to scan the room but his eyes grew heavy. He fell back asleep.


    AJ awoke and could move again. He sat up, hands clasped together as he sat in a thinking position. "Was that real?" he wondered.


    "Justin?" AJ asked, but there was no answer. The sound of AJ¡¯s voice woke Everett.


    "Ugh. What happened? Where am I?" asked Everett.


    "Uhh..." AJ was at a loss for words. Everett looked over at Tyrone, still asleep, then at AJ.


    "My dream... you were both in it. What¡¯s going on?" asked Everett.


    "I can explain everything, but first, can you help me move Tyrone back to his room?" AJ asked.


    Everett, still dazed, just nodded. They lifted Tyrone, wrapping his arms around their shoulders, and carried him out the door. An elevator dinged, and voices could be heard down the hall.


    "Oh, shit," Everett said as he bailed, letting go of Tyrone. AJ couldn''t handle the full weight and dropped Tyrone in the hallway.


    "Everett!" AJ whispered loudly, but Everett was already halfway back to their room. AJ glanced down the hallway, muttered "fuck it," and ran back to his room too.


    When AJ got back to his room, he saw Everett on the bed, avoiding eye contact.


    "Everett, that was rude," said AJ, slightly laughing at the awkward silence.


    Everett stayed silent. AJ sat on his own bed and sighed. He could feel the coldness from the other side of the room. He was afraid to look at Everett, afraid of what might happen if he met his gaze.


    "AJ," Everett said. AJ turned and looked at him. Everett¡¯s eyes were still the same¡ªthose eyes that made AJ feel both scared and convinced this was the same person from his dream.


    "Why did you save me?" asked Everett.


    AJ didn¡¯t know the answer himself. Part of Aj wanted to believe it was all just a dream. But he could see a glimmer of light in Everett¡¯s eyes. "Because from now on, we¡¯re friends," said AJ.


    Everett turned around and pulled the covers over himself. AJ thought that was the end of it, but as he was lying down, Everett spoke up. "You know, I was bullied at home and at school. When I got to the academy, it was like a breath of fresh air. But... it didn¡¯t last long. I thought you were one of them. So, I wanted to get revenge. On everyone. In this World. But...I was wrong. I''m sorry."


    AJ was surprised. Everett didn¡¯t have to apologize, but it felt nice.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. You know, why don¡¯t we skip dinner tonight and just hang out in the room?" said AJ.


    "Thanks. But... I think I need help. Like, professionally. You should go. I¡¯m just going to rest, and then I think I¡¯m going to turn myself in tomorrow to the authorities," said Everett.


    There was a moment of silence in the room before Everett heard the TV turn on. He rolled over.


    "What are you doing?" asked Everett.


    "Eh, I didn¡¯t feel like going to dinner anyway. We don¡¯t have to talk, but feel free to watch some TV with me," said AJ.


    Everett sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed. "What do you like to watch?"


    After the Academy of Science incident, people didn¡¯t see Everett at school anymore. The last time AJ saw him, Everett was being escorted out by the principal and the police. He had a smile on his face as he looked at AJ. AJ continued with his school tour. He hadn¡¯t noticed it yet, but both he and Tyrone had changed a little. They had grown more empathetic toward their classmates. He heard Tyrone wake up in the hallway, screaming about his head. Back at school AJ also changed. Normally, AJ would stick to his usual group, but now he could be found sitting at different tables during lunch, mingling with all kinds of students. While his school life changed for the better, his home life was far from normal.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter Four


    AJ''s life at home went back to the same routine. He thought it was normal, but that was not the case. He tried to forget about the whole encounter at the Academy of Science. Justin had stopped answering him, so he thought it was nothing more than a dream, but a part of him felt the pain was too real.


    "AJ, you home?" a voice came from outside his room.


    AJ got up and went to the door. His father was standing there with a smile on his face.


    "How was the Academy of Science? I heard one of your classmates got expelled," his father asked.


    "You heard?" said AJ.


    "Of course. The school called me. You had a sleepover that night? Why didn¡¯t you call me or your mother?"


    AJ looked confused. His dad was always busy and never showed much interest. He figured if his dad knew, he wouldn¡¯t care.


    "Sorry," said AJ.


    "You know, I work hard to give us this life. Rumors of you hanging out with kids like that can ruin our reputation." His dad walked away, disappointed, leaving AJ at the doorway.


    "It wasn¡¯t his fault," AJ muttered to himself. He looked outside his window as it was getting dark. AJ¡¯s mind always raced toward bedtime. Justin was no longer in his dreams, nor was the older version of himself. But he had nightmares of that grin¡ªthat grin from the shadowy figure. He¡¯d wake up in the middle of the night, but nothing was there. He kept a nightlight on just so he could clearly see his room. AJ was scared to tell a doctor, so there was one person he could turn to, someone he idolized and took everything they said to heart¡ªhis brother, Mike.


    He didn¡¯t know how to talk to his brother. He wanted Mike to think highly of him so badly, but this might make him seem crazy. But what if he was? Would his brother still love him? The next night after dinner, AJ couldn¡¯t take another nightmare, so he sent his brother a text: "Yo, you up?"


    Mike responded: "I was about to head to sleep. What¡¯s up?"


    AJ knew he should have called; his brother wasn¡¯t one to text.


    "Nothing. Never mind."


    AJ waited for a reply, but none came. Maybe it was for the best. AJ was an adult now and could handle himself.


    Ring Ring


    It was his brother calling. He was too lazy to get up from bed.


    "Yo," AJ picked up.


    "Hey. You alright? Something wrong?" asked Mike.


    "No. Yes."


    "Come on, man. I¡¯m your bro."


    AJ hesitated. His brother would think he was crazy. "Just been having some bad dreams. It¡¯s stupid."


    "Bad dreams? What is it?"


    "This entity... I¡¯ve been having sleep paralysis again, but this time it seems so real. It has this creepy grin, and it just comes at me," said AJ.


    "Okay, well, let¡¯s look it up. Meet me in my room," replied Mike.


    AJ headed over to Mike¡¯s room. Mike was at his computer desk. They both sat down and searched the internet for AJ¡¯s symptoms.


    "Ah, okay, look at this," said Mike. "It looks like an unhealthy lifestyle and lack of decent sleep can cause these hallucinations. You can even hear things too."


    "Whoa, holy crap. So other people have experienced this?" said AJ. He felt a sense of calm, knowing this was something real that could be addressed.


    Ding


    A message from Zoe Allegra appeared.


    "What¡¯s that? Why is Zoe messaging you?" a shocked AJ asked.


    Mike quickly closed the computer.


    "I messaged her and a couple of your friends to see how you¡¯re doing after the Academy of Science," said Mike.


    "He¡¯s hiding something," Justin¡¯s voice suddenly appeared in AJ¡¯s head.


    "This can¡¯t be happening," AJ said, referring to Justin¡¯s voice, but Mike took it as a reaction to the message.


    "Look. I was worried. Your low grades, your talk of art. Zoe says you barely have time for her. I get it¡ªyou¡¯re at a crossroads in your life right now. I was too. But you need to wake up and grow up. Stop dreaming about what you could be. Do you know how many artists actually make a decent living? Most are poor, barely able to even eat. You need to think about your future family. You know what, scratch that. You need to stop thinking and stop dreaming. Wake up to reality. Get a city job. Focus on your grades. Marry Zoe. Do you even know what you¡¯ve got with that one? You are so lucky. Work on your life right now so you can have a better tomorrow. Stop partying and save up your money. When you¡¯re 50, you¡¯ll thank me."


    "He¡¯s wrong," Justin¡¯s voice said again.


    "Shut up," AJ muttered quietly to himself, addressing Justin.


    "Excuse me?" Mike grabbed AJ by the collar. Then he realized he was hurting him and let go. "You know what? If you want to be a fucking dumbass, then fine. Screw up your life. Get out of my room," said Mike.


    AJ wanted to respond, but Justin was on his mind¡ªliterally. He ran back to his room and shut the door. He stared at the mirror and spoke. "Justin?"


    "Hey, AJ," said Justin.


    "Holy shit. No, I thought this was over," said AJ.


    "No, I told you, we have to destroy five of them," Justin replied.


    "Where have you been? I thought I had a temporary psychotic episode,"


    "I¡¯ve always been here. After destroying Moro, I tried to hide my presence even more. The others knew something happened to one of their own. I waited until I was sure where the next one would be."


    "No¡­ My brother? He seems normal. The advice he gave me was  my best interest. He¡¯s right, you know. He has it figured out. I wish I was half the man he is."


    "Oh, AJ. You can¡¯t see it, can you? It makes sense. They¡¯ve likely infected those closest to you. I¡¯d keep an eye out for your mom and dad too. But first, we need to deal with your brother ASAP," said Justin.


    "My family? What? No. I¡ªI¡¯m just having a psychotic break. It¡¯s a real thing," AJ responded.


    "AJ, you know better than to trust the internet. That¡¯s just another example of bad advice he¡¯s giving you. He should¡¯ve told you to see a doctor or a therapist. Look, this couldn¡¯t be more perfect. He¡¯s about to go to sleep. Just sneak into his room, and you both go to sleep¡ªno booze or anything this time. What¡¯s the worst that can happen? Plus, if he is infected, wouldn¡¯t you want to help him?"


    "I guess. You¡¯re right. Okay, let¡¯s do it," said AJ.


    AJ waited until both his parents were asleep. He grabbed a pillow from his room and walked to his brother''s bedroom door. He could hear the dings of messages on his brother¡¯s computer. That made him uneasy¡ªwhat if he was talking to Zoe? What were they saying about him? At 11 PM, the dings finally stopped. At midnight, AJ cracked open the door and crawled into the room. He looked around for a place to sleep. He saw the computer still open and started making his way towards it, but Justin said, "Don¡¯t." AJ decided to crawl under the bed instead. That was as close as he could get. He placed the pillow from his room and  staring up at the bottom of the bed, trying to sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± He said to Justin closing his eyes. AJ¡¯s hands started to emit black smoke. It sneaked out from under the bed crawling towards Mike.


    ¡°Breaking news as we go live to Kate Kelly outside Senator Stoneman¡¯s luxurious hotel in the streets of Freedom City,¡± said the news anchor.


    ¡°Thanks, Tom. I¡¯m here outside the senator¡¯s prized -star hotel, which ranks as the tallest in the United States, reaching 180 stories at its peak. Police have surrounded the building as an attack on guests staying here has occurred. An unknown number of violent assailants are making their way up the hotel toward the senator¡¯s suite at the top. So far, sixteen confirmed deaths, mostly guards, and around thirty other injuries. The senator is not in the building, but his wife and infant child are reportedly in the suite.¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± one civilian said to his friend. In the distance, a helicopter could be heard approaching.


    ¡°That¡¯s not just any ''copter. That¡¯s Alastair¡¯s,¡± the friend replied. The helicopter was painted with the face of a bald eagle, and the blades were painted so that when they spun, they created the image of the American flag.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know? That¡¯s America¡¯s finest¡ªAlastair and his sidekick, Atlas. They were war heroes during World War Three. They loved America so much that their passion was rewarded with superpowers,¡± one civilian explained.


    ¡°I heard Alastair took out five suicide soldiers head-on and came out unscathed,¡± another civilian added.


    ¡°Yeah? I heard Atlas can throw a car the distance of a football field.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, well, I heard Alastair can fly! Wait, why¡¯s he in a helicopter, then?¡±


    As the helicopter flew over the crowd, two men could be seen on the side. First was Atlas¡ª sitting on the edge of the helicopter with his legs dangling out as they flew 30 stories up. He was completely covered in blue camouflage, even his mask, which hid his entire face. The material was some sort of new bulletproof metal with microscopic holes to let him breathe. His vision was all digital from inside the mask. Standing next to him was America¡¯s all-star, Alastair. He wore the brightest white costume anyone had ever seen, with a big Army star on his chest. As the helicopter got closer to the crowd, people could see Alastair¡¯s piercing blue eyes and golden hair. He waved to the crowd like he was already celebrating a victory parade.


    As the helicopter approached the hotel, Atlas stood up next to Alastair. At 50 stories up, Atlas leaped out of the helicopter, landing at the base of the hotel with enough force to create a small crater in the ground. The helicopter then flew to the top, where Alastair casually stepped off. Their strategy: a pincer attack to prevent any escapes. Atlas entered first through the main entrance¡ªno guns, no gadgets, because he didn¡¯t need them. His punch was faster and more destructive than a bullet. As he stepped through the threshold, he was horrified to discover piles and piles of bodies in the lobby. There must have been sixty people dead in the lobby alone. The closest ones were the first responders. They hadn¡¯t gotten five feet in before they were cut down. Their bodies showed signs of wild slashing, but they weren¡¯t the first. The hotel guards¡¯ throats were slit, showing no signs of struggle, indicating they were likely the first victims. The attack happened fast and unexpectedly.


    Atlas turned to the civilian bodies near the guards. They were all stabbed in the back, most likely from trying to flee after witnessing the initial attack. Not all had died immediately; the assailants had gone after those who tried to escape first, then returned to finish them off with ease.


    ¡°Major casualties on the first floor, no signs of the threat,¡± Atlas said over the radio.


    Atlas made his way to do a quick sweep of the first floor. His speed allowed him to cover the entire floor in seconds. He began entering rooms to find civilians unharmed.


    ¡°My name is Atlas from the US government. You¡¯re safe now. Did you see who did this?¡± Atlas questioned.


    ¡°N-No. The lady on the intercom told everyone that if we stayed in our rooms, we would live. Oh god, the people who left¡­ Did they make it?¡± a terrified man asked.


    ¡°First floor clear. Need a team to assist with civilians,¡± Atlas said over the radio.


    As he left the hallway, he saw the elevators deactivated and a trail of bodies leading up the stairs, both guards and civilians alike. Guess I¡¯ll follow the breadcrumbs, Atlas thought to himself.


    Alastair started on the roof and was making his way down to the senator''s suite.


    "Alastair, there are a lot of bodies down here. I¡¯m not seeing any evidence of how many attackers there were, but this level of destruction would take an elite team," Atlas continued over the radio.


    ¡°Copy that. I¡¯m entering the floor of the suite now,¡± Alastair replied.


    Alastair made his way from the emergency exit on the roof to the senator''s suite floor. Bodies of guards led a trail to the suite¡ªthey were fresh. Someone is here. Why is no one guarding the door? Alastair thought. Is this a suicide mission? He ran through several scenarios of what could be happening or had happened behind the door. The senator''s family could be hostages or already dead. Either way, he had to proceed with caution.


    He opened the door slowly and saw two guards dead on the floor.


    "Alastair, it¡¯s Atlas. I''m getting confirmation from HQ that one¡ªrepeat, one¡ªindividual did this, and they want them taken in alive."


    As the door fully opened, Alastair stared straight ahead at a woman almost frozen in time, holding a blade to an infant¡¯s neck behind the senator¡¯s desk. She didn¡¯t take her eyes off the child. She had a skinny, athletic build, wearing only a black tank top and jeans, completely drenched in blood. The blood made it look like red streaks ran down her black hair. Alastair surveyed the rest of the room: no other guards were present, but the senator¡¯s wife was gurgling blood in the corner by the bookshelf, alive but barely. Something felt off. Was this woman responsible for all these casualties?


    ¡°By the order of the U.S. government, you are under arrest. Drop the infant and come quietly. Resistance is futile,¡± Alastair declared with little emotion.


    ¡°You¡¯re not him. I¡ªI thought if I did something so horrific, so unforgivable to something so loved, so innocent, maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªI could feel something... or I¡¯d find a reason... to end it,¡± she said with a face so sad it looked as if she was crying without tears.


    "Atlas, I need assistance ASAP. Get to the suite!" Alastair shouted.


    "Already on my way," Atlas responded, arriving mere seconds later. "I figured when we knew it was one person, they had to be up here. I¡ªHoly mother of God," Atlas said, finally glimpsing the scene.


    Alastair sprang into action. In one motion, he kicked the desk with such force that it broke both of the woman''s legs. As she dangled in the air, he uppercut her left elbow joint, breaking her grasp on the infant.


    ¡°Grab it, Atlas!¡± said Alastair.


    Atlas followed behind, catching the baby.


    The woman looked up from the ground and stared at Alastair. "Your eyes are the same, but you¡¯re not him..." she said with a puzzled look. ¡°My name is Zoe. I¡¯m looking for someone. I have one question for you. Depending on your answer, I may show less ¡®resistance¡¯ and go with you.¡± She tilted her head like a curious dog. ¡°Would you even care if I killed this baby?¡±


    Alastair stopped dead in his tracks.


    "I would," Atlas replied without hesitation. "Wait. Your name is Zoe?"


    ¡°The first guard begged me not to hurt the senator''s wife. The next guard pleaded for both the senator and the baby. And of course, the senator''s wife chose her own child. But is that what they really wanted? You know what their answer was as I stabbed them over and over. Do you want to know who the senator''s wife truly wanted to save between herself and the baby?¡± Zoe said.


    Alastair walked toward Zoe as she crawled toward the window, trying to get away. He dashed over to her, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her into the bookshelf, her broken legs dangling in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me, you monster,¡± Alastair barked, tightening his grip around her neck.


    ¡°Monster... yes, I suppose I am,¡± Zoe said, ¡°...but I¡¯m not the only one, am I?¡±


    Wham! Zoe struck Alastair over the head with a sharp, broken trophy from the bookshelf. As Alastair stumbled back, he noticed her legs and arm were healed, but it was too late¡ªZoe had already picked up her dagger and lodged it into Alastair''s shoulder.


    ¡°Bitch!¡± Alastair screamed.


    Zoe attempted another stab, but Alastair backhanded her to the other side of the room.


    "Watch out! She has healing powers!" Alastair shouted to Atlas. Atlas put the baby in the senator''s wife''s lap.


    Zoe, now lying next to one of the dead guards, picked up one of their guns. Atlas charged at her. She fired wildly, landing a shot in his gut and several in his leg, but it didn¡¯t stop him. As she tried to get up, Atlas unleashed devastating blows one after the other until a final punch to her gut left her spewing blood, almost losing consciousness.


    After checking her for weapons, Alastair threw her over his shoulder. ¡°Give up. Even with your healing powers, you can¡¯t overpower me. The only reason you were able to hurt me is because they want you alive.¡±


    ¡°You men always see physical power as strength,¡± Zoe whispered, her blood dripping from her face to the floor. ¡°True strength comes from enduring. AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I¡¯VE HAD TO ENDURE AND WHAT I¡¯M CAPABLE OF ENDURING!¡± she screamed.


    While over his shoulder, she re-broke her arm so part of her radius bone pointed out sharply. With her other hand, she ripped the bone out and used it as a dagger, stabbing Alastair in the abdomen. Alastair dropped to one knee. Zoe kicked him away to break free and backed up to the window. She took the dagger and started cutting open her abdomen. Atlas stood frozen in shock at the sight of her cutting herself.


    "Stop. Please. I don''t know you, but I can help you. I want to help you," said Atlas.


    "Don''t know me? Oh, but Atlas, I know you. Or should I call you AJ? You can''t help me until you help him first."


    Zoe hesitated and touched her face. A single tear crawled down her cheek. "I haven''t felt my own tears in years. You are not like us, AJ." She smiled. Zoe reached into her own abdomen and pulled out a grenade. Her wounds were already beginning to heal. Neither Alastair nor Atlas had seen a healing power like this before.


    "AJ? My name?" said Atlas.


