Nightmares
#49 of Old Works
Okay, I know it's a bit short, but thats the point. The city by the way, is Los Angeles
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Nightmares....
Terrifying things, aren't they?
They can be nothing more than a fleeting brain impulse. They can wake us up from our slumber, sweating and fearful.
Nightmares are a terribly powerful force. One that drives us, one that forces us to face our fears. Sometimes they can cause us to kill ourselves, each other, or both. It's amazing what one, tiny, little brain impulse will do. Thats all they are, Nightmares. They are your brain processing the information we gather during the day. Sometimes they're caused by simply watching to much Television, or simply over stimulating the brain. Sometimes, they are caused by deep seated fears, or psychological problems. Most of the time Nightmares are harmless...but what if your Nightmares were made flesh? What if, they were to come alive, they came to haunt you for real? What would you do? Imagine they were not there? Try to hide? Or would you pray, pray to some otherworldly deity to protect you?
There is a place. A world, where this happens. A world where your nightmares come to life. They break through the barriers of the dream world, and the real world. They come through, and they search for you. They look for the one that brought them into the world...and if they find that person, they devour them. They take their mind and soul, consuming it. Once this is done, they move on, consuming more and more victims until they are sated enough to return to their world. These Nightmares are a truly terrifying thing...and only a few people know they exist. One of this people is charged with guarding the real world from the Nightmares of the dream world. It is his task to ensure that any Nightmare that is strong enough to break through the barrier, is destroyed as soon as it is possible to do so. His name is the King of All Nights Dreaming.
Yet this story is not about him, it is about an individual who would become caught up in this fantastical world of things that go bump in the night...and of the ones who hunt them.
***
Kezella looked up at the tall skyscraper. It was much taller up close than it looked. She steeled herself and went inside. The sound of the busy city was almost instantly silenced as she entered the large white lobby. There was a single round desk in the middle of the lobby, to which the young Collie approached. The receptionist looked up as she approached.
"Uhm...hello...my name is Keze..."
"Second elevator on your right, top floor. Miss Lessware is expecting you." The receptionist cut her off in a bored voice.
Kezella frowned, before heading to the elevators, which seemed to be made out of glass. She pressed the down button and waited for a moment. Soon, the lift could be seen descending, and in no time at all, Kezella was headed up towards the one hundred and fifty first floor.
Kezella looked at her reflection in the glass, and patted her jet black head fur. Kezella was an attractive border collie Anthropoid, she wore a smart business suit with a matching skirt. She was only twenty three, recently graduated from University after a course in business studies and accountancy. She had applied for the job of personal assistant to the illustrious Miss Lessware. Owner of Dreamweaver Industries, one of the richest companies in the city. It manufactured all kinds of things, but was most famous for its sex toys. It was the biggest producer of sex toys on the continent, and held a vast majority of the stocks in adult entertainment.. Needless to say, she was quite nervous. She had only applied because she was looking for a job, she never thought she'd actually get selected. The elevator finally stopped, and the doors opened with a ping. She stepped out and found herself in a stylish black corridor with white lights in the ceiling. Kezella looked around the featureless corridor and began to walk slowly down it. At the other end was a black door with "Miss Lessware" in gold lettering on it. Kezella swallowed and knocked.
"Come in." Came a voice
Kezella steeled her self and opened the door. She was definitely not expecting the site that greeted her. It was an oddly small office, with a large desk at one end, and a smaller desk to one side of it. Behind the large desk was a pretty Zebra. She wore a sensible suit with trousers, and her mane was tied up in a messy bun. She wore a pair of rimless round glasses and was studying several sheets of paper closely...while chewing a pen.
"Miss...Lessware?" Kezella asked, not quite believing that this was the famous tycoon of Adult toys and entertainment.
"Yes, thats me." The Zebra said, looking up briefly "And you are Kezella."
"Uhm...yes..."
"Excellent, that smaller desk by the wall is yours. I need you to catalog all the sales from last quarter, and then give me a total earning report, minus and including VAT. If you can do that, and do it correctly, then the job is yours."
