"Dodger…"
That voice…it was calling him again. Jack Dawkins turned in his sleep.
"Dodger…"
Everything was dark. He couldn't see a thing.
"W-who are you?" he stuttered.
But he knew. He knew who it was. How could he forget that voice…that voice…
"Dodger!" The voice yelled, louder this time.
"No!"
Dodger fled, staggering in the darkness. "Don't!" He tripped over, something, and fell face forward.
He opened his eyes. He was surrounded my mist. Jumping up, he saw that he stood in a cobblestone square. Large stone walls rose around him.
"No…" he murmured. "No, no!"
He whipped his head around, looking for an exit, but there was none.
He looked straight ahead, and saw the gallows.
"Dodger!"
There it was again!
"Leave me alone!" Dodger turned around, trying to run.
A figure strode out of the mist, clotched in black, with a noose tied around her neck.
"Dodger…"
"No, get away from me!"
"You killed me, Dodger…"
Fire.
Flames rose around them, enclosing both Dodger and the girl in a circle of heat.
"No, I-I didn't!"
"You left me."
"No, I swear I didn't! I didn't know!"
He backed up, only to feel the heat of the fire licking at his back.
"You left me to the traps, and they 'anged me."
"NO!"
The girl nodded. "Did you know, Dodger?"
"Kn-n-now what?" Dodger asked. The girl strode forward, and he was frozen in place. She cupped her hands around his ear.
"I wasn't dead when they threw me on the pile."
Dodger's eyes widened. "No, no, you were, I saw ya!"
The girl laughed. "I wasn't dead, Dodger! I was burned, burned alive!"
"NO!" Dodger screamed. He couldn't move; he watched as flames started to travel up the girl, and she laughed harder, until all he could see was fire, and he could hear her evil cackling all around him.
The fire closed in. It was getting closer. Soon, it would be on him.
"No, no! Oh, please, no!"
The flames came closer.
"Dodger…"
"Somebody 'elp! Please!"
"You killed me."
Suddenly, the air went cold. The flames, the gallows, the courtyard. They all disappeared.
Dodger awoke, beads of sweat on his brow.
"Dodger…"