“Needles…They stuck so many needles in me. Hundreds and hundreds of needles. They gave me drugs. They shut down my brain. They thought it would stay inside me that way. The doctors thought it would sleep forever, but it dreamed the whole time. Such terrible dreams…” The young man shuddered, and that seemed to rouse him from his haze. “I’ve got to find her. Help me find her, mister. I have to know she’s safe. In the dreams, he showed me over and over what he would do to her. That’s how he woke me up. I’ve got to get to her before he does. Help me find her, then I can put him back to sleep. I can’t rest until I know she’s safe.”

He’d mentioned finding someone last time. “Who?”

It was as if he didn’t hear me. “He wants you to die here. You’ve crossed into his world. I’ll try to make a door for you and your pals to go back through. I won’t be able to do that for too many more times now that he’s awake. He gets stronger, then he rests and comes back again. The stronger he gets, the more the worlds will blur together. I’ll make you a door home, but promise you’ll help me first.”

What choice did I have? “Okay. I promise.” The darkness parted just a bit more. The place I’d just been standing was ahead, shimmering as if it were under water. I took a step toward it, fearful that what felt like solid ground beneath my feet would disappear at any moment, then another step, and another. The light grew closer. “This woman I’m supposed to find, what’s her name?” Then I realized that the light was fading, and soon I would be left in the darkness, trapped. There was no time. “Shit.” I ran for it. As I moved past the young man, it was like being struck by an arctic wind, the cold was so piercing.

One freezing hand reached for me but it passed through my arm as if there was nothing there. The cold threatened to overpower me. “I remember something important. Topaz! Look at topaz!” he begged.

And then I was back in the light.

Turning around, there was nothing but the blood-smeared high school. The empty black was gone.

Another bloodcurdling scream brought me back to reality.

It was as if no time had passed at all, and I caught up to Tanya and Edward in a few seconds. Just ahead, Trip rounded one last corner and skidded to a stop.