Chapter 76: End Game

Allison and I spent a large part of the afternoon discussing whether or not a dream created character; one essentially stolen from someone else, could actually track another's dream back to its source. While there didn't seem to be much that I couldn't do in dreams, finding Angela had proven beyond me. If I couldn't do it, could I make someone else do it for me?

"You don't know that you can't do it, find her I mean. Maybe it's just something you can't do yet? Or it could be that you need to learn to do it."

"Sounds a little too much like mind reading to me. I mean, once I've interacted with someone in a dream I can find them again any time I want, bridge them with no effort, even know when they are dreaming, feel it if they are dreaming of me. But that's all happening in the dream environment. This would be actually finding some sort of dream... emanation I guess is the right word, like a brainwave and actually tracking it backward to the source in the real world. That just sounds way too sci-fi."

"But isn't that exactly what you set Walter to do?"

"I don't know. Sort of, I guess, but it's not what I was thinking, I'm not even sure what I was thinking, just that I wanted him to find her. I don't know what he is actually tracking."

"Well, it certainly wasn't her brain he was sniffing to get on the trail. I don't know if brain waves have a scent but somehow I doubt that's what they smell like. Let's assume he does find her, then what?"

"He leads me to her and I try to find an address or something I can use to lead Rebecca and the cavalry to her."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then I'll think of something else. I have to find her, sis. I have to find a way to save her. I can't give up."

She moved in and hugged me. "I know. You'll think of something, I know you will. C'mon, I've got to get dinner started. Why don't you peel some potatoes for me and then you can set the table."

"Oh, is that all? Maybe I could just cook dinner for you and you could supervise?"

"Oh, poor baby. Am I making you work too hard?" She slid a hand down and gave my butt a squeeze. "Work hard, do a good job, and I'll make it up to you later."

I spent most of the evening floating around the pool, trying to relax, and working very hard at not thinking about the problem I desperately wanted to solve. Anxiety was an enemy I didn't have time for tonight. I needed to be able to relax and get to sleep so I could get to work. Allison and I were laying on opposite ends of the couch reading when the phone rang. Mom and Dad were still outside listening to the stars or whatever it is parents do when they are alone and rapturously enjoying each other's company without touching or speaking. It was Shannon.

"Hi, Jimmy. I just had a thought."

"Yes, oh fountain of brilliance," I answered.

"What? No, it's Shannon, I thought Allison was there with you? Just kidding. I was wondering though. What you did with Rebecca, why can't you do that for yourself?"

Suddenly she had my undivided attention. "What did you say?"

"I said, why can't you do what you did to Rebecca, you know, implanting what amounts to a sleep button, in yourself? It would solve the problem without you needing to be on the edge of exhaustion when you're trying to work, wouldn't it?"

Allison had called Shannon with the latest updates after we had sent Walter out in search of Angela and obviously her brain had been working its usual magic on the latest developments. The result of which was another uniquely Shannon-esque stroke of genius. Why couldn't I? Auto-hypnosis is a well established fact, from stop smoking programs, to bio-feedback, all the way to the eastern mystics of legend and folk lore. Could it be that easy?

"I love you, you know that, right?" I said in a dazed voice. "I have to call Bob, now. I'll get back to you on this. You're brilliant. You're just... I love you."

I hung up the phone and turned to find Allison giving me a look. If the look on my face was half as stupid as I felt at the moment... what can I say, I was in awe. My girlfriend was a genius. My sister was a genius. I was an idiot and I probably looked like one at that particular moment, and I didn't care. What was I doing? Oh yeah, calling Bob. Where was my phone? I really needed my phone.

"What is wrong with you?"

"It's Shannon," I mumbled incoherently.

"Shannon? What about Shannon? Nothing's wrong is it?" she asked, sitting up straighter. The sudden concern in her voice did a lot to snap me back to reality.

"No, no, she's fine, everything's fine, she's just... brilliant."

"Yeah, I got that part. Was there some particular spark of her brilliance that you wanted to share with me?"

"It's so simple; you'll feel so stupid if I tell you."

"That good, wow! Okay tell me. I'll risk an inferiority complex for this one. Dazzle me."

"The thing I did with Rebecca?"

"The sleep suggestion, or did you do something else to Rebecca that you haven't told me about?"

I ignored the suggestion and just said, "Why can't I do that to myself?"

"Why can't you..." She stopped and cocked her head to one side as what she had just heard raced around inside of her head. She finally looked at me and said, "I love that girl, really I do, and so help me God if she ever says anything about not contributing or feeling useless again I am going to kick her pretty little butt. I can't believe we never thought of this. Call Bob. This will work but call him anyway just so he can feel as stupid as the rest of us."