Kezella blinked. She looked over to the wall, where there was a small clean desk with a modern looking computer on it. She walked over to it and sat down. That had been the fastest job interview Kezella had ever been to. It seemed to just skip the actual interview part, and went straight on to the trial period. Kezella looked around the room. It was fairly plain, filing cabinets lined one wall, with a dull looking wooden door behind Miss Lessware's desk. It said 'Storage' in faded black letters. Kezella looked at her computer monitor to find that it was already switched on, with the appropriate files opened. Kezella began to work, her fingers tapping steadily over the keyboard. She became so engrossed in the work, she didn't notice Miss Lessware watching her. She only paused to stretch and yawn, before she began work again. It was just gone five past one in the afternoon, when Kezella looked up with a smile.
"All done!" she said
Miss Lessware took off her glasses and looked at Kezella, before getting up and coming over. She looked at the monitor and blinked.
"My my...that was fast. Much faster than the others."
Kezella felt herself grin slightly at the praise.
"I'll give you my verdict over lunch, which is about now." She continued, looking at her watch. She stood upright and went back to her desk, picking up a set of keys.
"Would you like to eat with me?"
"I...well...I'd be delighted!" Kezella said, blushing slightly.
Miss Lessware went over to the storage cupboard and opened it, heading inside. Kezella stood up and picked up her bag, assuming Miss Lessware had gone to get her coat. After a moment, the Zebra stuck her head around the door and said
"Are you coming or not?"
Kezella looked confused and peered into the store cupboard.
It wasn't a store cupboard. It led into a huge apartment. Kezella entered it, her mouth hanging open slightly. It was a huge open planned space, with massive windows that gave an unparalleled view across the city. There was a living area in front of the windows, with very comfortable looking sofas and a large flat screen television. Next to the living area was a large, clean kitchen. There was a area that was sealed off with a large purplish red curtain, to which Miss Lessware was making her way. She drew back the curtain to reveal a large sleeping space, with a low down bed and a fireplace in the middle of that area.
"If you'd like to freshen up, the bathroom is on your right." She said over her shoulder as Kezella remembered to close the door. She stepped into the flat and gazed at the hugeness of it. Looking to her right she saw a door that was slightly ajar. She walked over to it and pushed it open. It was a large bathroom with a whirlpool bath big enough for five people. Kezella went to the white basin and looked at herself in the mirror. Her head fur had become a bit messed, so she untied it and shook it out, letting it fall down to her waist. She looked around for a towel, intending to wash her face. As she did so, she noticed a variety of sex toys lined up on a shelf, most of which were either shower attachments or waterproof. She gave a small blush, and turned back to the sink. She turned the taps and began filling the sink with warm water. She wondered if Miss Lessware did this with all her potential assistants? Steam from the sink clouded up the mirror, so She turned off the tap and took off her suit jacket. Then she removed the white shirt so she was clad only in her work skirt and tastefully pink, b cup bra. As she bent over to wash her face, she felt someone suddenly press up behind her. She straightened up quickly, and was about to turn around, when she felt a pair of fingers press against her pussy. Her startled inquiry died in her throat, and became a soft moan.
"You know..." Miss Lessware said in her ear "You were the only applicant to actually get aroused by cataloging sex toys...I could smell it from my desk."
Kezella gasped and Miss Lessware rubbed her fingers against her already wet panties. It was true, she had gotten aroused, but there were so many pictures! And then there were the toys in the bathroom
"M...Miss Lessware....!" she gasped
"Ohh...I think you can call me Danae now." Danae said, rubbing a little harder as she felt wetness drip from her fingers. She slid her arm around Kezella's side and slowly moved her hand up to her breasts. She slid her hand under the pink bra and gently squeezed Kezella's young breasts.
"Gah!...I..I don't think...I'm...I'm not a les...les...Lesbian!" The collie squeaked
"Then stop me pretty thing." Danae whispered into her ear, nibbling the canines neck.
Kezella couldn't. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, short gasps escaping her lips. There was a soft "shlurp" as Danae moved her fingers away from Kezella's now swollen pussy. The zebra licked her fingers and turned the canine to face her.
"You're hired girly..." she said and pulled Kezella over to the bed.
