16. The Dreamer-Hunger Struck

14 Years Earlier

The new Dreamer flitted through the city.  He was fresh and flying around, enjoying the preview of being a ghost.     To free, to obvious, and he had already attracted attention.

"You had better sense, John," Aislinn murmured as they watched.  Now the youth twisted in the air, gold hair flashing with each rotation.

"How long have you been watching?" he asked.  As soon as he had fallen asleep, Aislinn had pulled him to this location.

"A while," she answered.  Which could be minutes or hours.  Time was entirely relative in this state.

"Why didn't you talk to him?" he admonished, slightly, as he moved himself into the youth's view.

"I only serve him and his," she answered.  It was the response he could have expected.  Not much was known about Aislinn, she kept her secrets well.  He knew two things: she only existed in this state, and long ago she had made a vow to one of his ancestors.  That man had also been a Dreamer and she swore to protect him and his descendants.  She literally could not touch any other mortal lives.  That was something John had a hard time remembering.

"Right," he turned his attention to the boy.  Now the boy was whooping and hollering.  It was exilerating to see the world below.  To see your loved ones as they were awake.  To visit anywhere and not be bound by physical laws.  And then you learned the limits.  And then you learned the dangers.

"Hey!  Hey, kid," he shouted.  The golden hair stopped circling.

"Who's that?" was the answer.

"My name is John.  There's a few things I need to explain," he pictured himself next to the kid.  He was there  His eyes opened and he caught his first taste of the area...

There.  He could feel it.  A gun appeared in his hands with hardly a thought.

"What the..." the boy began, but John cut him off.

"Get down to the ground.  It's here," Aislinn had joined them.  A roar shook the world.

"Fuck," John circled.  Now there were two of them.  Of it.

They struck without warning.  One flying at them in his blurry human form.  He was firing at John and swinging a sword at Aislinn.  From everywhere, tentacles appeared.  They wrapped the boy.

"Good food," the humanish one hissed at Aislinn.  But it was losing.  It was not strong enough to withstand both John and Aislinn.  To late, John realized the danger.  It hadn't meant to stop them.  Only slow them down.

The tentacles gorged and sucked.  The boys screams faded and died away, as his body did before their eyes.