The Sandman

The Sandman Read Free Page B

Book: The Sandman Read Free
Author: Erin Kellison
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with Vince to look for more survivors.” He looked at Maisie. “I see you’ve met Viv. She’s the one I was telling you about. She’ll know how to handle the survivors from the black market.”
    Maisie looked over at Vivienne again. She was Rook’s boss?
    The woman extended her hand again. “Do you own this Rêve then?”
    Maisie took her fingers. “It’s not a Rêve. It’s my dreamscape.” Then, to Sera, “They made a plan. Can you go now? Or do I have to beg?”
    “If you see Jordan,” Rook said to Sera, “tell her to stay out of the waters.”
    “God, yes!” Maisie said. “Jordan can go with you to help Steve.” The perfect solution—the two people she cared about most, together.
    “If she’s awake,” Sera said, “I’ll take her with me.”
    Eleanor wasted even more time giving Sera a hug. “Please let Gary know what’s happened and that I need to be Darkside longer than we’d planned while I help out. I’ll wake as soon as I can, and then he can come down. He needs to see all this, too.”
    “In the meantime,” Harlen added, “have him check for any warning bulletins on the Agora website. See if they’ve closed it down, and if not, scan the news to see if word is out about the black market’s fall.”
    Enough. Maisie fisted her hands in fury, and the pavement cracked with the force of lightning, huge jagged streaks splitting the streets in all directions. Shrill screams rose from among the crowd of survivors, but the group immediately surrounding her merely wavered for balance, accusing glares suddenly pinned her way.
    She’d tried to be calm, really she had.
    Sera’s eyebrows had winged way up. “I guess I’d better go.”

 
    CHAPTER TWO
     
     
    Gary Fawkes gripped the kitchen knife in his right hand, blade high and ready. Another flicker of movement in the bushes outside the wide front window—a shadow sliding into another shadow—and he knew the little beach house rental was surrounded. He strained to hear a scrap of noise, but the silence was too overwhelming, dampening the room with dread.
    In spite of everything, the Oneiros had found them. And yet, he was not afraid—not for himself, anyway. An old man like him didn’t matter. But a tightness building in his chest made him want to rage for Harlen and Sera, newly engaged, and Jordan and Rook, who were helping them, and for his wife, Eleanor, a fighter to the bone. Yet all were helpless in their sleep while they were Darkside.
    He was supposed to look after them, but no matter how tightly he held the makeshift weapon, he became more and more aware of how weak he was compared to the cultish group that had just burned down his house.
    He wished for his mobile phone—left behind so he couldn’t be tracked—and instead grabbed for the kitchen portable. Unwilling to set the knife down, he held the receiver in his left hand while he dialed 911. The address of the beach house was conveniently printed above a list of local delivery restaurants on a Helpful Numbers sheet taped to the wall. With the Oneiros outside the house, the need for secrecy was over.
    How fast could the police get there?
    A little voice in his head sang, Not fast enough!
    The phone was silent, which made him think someone on the other end had already picked up. “Hello?”
    No answer.
    “Hello?” Dammit. He hit “End” on the receiver then punched “Talk” again and listened. No dial tone. His mind raced, and he remembered the kids had what they’d called burner phones. Harlen had put his in his pocket. Maybe…
    A small tap outside the front door, and Gary dropped the phone to the floor.
    No time. It was just him.
    His heart racketed out of control, and he backed to take position in the hallway between the rooms where the kids were unconscious to the waking world. To his left were Harlen and Sera in separate twin beds. In the master bedroom on the right, Jordan was curled up against Malcolm Rook, even though their dreams took them different

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