The Nightmare Man (6 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Alone in the attic

The Nightmare Man was striding down Bannerman Road. He was laughing and singing. He could feel the residents starting to fall into their nightmares and it was all because he had so much power. The power that Luke Smith and his genetically engineered brain was giving him and –

Suddenly he gasped! ‘What? What is happening?’

He looked at his hands as he tried to fire more nightmare energy into the sky. Nothing happened.

‘His nightmare is stopping! How?’

He reached across the dimensions, trying to feel Luke’s mind and he gasped again.

‘His nightmare is ending! He is not alone!’

Across the dimensions, Luke was indeed no longer alone. Clyde and Rani were with him. The gang, reunited.

‘So are we all having the same dream?’ asked Clyde.

‘That’s impossible,’ said Rani, but she was smiling.

‘That’s amazing!’ said Luke, who was also smiling.

The three of them were almost laughing with relief. As long as they were together, they didn’t feel scared.

‘I guess we’re just that good,’ joked Clyde. ‘So, where are we?’

‘Mr Smith told K-9 about this different dimension,’ Luke replied. ‘I think it’s where our minds go when we dream.’

‘Reminder: we need to defeat the Nightmare Man,’ said K-9.

Rani looked down at the metal dog. ‘The what now?’

And Luke realised that Clyde and Rani didn’t even know about the Nightmare Man. Now that the creature had no hold over him, he started to tell them all about it.

In the attic, Sarah Jane was pacing back and forth. She hated feeling useless, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She kept checking things with Mr Smith. Was Luke’s physical health okay? Was K-9 still communicating with him? Was he sure there was nothing she could do? Mr Smith was busy, trying to keep enough energy flowing into K-9 as well as answering Sarah Jane’s questions.

They were both so preoccupied. Which is why neither of them noticed a pale, white face appear in the corner of the room. Suddenly, the Nightmare Man was there!

‘No!’ he shouted, pointing a finger at K-9.

Sarah Jane turned around, just in time to see the nightmare energy shoot out of the creature’s hand. The energy hit K-9 who flew back, right across the attic. Sparks shot across his body as the metal dog squealed and slammed into a wall. His lights went out.

‘No!’ screamed Sarah Jane. ‘K-9!’

But the Nightmare Man wasn’t finished. He shot more of his evil energy at Mr Smith! Explosions raged across his screen as Mr Smith tried to speak. Sarah Jane could only watch in horror as the computer shut down. The lights in the attic went out.

She was alone. In the dark.

‘No help for you, Sarah Jane Smith. You must be all alone,’ said the Nightmare Man quietly, as he advanced on her. ‘With just a little hint of moonlight on your face.’

In the corridor, Clyde, Luke and Rani were searching for K-9.

‘Here, boy! Come on!’ said Clyde.

Luke knew there was only one reason why K-9 would have disappeared from this dimension. ‘Something must have happened to the real K-9.’ His face fell. ‘Mum…’

Rani rushed over to him and hugged him. ‘She’ll be okay. She’s brilliant, your mum.’

But Luke shook his head. ‘You’ve not seen him, Rani. You don’t know what he’s like.’

Luke pulled away from Rani. If the Nightmare Man was alone with his mum, she was in real danger.

In the attic, the Nightmare Man and Sarah Jane Smith were circling each other. It was so dark. Sarah Jane looked over at her unconscious son. Then she glanced at the destroyed K-9 and Mr Smith. She was terrified, but she was determined not to show it.

‘It’s good to meet you at last,’ said the Nightmare Man, with a sinister smile.

‘You know me?’ asked Sarah Jane.

‘I feed on every nightmare that every man, woman and child has ever had,’ he replied. ‘And you’ve had so many. The things you’ve seen. And Luke, your fear of what might happen to him.’

Suddenly he stopped moving and gasped with pleasure. ‘Oh, and those dreams about the Doctor, when he never came back and you thought he was dead. Oh, they were good.’

Sarah Jane stopped walking. She stared up at him. ‘I’m not scared of you.’

He took a step towards her, towering over her. He tilted his head, a look of intrigue on his face.

‘What’s the matter?’ she said, with a forced smile on her face. ‘Not used to someone arguing back?’

He smiled back down at her.

‘Well, go on then,’ she shouted. ‘If you’re so strong, send me to sleep.’