Kezella didn't quite know what was going on, as far as she was aware, she was about to get raped by her attractive new boss. But was it rape if she was eagerly awaiting those skilled fingers? She gasped and arched her back when she felt a hot, soft tounge slide over her wet mound.
"Nnnngggg! I...I...I..." she gasped
Danae crawled over her, and gazed down at the collies flushed face.
"You love it don't you? Every damn, hot, dripping minute of it...don't you?"
"Ggggg....go-od...yyyeesss!...W-what did...y-y-you do..."
"To you?" Danae finished, pressing her breasts against Kezella's "Well, before you came in, I decided to test a new aphrodisiac that my science department has been making, absorbed through the skin. I covered your keyboard with it!"
Kezella moaned as Danae ground her fingers into the collies hot, gooey lips.
"I hope you don't mind?"
"I...AH!...I did...b-but...not...so...mm-much..."
Danae smiled and pushed aside the canine's panties, sliding her fingers all the way into Kezella's pussy. She quickly located the canine's G-spot, and one long, hard rub, sent the collie over the edge. She arched her back and howled, her body quivering as the mind bending orgasm spiraled through her body. A thick wave of her cum oozed over Danae's fingers and onto the bed. Kezella flopped down, panting.
"D-does...this...mean...I've...I've...got the job?" she gasped
"Oh hell yes..." Danae said, sucking her fingers.
"Okay...one more thing..."
"Yes?"
"Can we do that again?"
"Before or after you pass out?"
"After." Kezella said, and passed out.
That night, they made love a further three times, each time they both orgasmed explosively. Soon, they both fell into a somewhat sticky sleep. Easy on Danae's part, but not so with Kezella. She turned restlessly in her sleep. As she slept she dreamed. She was standing on the Yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz. She was alone and naked. She began to walk down the road, gazing around at the brightly coloured scenery. A gentle breeze blew up...which slowly became colder and colder until it was a freezing wind. Dark clouds were blown across the bright sky, and suddenly Kezella was standing in the middle or a dark forest, filled with gnarled and dead trees. She shivered in the cold wind, and a sense of dread began to fill her. She looked around but could see nothing. She started to move carefully through the trees, eyes frantically scanning the darkness. She new she was being watched, but she couldn't see what. A twig snapped, causing her to turn, she started to move away from the sound, faster and faster. She had broken into a fast walk when a loud snap right behind her made her jump and break into a run. She hurtled through the woods, branches and twigs whipping her in the face. Whatever was chasing her was big, crashing through the undergrowth. She suddenly tripped on a root and fell. She rolled onto her back and stared up at a pair of glowing yellow eyes. The stench of carrion filled her nostrils. Kezella opened her mouth and screamed.
"Kezella! Wake up!"
Kezella awoke with a start. Her fur was damp with sweat. The bed sheets were a knotted mess where she had been kicking and thrashing.
"Whats the matter?" Danae asked
"I...nothing!...just...just a bad dream."
"Are you sure? It seemed pretty intense."
"Yeah...it was...but I'm fine now."
"I'll get you a glass of water." Danae said and got up, heading to the kitchen.
As she passed through the living area, she noticed a red light was blinking on one of the window frames. She went over to it and pressed the light. A small panel slid soundlessly up. A screen was flashing red with the words "Alert! Code 2!" across it. Danae closed the panel and went to the kitchen and filed a glass with water.
"That wasn't just any nightmare..." she muttered, before returning to the bedroom.
A few miles from the apartment, the dark night sky seemed to ripple. A patch almost exactly a mile above the city, rippled more violently, and turned black. Not the black of a paint, or a tastefully decorated room, the black that came with the total absence of light. A long fingered hand slowly pushed it's way through the blackness. It was followed by a large hulking figure with glowing yellow eyes. It was accompanied by the stench of carrion. It drifted out of the blackness, and floated in the sky for a few moments, before descending slowly to the earth. The portal closed quietly. A few miles away from this point lay a small shop, selling all manner of weird and wonderful things. Inside it was dark, through the main shop and past the counter was a small room, converted into living quarters. Two spots of purple suddenly blazed into life, and then narrowed. The spots of purple rose to a height of about seven feet. The sound of a cloak or a robe was heard, and then the purple glows were gone.
