Flee, Sweet Dreamer

written by valerie fowler

- prologue -

His breathing was heavy and ragged as his back hit the wall. His eyes darted rapidly from the floor to the ceiling, up and down the hall. Voices screamed his name, and footsteps ran wildly above his head in that moment, before slowly fading into the background of pipes and electricity that whirred all around him. He blinked back the tears and blood that dripped steadily from a wound on his forehead. He whipped it off with his sleeve, wincing as fabric touched the open wound.

Things began spinning around him...He grabbed desperately at the chords immediately surrounding him, only to fall into a heap on the floor. He curled into a ball, moaning helplessly. This was the end of his sector...he'd just lay there and die, wait for the dark spots of his vision to creep over him and send him into an endless sleep...

"Numbuh 1...where are you?" A small voice chimed, echoing down the darkened passages. Numbuh 1 sat up, wildly scrambling to his feet, only to collapse again. His heart began to beat rapidly as the footsteps came closer. He willed himself up again, and by will alone dragged himself, battered and bleeding, down the hall. He didn't stop as his glasses fell with a clatter on the ground. There was an intercom system somewhere...If only he could find it...

The girl rounded the corner, staring into the depths of the next hallway with eyes that could pierce the soul. Her raven hair glittered behind her as she picked up the glasses stained with blood. A smile fell across her cold lips. She followed the trail of destruction. "Numbuh 1...you can't hide from me..."

Each step was agonizing...his head reeled and his vision blurred, making the walk almost impossible...and it seemed to last for so long...when would this nightmare end? It was as he thought this that he spotted the box. Another painful trip, grab on the wires for support. Just a little farther... He made a wild grab, picking up the mike and falling to the ground.

"Numbuh 5,4...anybody..." His mangled voice came over the front communication system. "Help...I'm,"

"Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 4 came over the COM, breathing heavy from running. "Where are you!"

"Basement...she's...she's coming after me. Please-please come..." The COM was intercepted by Numbuh 1's scream on the other end. The line was dead for several seconds with the exception of movement, scuffling, shouting, silence...then laughter. Numbuh 4 gasped as the small voice finished Numbuh 1's sentence. He backed away, stumbling over a chair.

"Yes, come help him. Though...you might be too late." And with that, dead air followed. Numbuh 4 sprinted down the hallways, skidding to a halt in the room they'd barricaded off from the girl's forces.

"Numbuh 1! He's in the basement!" The kids leapt into action, grabbing their weapons and speeding down the spiral stairs into darkness. They followed the small path of blood drops, horrified, as they became larger and larger. Numbuh 5 almost fainted as they passed the COM. A large puddle of blood covered the floor, making drag marks father down the hall where she had him... A spare room at the end of the hall that nobody had been in years... The noises of pipes and electricity became louder as they pressed on, passing the boiler room and hamster headquarters, following the ever-present and growing red marks on the dusty and dank floor. Numbuh 1's smashed glasses marked the end of the hallway, the shards dragging over into the next room. Numbuh 4 gathered his courage, busting open the door.

"Why...why..." Numbuh 1 moaned as he was thrown into the room, barely conscious. The girl's smile never wavered until then. It turned into a vicious snarl. Without thinking, she lashed out her leg, kicking him in the ribs as hard as she could. She kicked until she heard a crunch and a scream of agony. He writhed on the floor, unable to help himself. She smiled, placing her hands matter-of-factly on her hips.

"Guess you should have judged me a little more fairly, Nigel." He could not respond. He was too tired, too sick to his stomach from the horror unveiling before him. The sickening truth of her motives finally made sense in that ugly room. The light blinked sporadically above him as he closed his eyes. She came forwards once more, kneeling on the ground and taking his chin in her small hands. She brought it close, until their faces where only inches apart. "It's a shame...I always did like you a little, you know."

A click brought him back to his senses. His eyes wandered towards the sound, widening as something cold touched his cheek. A single tear fell from his eye as she let him go, pointing the gun to his head. She closed her eyes, letting her head fall forwards in regret as her finger tightened around the trigger.

"Why...Kuki?"