Kayla waited at the turnpike behind several other people. Sometimes, she was not able to access her dreams until early morning, and most likely then, she would wake up before the dream was completed. Kayla did not want to have to do that tonight, and she silently prayed that the line would move faster. The turnpike looked roughly like a train station, only instead of trains there were millions of doors. Each door led to a dream world, where people would spend the night until they woke the next morning. The line moved and Kayla felt like cheering. Almost there! Soon, there was only one more person in front of her. An old man gave the assistant his ticket and she typed quickly on her computer. She received a rough sounding BUZZ in response.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir." The attendant said examining his ticket more closely, "This is a non-valid number. I'm afraid you will have to spend tonight in solitary confinement."
"That can't be right." The man pleaded "I just bought that ticket tonight. It has to be valid."
"I am sorry, sir, but I cannot allow you to go through. Try again tomorrow night."
"But... No, but I..."
"Sir. You either leave now or I will call security."
The old man hung his head and left the Turnpike through a black doorway, into a night without dreams.
"NEXT!" The attendant called. Kayla felt bad for the old man, but she couldn't help but feel ecstatic that it was her turn. Kayla stepped up and handed the woman her ticket. She typed in the numbers on the computer and a soft ding sounded from the computer. A baby blue door appeared behind the attendant. Kayla sighed in relief. She would be able to get to her dream tonight after all.
That's when the alarm went off. A flashing red light washed the turnpike in a sickening color of blood. Black horses with flaming red eyes ran through the turnpike, trampling everything in their path. Nightmares! If a Nightmare caught you, it would take you away to their land, a dreadful place called Malum, and they would amuse themselves by scaring you with your darkest fears. If Kayla never saw Malum again it would be to soon. Suddenly, Kayla was angry. How dare the Nightmares come now? How dare they try to take away my dream that I waited so long for? She thought. Not tonight. I'm getting my dream. The nearest Nightmare charged at Kayla. She froze in fear. Only at the last minute did she regain the use of her legs and dodge out of the way. The Nightmare reared up on to its hind legs and let out a loud, scream-like neigh. It turned, anger now burning in its red eyes. Kayla felt a shiver run down her back. The Nightmare pawed the ground twice and charged once again. She tried to dodge again, but the mare just changed direction with her, and knocked Kayla down to the ground. The Nightmare gave a triumphant whinny and it shook its mane proudly. While it was otherwise preoccupied with its victory, Kayla jumped up and pushed passed the Nightmare. Outraged, the Nightmare followed, its nostrils flaring. The Nightmare was faster than any human, but Kayla had a three-second head start, and fueled by desperation, that was all that she needed. Kayla ran through her door and slammed it behind her. From the other side, Kayla heard a solid THUNK as the Nightmare collided with the brightly painted wood. Then everything went quiet. Now, finally, she could relax...and....
dream....