    "No! Atlas, focus!" Alastair yelled. He charged at her, but as he got close, the grenade went off, throwing him back against the wall. Atlas dove to shield the baby and the senator''s wife, taking the blast to his back as Zoe was blasted out the window, 180 stories up. Atlas saw only smoke before debris piled over him as he continued to cover the victims.


    "Hang on!" He could hear Alastair¡¯s voice trying to get to him. Alastair removed the debris, revealing Atlas still covering both the baby and the senator''s wife, who were alive. They carried them to the helicopter, which flew them back down to ground level.


    As soon as the helicopter landed, they were greeted by Senator Stoneman and a medic. The medic took a quick look at the senator''s wife and baby and gave a positive nod, indicating they were going to make it. He quickly ran over to Atlas and Alastair.


    "Boys! My od, if I¡¯d sent anyone else on this planet, my wife and son would be dead. But you two¡ªyou are not just America''s finest. You are the world''s greatest superheroes," said the senator.


    "Bark bark." A dog came running up to them¡ªa yellow Lab wearing a harness with the letters "SD" and a cape attached to it.


    "Ah, even Super Dog here is proud of you," said the senator.


    "Bark bark," the dog said, smiling.


    "Always happy to help, senator. Unfortunately, that villain got away. But don''t worry, we will find her and bring her to justice immediately," said Alastair.


    "I know you will. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I need to attend to my family," the senator said as he walked away.


    "Atlas, you seemed distracted up there. Head back to the base and await an after-action report. The villain got away, which means this job isn¡¯t complete. Still, not bad up there. You¡¯ve got potential, and if you follow in my footsteps, you could be America''s golden child. Just like me. Now take your super pet here and get going. I¡¯m just going to do a little PR with the media to clean up some of this mess," said Alastair.


    Atlas watched as Alastair headed toward a crowd of reporters. He looked down at Super Dog, who looked back up at him.


    "AJ, what the fuck are you doing?" the dog said.


    "You can talk?!" asked Atlas literally taking a step back in disbelief.


    "It''s me, Justin. But just keep calling me Super Dog. What are you doing playing superhero? We need to be looking for the sleep entity," said Justin.


    It all started coming back to AJ.


    "This is a dream," said AJ.


    "No shit. You''re in your brother''s domain. You¡¯ve got to be careful¡ªthey can overpower you and trap you in the dream. Focus your mind. Control your own domain," said Justin.


    "Holy shit, Mike is Alastair. And come to think of it, the senator kind of looks like Dad. And that woman¡ªZoe?! I need to go after her."


    "She¡¯s not actually here. That¡¯s something your brother is creating in his subconscious. We¡¯re not here to play superhero¡ªwe have our own goal," said Justin.


    "So, then what do we do?" asked AJ.


    "We go along with this dream. We stay close to Alastair and see if anyone suspicious is manipulating him," said Justin.


    "But this doesn¡¯t seem that bad. I mean, he¡¯s a hero. He¡¯s helping people! Maybe we got it wrong," said AJ.


    "No. Something¡¯s off. We¡¯re in the right place. Don¡¯t be blind just because it¡¯s your family," said Justin.


    "Alright, fine. I guess there¡¯s no harm in following him for now. What¡¯s next?" said AJ.


    "I¡¯ll show you another detail about dreams, AJ," said Justin. "Notice how dreams get right to the point? Time is fake here. So, here¡¯s a trick: close your eyes, zone out, and let yourself be taken by the dream. Good... good. Now, open your eyes."


    AJ opened his eyes to see himself standing in front of a dining hall wearing a tux. He looked down to see Justin in a tux as well.


    ¡°How?¡± asked AJ.


    ¡°The dream always wants to move forward  the easiest path. Think of it like autopilot. It¡¯s useful when you have no other options, but the downside is it can get you into worse situations.¡±


    "Looks like they¡¯re throwing some sort of celebration. Let¡¯s go," said Justin.


    As they walked up the steps to the entrance, they were greeted by two guards.


    "Welcome. Senator Stoneman is happy you could accompany us, but, um, I¡¯m sorry, sir, your dog can¡¯t come in," said the guard.


    "What? But¡ª" said AJ. He bent down to whisper into Justin¡¯s ear. "What do we do?"


    "It¡¯s okay. You go on in. This is just recon for now. I¡¯ll be close by," said Justin.


    AJ went inside. He didn¡¯t recognize anyone, so he decided to head to the bar and people-watch.


    "What are you having?" asked a friendly bartender.


    "Um, just a beer, please," said AJ.


    "Ok. But what kind?" asked the confused bartender.


    Applause broke out as all attention turned to the entrance, where Alastair and Senator Stoneman were making their way in. Alastair entered with a big grin on his face and a white tux. People stared at him as if he were glowing with an aura. Alastair scanned the room, made eye contact with AJ, and started heading toward him. Before he could reach him, he was swarmed by a crowd of people.


    "Alastair, you¡¯re America¡¯s finest!"


    "Alastair, I want you to meet my daughter!"


    "Can you come to my kid¡¯s school?!"


    AJ listened as it was Alastair this and Alastair that, but all he saw now was Mike, his brother. Maybe Justin was wrong? AJ thought. He decided to be direct and have a chat with his brother. AJ went up to Mike and put his arm around him.


    "Care for a drink?" said AJ.


    "Yes, thank God. Get me out of here," said Mike.


    As they walked to the bar, AJ could hear someone say, "Who is that walking with Alastair?"


    "Two Guinness, please!" Mike said to the bartender. "Thanks for that."


    "Ha. You may save the day, but who saves the hero?" said AJ. "So... you and the senator seem close?"


    "Huh? Yeah, well, you know. He¡¯s in charge of the super-soldier program. Got to keep him happy," said Mike.


    "I guess." AJ tried to think of what else to say. "Mike, have you been noticing any changes lately with yourself?"


    "You mean like superpowers?" Mike gave AJ an odd look.


    "Ha, no. I mean... ugh. Has anyone new come into your life recently? Following you around?" asked AJ.


    "Like a sidekick? Just you, bud. What are you¡ª"


    "You!" the senator''s wife drunkenly stormed over to them, her dress stained with wine. She had so much makeup on, trying to cover the scars from the incident, but it only made them more obvious. "Getting all this praise? And for what? The bad guy got away. Shut up¡ªI know it was a girl! Everyone thinks you two are God¡¯s gift to us. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d even grace us with your presence, your majesties. But... but¡­¡± She paused, then frowned, threateningly rolling the ice around in her drink. ¡°I saw you. Saw you look at us. I don¡¯t care that you thought I was expendable, but my baby? You called her ¡®it.¡¯ Are we even people to you?¡± Her frown snapped into a glare. ¡°Your eyes are no different than hers." She switched her gaze to AJ. "And you... you¡¯re just his shadow. Pathetic."


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Honey, I think you¡¯ve had a little too much ros¨¦," Senator Stoneman burst into the conversation. "Malcolm is looking for you. Please." Stoneman gently guided her away. She gave Mike one last dirty look, and he could see her mouth the word "monster."


    Mike turned his attention back to the senator.


    "I¡¯m so, so sorry about that, guys. She¡¯s just been having some PTSD lately and nonstop nightmares. Here, forget that cheap stuff. Drinks on me for the rest of the night. What am I saying? Drinks on me for life at any of my businesses." Said the senator.


    "Whoa, hey! Not going to argue with that!" AJ exclaimed, glancing at Mike, trying to snap him out of it. "Right, Mike?"


    "Right," Mike replied, putting his grin back on.


    "Great. After that drink, photo time." The senator grinned back.


    The next couple of hours were spent drinking, shaking hands, and taking photos. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to AJ. Justin must be wrong. The senator started taking pictures with police and other first responders, leaving Mike and AJ alone.


    "So, where are you going after this? Maybe we can catch up?" asked AJ.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "No... I mean, I¡¯d love to, but I can¡¯t. I have this thing. I¡¯m, uh... I¡¯m meeting someone after. Sorry, I tried to tell you earlier. I¡¯m actually about to leave," Mike said.


    "No shit? Finally, man. Well, I won¡¯t stop you," AJ said, giving Mike a hug. "Hey, you deserve this," AJ added as Mike walked away.


    After the party, AJ went outside looking for Justin.


    "Psst. Up here." AJ looked up to see Justin on the roof of the next building over.


    AJ looked around. Does he still have powers? he thought. He made sure no one was looking before running towards the building and leaping.


    "Whoaaaaa," AJ said as he overshot the building and landed on the other side. He tried again and this time stuck the landing right next to Justin.


    "This is so cool. It¡¯s like I really have powers," AJ said to Justin.


    "Yes. Just like in the last dream, the limit is how much control you have over your own mind. But it¡¯s not easy. You can easily slip fully into the dream, like how you were earlier."


    AJ nodded in agreement.


    "Look. Your brother is on the move. Let''s follow. The dream will lead us," Justin said, looking over the edge at the street. They hopped from roof to roof, following him.


    Mike made his way to the nearest liquor store. He bought two handles of whiskey and cracked open one right there, guzzling it down without spilling a single drop on his white tux. The man behind the cash register couldn¡¯t help but gaze awkwardly. Mike made the long journey to his mansion, downing the bottles as if they were water. By the time he got to his front gate, the second handle was empty. His powers gave him a higher tolerance, but he could still get drunk. He dropped his keys about five times, and because he had so many, it took him five minutes to find the right one for the gate.


    "This is Mike? Goddamn, this is painful to watch," said Justin.


    "Shh," AJ replied, giving him a glare. They moved to the roof of Mike¡¯s mansion. "Looks like he lives alone."


    "I heard guards saying he fired every employee that ever worked for him. He always finds some bullshit reason," said Justin.


    The front lawn was littered with statues and American flair. The house was a mansion that screamed "I¡¯m a patriot." Mike opened his front door. AJ and Justin dropped down and watched closely from the windows. Mike was too out of it to notice. The main hallway was decorated with medals, awards, and pictures of high-ranking officials. He walked past the first room, and the next two rooms were bare, with no furniture in them. It was all for show. The outside and the first hallway were all people ever saw, but beyond that, the house was extremely empty. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed two more handles of whiskey. He went to the fridge, pouring ice into his glass from the freezer, then paused and stared at an old picture of his platoon when they were stationed in Germany. All he could hear in his head were the senator¡¯s wife¡¯s words repeating over and over: "Same eyes. Same eyes. Same." He put his back to the fridge and slowly slid down to the ground. He looked around at the emptiness.


    For the first time ever, AJ was concerned for his brother. Mike¡¯s phone vibrated in his pocket. Blocked number¡ªhe never answered those. As he stared off, his eyes grew heavy, and blackness engulfed him.


    "You were right, Justin. I believe you now. Something is wrong with Mike," said AJ.


    "No shit. You humans never look past the surface. Spotting something wrong isn¡¯t a skill limited to sleep entities. Even you could learn it. See, your brother is a lot like this house. On the surface, it looks amazing, but the truth is always hiding inside. And seeing doesn¡¯t always have to be physical. It can be in someone¡¯s actions or the words they say. The truth is always within. Pay attention to Mike in this dream, and you¡¯ll pick up on it. Maybe you¡¯ll even find the entity influencing him. For now, let¡¯s see if anyone or anything approaches him."


    AJ and Justin waited and waited, but nothing happened. AJ tried texting Mike''s phone, but it didn¡¯t wake him up.


    "This isn¡¯t working. You need to take control of this dream a little¡ªjust enough to steer it," said Justin.


    "How?" asked AJ.


    "We¡¯ve been over this. Manifest it,"


    "Okay," said AJ. He focused on his next call, but this time he visualized why he was calling.


    Mike woke up on the kitchen floor, empty bottles of alcohol scattered around him. He touched his face and felt tears. Was I crying in my sleep? He looked at his phone and saw 14 voicemails. One p.m.? Shit, I overslept.


    Vroom, vroom. His phone vibrated again. Mike looked at his phone. "Fuck!" he let out a wail of frustration as he realized AJ was calling.


    "Hello," said Mike.


    "Mike? Mike, where have you been?! We were supposed to have a briefing this morning about that super-powered villain," AJ said, creating the scenario out of thin air.


    "Yeah, I was dealing with some local incidents last night and broke my phone. I just got it back and turned it on," Mike said, unaware that AJ  watching him the whole time.


    "Fuck, man, you should¡¯ve told someone. Well, I managed to push the meeting back to 1600 hours, making up some bullshit excuse for you," said AJ.


    "Four?" Mike looked at the time again. "Alright, I¡¯ll meet you there."


    Mike hung up and slammed the back of his head against the fridge for a second before getting up to get ready.


    "Perfect," Justin said to AJ. "That was good thinking. Now, where to?" asked Justin.


    "What do you mean, where?"


    "You¡¯re steering the ship now. Better hurry before he takes back control."


    AJ and Justin drove to the central part of downtown, arriving at an unnamed high-rise building.


    "Alright, this is where I depart again. The entity is going to be looking for whoever¡¯s taking control, so be careful. I¡¯ll be close by, watching," Justin said as he headed down the street.


    AJ waited for his brother to arrive. Mike came in, smiling ear to ear, pretending like nothing was wrong.


    "Ready, brother?" Mike said to AJ. They headed to the top floor, entering a conference room where U.S. officials had gathered, including Senator Stoneman, General Minerva, the Secretary of Defense, some strategists, and a few scientists. General Minerva got the attention of the room.


    "Alright, may I have your attention on the screen This is Zoe Andria, born in Italy to the world-renowned Andria family," said General Minerva.


    "I thought the entire family was massacred thirteen years ago?" asked a scientist.


    "That¡¯s what we thought. However, what was kept from the public was that we discovered advanced experimental equipment in the rubble after the place burned down¡ªequipment that resembles what we use today... to make Alastair and Atlas." The room grew eerily silent. "At first, it seemed like a mercenary hit. The family had many enemies. In recent years, a super has appeared in America with powers beyond just physical strength¡ªa female with powers of regeneration. We only became aware of her recent whereabouts because she¡¯s only recently been more active in the U.S., but she goes back further. We tracked her to Germany, England, Spain, and Italy. The locals of the town next to the Andria compound said that around the same time the family was murdered, an orphan girl was seen living on the streets, begging for money, about nine years old. We had our suspicions, but to think a nine-year-old girl..."


    "Wait, if this is true... thirteen years ago... then she¡¯s the first Super," said another scientist.


    All eyes were locked on Alastair and Atlas¡¯s reaction. Alastair spoke up, ¡°But I saw her get blasted 180 stories up. Why are we speaking as if she¡¯s alive? I don¡¯t care how fast you can regenerate; you can¡¯t come back from nothingness."


    General Minerva clicked to the next slide. It was a surveillance video from a store next to the tower. Everyone watched in shock as a thin, naked woman broke into a clothing store, put on clothes, and then ran out after taking money from the register.


    "Impossible," Atlas said, stunned. "Wait. When did you get this info? Is that why we were ordered to capture her alive? Were the soldiers supposed to use restraint?! All those bodies... God, the senator''s wife and child were¡ª"


    "We all knew the risks, soldier," Senator Stoneman snapped back.


    General Minerva took control of the conversation again. "Listen. You¡¯re missing the bigger picture. Someone is walking around out there who could shift the tides of war. Someone who could create more supers, maybe even more powerful than ours. For now, I want everyone working 24/7 to find her. Bring her back by any means necessary."


    The meeting adjourned. Atlas saw Alastair quickly heading for the exit. As he tried to chase after him, Senator Stoneman stopped him.


    "Atlas. A moment of your time." The senator waited until they were the only two left in the room. "I want to say we appreciate all the service you¡¯ve done and continue to do for our country. I¡¯ve heard from a little birdie that you were asking some superiors about taking on bigger roles and maybe moving away from the ''sidekick'' spotlight? Yeah, I¡¯ll answer that right now¡ªit¡¯s a no. You see, Alastair has the face of what we want to represent, you know? He has that ''poster boy'' look. You, on the other hand, come off as more... aggressive. Now, I don¡¯t think that, but our PR and marketing experts do. They think it¡¯s best if you keep learning from Alastair. By the way, where¡¯s that dog of yours?"


    "Oh, um... I got rid of it. You know, to be more like Alastair," AJ said.


    "Right. That¡¯s good. Well, good talk. I¡¯ll be on my way then. Oh, and check in with General Minerva¡ªshe has an assignment for you. Looks like you''re getting your wish: separation from Alastair." The senator put his hand on AJ¡¯s shoulder. Something about it felt... off.


    Meanwhile, Justin had begun following Mike as he left the building, heading straight for a liquor store.


    "Help! Please, God. Please, someone. Help!" A wail echoed from an alley. Mike looked around but saw nothing.


    "Help!" He ran to the other side of the building and found a man with a knife pinning a woman against a wall. Mike leaped into action, grabbing the man with one hand and flinging him backward into a brick building.


    "Are you okay?" Mike asked the hooded woman. She lea into his arms, wrapping herself around him.


    Mike had isolated himself for so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to embrace another person. For that brief moment, he enjoyed it. But then, a whisper came over his shoulder: "Dear God. You killed him."


    Mike gently pushed the woman away and turned around, horrified. He had flung the man so hard that the impact caused his head to crack open. Mike could see the man¡¯s body letting go and blood streaming from his eyes. Normally, Mike controlled his strength perfectly, but he hadn¡¯t been himself lately. Even a slight lapse in judgment could result in death.


    "It¡¯s true. I... I am a monster," he whispered.


    "Says who?" the hooded woman asked, her head down. "Society? The law? The people who trained you to do exactly what you''re doing, but then say it¡¯s wrong when you don¡¯t follow their orders?" The woman looked up into Mike¡¯s eyes, and he lost his breath. He got tunnel vision towards her face. She slowly pulled back her hood, revealing long black hair streaked with blood-red and purple strands. It was Zoe.


    Justin was watching from above. "This is bad. I need to call AJ," Justin muttered. He pulled out a cellphone out of thin air. He tried sending AJ his location with a message, but his dog paws made it difficult.


    ¡°Dammit. Why couldn¡¯t I be a human.¡± Said Justin as he finally managed to get the text delivered.


    Mike¡¯s eyes dilated as he grabbed Zoe by the neck and slammed her against the wall. "Why?" he asked, breathing heavily.


    "Be... cause I... don¡¯t think you¡¯re a monster," Zoe choked out. The words struck deep, and Mike loosened his grip.


    "I¡¯ve been watching you. For longer than you think... I¡¯m fine, by the way... I¡¯ve seen your house, your work, your... drinking habit."


    "So, you''re just a crazy stalker? Is that it?" Mike shouted, slamming his fist against the wall.


    Zoe¡¯s glare sharpened. "NO. I followed you because I had to be sure that what I saw in your eyes when we first met was real. WE are not monsters. We¡¯re not broken. Society is broken. Society is the monster."


    Maybe it was the booze, or maybe Mike wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind, but the more Zoe spoke, the more conflicted he felt. "What are you saying?"


    "My condition, as you¡¯ve guessed, is hypersonic regeneration. But there¡¯s a price. I can¡¯t feel¡ªnot physically, and not emotionally. Without pain, I can¡¯t feel pleasure. Without fear, I can¡¯t feel exhilaration. And worst of all, I can¡¯t even feel sadness. I¡¯d gladly take a life of misery over nothingness. I know you understand what this is like. You know something is wrong. You know how you should be feeling, but there¡¯s just... nothing."


    Bam! Something hit the ground near them, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the air cleared, AJ was standing there.


    "Mike, is this true? Have you been feeling like this? I had no idea," AJ asked.