He did.

We decided that since working in dreams seemed to be so much more effective, that we would wait until we got together that night to set it up. I picked out the appropriate safeguards, the trigger phrases I wanted to use, etc. and debated with Allison about who would have access to the information, and I tried really hard not to feel stupid for not thinking of it sooner. We were all set by bedtime.

You know what they say about the best laid plans. As soon as I was asleep I felt Angela. That should have been my first clue. I never found her at night, but I didn't give it a second thought and went straight to her. She was lying in the shade on one of the loungers looking tired but still better than the last time I'd seen her. There were no signs of fresh injuries, but somewhere in the back of my brain I wondered if she was hiding anything. She sat up as I stepped out the back door.

"Hello, Angela."

"Hi," she said sleepily. Another alarm bell went off in my head, she didn't sound right.

"How are you doing? You look better, but you sound... not tired, but sleepy."

"I am sleepy. He gave me something. Not sure what it was but it helped with the pain and let me sleep."

"The pain in your knee?"

"Yes, and my ankle, I was having..." She sat up a little straighter. "How did you know about my knee?" Suddenly there was a note of panic in her voice.

Before I could answer a shaggy shape exploded out of the pool and landed on the deck. Angela screamed and jumped out of the chair, running for the door. Behind her Walter began shaking the water out of his coat and drops sprayed everywhere. I intercepted Angela and hugged her to me.

"It's okay, he's with me," I said then raised my voice, "Walter, you're getting everything wet, not to mention scaring Angela. Couldn't you just dry your fur?"

He gave a final shake and then padded toward us. "Anybody could do it that way, trust me you wouldn't, couldn't, understand how good that feels. Now what the hell are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you already knew where she was then why do you have me chasing all over looking for her?"

"Because I don't know where she is. This is a place she comes to rest. I just came because I felt her here. Finding her here isn't the problem; I need to know where she really is."

"Oh. That explains why everything was suddenly different this time."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I had been working my way through a different area. She dropped in and out a couple times but never for long enough to get close. I was waiting for her to show up again and suddenly the scent was stronger over here. It was like there were two trails and this one was fresher. Now I know it's because you're here."

Suddenly Allison's voice came from behind me. "Can you follow the other trail and ignore this one." She walked through the door in her new bathing suit and immediately moved to hug Angela.

"Hi, Angela, I'm glad you're here. Jimmy, drop the disguise, she already knows and we don't have time to play around any more. Walter?"

"Sure I can. Do you think you can keep her here for a while?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I don't keep her here. She leaves when she wakes up."

"Well duh! Can you keep her from waking up long enough for me to follow the other trail? If she wakes up again, I'll lose it and I'll have to wait until next time."

"I don't know if I can keep her from waking up."

"Then I'd better get back to it right away." Turning to Allison he said, "Good to see you again, cutie. Thanks again for the tea." Then he dove back into the pool but there was no splash. He just sort of disappeared into the surface of the water.

"How long have you known it was really us?" Allison asked as she led Angela back to the lounger. I noticed she was wearing a bathing suit similar to Shannon's new one but in a different color.

"I figured it out after the first time. When you found me in that cell and brought me here. At least I suspected it then. When I got here and Jimmy was already here I was almost certain. It wasn't until he hugged me that I was a hundred percent sure." She turned to me. "It was all real wasn't it, the three of you in the cabana? Even that first time, when I dreamed of you in the park and you took us there?"

I blushed at the memory, nodding a yes as I answered, "It was real. How did you figure it out?"

"It didn't make sense. At first I couldn't really remember it all, but after the second time the memories were clearer. Who gets turned down in their dreams, especially by a fifteen year old? High school guys don't turn down blowjobs, they practically beg for them; but you did, and then you offered to go down on me. I probably could have written it all off as just a wild fantasy if not for that. Then the next time I dreamed of you I got all three of you. I wasn't dreaming about all three of you. I wasn't dreaming of the girls at all, just..."

Suddenly she stiffened and the bathing suit disappeared.

"Angela, what's wrong?" Allison asked.

Angela's black eye faded back in. It was lighter than before and the swelling was gone. She shuddered and as she did a weird sensation shot through me. I suddenly realized what was happening. Without intending to I had apparently taken Walter's suggestion that I try and hold her here. Angela was trying to wake up and I was struggling to keep her here. And apparently it was working. I moved to the lounger and drew her close to me.

Her body convulsed, her head tossing limply from side to side, before my eyes her knee swelled and if anything it was worse than before. Another spasm seemed to pass through me at the same time; nothing physical, just a quick sharp pain. Allison quickly moved in on the other side to help me hold her. Suddenly Angela's head came up and she screamed and clutched at her knee. This time the pain was more intense as a wave seemed to pass through my whole body. Angela screamed again and her ankle suddenly showed fading bruises and new bruises appeared around her wrists. I held her tightly as she suddenly tried to fight her way free. Waves of pain now accompanied her every movement.

