Page 57 of A Very Monstrous Desire

“We are very close to the queen here,” Baku whispered.

“Within fifteen minutes?” Theo asked.

“Yes. She will stay as close to the original rip as possible but far enough away to be able to create a new one.”

Theo couldn’t help but look behind him to where the lights of the forest were starting to glow. “The rages don’t cross through the rips?”

“No, we do not know why. They crossed from their home world to ours so what is to stop them from crossing over to yours?”

“They live in the forests only though?”

Baku nodded.

“There aren’t many forests left in our world.”

The flowers suddenly stopped cooing. Their petals closed in on themselves, and Baku touched Theo’s arm.

“Look,” he said, and he pointed at the four new nightmares that were now next to the rip.

They were shimmering here in this dimension in the same way they shimmered in Theo’s. Absolute proof that they were from another world, that mysterious third world, home to both them and the rages.

The rip they were guarding was about a meter tall and at least waist height meaning they would need to jump into it. On their side several trees arched over and above it, and on the other was the beach, the sounds of it clear even in the forest. The nightmares were moving back and forth next to it, vibrating furiously. There were eleven in total.

“They haven’t eaten the vegetation and the animals on this side?” Theo said.

“The rages would not allow it.”

“But…you said they’re not sentient…”

“No, but they understand enough to know that. The rages tolerate the rips here, but they will not have their homes destroyed. Perhaps they have an understanding. After all, they come from the same world.”

The nightmares were not actually doing anything. They moved back and forth next to the rip and continued to vibrate, their teeth chattering, their multitude of eyes swivelling back and forth.

“When will they go through?” Theo asked.

“When one of their kin on the other side signals them to,” Baku replied. “They are all in constant contact with each other. It is how the queen knows when danger approaches.”

“Telepathy?” Theo breathed.

“No. Vibrations.”

He drew Theo back slightly so that they were hidden by the large bush. The flowers were busy burrowing back into it. They clearly sensed danger nearby.

“Time to take the serum?” Theo asked, and there was a bit of a catch in his voice.

Bake nodded solemnly. “Yes, it is time.”

He took two vials from one of his pockets. It was only then that Theo realised Baku intended to take one as well.

“You said it was cumulative,” he breathed. “That there had to be a gap in between doses but your last dose was only a couple of days ago.”

“I can tolerate more,” Baku said.

“How much more?”

“Enough to get this done.”

He passed a vial across to Theo. Theo held it in his palm, shivering slightly as he considered it. He knew what was likely to happen next. Baku had talked him through it before they’d left the cave. The serum didn’t fundamentally change Theo’s biology but rather the perception of that biology based on how his body vibrated within this dimension and then the next one. Theo didn’t actually understand it, which was annoying, as one of his undergraduate degrees was science based, but Baku had reassured him that hardly anyone on Theo’s Earth understood the science of how the dimensions interacted.

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