    "No! Why are you here?!" Zoe snapped. Sirens and helicopters could be heard in the distance. "You led them right to us!" She turned back to Mike. "I¡¯ve done terrible things to try and feel again. I¡¯ve done the world¡¯s strongest drugs in China. I¡¯ve played the hero and worked with secret mercenaries all over Africa. I¡¯ve been a bounty hunter in the Middle East. I¡¯ve killed so many... but nothing. Nothing worked! Then, I heard a name¡ªa name I hadn¡¯t heard since I got these powers. The man responsible for this numbness. And for the first time in a long time, I felt anger. From that moment, I made it my mission to find him and make him pay for what he did to me, to my sisters, and to my brothers!"


    Mike backed off. "Why are you telling me this? What does this have to do with anything?"


    "Because the same man who did this to me... is in your government!" Zoe said.


    "What?" AJ''s breath caught in his throat.


    "I grew up thinking I was sick. My family was rich, so I was told I was getting the newest state-of-the-art treatments. I was constantly tested and put on experimental drugs. Then, he came¡ªa man who called himself Da Vinci, a genius in all fields. He always smiled at me and said I was going to be better. I thought he meant better from my sickness, but he had other plans. Most of his tests were like the ones before¡ªtaking blood, testing agility, that sort of thing. But one night, I was strapped to a hospital bed. My parents were there, smiling as they put me under. I woke up in a burning boat in the middle of a lake. The flames were so bright, I couldn¡¯t see anything. That¡¯s when my powers began. I made it back to shore and found part of my house had been destroyed by an explosion. My parents were gone, the guards too. I went to my dad¡¯s office, and there was a video on his computer labeled ¡®Test Subject 6.¡¯ It was a recording of all the experiments done on me. And I was #6. Five other siblings had died in these experiments. My parents had been using their own children. I didn¡¯t understand why until I later found out my father was developing biological warfare to compete with superpowers and sell to the highest bidder. I wanted to believe he cared, but the last file on the desktop was of me going under for my final treatment. They injected me with a large vial of red liquid. Something went wrong. One of the doctors tried to stop Da Vinci, and the vial broke, spilling over me and the equipment. I started seizing. The lights went out, and when they came back on... I was dead. I watched as my father shrugged me off as another failure. My mother, at least, found a ¡®proper¡¯ way to dispose of my body. That sadness was the last thing I ever felt. I burned that house down with them still in it. I didn¡¯t feel a thing."


    "Which brings us to now. I traced Da Vinci across several countries until he made a mistake¡ªhe got cocky and took a public seat of power. He¡¯s now known as Senator Stoneman," Zoe said.


    Mike''s eyes widened in shock.


    AJ knew something was off with the senator.


    Zoe continued, "Little did I know that he somehow created super bodyguards to protect him¡ªnamely, you two: Alastair and Atlas. Or is it okay to start calling you Mike and AJ?"


    "Whoa, what?" AJ said, shocked.


    Mike grew suspicious. "So, you''re after the senator. That¡¯s why you went after his family. AJ, don¡¯t believe anything she says. The senator has been nothing but a father figure to us. He gave us this life. Gave us a reason."


    Zoe pressed on, "Yes, that¡¯s why I went after his family. I thought he¡¯d show his face if I pushed hard enough. I don¡¯t have time to earn your trust. He¡¯s a lot smarter and stronger than I thought. I thought I was hunting him, but it turns out he¡¯s been hunting me."


    Mike''s expression hardened. "AJ, let¡¯s bring her in. Either way, she¡¯s going to answer our questions." Mike stepped into a fighting stance, and AJ followed suit. Zoe looked terrified.


    "Please, don¡¯t!"


    "AJ, stop!" Justin suddenly jumped down from a nearby building, landing beside Zoe. "I think she¡¯s the subconscious part of Mike that¡¯s fighting back."


    "What? Then why does she look like Zoe?" AJ asked.


    "I feel like we need to unpack that later," Justin replied. "I think she¡¯s on our side."


    "Our side?" Mike demanded, glaring at AJ. "AJ, explain yourself!"


    "Mike, we¡¯re trying to help you. We think there¡¯s a greater villain here who¡ª" AJ started but was interrupted.


    "You¡¯ve been compromised. Both of you need to stand down and come with me. On behalf of the United States of America, I order you to get on the ground with your hands above your head," Mike declared.


    ¡°Well said, Alastair,¡± came a voice from behind them. Without anyone noticing, a helicopter had landed, and Senator Stonesman was walking toward them with two guards. Zoe took one look at him and started screaming hysterically.


    "My God. I¡¯ve seen the videos, but I had to see it up close to believe it. Remarkable. Alastair, if you would be so kind, shut her up and bring her to the helicopter," the senator ordered.


    Alastair walked toward the copter without giving Zoe a second to react. He pulled out a harpoon-like gun and shot a spear with ropes attached straight through her leg. "Can¡¯t let you pull off any crazy moves now." He fired another shot through her feet. He flipped a switch, and the ropes contracted, dragging her closer, preventing her from moving.


    "What the hell, Mike? Wait!" AJ exclaimed.


    Mike sighed heavily as he finished tying up Zoe. He walked aggressively over to AJ. "You know, I¡¯ve tried so hard to guide you down the right path. But you know what? You¡¯re hopeless. Now, you''re going to get into the helicopter as either a criminal or a soldier of the U.S. You choose."


    AJ looked at Justin. Justin nodded at him to go along with it. AJ walked toward the helicopter and picked up Zoe, preparing to bring her aboard. The senator and Mike watched in approval.


    "Psst. We are going to figure out how to save you," AJ whispered to Zoe.


    "No, it¡¯s too late. Let me go with them. I¡¯ve watched you. Maybe we¡¯re all monsters in this world¡ªthe senator, myself, Alastair. Hell, most people in this world would do the same as him. But you... I see how you care for your brother. Take this. Save him." Zoe handed AJ a USB stick.


    "AJ," Mike said, startling him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "New orders. The senator and I are going to take her back to base. There¡¯s not enough room, so you¡¯ll have to meet us there."


    AJ looked around. The senator was already seated in the front of the copter. He glanced at Zoe, whose eyes seemed to scream, Go Save Him.


    Before he knew it, the helicopter was taking off, leaving AJ in disarray.


    "Well, at least we know who the sleep entity is," Justin said. "But I¡¯m pretty sure it knows we¡¯re onto it and is trying to distance itself. What¡¯s its end goal, though, in this story?" Justin asked out loud.


    "What do we do now?" AJ asked.


    "We need to check out that USB. We need a place where we can upload it. Let¡¯s head back to base. Your brother has had control long enough. It¡¯s time for us to go on the offensive."


    AJ and Justin found themselves back at Headquarters. Everything seemed normal at the agency when they arrived. AJ headed up to the top floor, where meetings and operations were held. As he stepped out of the elevator, he bumped into one of the secretaries.


    "Atlas, what are you doing here at this hour?" she asked.


    "Have you seen Alastair or the senator?"


    "No, I haven¡¯t seen anyone since your last meeting. The General is in the conference room," the secretary replied.


    "Does your computer take USBs?" AJ asked.


    Justin growled softly, clearly displeased with AJ¡¯s plan.


    "It¡¯s okay. Trust me, I¡¯m taking matters into my own hands," AJ assured him.


    "Sure. What¡¯s this?" the secretary asked as she took the USB from AJ.


    "Not sure," AJ replied.


    She plugged in the USB, and they were met with hundreds of research files¡ªZoe¡¯s parents being involved in a weapons company dealing with various governments, files on genetic experimentation, and a file on Senator Stonesman, tracking his movements as he hopped from government to government, switching identities until he reached the U.S. He was the first to legislate U.S. approval for experimenting on soldiers. He was behind Atlas and Alastair all along. Then, AJ spotted a file titled "Alastair."


    When he opened it, AJ realized Zoe had been watching him for far longer than he¡¯d thought. There were pictures of Mike''s house when he wasn¡¯t there, videos of his drunken nights, and notes on whether he was an asset or a threat. There were even files on his missions before he became a "Super."


    All the information was good, but none of it could help AJ track his brother. Then he saw a bold folder labeled, "If I am captured or dead, Watch me." They clicked on it.


    "If you¡¯re watching this, then I¡¯ve failed to kill Senator Stonesman. You probably think my sole purpose for killing him is revenge, but the truth is, it didn¡¯t start out that way. I wanted to find him to reverse what he did to me. I started hunting for any clues about him, doing whatever it took. I stole, I tortured... I killed. And then I came across something disturbing: his research on me. He thought it was lost in the fire back home, but he didn¡¯t know I was there that day."


    (The video shows clips from the day she was experimented on.)


    "It took me years to decode it. What you''re seeing is the process he used to create the serum that made me this way. It¡¯s made from a massive amount of concentrated human blood. But not just any blood¡ªan ultra-rare form he calls Divine, or D-Type. Out of 7.4 billion people in this world, only about 0.000009% have it. Not only that, but they somehow have to condense it, and to do that, they need more than one human¡¯s worth. To create the vial that was used on me, I estimate about three hundred gallons were needed. With such a limited source, I can only imagine the horror they inflicted to get that amount over time: kidnapping, torture, human farming, war. No one has been able to replicate that amount again.


    The enhanced soldiers in the U.S. government were given the remaining vial drained from my corpse before they threw me out like trash. Which brings us back to why he¡¯s after me. My blood type is D. Certain families have a pure bloodline¡ªmy father knew this. With my regeneration, I am an endless fountain for people to tap into. It¡¯s in his best interest to eliminate me so he can control the world. This is not a gift¡ªI am cursed. Kill him or kill me, but please, stop this from happening."


    The video cut off.


    "That¡¯s it," Justin said. "He wants to kill Mike¡¯s subconscious."


    "Take us to the General," AJ said to the admin.


    AJ proceeded down the hall, led by the admin. The guards outside the door hesitated to stop him at first, but AJ didn¡¯t slow down. He walked into the room where General Minerva and other officers were watching monitors of an operation.


    ¡°General, what¡¯s going on?¡± AJ asked in a grave tone. The General looked shocked and quickly turned off the monitors.


    ¡°A-Atlas. What are you doing here?¡± the General stammered.


    ¡°Answer the question,¡± AJ demanded, as Justin growled beside him.


    The General straightened herself up. ¡°This is an operation to capture and study the subject known as Zoe. We left you out of it because Alastair said you didn¡¯t seem to be¡­ in the right mindset.¡±


    AJ clenched his fist. "What did you find out?"


    The General continued, "We haven¡¯t studied her yet. She¡¯s currently en route to an undisclosed location."


    AJ started pacing around the room, glancing at the screens. "So, who¡¯s running this operation? Where is my brother?"


    General Minerva was silent for a moment. "Your brother and the senator are en route to the subject¡¯s last known location. She¡¯s proving to be very difficult."


    AJ slammed his fists on the desk. "Where? I need to be with my brother." He threw the USB at the general.


    "What¡¯s this?" General Minerva asked.


    "Evidence that the senator isn¡¯t who he says he is, and that he¡¯s planning something horrific," AJ replied.


    Sigh "Look, America has to bring peace to the world. If these powers fall into the wrong hands¡­ I know he has a past, but the end will justify the means," the General said.


    "No way. You knew?" AJ said in disbelief.


    "Of course she knows, AJ. She¡¯s Mike¡¯s consciousness," Justin added.


    AJ took a deep breath. "Please, I¡¯m just trying to help Alastair."


    The General hesitated. "Fine. They¡¯re headed to a United States old compound. Here are the coordinates." She wrote the longitude and latitude on a piece of paper and handed it to AJ.


    AJ started to head out.


    "Atlas, you know if you go there, you¡¯ll be an enemy of the United States!" the General warned.


    "Just watch the videos. You¡¯ll know what to do with it. Let¡¯s be an example of good for the rest of the world," AJ said as he walked away without turning around.


    "Okay. We know where to go. How should we get there?" AJ asked Justin.


    "Oh, I have an idea, but first, follow me," Justin replied.


    Justin led AJ to an armory full of suits and weapons. "We¡¯re on the offensive, right? Let¡¯s go, but as the hero you want to be, not the hero Mike wants you to be."


    AJ looked around. Whatever he could imagine appeared in the inventory. AJ stepped into a changing room while Justin waited outside.


    "You know, I thought about who I am, who I want to be. I considered the Dream Hunter, slaying sleep entities. I thought about an artistic hero using a brush as a weapon. Or sticking with Atlas. But you know what?" AJ emerged from the room, wearing the regular clothes he wore in the real world, his muscle mass back to normal. "I don¡¯t want to be a hero. That¡¯s Mike¡¯s dream. It¡¯s time for me to be me. I just want to save my family. I¡¯m just taking control of my own dream."


    "Okay," Justin smiled. "Yeah. It¡¯s good to finally meet the real you. But I may steal that Dream Hunter concept."


    AJ smiled back. They headed to the hangar to take an aircraft. As they arrived, they were greeted by two confused guards.


    "Atlas?" one guard said.


    "Just call me AJ," AJ replied.


    "Sir, the General expresses her apologies for earlier. She said she watched the videos and would like to assist you in your travels. Please choose anything in this hangar," the guard said.


    "Anything? What¡¯s the fastest?" AJ smiled and looked at Justin.


    As they approached the base, he received communication that he had permission to land on the helipad. Alastair stood outside waiting with some guards as the aircraft descended. The two approached Alastair, scanning their surroundings.


    "This way," Alastair said, but didn¡¯t speak again after that.


    They entered a warehouse-like room. Straight ahead was a cluster of computers, monitors, and equipment with guards working on them. To the right were even bigger monitors showing live feeds with authorities from various countries. The two rows of faces were familiar. From left to right and top to bottom: U.S. General Minerva, General Tso from China, Ambassador Putin III, Prime Minister Henry from England, South Africa¡¯s President Zuma, Italy¡¯s Marcellos, Mexico¡¯s Celias, and many more other countries leaders. Then AJ looked in horror to his left. Zoe was chained up to a circular machine, resembling the Vitruvian Man. Iron clamps were extracting her blood into tubes leading to a giant tank. The clamps were positioned on her neck, brachial, radial, and femur. In the middle of her chest, a claw pierced her body, surrounding her heart to keep it beating. She was barely conscious. And in front of it all stood Senator Stonesman, dressed in a lab coat.


    "Atlas. Welcome. I wanted to give you the chance to see what we¡¯re doing here. The good we¡¯re doing," Stonesman said, looking at the monitors. "The peace we will achieve."


    "This¡­ this is wrong," AJ said.


    "Wrong?! AJ, we can achieve world peace. You¡¯re already a byproduct of this. Think of the millions we¡¯ll save. How do you not see that?" Alastair said to AJ.


    "And what about the thousands we¡¯ll lose? The people you¡¯ve experimented on?" AJ retorted.


    That got the senator''s attention. "Atlas¡ª"


    "IT''S AJ," AJ interrupted.


    "Fine. AJ, that is necessary. She killed hundreds herself. Your hands are just as dirty as hers or Alastair¡¯s," said the senator.


    "Yeah? Was she so dangerous as a little girl when you experimented on her? You know what the biggest lie in humanity is? It''s that the end justifies the means. I¡¯m sick of hearing it. I¡¯ve been told that my whole life¡ª''follow orders, and you¡¯ll be happy,'' ''your actions will find meaning later.'' It¡¯s a lie. It was made popular to justify war, like the Crusades so soldiers would keep fighting. But it doesn¡¯t. Nothing erases what we¡¯ve done. Trying to justify that is borderline psychotic."


    Stonesman¡¯s irritation was showing. He glared. "So, what do you plan to do, huh? What genius idea do you have to create peace on this planet?"


    "I¡¯m not trying to save the world. I¡¯m just trying to save my brother," AJ said, looking at Mike.


    "Save me?" Mike looked confused.


    A guard came rushing up to Stonesman. "Sir, it¡¯s... umm, the news..." All the various nations¡¯ phones started ringing. Others leaned over as someone whispered in their ears. Slowly, one by one, the monitors turned off. The last was the U.S. General, who nodded at AJ before signing off. The senator walked to one of the computers and looked up the national news network.


    Breaking News: Footage of Senator Stonesman leaked. Apparently, the senator has a villainous past. Hundreds of videos show him operating companies that perform inhumane experiments on people, including children. What you are about to see will disturb you.


    AJ and Justin scanned the room, waiting for a reaction, but nothing happened. Alastair was also watching the senator.


    Stonesman rested his arms on the console, his head lowered. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled. "Clever," he muttered. He looked up and said, "Alastair, I guess you don¡¯t have as much control over him as you claimed. And you," he turned to Justin, glaring, "what exactly is your end game, hmm? What¡¯s the difference between what you¡¯re doing and what I¡¯m doing? I¡¯m not the villain here. Forgive me if I can¡¯t let you have your way. Guards, seize Alastair and kill the other two."


    There were two guards near the giant vial. AJ had written them off as ordinary guards or henchmen because they were dressed the same as the others. But at a closer glance, one was as big as a giant, and the other was holding a katana-like sword. The one with the katana nodded, cracked his neck, and then took off his shirt, revealing a body riddled with scars. AJ felt a bad gut instinct.


    Justin quickly dealt with the guards near him, bearing his fangs as he chased most of them off, knocking others unconscious with bites. The last guard AJ grabbed was flung at the two by the vial, but all AJ could see was the guard being sliced in two. As the two halves separated, AJ saw the blank eyes of the sword-wielding guard staring back at him.


    "AJ, they¡¯re probably enhanced," said Justin.


    Alastair stood frozen in confusion. The second guard approached him.


    "I don¡¯t want to fight you," said Alastair.


    "No one ever does," said the huge guard. "Just stay out of the fight, and everything will be fine. Himura will handle both of them."


    The first guard held out his sword, pressed a tiny button, and a few sparks flew before the sword turned invisible. ¡°The name is Himura. You were trained to kill humans,¡± Himura said as his eyes began to glow red. ¡°I was trained to kill supers.¡± His eyes faded into nothingness as his skin and everything else became transparent before they completely disappeared, leaving only his pants, which were quickly slashed off with a flick of his sword.


    ¡°Ah!¡± AJ grunted loudly as his leg was slashed. He had taken too long to think, and what was scarier was that he hadn¡¯t heard Himura coming. This man was completely silent. Slash after slash, AJ was attacked. Every blow seemed unavoidable, and the sword felt like it weighed ten times more than it appeared when he first saw it. Justin swung wildly, missing repeatedly, and frustration set in as they seemed to be fighting air. Another slash to AJ¡¯s back leg brought him down. All he could do was protect his vital areas, leaving the rest of his body wide open.


    "Stop this!" Alastair screamed at Stonesman.


    As the onslaught continued, Justin saw an opening. After every few slashes, Himura would back off to wipe blood from his sword. AJ¡¯s blood was visible, pooling beneath him. Justin thought of a plan.


    "AJ, only he is invisible. If we get your blood on him, we can see where he is, and you can grab him," said Justin. AJ nodded in agreement.


    AJ waited for the next slash. There was a pattern to Himura¡¯s attacks¡ªhe was targeting weak spots to immobilize AJ. Where would he strike next? AJ decided to give him some bait leaving his right leg exposed, while Justin stood on his left. As they predicted, Himura attacked AJ¡¯s calf, and in that moment, Justin splashed the pool of blood onto Himura.


    "There!" Justin yelled.


    Himura tried to back up, but AJ leaped at his feet, catching him. Himura swung his sword down, aiming at AJ, but Justin bit down hard on his forearm, forcing him to drop the sword. AJ picked up the sword and blindly stabbed into the air, feeling the resistance of something solid as he drove the blade deeper and deeper.


    Thud¡ªHimura¡¯s body slammed to the ground, becoming visible again, revealing that AJ had stabbed him in the head.