"She's trying to wake up, isn't she?" Allison asked.

"I think so. He must be trying to wake her up."

"But you're keeping her here, too weird. Can you do it?"

"I don't know. I'm trying but it hurts. It's like the harder she tries to wake up the more it hurts to hold her here." As I spoke Angela convulsed so hard it threw Allison off the lounger and she almost broke free. A burning wave seemed to crash into my chest as Angela screamed.

There was sudden tearing sensation and I was standing in a room looking down at Angela's naked body. A man's voice screamed, "Wake up!"

She was on her back on a bench. It was similar to the ones that come with those cheap weight sets you get at the sporting goods stores but had a lot more stuff attached to it. Her arms were handcuffed to a pair of uprights; the collar she had described was apparently anchored to the bench somehow and she was struggling against both as she tried to get free. Her legs were securely fastened in a set of those stirrups that they use when they examine women's intimate areas. Only these were adjusted so that her knees were spread wide and pulled high toward her chest. Turning around I found a bed against the far wall, mounted to the bed frame and the floor was a steel box with a thin steel cable feeding through a slot in the front.

Rage flared through me at the sight of the naked man crushing Angela's toe in a pair of pliers. He screamed again, "Wake up, you bitch!" He gave one last squeeze, twisting the pliers and Angela cried out around the red ball in her mouth. He tossed the pliers to one side.

"That's more like it. Playtime's almost over Angel. You wouldn't want to miss the last of the fun."

Suddenly I could feel my body stirring and the scene around me started to fade. I closed my eyes and concentrated on staying where I was, but when I closed my eyes they opened in my room and I was staring up at Allison's anxious face. I closed them again and they opened in the room with Angela. As the view shifted I felt a pull as if there were a wire between the two parts of me. Most importantly, I could feel the direction of the pull.

Without opening my eyes, I whispered to Allison, "Don't wake me up."

Back in the dream I pulled out my cell phone and called Rebecca.

"Hey, Jimmy! What's up? Did you reach her again?"

"Sort of, something weird happened and I'm standing in the room with Angela and the killer, only they're not in a dream, they're real. I'm going to try to move around and see if I can find an address."

I started to walk away and almost immediately I felt myself slipping back into my body. I quickly moved back and the feeling passed. On a hunch I moved slowly around Angela's bound form, everything was fine as long as I didn't move away from her. I was still connected to her from the dream. Somehow my dream self was still tied to her subconscious.

"No good, I can't move away from Angela or I'll lose the connection. Get to my house right away. Get me in the car and I think I can guide you here."

"Guide me; how the hell can you guide me there if you're asleep?"

"I can't explain, but if you don't come and get me it's going to be too late. I think he's planning on killing her tonight."

"What makes you say that?"

I repeated what he had said to Angela.

"But it's too soon. Why would he kill her so soon? Did she suddenly give up?"

"Not yet, but she's close. I think maybe he's been working harder on breaking her. That and he knows that this time someone is looking for him. Not just the local cops searching for a missing girl, but the FBI looking for him."

"Shit, I'm on my way. Is Allison with you?"

"No. She was but I lost her when I transitioned. She's waiting to see what happens."

"Damn, I need someone to call in a tip. If I run off and do this without a reason it's going to cause problems."

"I think I can arrange that."

"You can? How are you..."

"I can't explain, but I'll take care of it."

The connection dropped and all I could do was stand and watch as a madman abused my friend. Suddenly a familiar furry shape stepped through the wall.

"You again, why am I not surprised?" he said with a frown. Don't ask me how a face like that with a snout full of teeth can frown but he pulled it off. "Explain to me again why you needed me."

"It was an accident. I was doing what you asked and trying to keep her asleep, but he was torturing her and the pain woke her up. When she did, I got pulled here with her. Hold on a second."

Closing my eyes I whispered to Allison, "Call the FBI number on my phone. Give them the name and ID number they gave me before. Tell them you need to speak to Rebecca. They'll want to put the call through. Tell them you know where Angela is but you'll only tell Rebecca. Make them give you the number. She's already on the way but she needs the tip to avoid problems later."

"Okay," she answered. I heard her dialing the phone and turned my attention back to Walter. "Sorry about that, calling the cavalry."

"Good idea, but do you even know where you are?" he asked.

"No, I can't move far from her without losing the connection. What about you, can you find me an address or something?"

