“Thank you for coming out of hiding to join this pathetic fight. You’ve made my part easier.”
“Cain! No, please!” Scarlett’s shouts went unheard.
She saw Cain keep Liam’s head held high as something flashed from the corner of her eye. A wickedly curved hook connecting from the nightmare holding Liam swept the air. A spray befell the side of Scarlett’s face and she flinched but quickly opened her eyes to the sight of Liam’s head before her. It’d landed with a thump and rolled as it took Scarlett a second to realize what happened.
A cry pierced the air and met her ears. They were her own. Cain stood still and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as red tendrils leached from his hands.
‘Red power?’
Before she could dwell on Cain’s new powers, something shifted in the air, and Scarlett could feel a rip begin between the two Realms. It resonated within her head as it pounded at the intrusion. Her body began to seizure and the nightmares holding her let go as she fell onto her back.
Scarlett was able to see what Cain did next even though she had no control of her body. He grabbed ahold of the nightmare that beheaded Liam and at once Scarlett was yanked backward.
All the noise ceased and Scarlett opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by trees.
‘What happened?’
Her head throbbed and she touched her head to feel it was dry and crunchy. She examined her hand and found it spotted with dark red flakes. Her head was caked with dry blood.
Scarlett moved her neck and groaned at the ring that zapped through her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to move her body.
Every limb felt as if it were tied down by bricks and Scarlett moaned in pain. She peered up the hill before her when she remembered.
Cain. The push. The War. Cain. The rip between Realms.
Scarlett managed to get up with the help of a nearby tree. Nothing was broken and she limped her way along the edge of the hill. Once she got to the other side of the hill, she’d be able to find her way home.
She was lightheaded when she caught sight of her house. Nobody was around and silence engulfed the yard. Scarlett reached the backyard and noticed the sliding glass doors were wide open. She cautiously climbed up the bricked garden steps and the memory of her eighteenth birthday party came to mind. It felt so long ago.
Scarlett reached the end of the hall beside the stairs when a rustling caught her attention. Her heart thundered in her chest as the noise grew and came from the direction of the living room. Scarlett slowly made her way towards it. She wanted to call out but didn’t know who she’d be calling out too.
Reaching the edge of the living room, Scarlett placed her back against the wall and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and peeked around the corner to a sight she wished weren’t real.
Red splattered and stained the walls and couches. It dripped from the ceiling and led to the gruesome sight. A black mass with thick spikes lining its spine hunched over something Scarlett could not see. Its jaw was like the first Nightmare Scarlett had seen as it reached the back of its head. It laid between two giant black orbs that were stretched out to the side. Its head resembled that of a hammerhead shark with its eyes at the end. Giant holes randomly patched its skin and dripped steaming muck onto the carpet floors. Scarlett recognized the hooked tail that trailed behind it. It twisted slightly and beneath it was an unrecognizable body that was bent in half. Its long claws pierced the torso while the torn legs disappeared in the nightmare’s mouth. It was one of their helpers.
Bile rose in Scarlett’s throat and a shaky breath left her as she tried to hold in a scream. The nightmare stilled and the spikes on its back erected as if sensing the air. Scarlett quickly moved her head back and rolled her lips.
The rustling stopped.
Fear spiked through Scarlett and coiled around her heart.
‘Cain did it.'
The first Nightmare successfully made it to the Earth Realm in physical form. Scarlett dug her nails into her palm and it did nothing to subside the hole that was left in her heart.
She needed to find a way to destroy the nightmare without it getting out of their property. If it left and Scarlett didn’t get back to stop Cain and his brother...
It’d be over for them all.
Scarlett dared another peek around the corner to find two black holes staring right back. The Nnightmare let go of its last victim and threw it to the wall where it hit with a forceful thump. It let out a bone-chilling shriek and Scarlett went to bolt when she’s yanked from behind. She stumbled over her feet and fell to the ground while getting yanked by her collar.
“GET UP AND RUN!” Cher shouted as she continued yanking Scarlett.
Scarlett scrambled to her feet and ran around the corner as the nightmare burst out of the living room. Now standing tall at its full height, the nightmare towered over them and barely fit through the tall doorway. Scarlett followed her mother as she turned through hallways.
“Where are we going?” Scarlett’s heart pounded as the nightmare could be heard on their tail. At every turn, it crashed into the wall in front of it before fixing its direction. It was new to Earth and its jerky movements made it known.
“We need to lose it.” Cher frantically looked at the upcoming turn and grabbed a hold of Scarlett’s arm. She grabbed the bookcase they ran by and tipped it while throwing a book in an opposite hallway. They stopped running and quietly entered a hallway closet. Multiple bangs reached their ears as the nightmare crashed into everything in its path before continuing in the direction the book was thrown.
Cher held a finger to her lips and closed her eyes. With widened eyes, Scarlett held her breath in fear the nightmare would hear her. She glanced at her mother and noticed the blood dripping from the corner of her head and the bruises forming on her cheeks. Her black curls were loose and had a reddened wet patch at the top. The silk nightgown she wore was torn and blackened with grime and muck.
‘How long have I been out?’
Lowering her finger, Cher put her hand on the doorknob and turned it as slowly as possible. She peeked with one eye through the crack and listened for any noise. She lightly stepped on her toes and motioned for Scarlett to follow.
“We need to get to the armory.” Her mother’s soft murmur barely reached her ears and she didn’t bother to respond.
The armory contained all their weapons such as guns, knives, and even swords. Her father loved to collect weapons and he cherished them. He was always proud of his collection. The thought of her father tore at Scarlett’s heart but she couldn’t dwell on it. They needed to move. The armory was located on the other side of the house, near her parent’s bedroom which was upstairs.
“Mom, what happened?” Scarlett lightly asked. Her question was shushed and met with silence. Her mother tiptoed down the hallway and Scarlett stayed right on her heels.
“Cain succeeded and managed to create a hole between the realms and transported the first Nightmare into the Earth’s physical plane. There is only one here, but we need to get back before he gets his hands on another Dreammare and creates another.”
Scarlett ground her jaw at the reminder of Cain’s betrayal. ‘Did he even have a brother?’
For all she knew, it was only Cain the entire time and he was leading them all on. His brother was nowhere in sight. Scarlett’s blood boiled at the thought that she’d been fooled since the beginning.