The next day, Kezella awoke with a headache. Bright light was streaming through the large windows. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.
"Morning sleepy head!"
She blinked and looked up. Danae was coming in from the kitchen wearing an over sized shirt and carrying to mugs of what smelled like coffee.
"Pretty intense nightmare last night." Danae said as she sat on the edge of the bed, handing one of the mugs to Kezella.
"Thanks...I'd rather not think about it." Kezella replied, taking the mug in both hands.
"Well, now that you're awake, I'll tell you what a personal assistant for me actually does."
Kezella groaned, she hated talking about work this early in the morning...that was a point as well...
"What time is it?" she asked, taking a sip of rather excellent coffee.
"About...quarter to ten...it's Saturday."
"Guh...I haven't gotten up at this time for about..well...since I began University."
"Poor you...but any way...As my personal assistant, you won't actually be doing boring office work. You'll be my personal assistant."
Kezella looked confused for a moment before it finally clicked. She looked at Danae, then down at her coffee.
"I see...well...I...o-okay then..." she said, surprising herself somewhat.
"Excellent! Your things will be here within the hour!"
"What? What do you mean?"
"The stuff from your apartment of course...well...except for the furniture, but everything else! Once it arrives we can go through it all and see what you don't want!"
"Guh...buh....g-okay..." Kezella stammered, blown away by the sudden wave of enthusiasm.
"Brilliant! I'm going to go and check on my employees, feel free to make yourself at home."
"Okay..."
A while later, Kezella was thoroughly inspecting the large apartment. So far she had finished with the bedroom, locating the vast array of toys (adult and stuffed), and a sword in the shape of a cross, hung above the bed like a crucifix. Kezella had spent a while wondering about his, before deciding that with enough money, anything could be stylish. She had gone from there to the Kitchen, which was very clean and shiny. So clean and shiny it looked hardly used. Kezella decided she'd put an end to that. Having had to cook for herself during her time at university, she had become quite a competent cook. There was a whole array of different spices and herbs in a large spice rack, and the fridge was large and well stocked. She decided to investigate the kitchen further, but for now, she'd see about the living area. There was a long low coffee table in the middle of a half square of sofas. In the middle of the coffee table was a stand that held a Katana, a Wakazashi, and a Tanto. They all looked very expensive, so Kezella decided not to touch them until Danae got back. She had always been fascinated by swords, although she didn't know why. She found the general shape aesthetically pleasing. She turned at the sound of a door closing, and saw Danae enter.
"Whats the deal with this place?" Kezella asked
"Huh?...what do you mean?" Danae asked, looking somewhat confused as she deposited her jacket on a nearby chair.
"Well...you've got that small office, with this place hidden behind it!" Kezella said, spreading her arms and gesturing around her.
"Ahhh...I see...well, whats the point in having a huge office, when all I really need one for is work? I do also have a conference room...if thats what you mean..."
"No no...just...I dunno. It hasn't even been a full day yet, and already so much has changed."
"Life does that sometimes. But enough of that, Your stuff'll be here any minute!"
Not long after Danae had said that, they were going through boxes of Kezella's things, deciding on what she didn't need anymore.
"Oooh...I say!" Danae exclaimed from one of the boxes.
"What? What is it?" Kezella asked
Danae straightened up holding a long wooden box. She opened it and inside was a rapier. It's thin, sharp blade glinted in the light.
"Oooooh wow! It's beautiful!" Danae said, setting the box down and lifting the sword out.
The hilt was designed to look like a green sea dragon, it's long serpentine body coiled in a hard mesh to protect the hand, it's head and neck wound a few inches up the blade itself.
"It's been in my family for almost four hundred years." Kezella said, getting up and going over to Danae.
"Its amazing! The balance is perfect!" Danae said, giving it an experimental swing
"You know how to use a sword?" Kezella asked
"You have seen the Katana, haven't you?" Danae replied, placing the Rapier back in the box.
"Well yeah...but I thought it might just be for display."