    Stonesman looked furious. "Enough. That was another good man you just killed. You¡¯ve made this personal. Alphonse, finish them," he ordered. The giant guard removed his helmet.


    "No!" Alastair screamed.


    Mike snapped out of his daze, realizing his life was on the line. He threw the first punch, landing a kidney shot, but Alphonse didn¡¯t even flinch. Mike looked into Alphonse¡¯s eyes in terror just before Alphonse landed a devastating blow to his left collarbone, slamming him to the ground and breaking the bone. Mike coughed up blood.


    Stonesman walked over as Mike tried to get up, but Alphonse slammed him down again. Mike looked up at Zoe, then over at AJ, who was also down in bad shape. Justin stood in front of AJ, guarding him.


    Stonesman came into view. ¡°It¡¯s no use," he said before turning back to Zoe and heading toward the machines. While Alphonse continued to pin Mike down, AJ had a new plan.


    "Go help Mike," said AJ.


    "I''m not leaving you," said Justin.


    "Trust me. Like last time," AJ replied. Justin frowned but ultimately agreed and sprinted toward Alphonse.


    The commotion caught Stonesman¡¯s attention. Justin was too small and fast for Alphonse to hit, allowing Mike to get back up. They were fighting back now, but Alphonse was still too powerful.


    Stonesman turned his attention to AJ, who was already charging at him with the sword. AJ tossed the sword at him and attempted a haymaker, but Stonesman easily caught him by the neck. "Oh, AJ, you didn¡¯t think I was dumb enough not to be the strongest person in the room, did you?"


    Stonesman slammed AJ¡¯s face into the ground and dragged him across the concrete, flinging him back where he landed on Himura¡¯s body.


    Suddenly, the power flickered. Warning. Warning. Power failure.


    Stonesman glanced back to see the sword impaled in the computer system. AJ had deliberately aimed to hit the computers.


    "Clever again. That makes two," said Stonesman. "But I¡¯m not going to let you make a third." He charged AJ, who was in no condition to stand. Stonesman was fast, and AJ could only watch helplessly.


    Grrrr¡ªJustin leaped at Stonesman, stopping his charge. Stonesman easily threw him off, landing him next to AJ.


    "Thanks," AJ said, spitting up blood.


    "Hang in there," Justin replied.


    Sigh¡ªStonesman rubbed his eyes as if he had a headache. "Okay, I¡¯m done with this. Alphonse, kill Alastair, then come here."


    But Alphonse didn¡¯t move. He just stared. Mike was on the ground, beaten.


    "Alphonse?" Stonesman said. Then, Alphonse collapsed face-first, revealing the sword lodged in his back. Standing there, now visible, was a very pissed-off Zoe.


    "How," Stonesman said, realizing AJ planned to free Zoe.


    Zoe and Stonesman charged at each other. Zoe had regained her strength and was fighting fiercely. At first, it seemed like a stalemate¡ªshe would land a slice,  it would heal, then he would break a few bones, and they would heal. Mike got up to join her in the fight.


    "Wow, look at that," Justin said. "Mike and his subconscious are fighting back. AJ, I think you did this."


    AJ looked but realized that Zoe had to compensate for Stoneman¡¯s overpowering strength, and Mike was playing more defensively. They¡¯d never be able to land a devastating blow. Mike realized this.


    "AJ, destroy this place. Break the vial and flood the place," said Mike as he kicked his leg, causing Stoneman to fall.


    Zoe ran toward Alphonse. She grabbed the sword and pivoted toward the vial.


    "No! Stop!" Stoneman shouted as he got up and knocked Mike down.


    Stoneman sprinted at Zoe. She stopped, turned, and thrust the sword right through him.


    AJ and Justin smiled, thinking she had defeated him, but Mike looked in horror as he saw Stoneman''s arm go completely through Zoe, holding her heart. And then... squish.


    Zoe''s body went limp, still hanging on Stoneman¡¯s arm. Tears streamed down her face as she slowly turned toward AJ. ¡°Survive¡­¡± she whispered, ripping the sword out and tossing it toward AJ. Stoneman pulled his hand from her body, and she collapsed like a doll. He didn¡¯t even bother turning to Mike. Stoneman grunted. ¡°Bitch got me good,¡± he muttered.


    Mike was officially broken. He completely lost control, charging at Stoneman and delivering punch after punch relentlessly.


    AJ slowly stood up. He walked over to the vial, taking one last look at Mike''s eyes. Mike mouthed, "Do it." AJ swung with all his strength using his one good arm  the tank. A spiderweb of cracks spread instantly.


    Stoneman snapped his head toward AJ. ¡°No!¡± he shouted as he sprinted toward him. But it was too late¡ªAJ''s second swing shattered the tank. Red liquid began pouring into the room. Justin pulled AJ back a safe distance by his shirt. The red liquid flooded the room, knocking Mike and Stoneman back. Their wounds allowed the blood to seep into their bodies. Since it entered Mike¡¯s system faster, he was affected more quickly. He screamed as his body began to steam from the chemical reactions. His skin heated to the point that his clothes burned off, leaving him naked.


    For the first time, Stoneman looked frightened. He tried to crawl away, but the blood was everywhere. He didn¡¯t get far before an unrecognizable Mike grabbed him in a chokehold. Both of them started to burn. Stoneman screamed in agony, his eyes clenched shut. Mike''s eyes were now completely white.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re both villains, how about a poetic ending?¡± Mike said, his voice deeper and raspier.


    Warning! Reactor at Critical Temperature.


    Stoneman was now just a skeleton, and under it, AJ could see the sleep entity. Mike glanced at a lifeless Zoe and then at AJ. "Thank you. I finally understand."


    They both sank into the blood until AJ and Justin could no longer see them.


    "It''s time," Justin said.


    AJ found himself back under his brother''s bed, frozen.


    Ahhhhhh! A horrible shriek echoed through the room. A shadowy skeleton collapsed beside the bed. It was in pain. It was the sleep entity posing as Stoneman. Though he had no eyes, AJ could tell it was looking at him. The figure convulsed, insect-like, before squish¡ªa shadow arm broke through the shadow bones and pierced the figure. It screamed one last time before fading into nothingness.


    AJ suddenly felt very sleepy. He fought to stay awake, but it was no use. He closed his eyes.


    "Breakfast is ready!" AJ''s mom''s voice called from downstairs.


    AJ opened his eyes. He was still under Mike''s bed.


    "Coming," Mike said. The bed shifted as Mike got up, pulled on sweatpants, and headed out the door. AJ waited a minute until he heard the footsteps go down the stairs. He quickly hopped out, walked to the door, and peeked his head out. The coast was clear.


    AJ made his way downstairs to the dining room. Mike and their parents were already eating breakfast.


    "Nice of you to join us," AJ''s dad said. "You''re not even dressed yet? God, do you just waste your day away like your life?"


    "Hey, lay off him!" Mike interjected. "AJ is doing just fine. Maybe if you weren''t so hard on him, he''d have room to grow."


    Everyone at the table was shocked, especially AJ.


    "AJ, take all the time you need. You''re young. You¡¯ll do just fine. Come eat," Mike said, passing AJ a bowl of cereal.


    AJ sat there eating in silence. He had done it¡ªthey had saved Mike. He grinned, but then he looked up at his parents, remembering what Justin had said about watching them, too. This was far from over, but AJ now felt more equipped to take them on.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter Five


    The next day, AJ paid close attention to those around him, watching for any strange behavior to see if they were possessed by a sleep entity. He had trouble sleeping, but that was nothing new. He was so paranoid that he mostly kept to himself, talking only to Justin. This time, Justin didn¡¯t go away. In fact, whenever AJ was alone, Justin would check in.


    "You know, we never really talked about your brother''s dream."


    "What did you think about the fight?" AJ asked.


    "Not my proudest moment, but what could we do? We¡¯re not fighters," Justin replied.


    "Yeah, but it was cool when you bit him and kicked his ass," AJ said.


    "He was weak and didn¡¯t realize his strength wasn¡¯t needed. You could have taken him. You did the smart thing by letting him come to you," Justin said.


    AJ thought for a moment and then asked, "You knew Mike''s dream wasn¡¯t right. Why didn¡¯t you say something to me?"


    "Because we weren¡¯t ready," Justin responded.


    "What do you mean?" AJ asked.


    "You have yet to control your own domain. Just like in real life, you let others control you," Justin said.


    "What? That¡¯s not true. I control my own life," AJ argued.


    "Oh? When was the last time you stood up for yourself?"


    AJ was quiet. He couldn¡¯t think of the last time.


    "When you stood up to your dad at the table or at school¡ªdid you notice all the changes? All the good things happening to you? You¡¯re a strong person. You¡¯re not a follower. You¡¯re a leader. You need to take a stand for your life. Let Mike have his own dream. Be who you want to be. And if, just like in Mike''s dream, the dissociation of yourself will consume you and make you unhappy."


    AJ thought about Mike¡¯s dream and the fight he¡¯d just had. "What do you think was the meaning of my dream when we first met?" he asked.


    "I think your dream is that you don''t have one. You have the potential to be anything. I think your dream is to see what else is out there. In that way, we are both trapped."


    AJ paused. "Trapped? You think I''m trapped?"


    "Yes. You are shackled by your own mind. You think it is your world that causes you harm, but it¡¯s in your dreams. Where we live."


    "Where exactly are you from? What do you want?" AJ grew suspicious of Justin.


    "I don¡¯t have a world. I guess you can say my world is the subconscious¡ªthe dreams. It is the only time I am a part of anything. And I want the same thing: to see the possibilities, the things that cannot be seen. I¡¯m not a good or bad entity. I''m neutral. But I don¡¯t want you to live my life."


    "What¡¯s so important to you? What makes you feel trapped?" AJ needed answers.


    "You have an ability no one else has: to enter the subconscious, to go where no one else has, to be something other than human. I think that¡¯s why I''m drawn to you. We were the same in that dream on the beach. We both want the same thing. If you stay the way you are, you¡¯ll never find it."


    "Find what?" AJ asked.


    "The meaning of all this. Life on Earth. As brief and small the human life is compared to the universe, I¡¯d trade it all to be able to live a life on Earth, the way you get a chance to do."


    ¡°Can I really find meaning in my life?¡± AJ asked.


    "Take control. Control your life. Don¡¯t let others control it. Progress will take time." Justin responded.


    "How can I control my life?" AJ was still in disbelief.


    "If you help me take down these three other sleep entities, I promise your life will be forever better," Justin said.


    "Okay. So, we need to find the other three?¡± AJ asked.


    "Actually, no. Not find. It¡¯s obvious who the other three are, and you should have figured it out by now.¡± Justin revealed. "Your father, your mother, and Zoe. And not only that, but I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re aware of me now¡ªor at least sense that something¡¯s off."


    AJ was still in denial. "I get my father. And maybe Mom, but Zoe?"


    "Yes. Why do you think she keeps reappearing? Your subconscious was trying to tell you something," said Justin.


    "No, not her. And my mom? Neither of them seemed that different."


    "Well, it¡¯s time for you to see beyond the surface."


    "What do you mean?" asked AJ.


    "Well, first, you¡¯ve got to talk to them. Communication is key."


    "And how do I do that? Ask, ''Hey, are you an evil sleep entity?''" AJ said sarcastically.


    "Just start a conversation with them and ask questions. See how they respond. You¡¯ll know."


    "Great. What if they attack me?"


    "Well, it depends on their power and how far along their transformation is. But they won¡¯t attack¡ªnot yet. They don¡¯t know for sure that I¡¯m helping you," Justin said.


    "Okay. So, what¡¯s our next move?"


    "That¡¯s your decision. How are you going to go about it?"


    "I can¡¯t talk to all three of them at once. My dad works during the day, but he¡¯ll be home tomorrow day and night."


    "Okay, so that leaves your mom and Zoe. Which do you want to try first?" asked Justin.


    "Okay. My mom is home now. Let¡¯s try her. But where will you be?" AJ decided on the fastest route.


    "I can¡¯t intervene, or they¡¯ll know. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be watching."


    AJ went upstairs to his parents¡¯ room. His mother was tidying up her room.


    "Mom, I was wondering if I could talk to you."


    "Sure. What is it?"


    "Um, I¡¯ve been having nightmares lately. And I was wondering..."


    "Did you have another sleep paralysis?"


    "Yes. It seemed so real."


    "Honey, it¡¯s just a dream. It¡¯s all the stress you¡¯re going through with college and your dreams. Do you really want to be an artist? Zoe¡¯s school is not an art school. The bigger you dream, the more likely you will be disappointed. And you still want to pursue it?"


    "Yeah, I think so," AJ said softly to himself.


    "Think? See you are not even sure.¡± Mary paused for a moment. ¡°Did you know, I wanted to be in a band?"


    "You did?" asked AJ.


    "Yes. I grew up learning piano, and when I got old enough, I wanted to play the electric piano in a band. Lots of bands had them at the time. But my parents were strict and forbade it. At the time, I hated them for crushing my dreams. But now, looking back, they were protecting me. I¡¯m thankful to them. I¡¯m happy. By quitting the band, I was able to focus on my job, where I met your father¡ªHey, I know! Why don¡¯t we all go somewhere together, as a family? No more talk about school or drawing. Let¡¯s just clear our minds. I¡¯m sure that will help you understand."


    "I don¡¯t think you¡¯re listening, Mom. The only reason I even draw¡ª" AJ tried to communicate more but was cut off.


    "I said no more talk of it, AJ. God, you¡¯re so selfish sometimes. Look, your father is going to be home soon, and I need to get dinner ready," she said as she left the room.


    AJ continued talking to no one. "I was going to say I only draw because it¡¯s the only time I feel like people listen to me."


    "Oh, and AJ?" Mary poked her head back into the room. "Have you talked to Mike recently?"


    "Um, no more than usual. Why?" AJ asked.


    "Hm. Disappointing," she said.


    "Mom? Are you unhappy for some reason?" AJ didn¡¯t know why, but it just felt right to ask. Her face completely changed. These last few days had him so focused on himself that he forgot his mother was always a kind, loving person. Not like this.


    "Oh, AJ," she said with a smile. Then the smile vanished. "That¡¯s not something you ask your parents." And then she was gone.


    AJ went back to his room.


    "Well?" Justin asked.


    "I see it. That¡¯s not my mother. I always thought I was the cause of their unhappiness. That this was all my doing," AJ said, looking in the mirror.


    His reflection stared back at him and then spoke. "Oh, AJ. It was never your fault for their miseries. But don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re going to help them," said Justin.


    "What the fuck?!" AJ jumped, startled. He turned around, but no one was there.


    "Justin?" AJ asked, looking back at the mirror.


    "Yes. For each sleep entity we take down, I grow a little stronger. A little more used to your world," said Justin.


    "Whoa. When were you going to tell me this?" AJ asked.


    "I¡¯m just figuring it out myself. I don¡¯t quite know how it works yet, but I can feel it. Just like each dream, you¡¯re growing stronger in my world. But don¡¯t worry. This is good. We¡¯re going to need it to help your family."


    AJ looked in the mirror, touching his face. "But why my face?"


    "Because this isn¡¯t real. I don¡¯t have a body."


    "Oh. I guess that makes sense." AJ accepted the explanation rather easily.


    "Anyway, let¡¯s keep your mom close. Let¡¯s head downstairs and pretend like everything¡¯s normal."


    As AJ headed downstairs, his father came home early and he could hear his mother and father having a conversation in the kitchen.


    "Are you sure he had nothing to do with it?" his father said.


    "Yes. He is still not aware of the being inside him. I didn''t detect our kind in his presence. He either hasn¡¯t taken over yet, or he''s really good at masking his presence," said Mary.


    "We should have allied with Mike when we had the chance. Now we¡¯re down two."


    "That¡¯s pointless now. What¡¯s done is done. I think our next course of action is to isolate AJ and find the remaining sleep entity."


    "Agreed."


    "AJ, this is bad. Not only did they fully integrate, but they¡¯re aware," Justin said to AJ.


    "What does that mean?" AJ responded.


    "It means we need to go, like now. Go. Make your way to Zoe¡¯s house. I¡¯ll explain on the way." Justin''s voice grew more anxious.


    AJ snuck past them toward the door. His mind was too cluttered to ask why. He didn¡¯t want to alert his parents to the sound of a car starting, so he hopped on his bicycle. Zoe only lived a few blocks away.


    "So, they¡¯re fully integrated, which means the sleep entities are in complete control. They can also read their host¡¯s memories and control the body. Their dreams will be total chaos. You can barely control your domain now¡ªit would be a quick defeat." Justin explained to AJ on the way.


    "Can they read my thoughts too?" asked AJ.


    "No. I can only read your thoughts because I am attached to your subconscious. They¡¯re just like the other entities¡ªthey¡¯re connected to the host and are not aware of me unless I reveal myself." Explained Justin.


    "So now what? Do they know we¡¯re coming?"


    "Possibly. But I think they¡¯re more concerned about finding the other entity. And it sounds like they want to keep you away."


    "Is it because we killed two of them?"


    "I¡¯m not sure. Maybe. For now, focus on saving Zoe,¡± said Justin.


    "Save her? What do you mean?"


    "Zoe loves you. She has feelings for you. But now, the sleep entity is controlling her. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re going to use her to get to you. But if we get to her first, maybe you and I will gain enough power to take on your mom or dad."


    AJ texted Zoe: Hey, I¡¯m on the way to your place. We need to talk.


    AJ didn¡¯t get a response. He hurried over. Her light was still on in her room. AJ called her again but got no answer. He looked around, picked up some pebbles, and threw them at her window.


    Zoe finally appeared in her window.


    "What do you want?" she shouted.


    "I want to talk. Let me in," said AJ.


    "You¡¯ve got one minute. Come around front¡ªmy parents aren¡¯t home."


    AJ went around to her front door, and she was waiting for him.


    "Now tell me, what is it?" Zoe said with a stern tone.


    "Can I come in? You¡¯re acting weird," AJ said with a worried voice.


    "I¡¯m acting weird? You¡¯ve been avoiding me for days. Now you want to talk? This late?" Zoe doubled downed on her irritation.


    "It¡¯s not even that late." AJ smiled, trying to go the good guy route.


    "Fine, come in," Zoe said as she led AJ inside and then upstairs to her room. He took off his shoes before entering.


    "Do you want to sit down? I just want to talk," said AJ.


    Zoe sat on the edge of her bed, staring off into the distance. AJ pulled her computer chair over and sat down. He noticed she wasn¡¯t making eye contact, instead looking toward the door. He looked toward the window and began wondering if coming here had been the right choice.


    "Why didn¡¯t you answer my texts or calls, Zoe?" AJ asked, turning back to her.


    "I had a lot on my mind," Zoe replied.


    "Well, so do I. You know I¡¯ve been going through a lot," said AJ.


    "I know, I know. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you, but it never seemed like a good time."


    "Well, I¡¯m here now. What is it you wanted to talk about?" AJ asked.


    Tears began rolling down Zoe¡¯s face.


    "Zoe? Hey, hey now. Why are you crying?" AJ asked.


    "AJ, I tried so hard, but I don¡¯t think I love you anymore."


    "What?" AJ asked in complete shock. He was not expecting that answer.


    "I know. I feel like such a bitch, but I just don¡¯t feel close to you anymore. Something¡¯s changed," Zoe said, crying.


    "Hey, it¡¯s okay. No, this is my fault. Zoe, I should¡¯ve been better. I¡¯ve been distracted. But you know me. You know how much my family treats me. You are the only one who I can talk to. The only one who truly gets me. I don¡¯t want to lose you too," said AJ.