He started to reach out for her. His pale, white, deathly hand so close to her face. ‘You want to have nightmares?’

‘You’ve taken my son! My friends! This is already a nightmare! What else have I got live for?’

His hand was so close. He smiled.

‘Come on, do it!’ she screamed.

There was a pause and then he replied, his voice calm and mocking. ‘You think if I send you to sleep, then you’ll be able to join Luke. Oh, and I almost fell for it.’

He smiled at Sarah Jane as tears formed in her eyes.

‘So what do we do?’ asked Rani as Clyde came back from his search for K-9.

Luke shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’ He looked so scared.

‘It’s all right,’ said Rani. ‘We’re here.’ And she took his hand.

The Nightmare Man gasped in pain! He could feel Rani taking Luke’s hand. He could feel the hope it was giving him.

‘Why am I wasting my time on you, old woman?’ he raged. ‘They’re still together! I can feel them!’

And for the first time in hours, Sarah Jane smiled. ‘They’re together, even in their dreams. And that’s what’s hurting you!’

She laughed, full of hope.

‘To be scared, he needs to be alone! He will be alone! Forever!’

The Nightmare Man bared his rotten teeth at her, then vanished. Sarah Jane stopped laughing.

‘No! Come back! Come back!’

But she was alone.

Rani and Clyde were both comforting Luke.

‘It’ll be all right,’ said Rani.

‘It’s us. We can do anything,’ said Clyde.

Suddenly, there was so much noise. It was like an earthquake as the corridor seemed to be shaking itself to pieces. The three friends clutched each other, trying to stay upright. The sound of thunder and mocking laughter and Brahms’
Lullaby
rang out down the corridor. And then it stopped, as suddenly as it had started.

‘You two all right?’ whispered Clyde.

They both nodded, but then Rani saw something at the end of the corridor. ‘There’s someone there.’

Luke stepped back. ‘It’s him.’

And suddenly, the dark figure at the end of the corridor raised his head. It was the Nightmare Man. He started laughing as he strode towards them.

‘What the hell are you?’ asked Clyde. He wasn’t sure why the man scared him so much, but he did.

Rani grasped Clyde’s hand.

‘
I’m the Nightmare Man
,’ he replied. ‘
And you two are going to suffer!
’

‘You’re just an alien,’ said Rani, bravely. ‘We can stop you!’

The Nightmare Man laughed. ‘
Remember your nightmares! Remember me!
’ He stared at Clyde.

Clyde was running, running for his life! Behind him, his mum was turning into a monster. Blue veins were spreading across her face. Clyde knew it wasn’t real. This had happened to his dad, this wasn’t real but he kept on running. He turned a corner, finding himself on Bannerman Road and there, with their backs to him, were Sarah Jane, Luke and Rani.

‘Help me!’ he shouted. ‘Please! It’s my mum!’

But he knew there was something wrong. Even before they turned around, he knew that something was wrong. They turned and he saw… blue veins working across their faces. They were turning into Berserkers. He’d seen it happen to his dad and it was his worst fear! And now it was happening to everyone!

Clyde looked up at the Nightmare Man. ‘I know, I remember my nightmares. So what?’

‘
Remember who was behind you… Remember…
’

Clyde turned around, ready to run away from his possessed friends and, just as he did, he caught a glimpse of something…a white hand, a pale mocking face…but it was gone.

‘You! You were there!’ Clyde was really getting scared now. ‘You were in my nightmares.’

‘
All of them!
’ The Nightmare Man hissed. ‘
Hiding behind you, in all your nightmares!
’ He turned to look at Rani.

‘Please, no…’ she began, but he grinned down at her and she remembered.

The clock was ticking. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Rani looked down at the exam paper and tried to stay calm. She’d done lots of revision, so she hoped she’d be okay.

‘You’ll be fine,’ her dad said, smiling down at her. Then he walked to the front of the school hall. ‘You may begin.’

Rani turned the exam paper over and stared at the question. She gasped in surprise. It wasn’t in English! Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Time was running out. She started to panic, grabbing her pen and starting to write. If she could just write something, everything would be okay. Nothing happened! There was no ink in the pen! Her answers were blank! She put her hand up!

‘Dad!’

Her dad had his back to her. Tick-tock, tick-tock…

‘Dad, please!’

