Chapter 23
Dawn stood at the podium before all of her peers, ready to discuss her groundbreaking research. But before she could speak, derisive laughter from the crowd caught her attention. Glancing down at herself, she realized that she was stark naked.
What had been the nightmare of countless life forms was now happening to her. The audience laughed and pointed. Dawn just sighed. In the last few hours, she’d been excessively late to her doctoral defense, had been unable to avert the crash of her ship into Sol, and had been chased by some unseen force across an endless gray landscape, able to feel the hot breath of the beast at her heels but unable to turn around.
In each dream, she’d seen the alien woman. Each time, she’d been pursued by some creature, sometimes monstrous, sometimes mysterious, but each time with telltale yellow eyes.
And now, I’m in a textbook anxiety dream.
Peering past the crowd, she caught sight of the woman with flowing purple hair as she walked through the door and out of the auditorium. A large, bony dog followed at her heels, reminding Dawn of an oversized greyhound. It glanced back her way and she saw its eyes glowing yellow.
Dropping her notes, Dawn lunged from behind the podium and jumped off the stage. The crowd went nuts, but she ignored the looky-loos and raced after the woman and her stalker. She burst through the door, head whipping in all directions, determined to confront the woman.Even if I have to go through that damn dog.
She saw the end of its tail go around a corner and pursued, skittering along the carpeted hallway. “Wait!” she shouted, her eyes on the corner. “Please stop!”
Dashing around the corner wildly, she was stunned to run full tilt into a wall of muscles. Bouncing backward, she would have hit the floor if he hadn’t grabbed her arm to prevent it. Blinking up at the towering male, her mouth dropped open in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
His dark eyes were wide, a smile creeping across his face. “Looking for you. And let me just say, I’m glad to find you, especially in such an alluring state.”
His words brought back to mind the fact that she was nude in public. A flush covering her cheeks, she yanked back possession of her arm and used it to cover her chest while the other hovered over her lower bits.
“How did you get here?” she asked when her brain could work again.
Z opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. His mouth hung open for a few beats, and then he closed it, his brow furrowed. After a pause, he said, “I don’t remember.”
Dawn rolled her eyes. “I almost had her this time. Now everything is going to change and—” As she said the words, the world around them began altering itself. Without a thought as to why, she grabbed his wrist as their surroundings blurred and shifted. “Dammit!”
“What’s happening?” he asked, his face a mask of confusion.
“We’re moving on,” she grumbled. “The first few times are always disorienting, but the more often it happens, the easier it is for me to remember the reality of the situation.”
“Which is?” he drawled, an amused look replacing the confused one.
“That I’m inside the subconscious of an alien female.”
The world resolved itself eventually. Creaking boards became ancient wooden walls with the remnants of ripped wallpaper and water stains. Spiderwebs seemingly covered every surface, and the only light came from a candle burning on the three-legged table beside them.
Suddenly, a horrible moan sounded from outside the room. “Great,” Dawn said, slapping her forehead. “We’re in a friggin’ haunted house.” Looking down, she was relieved to find that she was attired in her typical ensemble of sweater, slacks, and lab coat. She eyed her companion. “No wonder you’re here. This must be where all the heartless ghouls hang out.”
Z frowned. “I don’t think—hey!” Dawn was charging away from him, causing him to chase after her. “Where are you going?”
“To find the female and bring her out of this.”
“Well, wait for me!”
“Why should I? You’re not even real. You’re just a subconscious projection, like everything else here.”
“I most certainly am not!” His huge hand on her shoulder arrested her movement forward.
Dawn sputtered in frustration. “Of course, you are. Right now, I’m lying on a medical unit in my lab, and all of this is just make believe.”
“Well, believe this,” he countered. “I’m really here.”
She shook her head. “Not possible.”
Z let out a strangled noise. “Answer me this, then. Why would an alien female project me into her subconscious visions? She’s never even met me.”