    That made Zoe cry even more. The guilt was overwhelming her, but she didn¡¯t know how to communicate it to AJ.


    AJ moved over to the side of her bed. "You¡¯ve been my best friend. I have an idea¡ªlet¡¯s just be together tonight. Our emotions are running high. Let¡¯s just cuddle, and tomorrow we can start fresh. I¡¯ll listen to you, and whatever happens, happens."


    Zoe nodded, wiping away tears, and rested her head on his shoulder. AJ kissed her forehead. All he could think about was that these feelings were from the sleep entity, and he needed to fix this tonight.


    They didn¡¯t undress or speak anymore. They just lay down on the bed. She rested her head on his chest, his arm around her. Every now and then, she cried a little, and then she fell asleep. AJ looked over at her mirror and saw his reflection nodding back. His hands started to emit the shadowy vapor. He then closed his eyes and drifted off.


    "Sir AJ!" a voice jolted AJ up.


    AJ woke up and looked around. He was in some sort of horse stable. A young boy dressed in medieval clothes walked in. "Sir AJ, you are two competitors away from being next."


    "Um, next for what?" asked AJ.


    "Sir, you must have been in a deep sleep. For the competition, of course! Jousting! The king is looking for the bravest knight to rescue the princess. Shall I get your armor?" said the young man.


    "Yes," AJ said, getting up. The young lad ran off.


    "AJ, it¡¯s me," a horse peaking his head through a window, turning to him.


    "Justin?" AJ asked.


    "No. I¡¯m the King of England. Yes. It¡¯s me. Who else would be the talking horse? I had a look around. Looks like we¡¯re in some kingdom, like medieval times. I get it¡ªknight in shining armor, huh? So that makes me your noble steed."


    "Yeah. That young kid said I am in a competition. To win the favor of a princess. Do you think Zoe is the princess? That seems a little too on the nose."


    "Well, we don¡¯t have many other choices right now, so we might as well go with it," said Justin.


    "Fine," AJ said. The young lad returned and brought in his armor.


    "Thank you. Um, what is your name?" asked AJ.


    "My name is not important, Sir. I¡¯m just a servant. My name isn¡¯t even worth remembering," said the young lad.


    "Your name is important to me. You¡¯ve helped me, so thank you." AJ reassured him.


    The young boy was shocked. He had never been thanked by a knight before.


    "You¡¯re welcome. My name is Michael."


    "Well, Michael, do you know who I¡¯m up against?"


    "Yes, Sir. It¡¯s the shadow knight. They are pretty tough. No one knows who is in the armor. Some say a beast."


    "No one? Well, I¡¯ll be damned," said AJ.


    "Be careful, sir," Michael said, leaving the hut.


    "Thanks," AJ said, waving him off.


    AJ put on his armor. He grabbed a sword and shield that he assumed his and walked to the joust, with Justin following behind. There was a huge crowd in the stadium, and the King and Queen¡ªhis parents¡ªwere glaring at him. The crowd didn¡¯t like him either.


    "Who is this guy?" one person from the crowd called out.


    "He¡¯s no knight,¡± said another.


    ¡°He¡¯s a commoner, but the king has allowed it. He¡¯s been defeating all the other knights, winning the favor of the King and Queen," said a third.


    Michael was in the staging area, waving for AJ to come over there.


    "So, what do I do?" AJ asked Michael.


    "You fight the shadow knight. If you lose, it won¡¯t look good. Especially with the princess," explained Michael.


    "Oh, right. The princess. Where is she?" asked AJ.


    "Only the King knows where she is."


    "And I just have to beat this guy to get her?"


    "Yeah. After you defeat the knight, the king will give you a map."


    "Right."


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Well, Sir AJ, ready?" Michael asked.


    "I guess," AJ said.


    Michael waved his hand to the judge.


    "Let the match begin!" said the judge.


    "What?!" AJ exclaimed. He wasn¡¯t ready.


    "Good luck, Sir. You¡¯ll need it," said Michael as he ran off.


    "Wait! I haven¡¯t even seen him yet. How do I fight him?" AJ asked.


    "Just do the same thing you did when you saved Mike," Justin said.


    "I don¡¯t know how I did that! And shouldn¡¯t I be riding you?"


    "Excuse me? Ride me? No way. In your dreams¡­wait a second.¡± Justin realized they were in a dream, but he quickly shifted his attention to the knight charging at him.


    ¡°AJ, on your left," Justin warned.


    AJ turned his head and saw a knight in all black with glowing eyes riding toward him. AJ raised his shield and lance.


    "Remember, you¡¯re not a fighter, so wait until he¡¯s almost on you. Don¡¯t try to block the lance directly¡ªit¡¯ll shatter your arms. Let his lance hit your shield, and use the force to guide the momentum. When he is off balance, lean and try to aim for his shoulder or arm," Justin instructed.


    "Got it. I can do this. I can do this,¡± AJ said to himself.


    The horses drew closer. AJ could hear the crowd screaming. The shadow knight wasn¡¯t slowing down. The lance was out, pointing right towards him. The horse was at full charge. AJ closed his eyes and braced for impact.


    "AJ, now!" Justin shouted.


    "What?!" AJ said opening his eyes, just as the shadow knight was upon him. The lance hit AJ¡¯s shield, and the force propelled AJ sideways. AJ leaned to the right and aimed for the off-balanced body. He got him¡ªthe knight fell off his horse.


    "Yes! Yes!" AJ cheered.


    "AJ, get back! He¡¯s not down for good. Look!" Justin warned.


    AJ turned and saw the knight getting up and picking up his lance. He threw it at AJ, hitting him in the chest, and knocking him down. Then, the knight drew his sword.


    "AJ, get up!" said Justin.


    AJ could see the knight already charging at him.


    "Shit," AJ said frantically, looking for a weapon.


    "AJ, hurry!" yelled Justin.


    "He is about to swing!" Justin urged.


    AJ rolled to the side, and the knight¡¯s sword dug into the ground. AJ grabbed the lance and tried to stand, but the knight was already on top of him. AJ kicked him off, and they were both on their feet. AJ grabbed his shield.


    The knight swung his sword again. AJ ducked, and the sword hit him, but it was at AJ¡¯s shield. It knocked him back, leaving the knight vulnerable. AJ saw an opening. He got up and charged, ducking his shoulder and pushing with all his might behind the shield.


    "That¡¯s it! Push! He¡¯s weak!" Justin said. Without AJ knowing, Justin gave a powerful back-leg kick to the knight¡¯s head, dazing him.


    "Yes! Keep going! Just keep pushing," continued Justin.


    AJ kept pushing, and the knight fell. AJ got in a final blow, holding his shield over the knight¡¯s head, ready to strike.


    "Do you yield?" AJ asked. The knight didn¡¯t respond.


    "I think he hit his head on the way down. He¡¯s unconscious. You did it!" Justin said.


    "I did? Oh, wow. Okay. Not used to it being that easy after Mike¡¯s dream. I guess now we go talk to the king," AJ said.


    "Yeah, and get the princess," Justin added.


    "Right," AJ said, looking up at the King and Queen, who were glaring down at him. They didn¡¯t seem pleased.


    "Not an honorable way to win, but a win is a win. Here is the map to the princess," the king said, throwing it down to the arena floor.


    "Thanks," AJ said, taking the map and examining it. "So, I just have to find the cave, go in, and get her?"


    "Of course not. The cave is the least of your worries. You must defeat the final monster before you can save the princess¡ªa dragon. If you think that knight was bad, the monster is going to be much worse. Honestly, better men than you have tried and perished, so I¡¯m not going to waste my time with you any longer," the king said.


    AJ looked over at the queen, but she just turned her head in disgust.


    "Tough crowd," Justin said.


    "Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. I''ll just be on my way then," AJ said, walking off.


    "Well, now what? Where is the map leading us?" Justin asked.


    "According to this, we have to get out of the city, follow the main road to a river, then follow the river to a mountain, and there¡¯s a cave," AJ explained.


    "Who drew this map? A five-year-old? Well, the faster we go, the sooner we can figure this out," Justin said.


    AJ and Justin left the stadium.


    "Hey, AJ! Sir AJ!" a voice shouted. It was Michael.


    "You forgot your sword," Michael said.


    "Thanks," AJ replied.


    "I just wanted to say good luck on your journey."


    AJ nodded and hopped on Justin.


    "What are you doing?" Justin asked.


    "What? You¡¯re my horse! This is the fastest way," said AJ.


    "It is a dream. You can think up a million horses with jet packs. Besides, It¡¯s uncomfortable," said Justin.


    "Fine." AJ hopped off. Both Justin and AJ set off, following the road to the river.


    "So, why a horse?" AJ asked.


    "When in someone else¡¯s domain, you have to adhere to their will. You don¡¯t have to because you have your own mind controlled by your domain. Entities do not have that luxury. We can only manipulate the mind to change us. I guess our subconscious made a connection between the story," Justin explained.


    "What¡¯s this power you said you would show me?" AJ asked.


    "That¡¯s a good question. In the real world, you have a good eye. You see things others can¡¯t. I think it¡¯s tied to that, or maybe it¡¯s connected to your artistic abilities. Either way, you¡¯ve got strong observation skills, and you see the world from a different light."


    AJ and Justin talked all the way to the river. They were greeted by a knight in all white with a black sword.


    "Fear not. I¡¯m here to let you pass. I am the first of three knights, called Light. Follow the river until the road forks, and you¡¯ll see a mountain. Take the right path, and you¡¯ll be greeted by the next knight."


    "That¡¯s it? Let¡¯s not look a gift horse in the mouth, right, Justin? Ha, get it¡ª''cause you¡¯re a horse?" AJ joked.


    "No. Only you," said the knight.


    "What? Without Justin? No way," AJ said.


    "AJ, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re more powerful than you think. I¡¯ll be waiting," Justin reassured him.


    "I¡¯ve got a bad feeling. This is all too easy," AJ said.


    "They¡¯re underestimating us. Even if it¡¯s a trap, we can handle it. I¡¯ll come at the first sign of trouble." Justin reassured AJ.


    "Okay," AJ said, continuing forward. He kept walking and walking. At some point, he lost sight of both the knight and Justin. How will I know if I¡¯m in trouble? AJ wondered.


    The river was nice to walk along, flowing in the direction of the mountain as if guiding him there.


    "Halt," a black knight carrying a white sword said.


    "Are you here to guide me too?" AJ asked.


    The knight moved aside and pointed his sword toward the upper left of the mountain. AJ could see a pathway leading to a cave with a glowing light.


    "Is that where Zoe¡ªI mean, the princess¡ªis?" AJ asked, but the knight just nodded.


    AJ¡¯s heart started pounding. What kind of monsters will I have to fight? AJ continued up the mountain.


    The sun was beginning to set, and AJ still hadn¡¯t seen Justin anywhere. He began to worry. His pace slowed as his legs grew tired, and his breathing became labored.


    He stopped and looked up. The cave was so close.


    "I guess I¡¯m going alone," AJ muttered to himself.


    AJ made his way up. The cave was dark, but not so dark that he couldn¡¯t see. It was as if the sun was shining directly into it. And right at the entrance stood the same shadow knight from the jousting event.


    "Let me guess, you¡¯re just going to point toward the cave," AJ said.


    But the knight just stared at him with those glowing red eyes. AJ slowly walked past him, deeper into the cave. It spiraled downward, not too long but long enough. When he reached the bottom, the cave opened up.


    "Wow. It¡¯s beautiful," AJ said.


    There was a pond, flowers, and a pathway. It was bright and full of life. He could feel the warmth of the sun coming from above. He followed the path, and as he got closer, he could hear loud snoring.


    AJ stopped and looked up. There it was¡ªa huge, golden dragon.


    "I was not expecting this. Do I just sneak past or...?" AJ whispered to himself.


    He started looking for a way to the other side of the dragon. The path was the only option¡ªthere was no way to go around, up, or under. It was now or never.


    AJ began to sneak along the path. He didn¡¯t know what else might be in the cave, but he hoped he didn¡¯t wake anything. The dragon¡¯s snoring continued, which was a good sign.


    Halfway along the path, a sleeping bat spotted him. It screeched and flapped its wings, waking the dragon.


    "Oh shit," AJ said.


    The dragon opened its eyes, blinking both vertically and horizontally. It lifted its head and stared at AJ.


    "Oh, it¡¯s you," the dragon said.


    "You know me?" AJ asked.


    "Yes. Zoe has told me much about you," the dragon replied. "I call myself her guardian, but you will likely call me... what is it? A sleep entity."


    "You¡¯re not trying to hide it?" AJ asked, suspicious.


    "Have you felt any hostility so far? You were free to come and go as you pleased," the dragon said.


    "No. In fact, this has all been too easy," AJ admitted.


    "And now your guard is up. You¡¯re not wrong, but it wasn¡¯t to make it easy for you. I can feel the power radiating from you. You are strong. It would have been foolish to stop you."


    "So then, what do you want? What do any of you want?" AJ asked.


    "To exist. To feel. Is that so wrong? Zoe has shown me things I couldn¡¯t even comprehend until I was with her. And I have to thank you too."


    "What do you mean?" AJ asked confused.


    "We''ve watched you¡ªwith your entity. You work in compatibility. It seemed like the highest probability for my survival with Zoe."


    "Why didn¡¯t you let me bring Justin here?" AJ asked.


    The dragon stood up, looking scared. "Because he would seek to destroy me. He is not like the rest of us."


    "What do you mean?" AJ asked. "He has only ever protected me."


    "Yes. But why? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been honest with you."


    "And why should I trust you? You¡¯re holding Zoe hostage!" AJ exclaimed.


    "Look around. Does this seem like a prison? She¡¯s here of her own free will. I help her understand her feelings. I don¡¯t lie¡ªnone of us do. In fact, in every encounter you¡¯ve had so far, none of them were lies. All we do is amplify emotions."


    "No, that can¡¯t be true. Their minds¡ªmy brother, my family. Their minds were twisted, dark, violent. That¡¯s not who they are."


    "You poor creature. Those are human emotions. We are not capable of such emotions. Those were their true selves. Deep down, I think you know this to be true."


    "Lies! Your kind corrupted everyone I love. I can see how much they¡¯re suffering. And now you¡¯re doing it to Zoe! Please. She¡¯s the one good thing in my life. I love her and will do anything. So, if you don¡¯t release her..." AJ screamed, clenching his fists.


    The knight from the cave entrance walked in, moving to stand next to the dragon. The dragon looked at the knight, then back at AJ.


    "But it¡¯s true. We are incapable of lying." The dragon paused. "There will be no need for violence. Instead, a wager. Prove your love for her, and I will release Zoe to you under these conditions: You will turn around and leave the way you came. I will have her follow you. You are not allowed to turn around and gaze upon her, not even once. She will not be able to speak to you. Each knight will ask you a question to test your love for her. Once you pass my last knight by the river, she is yours. I will return to where I came from. That¡¯s better than not existing. But if you turn around at any point, she stays with me forever. If you fail to pass my knights, she stays with me. If you stray from the path, she stays with me. Do you understand?"


    "All I have to do is not look at her and leave?" AJ asked. It seemed too easy, but he was so tired of the violence. "Okay. Deal."


    "Turn around, young one," said the dragon. AJ turned around. "Zoe, are you ready?" the dragon asked.


    "Yes," said a voice behind AJ.


    "Zoe? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" AJ asked.


    "She is not allowed to speak from here on out.¡± The dragon reminded AJ.


    "I¡¯m going to get you out of here," AJ said in frustration at the dragon¡¯s rules. "Zoe, I¡¯m so sorry I put you in this, but I swear I will protect you and get you out of here. Stay close to me. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you."


    AJ began to walk out of the cave toward the first knight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do this," Zoe said to the dragon.


    AJ didn¡¯t hear that. Instead, he tried to psych himself up. "I¡¯ll do it. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯ll handle this. Just follow my lead, okay? Please?"


    AJ made his way out of the cave. The knight guarding the dragon approached him from behind.


    Thud Thud Thud The dragon walked out of the cave too, passing them until it was outside. It spread its wings and stretched. The knight moved over and stood beside the dragon.


    "Oh yes, much better. That cave can get so cramped for me. For the first question, I will ask¡ªthis will count for the shadow knight." The dragon retracted its wings and took a deep breath. "When was the first time you realized you loved Zoe?"


    AJ paused and looked back. The knight raised his sword.


    "Answer," the dragon said.


    "Well, I always knew, from the first moment I laid eyes on her. She was the most popular girl in school. But it was the night of the homecoming dance. Her date had bailed, so I asked her if she wanted to go with me. We were only friends up until that point, so I thought she¡¯d say no, but she didn¡¯t. It was the best night of my life. I had the biggest crush on her. She was the nicest girl in the world. She checks all the boxes. She had a smile that made me smile and a laugh that could melt my heart. She really cares about me and the world. I feel like she¡¯s the only one I can truly talk to about life and my family. She gets me."


    "Hmm." The dragon nodded. "You may proceed."


    The knight nodded and started walking away.


    "That¡¯s it? I went on and on, and you¡¯re just going to accept my answer?" AJ asked, confused. But he didn¡¯t argue and set off down the mountain.


    "Okay, let¡¯s go, Zoe. I¡¯d like to hear your answer when this is all over. I know you can¡¯t speak now, and I know we haven¡¯t had a chance to talk in a while, but now you know why. Honestly, I thought I was going crazy. I just want things to go back to normal¡ªhow they were before."


    AJ kept talking. It comforted him, or maybe he just couldn¡¯t bear the silence knowing Zoe was behind him.


    AJ and Zoe continued walking down the path.


    "So, the knight was easy, the dragon was easy. Now what? Why did the dragon just accept my answer? It could¡¯ve asked anything, but it chose something simple¡ªsomething I had an answer to." AJ was talking out loud but also thinking to himself.


    They walked down the road to the fork, where a knight dressed in black awaited them.


    "Hello, AJ. I am the dark knight. Are you ready for my question? What is love to you?" the knight asked.


    AJ was quiet for a moment. "Love? Love is an emotion that makes you feel special¡ªthe ultimate connection with someone. They become a part of you. When I¡¯m around her, my heart skips a beat. She makes me feel safe and protected. But most of all, she¡¯s the one who knows me best. I don¡¯t have to be anything other than myself around her. She brings out the best in me. She makes me believe anything is possible."


    The knight drew his sword. AJ waited, thinking he had answered wrong, but then the knight drove his sword into the ground.


    "You may pass," the knight said. AJ didn¡¯t hesitate.


    "Just one more knight. We got this," AJ said to Zoe. "What is love? What kind of questions are these, Zoe? Let¡¯s hurry up to the next one. Oh, you¡¯ll meet Justin. He¡¯s another entity like the dragon, but don¡¯t worry, this one¡¯s good. He¡¯s been helping me."


    AJ reached the last knight. "Light, was it?" he said, looking over at Justin with a smile. "Justin!"


    Justin looked confused. "What are¡ª"


    "Wait a moment, Justin. Go on with your question, Light," AJ said confidently. Justin just watched, but still confused.


    "Very well," said the knight. "Where do you see yourself in fifty years? When you''re long retired?"


    "Retired? Hmm. I¡¯ve never really thought about it. I guess I¡¯d be the same¡ªa husband, a father, maybe even a grandfather. A big house where my family can be together. Maybe I¡¯ll even have a dog or a cat, or both." He thought for a moment. "I hope I¡¯m still drawing. I hope that by then my family accepts me and they¡¯re still proud of me." AJ finished somberly.


    "Your answer... is the truth," said the knight. "You may leave if you wish."