Slowly, he turned around. Tick-tock, tick-tock…Rani screamed! He had bright red, glowing eyes and was holding a red balloon! She jumped up and backed away!

‘What’s happened to you?’ she shouted.

‘I just want to play. Come and play with me. Come and be my friend,’ her dad said, smiling. He started to nod his head from side to side. Tick-tock, tick-tock…

‘Daddy!’ Rani screamed and turned around, ready to run and…a glimpse of a white hand, a pale mocking face…and it was gone and…

‘You were there!’ she stared up at the Nightmare Man, terrified. ‘You were there!’

‘
I’m in every dream!
’ The Nightmare Man took another step towards them. ‘
Every nightmare.
’

Suddenly he reached out and placed his cold, dead hands on their faces, stroking their cheeks. ‘
So you see, I’m not just an alien. I’m your worst nightmare. Remember…
’

Both Clyde and Rani gasped as they remembered. Their nightmares about the monsters they’d fought, about the end of the world, about bad things happening to their friends and families…and in each one the Nightmare Man, standing there, behind them, feeding on their fear.

‘
You see? Do you finally understand?
’ The Nightmare Man started to howl with laughter. ‘
You’re nothing. You’re pathetic children, scared of the dark.
’ He crouched down so their faces were level. ‘
Scared of me!
’ he hissed at them.

Clyde and Rani both looked over at Luke. The Nightmare Man had separated them. Luke was alone.

‘Luke! Please!’ Rani called out to him. He’d met the Nightmare Man before. ‘What do we do?’

But Luke was just staring, terrified. Behind Clyde and Rani, two of the red doors opened. Voices echoed out from the black voids.

The Nightmare Man kept advancing and Clyde and Rani were forced back towards the open doors.

‘
You’re going back into your nightmares and you’re going to be locked in them forever! Trapped for eternity!
’

Behind her, Rani heard a voice calling out. It was Louise Marlowe. ‘Breaking news, Rani. You’re coming back to me!’

Behind him, Clyde also heard a voice. It was the twisted version of Sarah Jane. ‘Oh, Clyde, you’re so stupid!’

They both stared up at the Nightmare Man. ‘Please, no!’

But he just laughed and laughed. ‘
Night, night, kids.
’

Clyde and Rani turned to look behind them. The black voids. The nightmares. Blue veins and red eyes and balloons and monsters and screaming and howling winds and thunder and noise! So much noise! Tick-tock, tick-tock! All of it, pulling them back! It was all over. They were going to be trapped in their nightmares forever! Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, ticktock ticktock ticktockticktockticktockticktocktick -

‘No!’ shouted a voice. It was Luke.

The Nightmare Man, Clyde and Rani all stopped and turned to him.

‘
I beg your pardon?
’ whispered the Nightmare Man, with a smile.

‘I said, no!’ repeated Luke.

‘
Oh, your nightmares haven’t even begun.
’

Luke stared at him, furious. ‘Just listen to me.’

The Nightmare Man shrugged. ‘
Why should I?
’

‘Because you keep telling me about you and what you want, but you’ve never asked about me.’

The Nightmare Man started to laugh. ‘
What? What are you talking about? I’m the Nightmare Man!
’

Luke took a step towards them. He held his head high, no trace of fear in his eyes. ‘That’s what you call yourself, but you’re just an alien. Well, I’m called Luke Smith and I was made by aliens to destroy the world.’

He took another step forward. ‘This brilliant woman, Sarah Jane Smith, she found me. And she made me good. And she found others. A boy called Clyde. And a girl called Rani.’

He paused and glanced at Clyde and Rani. They were just staring at him, on the verge of falling into their nightmares.

‘This world has faced so many nightmares, but there’s always been someone to stop them. Us!’ he continued. ‘Because when we’re together, we can do anything. You know, I was scared because I thought my mates wouldn’t be there for me.’ He stopped and laughed. ‘But never mind Oxford, they followed me into my nightmares! Three kids breaking down the walls of dreams to be together. Something no one’s ever done before.’

He paused again and stared at his two friends. ‘Because together, we’re unbeatable!’

For a moment, there was silence. Then the Nightmare Man started to clap, slowly. ‘Oh, very good.
But you really think words can stop a creature like me?
’

Luke suddenly grinned. ‘I wasn’t talking to you.’

Clyde looked at him and then looked at Rani. They both smiled.

‘He’s right!’ said Rani.