Page 34 of At A Dreamwalkers Mercy

“I’m here,” he whispered, and she nodded, rubbing her hands on her pants before reaching out and taking Agent Roberts’ hand.

Her gaze went hazy as a girl in a dark room filled her vision, as if she was standing in the room herself. The walls were dark and wet, like a basement with a dirt floor. But the dirt didn’t seem to matter to the girl who was on the floor, curled up around herself, like she was protecting herself from something that she feared.

The air in the room was heavy. Not from the weather or temperature, but as if the impeding moment was coming, as if the very air itself was scared of what it knew was going to happen.

She reached farther, trying to get deeper into the room, but she couldn’t move. It was as if there was a wall blocking her.

As if the girl was blocking her.

Why couldn’t she get through?

Normally, if she had gotten this far, then that was the worst battle.

As if Mary could sense her presence, and this wasn’t the past that she was seeing, but actually the present, Mary’s eyes opened, and she felt a blast of pressure in her head.

“No,” she whimpered, feeling Garrett’s arms tighten around her, yelling at her to let go, but she knew if she let go, she would regret it.

“Save her,” Mary whispered, pleading with her. Mary’s eyes were staring straight at her, boring into her, as if she knew she was there.

“Save her. Please,” Mary said again, the words sliding over her skin, leaving a sick feeling, as the door slid open.

Mary’s body on the floor went fuzzy as the man that walked through the door became clearer.

She memorized every edge of his face, of the name that the girl was pushing at her, before she watched in horrified silence, knowing that there was nothing she could do as the man swung the ax up and then down.

The pressure in her head immediately disappeared as Mary’s eyes went blank and the room started to fade.

Oh God.

“Mercy!” Garrett screamed, and she snapped out of her fog, blinking rapidly as the room came into focus.

“I’m here,” she said through heavy breaths, her body sagging. Where, in the past, she would have to force herself beyond the tiredness that came from mind-walking, not having a choice but to keep moving, this time she wasn’t alone.

Garrett was there to catch her as she lost her strength, and her knees buckled. Swooping her up and cradling her as he sat down in a chair and pulling her down with him.

“Fuck. You are never doing that again,” he growled into her hair.

“I’m okay,” she managed to whisper.

“You are not okay.” He sounded frantic, and she couldn’t blame him. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

“It’s always like this.” She curled into Garrett and pushed her nose against his neck, letting the feel and smell of him soothe her pounding head.

“You get tired like this every time?” Eleanor asked from beside them, sounding worried.

“Mmhmm.”

“I’m not trying to be an ass, but did you get something?” Robert butted in.

“Then don’t be a fucking ass and ask right now,” Garrett snapped.

“It’s fine,” she whispered, sitting up and answering Roberts before Garrett could stop her. She hadn’t gone through all of that not to help the woman find peace.

She gave the officer every bit of information she had, pushing her mind to remember it all, and not let herself give into sleep.

“She was…” She paused as her head started to swim, the walls twisting. “She was looking…” She swallowed as her stomach churned. “I need….” She couldn’t get the rest of it out as her world whirled before her.

“Mercy!” she heard shouted from afar, but everything went black.

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