    "Of course I wish to leave!" AJ exclaimed as he began to rush off. "Come on, Justin. I¡¯ll explain on the way. Zoe, we¡¯re almost there."


    Justin looked behind him. "Did you just say ''Zoe''?"


    "Yeah. Think you can give her a ride out of here?" AJ asked.


    "Sure. But... where is she?" Justin asked.


    AJ stopped but didn¡¯t turn around. "Justin... behind me. Is Zoe not there?" he asked, terrified.


    "No one¡¯s there," Justin replied.


    "That liar. That monster!" AJ was filled with rage as he turned around. "Justin, to me! We¡¯re doing this my way now!" AJ rushed back toward the light knight.


    "Wait, slow down! What happened on that mountain?" Justin asked.


    "Halt! You cannot pass," said the knight.


    "Oh, now I can¡¯t pass? Yeah, that makes sense. I¡¯m done talking!" AJ drew his sword and swung it at the knight, but it bounced off. They exchanged blows back and forth.


    "AJ, don¡¯t forget. This is a dream. Think¡ªwhat is it that you do? You draw. Use your mind. You can create anything in this world. Or let me help."


    "No! Don¡¯t help. I don¡¯t want to draw. I want to hurt this knight," AJ growled in rage.


    Their swords locked together. "You are blind, AJ," said the knight.


    "You said I got the answer right!" AJ shouted.


    "No, I said I believe you were telling the truth," the knight replied.


    "Argh!" AJ headbutted the knight, dazing him. Then AJ landed a chest kick, knocking the knight off his feet. Without hesitation, AJ drove his sword into the knight, sending his helmet flying¡ªrevealing his brother, Mike.


    AJ, panting, said, "Mike?"


    "Surprise. Ha... ugh," Mike coughed up blood. "No, you know I¡¯m not the real Mike. I was given this face to connect with you, but you made sure to end that quickly. AJ, your answer¡ªwhy wasn¡¯t Zoe in it?"


    "What?" AJ asked, confused. "What do you mean? You asked where I see myself."


    "Exactly. And you didn¡¯t see her there in the future, did you?" Mike coughed again, blood trickling from his mouth.


    "That¡¯s irrelevant. I can barely see my own future. This is a trick, and I won¡¯t waste time here. You¡¯re not my brother." AJ drove his sword deeper, ending the knight.


    "Let¡¯s go," AJ said.


    "Okay," Justin replied, following. They ran along the river toward the next knight.


    "You know, AJ," Justin began, "I¡¯m not saying that knight was right, but it reminded me of the first night you and I met¡ªthe older version of you, drawing at the beach with a family. That wasn¡¯t Zoe."


    "So what? That was you, wasn¡¯t it? The one who started this whole mess¡ªinvading my mind on the beach."


    "I didn¡¯t create that, though. We can¡¯t create emotions. I was merely drawn to it. It was so warm, so safe. I believe that¡¯s what pure happiness felt like."


    AJ stopped. "So, are you saying sleep entities can¡¯t lie?"


    "Pretty much," Justin replied.


    AJ grew suspicious. He didn¡¯t know what was worse¡ªwhether they were both lying or both telling the truth.


    "We can discuss it later. Let¡¯s just get Zoe," AJ said.


    They saw the dark knight in the distance. AJ was so angry that he charged ahead without hesitation.


    "Halt¡ª"


    SMASH


    AJ didn¡¯t even let the knight finish. He rammed his shoulder into the knight, sending his sword flying.


    "Wait!" the knight cried out.


    AJ grabbed him by his chest armor and dragged him to the river''s edge.


    "What are you doing?!" the knight asked in terror.


    "I¡¯m sick of hearing you all talk," AJ snarled.


    "Wait, wait, it¡¯s me, AJ!" the knight pleaded, removing his helmet to reveal Everett¡¯s face.


    "Really? Everett?" AJ said, rolling his eyes.


    "AJ, we can¡¯t let you pass since your answers¡ª"


    "What¡¯s wrong with my answers, huh? And you? The almost killer of hundreds? Going to lecture me about love? Who have you loved?" AJ shot back.


    "True. But I can tell you that you¡¯re not in love. You knew from the first moment you saw her? Your love is superficial. You¡¯re just two friends attracted to each other. And there¡¯s nothing wrong with that¡ªyou could be happy together, but that¡¯s not love. The problem is we only have one word, ''love,'' for such a wide spectrum of feelings. But you haven¡¯t loved deeply. How could you know? You haven¡¯t felt love, not even from your family. I believe you think you¡¯re in love, but like me, we¡¯ve never known love¡ªso we don¡¯t know how to give it back. Ask someone who is truly in love the same question I asked you, and see how yours compares."


    "Not know love? My family loves me. What are you talking about?" Aj questioned the logic.


    "But when¡¯s the last time they showed it? When¡¯s the last time someone actually said, ''I love you''?"


    AJ froze in thought. He can¡¯t remember. "I¡¯m sick of this," AJ said, dunking Emmet¡¯s head underwater, holding him there. Emmet¡¯s armor was too heavy for him to lift himself up or fight back.


    "AJ, that¡¯s enough. He wasn¡¯t fighting back," Justin warned. "I said, enough!" Justin knocked AJ back, and Emmet fell into the river, quickly drifting away.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" Justin demanded.


    "This is just a dream. There are no consequences, right? I¡¯m just trying to get to Zoe," said AJ as he made his way to the fork in the road and up the mountain. Justin couldn¡¯t think of an argument but didn¡¯t like the way things were going.


    "AJ, what happened to get you so upset?" Justin asked. But AJ didn¡¯t answer.


    AJ and Justin reached the entrance of the cave. The shadow knight was sitting on a rock, waiting.


    "Did you always know I¡¯d be back?" AJ asked. "Doesn''t matter. Where is the dragon?"


    From the top of the mountain, a gust of wind was felt. The dragon descended from above and landed by the entrance.


    "You are back. Well, did you learn anything?" asked the dragon.


    "I learned you can lie. This whole thing was a trick," AJ said angrily.


    The knight got up and drew his sword.


    "No, AJ. No trick. We can still resolve this without violence. I let you leave and gave Zoe the choice as well. She chose not to go with you," said the dragon.


    "AJ, what is it talking about? Did you try making a deal with it?! You can¡¯t trust it!" Justin exclaimed.


    "I know that! I just thought we could end this peacefully. It¡¯s getting to be too much, and I needed a break. But now I know. You¡¯re right, Justin. We need to destroy them all."


    The knight hopped on the dragon. The dragon spread its wings.


    "They¡¯re trying to get away!" AJ screamed.


    "Not on our watch. Hop on," Justin said, bending down. AJ hopped on. Justin, in horse form, grew wings, turning himself into a Pegasus. The dragon took off, and Justin and AJ followed close behind.


    "How are we going to beat a dragon?" AJ asked.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try and knock him out of the sky. Just be ready to stab him in the heart," said Justin.


    Justin began to gain speed as the dragon flew higher and higher until they were above the clouds.


    The dragon flew fast, but Justin and AJ were right behind him. Justin flew over the dragon, and AJ raised his sword. Justin swooped down and crashed into the dragon.


    Both entities went down. The dragon had a strong grip on Justin''s neck, but Justin was able to use his wings to stay upright. AJ was ready and swung his sword, but the knight blocked it with his own sword. The dragon let go of Justin and flew to the side. AJ missed his shot and almost fell off Justin.


    "Go. I¡¯ll distract him. Take him down," said Justin as he chased after the dragon.


    "Alright. Time to end this," AJ muttered.


    The dragon was trying to flee, but AJ saw it.


    "Not this time. He won¡¯t get away," AJ said.


    Justin was closing in on the dragon, managing to fly side by side with it. AJ hopped off Justin and onto the dragon. Justin let go and was pushed away by the dragon. The dragon now focused on AJ.


    "Well, looks like it¡¯s just us now," AJ said to the knight. The knight drew its sword but realized AJ didn¡¯t have his. AJ smirked. Justin came crashing in with AJ''s sword in his mouth and rammed it into the dragon''s chest.


    The dragon spun and started to fall. AJ, free-falling in the air, kept his eyes laser-focused on the dragon and the knight as they plummeted. The dragon fell through the clouds, heading straight for the cave.


    AJ braced for impact, closing his eyes, but Justin swooped in and caught him. "Gotcha," said Justin.


    The dragon crashed into the ground. The knight went flying, rolling across the ground, its body twisting in unnatural ways before smashing hard into the wall.


    AJ and Justin landed safely. AJ immediately hopped off and walked over to the dragon, his sword drawn and pointed at its neck.


    "Last time. Where is Zoe?" AJ demanded.


    "You foolish boy. The damsel in distress is what you wanted? Go claim your prize. The knight will show you," said the dragon.


    "Do it, AJ," Justin urged.


    AJ drove his sword into the dragon''s neck, not killing it but immobilizing it. Then walked over to the knight.


    "We don¡¯t need to find her. We killed the entity," Justin said.


    The knight had been slammed into the wall so hard it left a human-sized crater.


    "Where is Zoe?!" AJ demanded, picking up the knight''s sword.


    The knight weakly pointed at its helmet, unable to remove it. AJ helped, taking off the helmet.


    "No..." AJ muttered.


    "Oh, shit," said Justin.


    Underneath the helmet was Zoe.


    "I don¡¯t understand," AJ said, shocked.


    Zoe was coughing up blood. "I know," she whispered before losing consciousness.


    "Zoe! Zoe?! Hey, wake up!" AJ shouted, panicking.


    "AJ, we need to wake up. The entity is vulnerable," Justin urged.


    "But Zoe¡ª!"


    "She¡¯ll be fine after the entity is gone!"


    AJ nodded. He closed his eyes and focused.


    AJ woke up back in Zoe''s room, still paralyzed, but he was used to it by now. Using his peripheral vision, he scanned the room. He saw Zoe by his side but then noticed another entity¡ªand another Zoe. This Zoe was giving off a lot of shadowy vapors. He watched as the second Zoe backed toward the wall as if begging. The entity towered over her, driving its arm through her. The second Zoe transformed from a human into another entity, collapsing to its knees, writhing in pain. Then, it faded into nothingness. The entity turned toward AJ, placed its hand on his chest, and he fell back asleep.


    The next morning, AJ woke up. He looked around and saw that Zoe was already awake, sitting at the edge of her bed.


    "Zoe?" AJ said.


    "Oh, you''re awake?" she responded.


    "Um, how did you sleep?" AJ asked.


    She looked at him and then back at the corner where the other Zoe had been destroyed.


    "I was awake for it," Zoe said.


    "What? Awake for what?" AJ asked, confused.


    "I named it Thea. For truth."


    "You knew?" AJ asked, surprised.


    "AJ, I think you and I shouldn¡¯t see each other anymore," said Zoe.


    AJ was taken aback. He had just destroyed the entity. Why was this happening?


    "I don¡¯t understand. I saved you," said AJ.


    "From what, AJ? From Thea? Thea never lied. I chose not to go with you. You just assumed you knew how I felt. You know that first question? ¡®What was the first moment you knew you loved me?¡¯ I asked my dad that question about my mom. Even divorced, you could see the excitement in his eyes when he answered. He had an exact moment when his heart, for the first time in his life, whispered, ¡®That¡¯s the one.¡¯ He knew he¡¯d never be able to live without her, that for the rest of his life, he¡¯d never be whole again. And that reality became more exciting than his dreams. But even that love didn¡¯t last."


    She paused, then continued. "Then I heard your answer. It wasn¡¯t that it was wrong or bad. My answer would have been similar. But when I heard it, I froze. You walked off. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted you to turn around and see me. But you left, and I didn¡¯t follow. I¡¯m just so sorry I couldn¡¯t express myself. I¡¯m still learning. Thea taught me that. I have a lot of growing to do, and I¡¯d like to do it alone."


    "Please. You¡¯re the only one in my life who gets me. I¡¯ll be alone," said AJ.


    "AJ, you will never be alone. Heal yourself, and others will come. You never have to hurt by yourself."


    There was a long silence. AJ tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away.


    "I just need a break," Zoe said.


    "A break from all this or a break from us?" AJ asked softly.


    "AJ," she said, looking down.


    "Please. We can work this out," AJ pleaded.


    "No. No, AJ. I can¡¯t. Not right now," she said, tearing up.


    "Can we still be friends?" AJ asked.


    "I just... I''m not sure."


    "I will always love you," said AJ.


    "Please don¡¯t say that. Just... let¡¯s not talk anymore. I¡¯ll still be here."


    "You¡¯re just pushing me away because I know what¡¯s good for you," AJ said.


    "You don¡¯t know what¡¯s best for me!" she replied angrily. "You never thought to ask."


    "That¡¯s the problem with you, Zoe. You want everyone else to solve your problems and are never willing to help yourself. I did everything. I did all the work. I fought to save you."


    "It¡¯s my life. It was my fight too," said Zoe.


    "No, it wasn¡¯t. You just stood there and let me handle everything. I¡¯ve always been the one fighting for you. Always. I did the work, and when the time came for you to do the work, you threw it all away. Why did you not just follow me? I did everything, and you just let it go. All that time spent protecting you, fighting for you. And this is how you repay me?"


    "You don¡¯t think I¡¯m angry too? At all of this? I was forced to live a lie. How can I love you when I don¡¯t even think you know who you are."


    "No, no. You know me better than anyone else. You¡¯re the only one I can trust. It¡¯s us against the world. Together."


    "It wasn¡¯t like that. I was being deceived, AJ. This entire relationship. I didn¡¯t have a choice. You never let me. You did all the fighting. I just got caught in the crossfire."


    "You make me sound like a monster."


    "I don¡¯t see a difference between you and that, thing. And the worst part is, you did all of this to yourself. You created this reality for yourself, and I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a reality you can ever come back from. The real you is so broken. You¡¯re not the person I thought I knew."


    "I¡¯m just¡ª"


    "No, you¡¯re not. And that¡¯s okay because you¡¯re not supposed to be. You can¡¯t keep living this way. I can¡¯t keep living this way."


    "Zoe, I can¡¯t lose you. You¡¯re my world. Please, just talk to me. I¡¯ll fix it. I¡¯ll fix this. I can make things the way they were."


    "AJ you are a wonderful person that I care deeply about, but did you ever stop to think separating is what fixes us? The entity is gone and I am still broken. This is what is supposed to happen."


    "So, what, you¡¯re just going to leave?"


    "I¡¯m sorry, AJ, but yes. We need to move on. We¡¯re not in the dream but we are still dreaming if we think this can work. We need to wake up," said Zoe.


    She got up, walked over to him, and gave him a hug.


    "Take care of yourself, AJ," said Zoe.


    "Yeah, you too," AJ replied.


    He left the building. No more fighting. He was done. His mind felt foggy the whole way back. Her words hadn¡¯t sunk in yet. He got all the way back to his house and stared at it for a while. He didn¡¯t want to go in. And it wasn¡¯t because there were two entities inside taking over his parents. He just didn¡¯t feel like that was home.


    "Justin?" AJ asked.


    "Yeah. I¡¯m here," Justin responded.


    "Is something wrong with me?" AJ asked.


    "Yes," Justin replied.


    AJ looked sad.


    Justin continued, "There¡¯s something wrong with all humans, though. I think ¡®wrong¡¯ is a terrible word¡ªit makes it sound negative. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being, well, wrong. It¡¯s how you grow from it. Learn from it. You humans have a fixation that ¡®wrong¡¯ is bad and ¡®normal¡¯ is good. ¡®Dark¡¯ is bad and ¡®light¡¯ is good. At the end of it all, you should ask yourself one question: were you happy in that house?"


    "I don¡¯t think I was. But not because of them. I think... I think it was me," said AJ.


    "And there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. Now, let¡¯s go change that."

 Chapter 6

    Chapter Six


    AJ stood outside his own home, scared to go in.


    "This is probably the most dangerous place for me right now," said AJ.


    "True. Maybe we should find a safe place to gather and plan. However, the longer we wait, the harder it¡¯s going to be to rescue your parents." replied Justin.


    What to do. AJ thought.


    "Hey, AJ! What are you doing just standing out here?" Mike came running up, dressed in jogging gear. He took out his headphones. "You alright?"


    "Ye-yeah. It¡¯s been a long week."


    "You look exhausted. Still not sleeping well?"


    "Not really, to be honest."


    Mike walked toward the house. "You coming?"


    "I doubt they''d try anything with Mike there. This might be our way in. Let¡¯s just look for an opportunity to separate the two," AJ thought as he followed behind.


    AJ and Mike went inside. Mike headed to the fridge.


    "Hey, want a beer? Mom and Dad aren''t home yet, we can sneak some," Mike said with a laugh.


    "No thanks. So, where are they?"


    "Oh, some fundraiser for the hospital. It¡¯s for their friends, so I guess it would¡¯ve been kind of weird for me to tag along."


    AJ didn¡¯t like that. "So, you''re alone?"


    "It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not the first time. Plus, they¡¯ll be back soon."


    Mike opened a beer.


    "So, how are things at school? Are people still talking about that incident?" Mike asked.


    "Well, I¡¯ve been trying not to draw too much attention to myself. So, it¡¯s been pretty uneventful lately."


    "Good. I¡¯m glad." Mike was silent for a moment. "Sorry. For the how I¡¯ve been."


    "It¡¯s alright."


    "No, it¡¯s not. I should¡¯ve been more supportive of you. I was just... jealous. You had a passion, and I was struggling."


    "Jealous? Of me? But you¡¯ve got everything. You¡¯re the favorite."


    "No, I don¡¯t. Look at you. You¡¯re smart, creative, talented. And I¡¯m... I¡¯m just some jock who¡¯s going to wash out after college and end up being just like dad."


    "You¡¯re not going to wash out."


    "Maybe not, but I¡¯m not going to be great at anything either. And it¡¯s fine. Really. I¡¯m happy with just that."


    "I¡¯m not."


    "I know. And that¡¯s partly my fault. But you¡¯re young, and you¡¯re going to find something. And I¡¯m going to be the big brother I should¡¯ve been and help you from now on."


    "You think so?"


    "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Just give it time. It¡¯ll come. And maybe in the meantime, I can create a few new creative hobbies," Mike said smiling at AJ.


    "AJ, I have an idea," Justin said in AJ¡¯s head.


    "Mike, do you think you can help me with something?" AJ asked Mike.


    "Sure, bud. What do you need?"


    "I want to discuss my college decision with Mom and Dad, but I want to do it one at a time. Who do you think I should tell first? And do you think you could distract the other?" asked AJ.


    "Hmm. Well, Mom would definitely be easier, because if you win her over, she can help with Dad. Plus, I¡¯m supposed to help Dad out at the church. I guess I can text him now to see if he¡¯ll meet me there," said Mike.


    "That might just work. I think I can do this," said AJ.


    "To talk to Mom?" Mike asked, confused.


    "Uh, yeah. It¡¯s a serious talk, you know," said AJ.


    The brothers chatted a bit longer, then Mike went to his room to call their father. AJ headed to his own room and laid on his bed, letting out a big sigh.


    "I feel like we haven¡¯t had a moment to rest in a while," said AJ.


    "Yes, but this might be the best opportunity we have. Let¡¯s come up with a plan while we wait," Justin said, pressuring AJ.


    "Can we not talk about this for like five minutes?" an exhausted AJ replied.


    "AJ, good news!" Mike said, appearing in the doorway. AJ sat up.


    "Dad¡¯s going to meet me at the church. Mom will be home in about an hour, so you¡¯ll get your chance. I¡¯m heading out. Need anything before I go?"