"Oh no, it's fully functional. But I think its time we stopped for today, I'm getting tired."
"Tired? But it's only five o'clock!"
Danae raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly.
"Wha...oh...Ohhh!" Kezella said, grinning
"Shall we?" Danae said, gesturing to the bed.
"Oh I think we shall!" Kezella said, and followed Danae to the bed.
Kezella had just begun taking off her shirt, when she looked out the window.
"Why is it dark?" She said, looking slightly confused
"Hmmm...what do you mean?"
"Well...its dark outside, and it's only five o'clock...and it's August."
Danae looked up and out the window. Kezella was right. It was dark, night time in fact. The moon was out and shining brightly over the shining city.
"What the hell is going on? Why is it night time alread...hey! The clock said it was five a minute ago! It's saying it's nearly midnight now!"
Danae's eyes widened as the realisation dawned on her.
Suddenly, the lights went out. The only source of light came from the moon, shining brightly through the windows. It illuminated the apartment with silvery blue light. A strange smell began to fill the apartment. Danae walked quickly over to her Katana and picked it up, placing her hand on the hilt.
"D...D-Danae..." she heard Kezella squeak
Turning, Danae saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the shadowy kitchen. The smell of carrion grew stronger as the Nightmare emerged from the shadows.
"Aww shit..." Danae muttered, drawing the Katana.
It's blade glinted in the moonlight as Danae raised it into the ready position.
"Kezella! Get behind me!" She ordered
Kezella whimpered and scuttled behind Danae.
"W-what is it!?" she squealed
"A Nightmare...your nightmare to be exact."
The Nightmare growled. It had found the person it had chased before, and it was eager to claim its prize. Unfortunately there was another in the way with a damned Curse Blade. Well, she wasn't as powerful as the Nightmare, so she would prove no trouble at all. The Nightmare flexed it's long arms, knotted muscles tensed under it's shadowy skin. It's wide mouth split into a toothy grin as it slowly advanced upon the two.
"My nightmare?!" Kezella said "What do you mean?!"
"I'll explain later!" Danae said
The Nightmare snarled and came thundering forwards. Danae pushed Kezella away and jumped backwards. The Nightmare stumbled through them and turned clumsily. As it did so, Danae struck at it, her razor sharp sword slicing deep into it's back. The Nightmare growled and span around, sending Danae flying and dislodging the sword. Danae crashed into the coffee table hit her head on the sofa. She struggled to her feet and grabbed for the Wakazashi. The Nightmare meanwhile, had cornered Kezella.
"G-go away! I stopped having that nightmare! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
There was a loud crack, and the Nightmare was sent flying off it's feet. Kezella stared up at the tall figure that had just saved her life. It wore a long black robe, and was reptilian, that much Kezella could tell in the dim light. The figure raised it's hand, a purple glow appeared and formed what looked like the hilt of a sword. The figure brought its hand sweeping down, and a bright purple flash blazed from his hand. He was suddenly holding a glinting sword. It had a long straight blade, and was made of an odd purplish metal.
"W-who are you?" Kezella gasped
I am the King of All Nights Dreaming...and I just saved your life
Kezella gazed up at the tall figure. He was definatly a snake anthropoid, there was no doubt about that. The difference was that he had legs. An intricate tattoo wound it's way from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, which coiled out of the split in the back of his robe. In the darkness, she couldn't tell what colour he was, but his eyes were unlike anything she had ever seen. They had no pupil, no iris, no cornea...they were solid purple light. The Nightmare slowly got to it's feet and began lumbering forwards again. The King of All Nights Dreaming took a step forwards. As soon as the nightmare charged, his arm was suddenly out by his side. Kezella hadn't even registered it moving. The Nightmare seemed frozen, until it slid neatly into two halves. The pieces hit the floor and dissolved like a indigestion tablet in water. There was a buzz, and the lights flickered back on, yet it was still night outside.
"Took you long enough." Danae said, sheathing the Wakazashi and retrieving the Katana.
I thought you could handle it...it was not a very bad Nightmare
"I didn't want to unleash my Curse Blade in front of Kezella." Danae said with a shrug
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!??" Kezella screamed.