"I'll see what I can find." He leapt to go back through the wall but suddenly it was solid and he slammed into it. Not really slammed so much as bounced off.

"Ow!" he said, rubbing his nose with a hairy paw. "Okay, that would be a no."

The killer was still talking to Angela and with every word he confirmed my worst fears.

"You've been a wonderful playmate, Angela. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed our time together. You should be happy to know that after tonight you'll never see me again. But before I go, I thought we could have one last fling together."

Angela screamed around her gag and shook her head violently. Her body arched again as she pulled hard on her restraints. The sharp edges of the steel bit into her wrists as she pulled and the pain made her cry out as she realized that these must be different from what he had used before.

"Ah yes, I forgot to tell you, I've gotten you some new bracelets for our last night together. I know how much girls like new jewelry and these are much shinier than the other ones. But they're not as forgiving and you might hurt yourself if you're not careful. Now then, be a good girl and open wide..."

He unclipped one of the straps holding the ball in her mouth and she quickly spit it out, "You fucker! You pathetic little..." her tirade was cut short as her grabbed her hair and wrenched her head back and down over the edge of the bench. In his free hand he held a slender instrument about eight inches long with something attached to the end.

"Uh, uh, uh, such awful language from such a pretty girl; I think we'll have to wash your mouth out. Fortunately I have just the thing." He set the instrument down and placing his hand on her upper throat pressed her head back while squeezing her jaw. Her struggles bought her a little time but eventually he was able to force her mouth open. "There's a good girl." Picking up the instrument again he quickly stuck it in her mouth. She tried to bite down again but he increased the pressure on her jaw to the point where she cried out again. I could see his fingers biting hard into the flesh of her face. Given her general condition it didn't take long for her muscles to fatigue and her mouth to open again. It took him only a second to maneuver his tool into the position he wanted. He pressed something near the tip and twisted and then he was pulling it out. He released her and moved to a cabinet on the far wall. Opening it he pulled something out and began fitting it to the end of the slender tool.

I moved as close as I could and saw that it was wedge shaped and appeared to have slots cut in it to fit over the teeth. I wasn't sure how it was held in. Angela said they were adjustable so there had to be some mechanism for securing them besides pressure but I couldn't see it from where I was. There were several other things inside the cabinet as well. A computer monitor showed Angela's still struggling form behind him. By following the angle of view I was able to spot the camera on the ceiling. A quick glance around the room showed four more; one in each wall. I guess he got bored watching the same angle... He stepped back and closed the cabinet and as he did I caught a glimpse of something that made my blood run cold. Tucked in next to the computer were a syringe and small bottle of clear fluid.

"Open wide, sweetie," he said, placing the tip of the device where it would just touch the lips of her half open mouth. One side was relaxed and trying to close, but the other couldn't because of the obstruction in her jaw. She pulled her head hard to one side but he just grabbed her nose and pulled her head back again. Resigned to what was coming she opened her mouth and he quickly inserted the second clip. Her mouth was now unable to close more than half way. The killer walked back and placed the instrument carefully back in the cabinet, then clicked something in the computer, bringing up a split screen display showing all five cameras at once. A few more clicks turned several red lights to green and he closed the cabinet once more.

When he turned back to Angela something in his demeanor had changed. He began whispering softly to her as he started stroking his hands over her body.

"Oh my love, I cannot tell you how much it pains me to hurt you so. You are so lovely. I cannot look at you without remembering our times together. I love you so very much, but I cannot delay any longer. I promise to make this last day as easy for you as possible, my love."

Beside me Walter commented, "Sick bastard, isn't he? Do I have to watch this?"

Without a word I let Walter fade from the scene and I was alone again. Weird that he could fade out of existence but couldn't pass back through the wall.

Taking off his mask, the killer bent forward and began sucking at one of her breasts as his hands explored her soft flesh. Angela did her best to pull away but there was not much she could do. Watching it made me sick to my stomach, but I wanted to make sure I remembered every detail of his face. No matter what else happened I wanted that face etched into my memory as deeply as possible. His mental condition may be hindering my efforts to bridge him, but now that I had a face to go with the image, maybe I could do more, assuming I ever got the chance that is.

Suddenly I heard Allison's voice, "Rebecca's on her way. She was staying at Bob's so it won't take long. I have to get some clothes on you. Just relax and try to help me if you can."

She carefully lifted first one foot and then the other and I felt the texture of the sheets change to something softer. I recognized the feel of the opening and I lifted my legs a little so she could slide my sweats on. When she had gotten as far as she could she pulled the legs up so my feet stuck out. I pressed down and arched my back so she could pull them the rest of the way on. Socks and shoes quickly followed. It was weird to experience so much sensation and control and know that I was miles away at the same time.