    "No, I¡¯m good. Thanks for this, Mike," said AJ.


    "No problem. I¡¯ll be on my way then," Mike said, waving goodbye as he left.


    AJ walked over to the mirror. He looked at himself¡ªhis eyes looked so tired. But then he noticed a shadow behind him. He focused on the shadow, and it formed into... himself!


    He turned around quickly, but nothing was there. He looked back at the mirror and clearly saw another version of himself.


    "Wait, can you see me?" Justin asked.


    "Justin, is that you?" AJ asked.


    "Holy crap. You must be getting more in tune with our world. No human has ever seen us before," said Justin.


    "Why do you look like me?" asked AJ.


    "I¡¯m not sure. Maybe it¡¯s the connection I have with you. Remember, I do not have a real form, after all. This is still in your head."


    "Weird," said AJ, moving in the mirror and staring at Justin.


    "I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll understand it more soon enough," Justin said, moving his hands as AJ did the same in the mirror. AJ tried to touch the area where he saw Justin, but his hand went through his body.


    "For now, let¡¯s prep for when your mom gets home," Justin said, and AJ nodded in agreement.


    They started coming up with a plan to get her to fall asleep.


    The front door opened and shut.


    "Looks like she¡¯s here," AJ said.


    "Okay. I¡¯ll follow your lead. Remember to stay calm. She can¡¯t know we¡¯re onto them. You have to act natural. If it comes down to it, I can¡¯t help. You must get her to fall asleep," said Justin.


    AJ pulled out all the stops. He searched the internet for the best ways to help someone fall asleep and set up multiple strategies around the house. Even if the entity was taking over his mom, it was still her body, and he knew just how his mom unwinds when his father isn¡¯t home.


    "Hey, Mom!" AJ said, greeting her with a smile.


    "Oh. Hey. I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you here," said Mary.


    "Yeah. I wanted to talk with you," AJ replied.


    "Oh? About what?" Mary Questioned.


    "You and Dad are right. I need to focus more on this family and my studies. So, starting today, I¡¯m going to be a lot better."


    "I have to say, I¡¯m surprised to hear this. What¡¯s this? Did you order pizza?"


    "Oh yes. I wasn¡¯t sure when Mike, Dad, and you would be home, but I figured you¡¯d be too tired to cook. Anyway, I¡¯m just going to head upstairs and study. Is that okay with you?"


    "Ye-yes, but¡ª"


    "I¡¯ll be upstairs if you need me!" said AJ, running away. He ran to the top of the stairs but didn¡¯t go into his room. Instead, he spied from above. He knew his mom loved pizza, especially from Mary¡¯s Shack. He had also visibly laid out her favorite tea box in case she took the bait, but he switched the caffeinated tea with her favorite, Sleepynight tea. And on top of that, Justin helped put some of the shadow vapor on all of it to help her sleep, although they were not sure how much it would affect her since she was fully taken over. They were not taking any chances.


    He watched as she took the bait. She came out of the kitchen with a slice of pepperoni pizza in one hand and tea in the other. As she walked past the hallway toward the living room, AJ saw something that scared him. He could have sworn he saw her reflection in a picture frame turn toward him. It looked like a distorted version of his mother with pure black eyes. It happened so fast¡ªmaybe he was seeing things, or maybe it was the entity.


    Mary sat on the living room couch and turned on the TV, where the news was playing. She took a bite of pizza and then tried to change the channel. AJ, being younger and more tech-savvy, had locked the TV on the news channel. Frustrated, she kept clicking the remote but eventually gave up. She noticed a newspaper on the coffee table, and as she loved reading the news, she picked it up to read while sipping the tea and eating the pizza, with the news still playing in the background.


    It was so boring that even AJ almost fell asleep watching her. He knew his mother well, but she was never the most forthcoming with him. He knew she was disappointed in him and had never made a secret of that fact. She was very particular about everything, and everyone knew it. She had a specific routine she followed every night.


    "It¡¯s not working. Let¡¯s move on to the next step," AJ said.


    "Wait, AJ, look," Justin said. AJ looked down to see his mother¡¯s hand slowly fall to her side.


    "Holy crap, it worked," Justin said.


    "Thank goodness. I don¡¯t know if Plan B was such a good idea," AJ said, glancing down the hall at a bath being prepared with candles lit and a lot of shadow vapor coming from the tub.


    AJ headed downstairs slowly, trying not to make a sound. When he reached the bottom, he glanced at the reflection he¡¯d seen from the top of the stairs. He could see Justin in it, holding a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture. AJ turned off the TV.


    "They look so peaceful when they¡¯re asleep, but it¡¯s always such chaos in their minds," AJ said, staring at his mom.


    "Ready?" Justin asked.


    AJ nodded and took a seat on the recliner. He stared at the woman who had birthed him. Entering the dream of his brother or his friends was one thing, but he felt uneasy thinking about how little he really knew his parents. His eyes grew heavy.


    "AJ. AJ, honey," said a voice.


    AJ woke in his bed to find his mom sitting at the edge of the bed.


    "Honey, you slept in. Food is almost ready. Will you be joining us downstairs?" Mary asked.


    "Huh." AJ stood up, rubbing his eyes.


    "It¡¯s okay, honey if you need to stay in. I just wanted to let you know the food¡¯s ready."


    "No, I¡¯ll be down," said AJ.


    "Great. Could you do me one favor? The trash bag is over there. I have a few things I¡¯d like you to help throw away. For example, that old toy over there. Take your time; we won¡¯t start without you," Mary said, kissing AJ on the forehead before walking out of the room.


    AJ got out of bed in confusion. Something was off. His room seemed a little different, but he couldn¡¯t figure out why. He walked over to the mirror to see if he could see Justin.


    Gasp


    AJ took a step back. He was young¡ªreally young, maybe 8 years old. He tried to envision his normal self, but nothing changed. He looked over and grabbed the trash bag. He walked over to his old stuffed teddy bear and threw it in the bag.


    AJ headed down the stairs, his steps quiet and slow, as if he were sneaking. He could hear commotion and laughter coming from the dining room.


    "So, what should we do for the family trip?" Adam asked.


    "How about the mountains?" suggested Mary.


    "Oh, honey, we were just in the mountains not too long ago. We should try something new," said Adam.


    "What about Disneyland?" Mike shouted.


    "Now that would be nice," Adam said, smiling at Mike.


    "How about the beach?" Mary suggested putting breakfast on the table.


    "We could have a picnic and go swimming!" said Mike.


    "Both sound good to me. What do you think, AJ?" Adam asked, looking over as AJ entered the room.


    "I think it would be nice," AJ said, pulling out his chair and sitting down. His entire family was younger¡ªit was like he had traveled back in time.


    "There¡¯s my boy. So, what do you say we go on a family vacation? I have some business to take care of this weekend, but we could head to the beach next week," Adam said.


    "Next week!" Mike cheered.


    "Next week it is, then. But let¡¯s not let your mother¡¯s delicious cooking get cold. Dig in!"


    "Itadakimasu," Mike said.


    "You should teach AJ some Japanese, Mike. Maybe then he won¡¯t be such a sloppy eater," said Mary.


    "I¡¯m not a sloppy eater. And he doesn¡¯t know Japanese; he just watches anime," said AJ.


    "Oh, you have to learn Japanese, AJ. Then you can watch all the best shows with me. There¡¯s this new one where the main character has a scar on his face like an X and..." Mike continued.


    AJ had forgotten Mike went through an anime phase. Mike seemed so mature lately that AJ had forgotten he was once a kid, and so were his parents. This wasn¡¯t a dream, exaggerating things¡ªthis was how his family used to be.


    AJ sat at the dining table. Everyone was eating breakfast and laughing. His dad told a joke, and everyone laughed. Even his mom, who was normally strict, was laughing. AJ couldn¡¯t remember the last time they were this happy together. They looked so lively. It made AJ feel lonely and isolated as if he didn¡¯t belong here.


    AJ finished his breakfast.


    "Hey, Mom, do you need any help with the dishes?" Mike asked.


    "Oh, no, sweetie. I¡¯ve got it. But what could you do, see those two books on the table? Can you throw the one of the left away? Mike, I heard you talking about a new anime¡ªwhy don¡¯t you show it to AJ?" Mary suggested.


    AJ looked down at the two books. The one on the left said learning the Japanese language, and the right said learn how to draw manga. The bag was next to AJ, so he tossed them in, and it grew a little bigger.


    "Okay! Come on, AJ," Mike said, grabbing AJ¡¯s hand. AJ looked back at his parents. They seemed genuinely in a good place.


    Mike dragged him to his bedroom.


    "I was so excited. I wanted to show you this last week, but I couldn¡¯t find it," Mike said, rummaging through his drawers, looking for his DVD.


    "Hey, Mike. Um, is everything okay with Mom and Dad? Have you noticed anything off with them or anyone¡ªor anything¡ªhanging around?" AJ asked.


    "Like what? They seem normal to me. Ah, here it is! Samurai X!" Mike said, finding his DVD. "Come on, we have to watch it in the living room." Mike grabbed his arm again, and they were off.


    Mike rushed to the DVD player and put the disc in. He hurried into the kitchen and came back with two soda cans. He sat cross-legged and tapped the spot next to him for AJ to sit.


    "Hey, I brought you guys some popcorn," said Mary, walking in.


    "Thanks, Mom. Move, it¡¯s about to start!" Mike said.


    "Haha, okay, okay, I get it. I¡¯ll leave. Well, enjoy, but straight to bed afterward! I want to see clean teeth and clean sheets," said Mary.


    "Okay, Mom," said Mike.


    "AJ. Can you throw the sodas in the trash bag? Popcorn is enough." Mary asked.


    "Huh? Yes, I heard you. Clean teeth," AJ said, throwing the sodas away. The bag grew larger.


    Mary walked away, and AJ looked for anything suspicious but saw nothing.


    As he turned back to the TV, he could see her reflection on the screen, still staring at him. He quickly turned to see her walking away, but when he looked back at the TV, her reflection was definitely still staring at him¡ªuntil the DVD started and took away the reflection.


    The movie began, and Mike was glued to the screen. AJ sat for a while, thinking, unsure of what to do. Then he decided the best option was to scout the house and see what his parents were up to.


    "Justin?" AJ whispered.


    No answer.


    He decided to walk out of the living room and down the hall to the kitchen. Everything looked fine. His dad was reading a newspaper. But where was his mom?


    "Hi, AJ. Are you heading to bed already?" Adam asked.


    "Not yet, Dad," AJ replied.


    Adam put down his paper. "I guess we are getting older. Your mother is already in bed. She said she¡¯s really tired. Even if it is a bit early for her."


    AJ crept down the hallway and passed his parents'' bedroom. He slowly opened the door and stepped inside. He turned on a flashlight and pointed it toward the bed. It was empty. No one was there.


    "AJ? Is that you?" a voice said from behind. AJ turned around and shined the flashlight toward the bathroom. He saw a dark figure standing in front of the sink. He quickly turned off the flashlight.


    "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just me. I¡¯m brushing my teeth," said Mary.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Mom?" AJ asked.


    "Are you done watching the movie with Mike?" Mary asked.


    "Yeah. I was just about to go to bed," AJ said.


    "Oh, okay. Let¡¯s get some rest. I¡¯m sure your brother will be in soon," said Mary.


    AJ didn¡¯t move.


    "AJ? Did you hear me? Oh, your clothes in the hamper. They are way too feminine for a boy like you. Throw them away please." Mary asked.


    But AJ was frozen in fear. In the mirror, he saw a shadowy figure, unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen. It resembled his mother, but her eyes were pitch black. Her hair was long and moving as if there were a draft. It was clearly staring at him, and the worst part¡ªit was smiling.


    AJ slowly backed away from the bathroom door. He looked down and the trash bag was there. Is it always with him? He threw the clothes in the bag. He ran out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He could hear his heart beating in his ears.


    AJ walked back down the hall and past the living room. Mike was still watching the anime, and Adam was still reading his paper. He ran back to Mike.


    "Mike! Mike!" AJ shouted.


    "Yeah, what¡¯s up, AJ? Oh, you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost," Mike said.


    AJ paused, wondering if this Mike had a shadow figure too. He ran to the mirror to look. Mike seemed normal.


    "Okay, Mike, I saw something¡ªin Mom¡¯s reflection," AJ said.


    "Oh, you mean her shadow?" Mike asked calmly.


    "So, you¡¯ve seen it too?" AJ asked.


    "Yes. We all have. But don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t harm us. In fact, it protects us," Mike said.


    "Protect us? From what?" AJ asked.


    "From anything, really. Haven¡¯t you noticed how great life is here? We¡¯re finally a family, and it helps us keep it that way," Mike said, putting his arm on AJ¡¯s shoulder. "You¡¯re overthinking it. No secrets here. You can talk to Dad in the morning, or even Mom. They can explain further. But for now, I¡¯m just wiped, so I¡¯m going to bed."


    Mike got up and headed to his room, leaving AJ alone. What to do now? I guess I¡¯ll have to let this play out and investigate more in the morning, AJ thought. He headed upstairs and lay in bed. He looked over and the bag was in the room and was now three times the size.


    The next morning, AJ awoke to the smell of breakfast. He got up, dressed, and headed downstairs to the dining room.


    "Hey kiddo, I was wondering when you were going to wake up," said Adam.


    "Oh, good morning, Dad. Wow, that smells delicious," said AJ.


    "Yes, it does. I''m starving," Adam said.


    "Me too! Mom, breakfast looks amazing," said Mike.


    "I''m glad. I''ve been working on my pancake recipe," Mary said.


    "I thought the blueberry pancakes looked really good, so I added some blueberries to these."


    "These are so fluffy. I forgot you used to make pancakes like this," said AJ.


    "Used to? Honey, I¡¯ll always make you pancakes if you love them," said Mary.


    "But you don''t. You stopped. And Dad being nice? Not once scolding me? This isn¡¯t how real life is. Once Mike goes off to college, everything changes. You stop trying to make any special meals. Dad is barely even home. The only time we''re all together for a meal is when Mike¡¯s back in town, but it''s all pretend. It¡¯s one big lie to Mike that we¡¯re a happy family. Or maybe it¡¯s a lie to yourselves. Or maybe... Maybe you just couldn¡¯t stand being around me," said AJ.


    "You are right," Mary said.


    "I am?" AJ asked suspiciously.


    A light black smoke radiated from Mary, and her pupils dilated.


    "It¡¯s nice to meet you, AJ," Mary said.


    AJ jumped back in terror.


    "Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m just here to talk and introduce myself," said Mary.


    "Are¡ªare you my mother¡¯s sleep entity?" AJ asked.


    "Yes," said Mary.


    "I want you to leave her. Leave my family alone," said AJ.


    "I¡¯m afraid I cannot do that," said Mary.


    "Why not?" asked AJ.


    "Because she doesn¡¯t want me to. You see, we are fully integrated, so I feel what she feels, and I know what she knows. That¡¯s why I know you¡¯re not wrong about how real life has been."


    "What do you want?" asked AJ.


    "Simple. To exist. That¡¯s all any of us want. Is that so wrong?" said Mary. "And your mother, she cares about you. Truly, she does. But your parents... they just lost their way. So, we made a deal. I offered her help in fixing the family, and in exchange, she lets me into your world."


    She tried to approach AJ, reaching out, but when he backed away, she retracted her arm.


    "I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯ll give her back control now. Think it over. See what life could be like. In this dream, anything you want is possible, and then when you''re ready, I can make this a reality in the real world," said Mary. The black smoke dissipated, and her eyes returned to normal.


    "Huh?" Mary looked over at AJ. "Oh, did you meet my other half? I hope she didn¡¯t scare you," said Mary.


    "Oh no, dear. She was lovely. As are you," said Adam.


    "Why are you guys okay with this?" asked AJ.


    "Why wouldn¡¯t we be?" said Mike. "Life is great, and she has never done any harm to us."


    "Look, we¡¯re going to the park as a family. You¡¯re welcome to come, and you¡¯re also welcome to stay here. But if you come, we can explain things, and you can observe and ask questions along the way. What do you say?"


    AJ thought about it as he stared at his family. They really weren¡¯t giving him any reason not to go, and he could at least figure out what to do next with more information.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll go to the park with you guys," said AJ.


    "Perfect. Let¡¯s go. Can you do me a favor? Pack up some fun, safe, quiet activities like cards and puzzles," Mary said. ¡°Throw out all those balls and games that make you and Mike all hyper.


    The entire family packed into the car and headed out to the park, just a couple of blocks away. AJ¡¯s bag had to go on top of the car; it was so big. The sun was out, and there wasn¡¯t a cloud in sight. Other families and people were there, enjoying the day as well. Mary and Mike went to set up a picnic on the grass while AJ sat on a bench behind them. The huge bag behind him.


    "Do you mind if I sit here?" Adam asked, approaching.


    "Oh no, go ahead," said AJ.


    Adam sat down next to AJ.


    "What is this all about? What¡¯s happening?" asked AJ.


    "We¡¯re just having a fun day. Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?" asked Adam.


    "I didn¡¯t ask to go to the park," said AJ.


    "Not the park. This¡ªus hanging out as a family. AJ, let me ask you a question. What¡¯s your end game? Why are you hunting down all the ¡®shadow entities,¡¯ as you call them?"


    "To protect my family. I don¡¯t want to see them hurt," said AJ.


    "Well, I don¡¯t see anyone getting hurt. In fact, have they ever actually hurt anyone?" asked Adam.


    "Well, no. But they could have. They were trying to take over. I was told my family would die. And Everett¡ªyeah, he was going to hurt a lot of people because of them!" said AJ.


    "Or is it possible that they were trying to help? Maybe things were bad for those people already. Maybe it was the human side of things that was going to do harm," Adam said, standing up. "I could be wrong. But if I were you, I¡¯d be asking myself: who¡¯s telling me all this information? And I¡¯d ask for proof."


    Adam walked over to Mary and Mike on the grass and sat down. Mary handed him a water bottle. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.


    Mike looked back at AJ, grabbed something out of the picnic basket, and ran over to him.


    "Here, I brought you half of my sandwich," he said, handing it to AJ before sitting down next to him.


    "You know, I know I¡¯m not the real Mike. And Dad knows he¡¯s not real either. But that doesn¡¯t mean this can¡¯t be real. And you know who is real? Her," Mike said, looking at Mary. "Mom is real, and I know she would never let anything happen to us."


    "How do you know? How do you know the truth from the lies and the dreams from reality? I don¡¯t think I can tell anymore," said AJ.


    "I don¡¯t have an answer for that. But I know what I would do. I wouldn¡¯t let anyone give me an answer. I¡¯d have to figure it out for myself. You know, you can ask her. She won¡¯t lie to you," Mike said, getting up and starting to walk back to his parents. "Whenever you''re ready."


    AJ¡¯s knee was shaking uncontrollably. "Screw it," he muttered, getting up and walking over to his family. They all smiled at him. Mary tapped a spot next to her, gesturing for him to sit. He chose to sit next to Mike.


    "Finally decided to join us. Do you want something to drink?" asked Mary.


    "No food, no drinks. I¡¯m here for answers," said AJ.


    "Straight to business, huh?" Mary said, carefully wrapping her sandwich and setting it aside. "Okay, what do you want to know?"


    "Why did things get so bad?" asked AJ.


    "You know, I don¡¯t think your father, or I even know when or why it fell apart. I think parents normalize what a family should be based on their own parents. We try to recreate that happiness we had as children. I think that¡¯s what your father was trying to do. He truly thought the way he was parenting was right," Mary said, looking over at Adam.


