Graham Masterton - The Ninth Nightmare

Together they walked through the fields toward the flickering blue portal in the distance. Halfway there, they saw four faded figures standing in the wheat, their images blurred in the dust and the sunlight. When they came closer they saw Kieran and Kieran’s mother Jenyfer, in a simple gray dress, her hair pinned up, smiling at them. Not far away stood Michael-Row-The-Boat-Ashore-Hallelujah, holding his puppy. A little further in the distance stood Detective Wisocky, one hand in his pocket, chewing a wheat stalk, and next to him, smiling, Maria Fortales.

Dom Magator raised his hand to Detective Wisocky and Detective Wisocky waved back. Then he turned around and started to walk away.

‘ Mom! ’ shouted Kieran and Kiera, and ran to put their arms around her. ‘Mom, you came back!’

Jenyfer Kaiser kissed each of them. ‘No, darlings, I haven’t come back. I’ve just come to say goodbye, and thank you for saving me. I belong in dreamland now. But this is a happy dreamland, with good people, and you can always come visit me, any time you fall asleep.’

Dom Magator went up to Michael and hunkered down beside him. ‘How are you, little fellow?’

‘I’m happy, too,’ smiled Michael. ‘Jenyfer and me and Froggy, we’re going to stay together and Jenyfer’s going to bring me milk and cookies.’

Dom Magator took off his helmet, and tousled Michael’s hair.

‘Did I ever tell you that I love you?’ he said.

Michael shook his head. ‘You didn’t have to, Mr Dauphin,’ he said. ‘I always knew.’

Kiera was woken by a persistent hammering on the door of Room 237. She lifted her head from the pillow and looked around, blinking. The clock beside the bed said seven fifty-three a.m. and the sun was shining between the drapes.

‘Kiera! Kiera! It’s Lois! You have to wake up!’

Kiera drew back the covers and climbed out of bed. She felt bruised all over, as if she had been riding on roller coasters all night. She shuffled across to the door and opened it. Lois was standing outside, already dressed in a black polo-neck sweater and a black beret, and huge dark glasses, so that she looked like a giant insect.

Several other people were hurrying along the corridor behind her, carrying suitcases and coats.

‘Lois? What’s wrong?’

‘They’re evacuating the hotel. You have to get dressed as quick as you can. Jessie will pack up your things for you.’

‘They’re evacuating the hotel? Why?’

‘I don’t know exactly. But there’s cops swarming all over the place. I’ve arranged for rooms at the Renaissance downtown.’

‘OK,’ said Kiera, blearily. ‘Just give me five minutes. I really need to take a shower.’

‘Quick as you can, sweetheart. I’m going to wake up Kieran now.’

Kiera closed the door and went through to the bathroom. In the mirror she looked no different from usual, although her hair was tousled and her eyes were puffy. But she raised her right hand, palm outward, as if she were Jemexxa, about to fire thousands of volts of lightning to Jekkalon; and as if she were pledging her allegiance to Ashapola.

She knew that her life had changed for ever, and that standing in front of three thousand applauding fans would never match the feelings that she and Kieran had experienced when the fire breather had exploded over Brother Albrecht’s circus, or Xyrena and Brother Albrecht had risen into the sky in a fountain of fire.

But she had achieved something even more important. She touched the mirror’s surface with her fingertips, and said, ‘Goodbye, Mom. We love you.’

John arrived at the Griffin House Hotel to find its driveway blocked by more than a dozen police cars, as well as ambulances and TV vans. He parked on the opposite of the road and walked across to the main entrance. As he mounted the steps an officer came to meet him with his hand raised.

‘Nobody’s allowed inside, sir. The whole hotel is being evacuated.’

‘I’m a cabbie. I’ve come to meet up with a couple of guests.’

‘OK, then. Who are they? I’ll have them paged for you.’

John tried to see inside the hotel lobby. It was crowded with guests and luggage and police officers. ‘What’s going on here? Why is everybody having to leave?’

‘Just tell me who you’ve come to collect, sir, and I’ll have them fetched out.’

‘OK. It’s the Kaiser Twins, Kieran and Kiera.’

‘The Kaiser Twins have their own limo, sir.’

‘I know that. But I have to talk to them. It’s important.’

‘Sorry, friend. That’s not going to be possible. We have a major situation here. Why don’t you write them a fan letter or something?’

‘Tell them that D.M. is here. That’s all I’m asking.’

‘I’ll see what I can do. But wait here.’

The officer disappeared into the hotel lobby and John knew that he wasn’t going to make any attempt to tell Kieran and Kiera that he was here. Guests were already starting to leave the hotel, and police were escorting them to a line of taxis waiting in the side street.

He was about to give up when Detective Hudson came down the steps, looking harassed.

‘Hey!’ he said. ‘Remember me?’

Detective Hudson frowned at him and then nodded. ‘Sure I remember you. The cab driver with attitude.’

‘What’s going down here? Why is everybody having to leave?’

‘You’ll see it on the news soon enough. They found dead bodies in nine of the rooms.’

‘Jesus. Do they know who did it?’

‘All of them killed differently. Including my partner.’

‘You mean Detective Windsocky? The guy who looked like me?’

‘Yes,’ said Detective Hudson. ‘The guy who looked like you.’

‘I’m real sorry for your loss,’ John told him.

‘Well, I doubt if you are, but thanks.’ Detective Hudson’s lips tightened and John could see that he was close to tears.

‘Listen,’ said John. ‘You’re tired. You’re in shock. But take it from me, your partner is in a real nice place now, with real friendly people. And he’s a whole man again.’

Detective Hudson stared at him. ‘What do you mean by that?’

John realized that apart from the police, and whoever had found his body, only the Night Warriors knew how Detective Wisocky had been mutilated.

‘I mean he’s at peace. I’m sure of it. That’s all.’

At that moment, a woman TV reporter came pushing her way through the crowds calling out ‘ Detective! Detective! ’ and Detective Hudson turned away. John walked back across the road and climbed into his cab.

He wasn’t entirely surprised to find Dean Brunswick III already sitting in the passenger seat. Dean looked haggard and very sick now, and as John made himself comfortable behind the wheel, he started to cough.

‘You’re in a bad way, Dean,’ John told him.

‘Oh, I’ll get over it. We all get over it, in the end.’

‘Cheer me up, why don’t you?’ said John. He started the engine, and checked his rear-view mirror. ‘So, where do you want to go?’

‘Someplace happy. I always like a happy ending.’

‘OK,’ said John, ‘Quizno’s it is, for a triple meat sub, and onion rings. And try not to cough all over it.’