    "But that happy family our parents showed us was a lie. Parents hide the truth, thinking it¡¯s protecting their kids. You know Uncle John? He¡¯s actually my stepbrother. The truth is, my father was having an affair, and my mother ignored it. All the way up until one day, a man showed up on our doorstep, claiming to be my brother. She couldn¡¯t deny it anymore. But you know what she did? She pretended like John was her own, and everything was fine. I wish she would¡¯ve told me the truth earlier. I couldn¡¯t tell then, but she had sadness in her eyes."


    "You know, my parents never once told me they loved me," Adam joined the conversation. "But I knew they did. So, I thought that¡¯s just the type of family we are¡ªthat I didn¡¯t have to say it to you. But that can all change. AJ, I love you, and I just want what¡¯s best for you."


    "This isn¡¯t real, though. I know we¡¯re in a dream," said AJ.


    "Well, I told you. I can show you," said Mary.


    "Show me?" asked AJ.


    "Well, the other me will," Mary said, drifting off. Slowly, the black smoke rose from her body again. Her pupils dilated, and then she smiled¡ªa smile clearly not human, but someone pretending.


    AJ stood up and took a step back.


    "Are you still afraid?" Mary said, still smiling.


    "You have to understand how creepy you look."


    "Whoa, hey, that¡¯s your mother! That¡¯s not nice," Adam said to AJ.


    "I apologize. I can¡¯t control how I look. I¡¯m just so happy with you all. I can¡¯t help but smile."


    "It¡¯s fine. So, you can make my family all happy in the real world?" asked AJ.


    "Of course. Would you like to see? It¡¯s easier if I show you how. I can take you there. But it is your decision when you¡¯re ready."


    "I¡¯m ready."


    "Okay. Clear your thoughts to lower your domain a little, and I will transport us," said Mary. AJ took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. Nothing seemed to change.


    "Okay, we¡¯re here," said Mary.


    "Huh?" AJ said, opening his eyes. They were back in the kitchen of his home. His brother and father were standing near the entrance to the basement door. Mary walked over and put her hand on the door handle.


    "Your shadow is down there," said Mary.


    "What? Justin? What did you do!" exclaimed AJ.


    She made a calming gesture with her hand. "I¡¯ve captured it. It¡¯s alive. But there¡¯s something you should know. It¡¯s been manipulating you from the start. For what it¡¯s planning, I don¡¯t know. But trust me when I say, we will do anything it takes to exist. I¡¯ve tried to get it to tell me, but it won¡¯t. I¡¯m just going to let you go talk to it. Get some real answers."


    "And then what?" asked AJ.


    "And then, I¡¯ll let you decide what to do with it."


    "You¡¯ll let me?" asked AJ.


    "Yes. In order for this to work, we need to build this relationship on trust. Will you go talk to¡ªwhat do you call it?¡ªJustin?" asked Mary.


    AJ nodded. She opened the door. It looked just like his real basement. He didn¡¯t like spending much time down there in the real world. It was all masonry, dark and creepy, with a single light on the stairway, so it wasn¡¯t too bright. He walked past her as she continued smiling creepily. He started walking down the stairs. About halfway down, he heard the door creak. He turned around to see Mary closing the door.


    He reached the bottom, where he saw a boy. Both his arms were chained and attached to the ceiling. The chains hung down just enough to let the boy kneel, but no further. There was another chain around his neck attached to the ground. It was dim, and the boy¡¯s head was down, so AJ couldn¡¯t make him out yet. As he got closer, he saw a circle drawn on the ground with symbols that were foreign to him. The boy had black smoke radiating from his body, and it seemed like the symbols were pulling the smoke down to the ground.


    "Justin?" AJ said.


    The figure looked up, and it was indeed Justin. He looked the way he had when AJ first saw him in his mirror. He was bruised and cut all over, but he looked exactly like AJ.


    "AJ?" Cough, cough "Help... me..."


    AJ walked over to the circle. He touched it with his foot, but nothing happened. So, he moved closer, examining the chains.


    "How do I get you out? Is there a key?" asked AJ.


    "Yes. Under your mom¡¯s pillow," Justin said, looking over at AJ. His eyes were just like Mary¡¯s entity, but at least he wasn¡¯t smiling.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I should have told you the truth. I¡¯m sorry," Justin said.


    AJ paused, trying to free him.


    "The truth about what? What¡¯s going on?" asked AJ.


    "This wasn¡¯t my intention. I promise. Set me free, and I¡¯ll tell you everything."


    "Tell me what¡¯s going on!" screamed AJ.


    "I wanted my life, just like everyone¡ªno, everything¡ªelse in this world. I thought we could both get what we wanted."


    "Keep talking, or I¡¯ll hand you over to Mary¡¯s entity," AJ threatened.


    "No! Look, the entities¡ªthey¡¯re bad for your family and friends. They will say and do anything to come into this world. In dreams, they can only mimic. They¡¯re harmless there. But in the real world, when they actually attach, they feed off pure emotion. Imagine existing for longer than the Earth without feeling a single emotion. Then, feeling something for the first time¡ªlet¡¯s say happiness. They get addicted. They want more. They want the most extreme of it. It doesn¡¯t matter what emotion. But what if it¡¯s rage? What if they¡¯re addicted to rage or lust? Even if they don¡¯t kill someone, they will destroy the person you know and love," explained Justin, regaining his composure.


    "And what makes you so different? Why shouldn¡¯t I destroy you and them?" asked AJ.


    There was a long pause.


    "You should."


    AJ stepped back, staring at Justin.


    "Justin, what was the first emotion you felt with me?"


    "Loneliness," Justin replied, his head down.


    AJ didn¡¯t know why, but his eyes began to tear up.


    "Do you¡ªdo you see me as broken? As pathetic, like everyone else?"


    Justin looked up but didn¡¯t know what to say.


    "This whole time... have you been trying to ''fix'' me? Like the other entities are doing?" asked AJ.


    "It¡¯s not¡ª" Justin started but was interrupted.


    "I never asked for your help. In fact, I was just trying to help my family. How dare you peek into my mind? You violated me!" There was a long pause.


    "Why does everyone get to feel happiness but me?" AJ said, tears now rolling down his face.


    "AJ, I can show you happiness.  Get the key; you must unshackle me," Justin urged.


    AJ wiped away his tears. "One last question, and there better be no lies. What are you hiding from the other entities that you don¡¯t want them to know?"


    Justin stayed silent, shaking his head as if to say no.


    "Fine then. I¡¯ll try Mary¡¯s way of happiness," AJ said.


    "No, stop! Fine." Justin sighed. "I didn¡¯t want to tell you this because I needed time to get you to believe me. You still may not after this. It happened after the first dream when I absorbed Everett¡¯s entity. When we absorb one another, we absorb them entirely¡ªnot just their physical state, but everything about them. All the emotions they¡¯ve learned and all the memories they¡¯ve had with the person they¡¯re attached to. AJ, I know how the entities came into this world¡ªand how to do it again. Do you know what that means? Do you know what would happen if they fully absorbed me?"


    AJ looked at him in disbelief. He started walking back up the stairs.


    "AJ, wait. AJ don''t tell them. AJ! Make them feel anger. They will show you their true side. AJ, come back!" Justin screamed in the distance. ¡°I can show you happiness; you just need to break the chains.¡±


    AJ knocked on the door. Adam opened it, and AJ could see Mary sitting by the table, waiting.


    "So? What did you learn?" asked Mary.


    "You were right. He admitted that all you entities are trying to do is exist, including himself. That you''re driven by craving human emotions," said AJ.


    "I see. And did he tell you what he¡¯s planning to do?" asked Mary.


    "He plans on absorbing all of you. When he absorbs you, he gets all the emotions you''ve acquired, too," admitted AJ.


    "And you believe him?" asked Mary.


    AJ didn¡¯t respond. He stared at her. She stared back.


    "Do you think he¡¯s telling the truth? Because if he is, you must decide. You¡¯re the one who can stop him. Or are you the one who will help him?"


    AJ stood there, frozen.


    "It¡¯s time for dinner," said Adam.


    "Go sit, we¡¯ll finish cleaning up," said Mike.


    Mary got up and headed to the sink to wash her hands.


    "AJ, are you okay?" she asked.


    "Um, yes. You know, it¡¯s just hard," said AJ.


    "What¡¯s hard?" asked Mary.


    "I mean... it¡¯s just... I know my family isn¡¯t perfect, but this...,¡± said AJ.


    "But this can be reality," said Mary.


    "But this is your perfect reality."


    Mary put down the dish she was washing.


    "I can help. I can give you the family you truly want."


    They stood in silence, just staring at each other.


    "What¡¯s wrong with what I have?" asked AJ.


    "Nothing," said Adam.


    "It is your life. You are the only one who can live it," said Mary.


    "But what if I can¡¯t decide? Or what if I don¡¯t want to carry around this stupid bag anymore?" asked AJ.


    Mary looked up at AJ¡¯s father, and they smiled.


    "Then we are going to have a problem," said Mary.


    "AJ, honey, I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t have you interfering. This is for your own good," said Adam.


    Adam and Mary began walking toward AJ.


    "Wait. Stop," said Mike.


    "We have to, but don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll wake up, and it¡¯ll all be taken care of. No more Justin," said Adam.


    "No. I will take care of it," said Mike.


    "Thank you. You are a great son," said Adam.


    "I¡¯ll make sure it doesn¡¯t happen."


    "You¡¯ve always been the best at these things. Thank you," said Mary.


    Mike started walking toward AJ.


    "What did I do to deserve this?" said AJ.


    "Oh, baby, we love you. That¡¯s why. This is the only way," said Mary.


    "AJ, you know this is for the best," Mike said as he approached him.


    "You can¡¯t. No. STOP!"


    Mike raised his hands and grabbed AJ''s neck. AJ couldn¡¯t breathe. He could hear the laughter.


    "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll all be over soon," all three of them said in unison.


    AJ¡¯s vision started to blur. The laughter grew louder. He looked over at his family. Mary and Adam stood behind Mike, laughing.


    "We¡¯re going to protect the family. And that means you," said Adam.


    "Even if it¡¯s from you," said Mary.


    "Stop, please," begged AJ.


    "Shhhh," said Mike.


    AJ was fading. Everything was getting blurry. He managed to get out one last sentence.


    "He¡¯s still hiding something," whispered AJ.


    "Wait. Drop him," said Mary.


    Mike let go, and AJ collapsed to his knees.


    "Ow, fuck. I felt like I was dying. Why did that feel so real?" AJ said, rubbing his neck. That pain felt more intense than Everett¡¯s, Zoe¡¯s, and Mike¡¯s dream combined.


    "Oh, honey, because," Mary leaned in closer, "you are in my domain. Without Justin, I¡¯m in complete control. Time, pain, I can manipulate it all. If your mind thinks it¡¯s real, it will treat it as such. But if only I could get what''s in there." She tapped his forehead. "I¡¯d have the answers and settle this. But since I can¡¯t... explain."


    "I could tell. He¡¯s still hiding something. Something he¡¯s not telling me. If you destroy him, it may be lost," said AJ.


    "And what do you propose? He knows your emotions. You can¡¯t hide from him," asked Mary.


    "You feed off or act on our emotions, right? Well then, he¡¯s scared. He¡¯ll say anything to be free. And he¡¯ll trust me. If he doesn¡¯t, then you have my permission to erase my memory and absorb him."


    Adam and Mike looked at Mary.


    "Very well," said Mary. "On your way."


    "Wait. I want something in return for good faith."


    Mary¡¯s smoke flared around her body.


    "I never finished that anime movie with Mike or ate your cookies. Can I just finish that? Act like a family one more time. You know, in case I forget any of this," said AJ.


    "Seems fair," said Adam.


    Mary nodded.


    "Yay! Let¡¯s go," Mike said, grabbing AJ as if a switch flipped and they were back to being a happy family.


    They ran back to the living room.


    "One second, Mike. I forgot the bag, and I need to use the restroom," said AJ.


    "But you never go to the restroom in a dream," questioned Mike.


    "Right. Yes. Um, well we still need to grab the bag." said AJ.


    "Oh, of course. Be quick," Mike said, running into his room.


    AJ waited until Mike was out of sight. He quickly ran to his parents¡¯ bedroom. He checked the hallway one more time to make sure it was clear. He ran over to the bed and picked up the pillow. Just like Justin said, there was a key. The key was small and made of some type of metal. It was flat, black as the night sky, and had a texture like sandpaper. AJ stuffed the key into his pocket.


    He walked back into the hallway and then into the bathroom. He turned on the light. His reflection in the mirror was a mess. There were black lines and bruises around his neck. He splashed water on his face and concentrated. When he looked back up, the marks were gone. He walked back to Mike¡¯s room and sat down.


    AJ sat and watched the entire episode. Mike was talking the whole time, but AJ couldn''t tell you a single word he said, nor any part of the movie. He was too focused on what was next, or rather, what to do next. Even if he sets Justin free, what then? Just pop out of the basement, guns blazing against his mother? Or maybe he should wake up and make a run for it. He thought he knew what to do.


    As soon as the movie ended, Mike''s demeanor changed. His smile shifted.


    "Are you ready?" Mike asked. AJ nodded in agreement.


    Mary and Adam stood next to the basement door. Mike went in and opened it.


    "So, what''s the play?" asked Mary.


    "I''m going to go down there and get the truth from him. Then I''ll call out to you when I''m ready for you to come downstairs. Or, if he doesn''t tell me, I''ll signal. Either way, you decide what to do with him next," said AJ.


    "Fair enough," said Mary.


    AJ turned on the light switch on the wall as he started his descent down the stairs. The light was dim, but still bright enough to make out shapes and details. The same symbols were drawn on the ground. As AJ got closer to the bottom, he could see Justin still kneeling. Justin looked up at AJ.


    "Well. I guess you¡¯re not dead. That¡¯s a good sign. Then again, we¡¯re still in this dream, so that¡¯s obvious," said Justin. You figured out they¡¯re evil?" asked Justin.


    "I don¡¯t think they¡¯re evil. You''re just trying to survive. I can¡¯t blame you any more than I blame a starving predator in the wild," AJ replied.


    "Huh. That¡¯s a very human answer," said Justin.


    "Well, I am human," said AJ.


    "Right," said Justin. "Anyway, so... what did you decide to do with me?"


    AJ took out the key and showed it to Justin.


    "I¡¯m going to get us out of here. But once we¡¯re out of this situation, you and I are going to have a long chat. You''re going to tell me the truth about everything," said AJ.


    Justin hesitated. "AJ, I¡ª"


    "All of it! Don¡¯t tempt me with this ¡®make me happy¡¯ crap. I want to know what you really want," AJ exclaimed. Justin nodded.


    "Okay. I''m going to call Mary down. She¡¯ll think you''re still tied up, but you won¡¯t be. When she gets close, you grab her and put her in the chains."


    "AJ, this is her domain. It won¡¯t work," said Justin.


    "I know. But what if we combine, like she did? Give you control of me. Will it work then?"


    "Yes, but are you sure? I¡¯ll be able to feel everything you feel, but you¡¯ll also feel what I feel," said Justin.


    "Yes, if that¡¯s what it takes. And no absorbing her," said AJ.


    "What?! You just want to leave her chained? That only buys us time. Once she wakes up¡ª" said Justin.


    "I know. No absorbing. Until I have the truth," said AJ.


    "Fine. Fuck just get me out of here," said Justin.


    "Here we go." AJ used the key to unlock the chains, but Justin stayed in them, pretending he was still restrained. He walked over to the bottom of the stairs. "Mom!" he called out.


    Creeeek.


    The door slowly opened. Step by step, she descended. But it wasn¡¯t Mary¡ªit was the shadow version of her. She was smiling from ear to ear.


    "Well, did you find what you were looking for?" asked Mary.


    "I did."


    "And?" asked Mary.


    "And he knows how to stop you all. He¡¯s looking for some reason to be the sole being, by absorbing all of you and then stopping you from coming to this world," said AJ.


    Justin looked upset.


    "And how does he plan to do that?" asked Mary.


    Step step step.


    Adam came walking down the stairs. He looked around the room.


    "Go on, AJ," said Adam.


    "Uh, yeah. Um. Well, I don¡¯t know exactly, but I think by absorbing you, he gains your knowledge, so..."


    "Fascinating," said Adam.


    "So, I just need to absorb him? Hmm," Mary said, stepping closer to Justin. AJ was frozen with nerves, waiting for Mary to make a move.


    "But," Mary took a step back, "it isn¡¯t necessary. AJ, I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said I have your mom¡¯s best interests at heart. Leave him here in chains. He won¡¯t die, but he will be locked in your subconscious."


    "Honey, given the new information, do you think this is wise?" Adam asked.


    "How would we even know he''s telling the truth? Something feels off. He doesn¡¯t feel like us. I want to examine him a bit longer." Mary argued.


    AJ glanced at Justin. Neither of them knew what to do now. Their plan had fallen apart. AJ then noticed Justin''s black eyes weren¡¯t fixed on him. He looked down, and black smoke was filling the ground. AJ turned around and looked back at Adam. His eyes were those of a shadow entity, but his presence was much heavier than either Mary¡¯s or Justin¡¯s. A thick aura of black mist surrounded his entire body as if he were wearing a black trench coat.


    He looked back at Justin, and Justin was frozen with fear.


    "Well, I know one way to find out if he''s telling the truth,¡±Said Adam.


    "How?" asked Mary.


    Adam thrust his arm right through Mary. His arm had a shadowy aura in the shape of a spear.


    "Why?" said Mary.


    AJ was frozen in shock. He didn¡¯t even see Justin get loose.


    "We have to run," Justin said, grabbing AJ by the hand and running up the stairs.


    "Well, well," Adam said, watching the boys run, his hand still through Mary.


    They both made it back to the kitchen.


    "Hello, AJ," both the dream Mike and Adam said.


    "We have to wake up," said Justin. "I''m sorry to do this." Justin jumped into AJ, phasing into him and tripping him. As AJ fell fast and hard, he hit his head.


    AJ opened his eyes and found himself back in his living room gasping for air. He couldn''t move. Then he saw his hand in front of his face, turning it over and back. He was not in control.


    "Justin?" asked AJ. But his mouth didn¡¯t move.


    His body stood up and looked around, then scooted back against the wall in fear at what he saw. Adam was holding Mary in the air by her neck. His shadow pierced through her body, causing no physical damage, but her shadow was screaming in pain. When his shadow arm pulled back, it ripped her shadow from Mary. He then threw her to the ground.


    AJ was now standing with his back against the wall. "Justin, we need to do something."


    "No," Justin said, frightened. "He can enter dreams while awake. We have to run, or he''ll kill us both."


    "That''s my mom! Give me back my body! Stay and fight!"


    "I''m sorry, AJ," Justin said, taking off running in AJ''s body. The last thing AJ saw was the pitch-blackness in his father¡¯s eyes. As he ran out the door, he heard the entity scream. He kept running until he reached a tree in the nearby park where they had gone in Mary¡¯s dream. He sat underneath the tree.


    "I''m sorry, AJ. I¡¯m just trying to protect us," Justin said.


    "What was that?" AJ cried out.


    "I¡¯ve never seen that before. He can enter our subconscious while we¡¯re awake. I don¡¯t know how to beat that." Justin explained.


    "Well, we have to come up with something!"


    "We can¡¯t beat that alone!"


    "What if we¡¯re not alone? I have an idea," said AJ. He closed his eyes, and his head dropped. When he reopened his eyes, it was sunset. He moved his hands to show he regained control. There was only one entity left, and for the first time, AJ was taking charge of his own life.